cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Carbonate effects on hexavalent uranium adsorption by iron oxyhydroxide.

Carbonate dramatically affects the adsorption of uranium (U(VI)) onto iron hydroxides and its mobility in the natural environment. Batch tests, zeta potential measurements, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic studies were utilized to characterize the nature of U(VI) adsorption on ferrihydrite. Adsorption isotherms demonstrated that carbonate had a negative effect on U(VI) adsorption on ferrihydrite at pH >6. Zeta potential measurements indicated that U(VI) was adsorbed as a cationic species (SO−UO2+) in the absence of carbonate and as anionic U(VI) complexes in the presence of carbonate at neutral pH. FTIR spectroscopic measurement of adsorbed U(VI) suggested that it was retained as uranyl carbonate complexes in the presence of carbonate. An increase in carbonate concentration caused a shift in the antisymmetric stretching vibration of the uranyl (UO22+) U−O bond toward lower wavenumbers, which indicated an increasing carbonate effect in the adsorbed uranyl carbonate complexes. The adsorbe...
Intraarticular ganglion of the dorsal interosseous scapholunate ligament: A case for arthroscopy

A rare case of an intraarticular ganglion within the dorsal interosseous scapholunate ligament is presented, including preoperative work-up and intraoperative findings. Wrist arthroscopy was crucial in its diagnosis.
Haploinsufficiency of utrophin gene worsens skeletal muscle inflammation and fibrosis in mdx mice

To address whether mdx mice with haploinsufficiency of utrophin (mdx/utrn+/-) develop more severe skeletal muscle inflammation and fibrosis than mdx mice, to represent a better model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), we performed qualitative and quantitative analysis of skeletal muscle inflammation and fibrosis in mdx and mdx/utrn+/- littermates. Inflammation was significantly worse in mdx/utrn+/- quadriceps at age 3 and 6 months and in mdx/utrn+/- diaphragm at age 3 but not 6 months. Fibrosis was more severe in mdx/utrn+/- diaphragm at 6 months, and at this age, mild fibrosis was noted in quadriceps of mdx/utrn+/- but not mdx mice. The findings indicate that utrophin compensates, although insufficiently, for the effects of dystrophin loss with regard to inflammation and fibrosis of both quadriceps and diaphragm muscles in mdx mice. With more severe muscle dystrophy than mdx mice and a longer life span than utrophin-dystrophin-deficient (dko) mice, mdx/utrn+/- mice provide a better mouse model for testing potential therapies for muscle inflammation and fibrosis associated with DMD.
Purification and properties of methylmalonyl coenzyme A mutase from human liver.

Methylmalonyl coenzyme A (CoA) mutase has been purified to apparent homogeneity from human liver by a procedure involving column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, Matrex-Gel Blue A, hydroxylapatite, and Sephadex G-150. The overall purification achieved is 500- to 600-fold, yield 3–5%. Electrophoresis of the native purified protein on nondenaturing polyacrylamide gels shows a single diffuse band coincident with the enzyme activity; dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gels show a single protein band with an apparent molecular weight of 77,500. The native protein has a molecular weight of approximately 150,000 by Sephadex G-150 chromatography, suggesting that it is composed of two identical subunits. The activity of the purified enzyme is stimulated only slightly (10–20%) by the addition of its cofactor, adenosylcobalamin, indicating that the purified enzyme is largely saturated with coenzyme. The spectrum of the enzyme is consistent with the presence of about 1 mole of adenosylcobalamin per mole of subunit. The enzyme displays complex kinetics with respect to dl-methylmalonyl CoA; substrate inhibition by l-methylmalonyl CoA appears to occur. The enzyme activity is stimulated by polyvalent anions (PO43− > SO42− > Cl−); monovalent cations are without effect, but high concentrations of divalent cations are inhibitory. The enzyme activity is insensitive to N-ethylmaleimide, is rapidly destroyed at temperatures > 50 °C, and shows a broad pH optimum around pH 7.5.
The Ohio Hospice Bereavement Study: meeting NHPCO standards.

Little attention has been paid to documenting the quality and impact of hospice bereavement programs. While quality of life, quality of dying, and quality of end-of-life measures are common indicators of effective clinical service, they are not adequate gauges of quality from a bereavement perspective. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) published standards for hospice and palliative care programs that included a section on bereavement care.1 Little evaluative work has been done to discover whether hospice programs nationwide are compliant with these standards. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether hospice programs (n = 32) in the state of Ohio were meeting the NHPCO bereavement standards. Findings indicated that the participating hospice programs were 83 percent compliant at least some of the time.
Electrochemical studies of the formation and decomposition of p-nitrobenzenesulfonamide radical anions

Summary The redox behavior of N,N-dimethyl-, N-methyl-, and p-nitrobenzenesulfonamide has been studied in DMF by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, controlled-potential coulometry, and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. The tertiary compound, N,N-dimethyl-p-nitrobenzenesulfonamide, undergoes reversible, stepwise reduction to form the corresponding dianion. In contrast, the acidic primary and secondary sulfonamides exhibit three cathodic waves. The first of these processes (Ep.c=−0.93 V) is attributed to the one-electron reduction of the sulfonamide to its radical anion. This species is unstable, however, and decomposes with loss of hydrogen during the course of the cyclic voltammetric experiment to form the corresponding sulfonamide anion. Reduction of this sulfonamide anion to its dianion radical occurs at slightly more negative potential (Ep.c=−1.16 V). The third cathodic process (Ep.c=−1.44 V) arises when any remaining sulfonamide radical anion is reduced to its dianion. This dianion is much less stable than the corresponding radical anion and rapidly undergoes nitrogen-hydrogen bond cleavage to form the dianion radical and hydrogen.
Differential responses of two conifers to in vitro inoculation with Agrobacterium rhizogenes

Young seedlings and calli of European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) but not jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) were rapidly infected with Agrobacterium rhizogenes (Riker et al.) Conn. Calli were extensively colonized and necrotic within 2 weeks. Seedlings swelled at the wound site, and developed multiple buds, blue-colored needles with dense aggregations of stomates, or adventitious roots. Inoculation of juvenile conifer tissues with selected strains of plasmid donors may offer opportunity to clone engineered superior tree genotypes through in vitro micropropagation.
MOLECULAR DETAILS OF PHOTOCHEMICAL TRANSFORMATIONS

— Photochemical reactions originate from electronically excited species whose structures are often susceptible to description without excessive difficulty. The factors determining the transformations which these species will most likely undergo are less certain. Our approach has been to develop suitable structures for the excited state involved and then to consider pathways requiring accessible energies. Such pathways can be found by molecular orbital and qualitative valence bond reasoning. This approach reasons that successful transformations tend to be minimum energy processes and will proceed with continuous electron redistribution. Conversely, the pathways taken in a photochemical reaction can often be used to cast light on the reactant excited state structure involved. Examples of this approach and of recent photochemical research by the author are given. RESUMEN Las reacciones fotoquimicas son originadas a partir de especies electronicamente excitadas cuyas estructuras pueden ser descriptas sin mayor dificultad para un gran numero de casos. Sin embargo los factores que determinan este tipo de transformacion no estan claros. En este trabajo se han tratado de desarrollar estructuras apropiadas para los estados excitados involucrados en el proceso para luego proponer caminos que requieran cantidades de energia accesibles. Estos caminos pueden ser encontrados a partir de razona-mientos que involucran orbitales moleculares y nociones cualitativas de Valencia. Este tipo de razonamiento establece que transformaciones sucesivas tienden a ser procesos de minima energia, que prosequiran con redistribuciones electronicas continuas. Por otra parte, los caminos tornados en una reaccion fotoquimica pueden usarse a menudo para esclarecer la estructura del estado excitado del reactante empleado. Se dan ejemplos de lo expuesto y de una reciente investigacion del autor.
p52–Bcl3 complex promotes cyclin D1 expression in BEAS-2B cells in response to low concentration arsenite

Arsenic is a well-recognized human carcinogen that causes a number of malignant diseases, including lung cancer. Previous studies have indicated that cyclin D1 is frequently over-expressed in many cancer types. It is also known that arsenite exposure enhances cyclin D1 expression, which involves NF-kappaB activation. However, the mechanism between cyclin D1 and the NF-kappaB pathway has not been well studied. This study was designed to characterize the underlying mechanism of induced cell growth and cyclin D1 expression in response to low concentration sodium arsenic (NaAsO(2)) exposure through the NF-kappaB pathway. Cultured human bronchial epithelial cells, BEAS-2B, were exposed to low concentration sodium arsenite for the indicated durations, and cytotoxicity, gene expression, and protein activity were assessed. To profile the canonical and non-canonical NF-kappaB pathways involved in cell growth and cyclin D1 expression induced by low concentration arsenite, the NF-kappaB-specific inhibitor-phenethyl caffeate (CAPE) and NF-kappaB2 mRNA target sequences were used, and cyclin D1 expression in BEAS-2B cells was assessed. Our results demonstrated that exposure to low concentration arsenite enhanced BEAS-2B cells growth and cyclin D1 mRNA and protein expression. Activation and nuclear localization of p52 and Bcl3 in response to low concentration arsenite indicated that the non-canonical NF-kappaB pathway was involved in arsenite-induced cyclin D1 expression. Moreover, we further demonstrated that p52/Bcl3 complex formation enhanced cyclin D1 expression through the cyclin D1 gene promoter via its kappaB site. The up-regulation of cyclin D1 mediated by the p52-Bcl3 complex in response to low concentration arsenite might be important in assessing the health risk of low concentration arsenite and understanding the mechanisms of the harmful effects of arsenite.
Airborne psychotropic substances in eight Italian big cities: Burdens and behaviours

Abstract Psychotropic substances were monitored in eight big cities of Italy over one year, starting in May 2010, in the frame of the Ariadrugs Project. Yearly average concentrations ranged from 0.02 ± 0.01 to 0.26 ± 0.11 ng/m3 for cocaine, from 0.05 ± 0.05 to 0.96 ± 1.37 ng/m3 for cannabinoids, from 16 ± 6 to 61 ± 28 ng/m3 for nicotine, and from 1.0 ± 0.8 to 8 ± 7 ng/m3 for caffeine. Palermo and Turin were the cities suffering the lowest and the highest psychotropic substance concentrations, respectively. Nicotine and cocaine exhibited trends less seasonally modulated than common air toxicants. Caffeine and cannabinoids peaked in winter dropping close to zero from May to August. In Rome, where various anthropic contours were investigated in February 2011, differences were observed both in net concentrations and ratios of psychotropic substances vs. regulated toxicants. Ambient drugs look as a consequence of addiction and their burdens give insights about the corresponding consumes.
An Extending Dynamic Elastica: Impact With a Surface

In many applications, material is pushed form a channel or clamp and can be modeled as a cantilevered beam or plate until it reaches another guide or barrier. In this paper, we are concerned with modeling the behavior of such a cantilevered sheet after it strikes a guide. The guide may be any two dimensional curve. We are able to determine leading edge velocities and reaction forces necessary to keep the sheet from penetrating the guide. The sheet is allowed to exit the channel at an arbitrary angle and may have a nonconstant transport velocity
Nasal Fossa of Mouse and Dwarf Lemurs (Primates, Cheirogaleidae)

Dimensions of the external midface in mammals are sometimes related to olfactory abilities (e.g., "olfactory snouts" of strepsirrhine primates). This association hinges on the largely unexplored relationship between the protruding midface and internal topography of the nasal fossae. Herein, serially sectioned heads of embryonic to adult cheirogaleid primates (mouse and dwarf lemurs) and a comparative sample were studied. To assess the anteroposterior distribution of olfactory epithelium (OE) within the nasal fossa, the surface area of OE and non-OE was measured in two mouse lemurs (one adult, one infant). Prenatally, ethmoturbinal projections appear in an anteroposterior sequence. Fetal mouse lemurs, tenrecs, voles, and flying lemurs have four ethmoturbinals that project toward the nasal septum. Major distinctions among these mammals include the number of turbinals in recesses and the extent of the olfactory recess. Surface area measurements in the adult mouse lemur reveal that 31% of the entire nasal fossa is lined with OE. The majority is sequestered in a posterior recess (70% OE). Anterior to this space, only 28% of the nasal fossa is lined with OE. Ethmoturbinal I is lined with relatively less OE (35%) compared with more posterior ethmoturbinals (46-57%). Age comparisons support the idea that OE increases less than non-OE between ages. Regionally, results suggest that most growth in surface area occurs in turbinals. But in all ethmoturbinals, surface area of non-OE differs between ages more than that of OE. This study shows that the anterior part of the nasal fossa is mostly nonolfactory in Microcebus murinus.
A spectral study of the charge forms of Coomassie blue G

The Coomassie brilliant blue protein assay is commonly used because of its superior sensitivity, but it is not well understood on the molecular level. This paper attempts to gain better understanding of the assay by studying the three charge forms of the free dye present at the usual pH of the assay. A linear least squares method is outlined which allows calculation of the spectra of the red, green, and blue charge forms of the dye and also calculates the two related pKa's with values of 1.15 and 1.82. The pure component dye spectra were found to differ substantially from the spectrum of the dye-protein complex. The presence of a fourth, pink, ionic state of the free dye at high pH (pKa = 12.4) is also shown. The signs and magnitudes of the ionic charges for the free dye forms are deduced and discussed. The results of this investigation are also discussed in terms of the potential for improvement of the CBB protein assay, and the conclusion is drawn that the assay conditions have been well optimized by earlier workers.
Measurement of Spin-Exchange Effects in Electron-Hydrogen Collisions: Impact Ionization

We have measured the interference between the direct and exchange scattering amplitudes in electron impact ionization of atomic hydrogen over the energy range 15 to 197 eV in a crossed-beams experiment utilizing spin-polarized electrons and spin-polarized hydrogen atoms. The experimental values for the asymmetry $A=\frac{({\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{\uparrow}\ensuremath{\downarrow}}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{\uparrow}\ensuremath{\uparrow}})}{({\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{\downarrow}\ensuremath{\uparrow}}+{\ensuremath{\sigma}}^{\ensuremath{\uparrow}\ensuremath{\uparrow}})}$ in the total ionization cross section for antiparallel and parallel incident- and atomic-electron spins are inconsistent with all theoretical calculations below 50 eV.
An intensity calibration of the two metre curved-crystal spectrometer

Abstract The 2 m curved-crystal diffraction spectrometer at the California Institute of Technology was calibrated to permit precise relative intensity measurements of gamma rays or X-rays over the energy range 60 keV.to 400 keV. The curved quartz crystal (2 mm thick, (310) planes) was found to have a dependence of reflectivity I/Iu upon energy E given by I I U =( E 0 E ) 1.987±0.022 where E0 is a reference energy within the range of the calibration. The relative intensity uncertainty, from sources other than counting rare statistics, is now of the order of 3% or less for gamma rays differing in energy up to a factor of four.
GROWTH FAILURE AND GROWTH-HORMONE DEFICIENCY AFTER TREATMENT FOR ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA

Abstract In a study of 77 children who had been treated for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) with an LSA 2 L 2 (Memorial Sloan-Kettering) chemotherapy protocol plus radiotherapy (24 Gy) as cranial prophylaxis, growth was examined 3·0-9·5 years after diagnosis. The children's growth slowed and they crossed height percentiles towards the end of or after treatment. The Z-score, which reflects the deviation of height measurements from the population mean, was used to assess height change. The mean Z-score was 0·16 at diagnosis, -0·30 2 years later, -0·71 4 years later, and -1·37 6 years later. Height for age had fallen by more than 1 standard deviation of the population mean in 32% of survivors 4 years after diagnosis and in 71% 6 years after diagnosis. Younger children and those tall for age at diagnosis were more severely affected. Growth-hormone (GH) response to standard provocation tests was measured in 46 patients; 30 had partial or complete GH deficiency. Mean pulsatile GH secretion was low in the 34 patients tested. Cranial irradiation is probably the most important causative factor in the development of GH deficiency in survivors of ALL.
Convexity in oriented graphs

Abstract For vertices u and v in an oriented graph D, the closed interval I[u,v] consists of u and v together with all vertices lying in a u−v geodesic or v−u geodesic in D. For S⊆V(D), I[S] is the union of all closed intervals I[u,v] with u,v∈S. A set S is convex if I[S]=S. The convexity number con(D) is the maximum cardinality of a proper convex set of V(D). The nontrivial connected oriented graphs of order n with convexity number n−1 are characterized. It is shown that there is no connected oriented graph of order at least 4 with convexity number 2 and that every pair k, n of integers with 1⩽k⩽n−1 and k≠2 is realizable as the convexity number and order, respectively, of some connected oriented graph. For a nontrivial connected graph G, the lower orientable convexity number con−(G) is the minimum convexity number among all orientations of G and the upper orientable convexity number con+(G) is the maximum such convexity number. It is shown that con+(G)=n−1 for every graph G of order n⩾2. The lower orientable convexity numbers of some well-known graphs are determined, with special attention given to outerplanar graphs.
Gas chromatographic determination of tocopherols and sterols in soya sludges and residues.

A method is described for determining the individual and total sterols and tocopherols of soya sludges and residues. The method involves saponification of the sample followed by gas chromatographic analysis of the unsaponifiables. Data are presented on the reproducibility and accuracy of the method.
Familial autism and the fragile-X chromosome

This report presents two male siblings in whom the diagnosis of infantile autism was found in association with a fragile site on the X chromosome. In addition to their marked autistic characteristics, formal examinations indicated that both boys were severely mentally retarded and had several physical features commonly observed in association with the fragile-X syndrome. The mother of these two siblings also gave birth to identical twin boys, who were developmentally delayed and showed several autistic features prior to their untimely death in a house fire. The possible role of the fragile-X chromosome as an etiological factor in families where there is a clustering of autism and related developmental disturbances is discussed.
The Development of Day-Night Differences in Sleep and Wakefulness in Norway Rats and the Effect of Bilateral Enucleation

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) exhibits circadian rhythmicity in fetal and infant rats, but little is known about the consequences of this rhythmicity for infant behavior. Here, in Experiment 1, we measured sleep and wakefulness in rats during the day and night in postnatal day (P)2, P8, P15 and P21 subjects. As early as P2, day-night differences in sleep-wake activity were detected. Nocturnal wakefulness began to emerge around P15 and was reliably expressed by P21. We hypothesized that the process of photic entrainment over the first postnatal week, which depends upon the development of connectivity between the retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) and the SCN, influences the later emergence of nocturnal wakefulness. To test this hypothesis, in Experiment 2 infant rats were enucleated bilaterally at P3 and P11, that is, before and after photic entrainment. Whereas pups enucleated at P11 and tested at P21 exhibited increased wakefulness at night, identical to sham controls, pups enucleated at P3 and tested at P21 exhibited the opposite pattern of increased wakefulness during the day. Pups tested at P28 and P35 exhibited this same pattern of increased daytime wakefulness. All together, these results suggest that prenatal and postnatal experience modulates the development of species-typical circadian sleep-wake patterns. Moreover, we suggest that visual system stimulation, via the RHT’s connections with the SCN, exerts an organizational influence on the developing circadian system and, consequently, contributes to the emergence of nocturnality in this species.
Sexual Functioning and Commitment to Their Current Relationship among Breastfeeding and Regularly Cycling Women in Manila, Philippines

This project investigates the relationship between lactation and female sexual functioning and relationship commitment among partnered women in urban Manila. Previous literature suggests that the time after giving birth is often rife with lower sexual functioning and relationship dissatisfaction. Given the important role of caregiving by multiple individuals in humans, the current cross-sectional study suggests that female sexuality may decline immediately after giving birth but then may increase afterwards. Non-cycling, breastfeeding (n = 86); cycling, breastfeeding (n = 48); and nulliparous, regularly cycling (n = 105) women were recruited from neighborhood health centers in Manila to complete questionnaires that assessed sexual functioning and relationship satisfaction, along with demographic variables. Cycling, breastfeeding women report the highest sexual functioning scores and commitment scores. Females undergoing life history trade-offs between mating effort and parenting effort during the postpartum phase may employ a strategy in which they continue investment both in their offspring and in a romantic relationship. Variations in self-reported sexual functioning, level of commitment in a relationship, and love toward her current partner may indicate that breastfeeding women engage in sexual activities as part of a relationship maintenance strategy. Cultural and life history factors will serve as a framework for the findings. The current findings suggest women in Manila may experience a post-birth increase in sexual functioning that may be higher than pre-pregnancy levels. Future studies should incorporate a longitudinal component or a memory recall on pre-pregnancy and post-birth sexual functioning levels.
The GC Content of Bacterial Genomes

Bacterial genomes exhibit a wide range of compositional diversity, most spectacularly represented by variation in genome GC content, which varies in different organisms from as low as 17% to as high as 75%. The nature of the biological processes underlying these differences has been long debated and two polarizing interpretations have been advanced, one proposing that GC content is driven by genome-specific mutational biases (the mutational hypothesis), and one that it reflects different selective processes in different organisms (the selectionist hypothesis). The hypothesis that differences in GC content are mostly driven by species-specific mutational biases [1] implies that smaller variation in GC content across genomes should be seen at positions that are most constrained by any form of purifying selection, and conversely that greatest variation should be observed in positions that are functionally neutral. Differences in GC content among prokaryotic genomes largely reflect on, or are driven by the GC content of protein coding sequences, which usually occupy the majority of the genome. When considering separately the GC content at the three codon positions of genes (GC 1 , GC 2 , GC 3 ), typical patterns are observed Figure 1-A. The GC content of all positions varies roughly linearly with the overall content of the genes, but variations in the first two codon positions, and especially in the second codon position, are much reduced compared to the variability observed in third codon positions, where the GC content spans across species almost all possible values from close to GC 3 = 0.0 to almost GC 3 = 1.0. These differences in variability are consistent with expected constraints imposed by the relation between codons and amino acids [2], with first and second codon positions mostly determining the amino acid type (and second codon position mostly determining the physico-chemical properties of the amino acid), and third codon position being mostly either synonymous, or encoding amino acids with similar properties. It is interesting to observe that the GC content of genomic intergenic regions closely correlates with the GC content of the coding sequences Figure 1 panel B, and it varies across genomes approximately to the same extent as it does in coding regions, and thus much less than in third codon positions. A simple toy model relating mutational bias to codon compositional substitutability can be advocated to explain the overall contrasts and variability in GC content observed between codon positions of different genomes. In this model, coding regions are represented as sequences formed from a two-letter alphabet {S, W} in which bases are identified either as Strong (S = G or C) or as Weak (W = A or T). Each sequence position is assumed either to evolve freely by substitution between S and W states, or to be constrained by purifying selection either in state S or in state W. Each of the three codon-base-positions i (i = 1, 2, or 3) will be then characterized by a codon-position-specific fraction () i s f of sites constrained to be of type S, a fractions () i w
SWEDISH METACARPOPHALANGEAL STANDARDS COMPARED WITH PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED NORMS

AbstractPurpose: Metacarpophalangeal lengths are used to create pattern profiles that are useful for assessment of skeletal dysplasias and malformation syndromes. The purpose of this study was to establish Swedish standards and compare them with previously published norms.Material and Methods: A group of healthy Swedish children was followed longitudinally from the age of 1 month to 18 years. The length of the tubular bones of the hand was measured on radiographs. In addition to the conventional measurements including epiphyses, diaphyseal lengths alone were recorded.Results: Means and standard deviations of the metacarpophalangeal lengths are presented by gender and age.Conclusion: In spite of reasonably good correlation to previously published norms, demonstrated deviations encourage us to recommend the use of local standards whenever available.
Strain differences in free operant leverpress levels in the rat

Unconditioned leverpress operant levels were obtained in a standard apparatus for 485 rats from 12 inbred strains: ACI, A990, A35322, F344, INR, IR, MNR/Har, MNRA, MR/Har, TS1, TS3, WAG. The results provide parametric data for methodological use and add to the standardization of these strains as behaviorally defined lines. Free operant rate did not appear to be genetically related to other common measures of spontaneous activity.
Meprobamate Therapy for the Myofascial Pain-Dysfunction (MPD) Syndrome: A Double-Blind Evaluation

Patients experiencing the symptoms of pain, tenderness, clicking, and limitation of function, which characterize the myofascial pain-dysfunction (MPD) syndrome have been subjected over the years to a variety of therapeutic measures. An investigation was made of the effectiveness of meprobamate in treatment of the MPD syndrome. Of the 90 patients studied, 58% reported some improvement after taking the drug, and 31% after taking a placebo. The subjective symptoms were reported as improved most frequently, whereas the more objective symptoms seemed less affected by either the meprobamate or the placebo.
Tunable Vancomycin Releasing Surfaces for Biomedical Applications

Local drug delivery methods allow for the opportunity to supply potent multispectrum antibiotics such as vancomycin hydrochloride to sites of infection, while avoiding systemic toxicity. In this work, layer-by-layer assembly of polymer multilayer films is applied to create vancomycin delivery coatings. By taking advantage of the versatile layer-by-layer spray and dip coating techniques, thin films were generated based on electrostatic and other secondary interactions discovered to exist between the film components. The importance of film interdiffusion during growth in promoting interactions between film components is found to be critical in the direct incorporation of the weakly charged vancomycin drug in these multilayer films. The resulting coatings are engineered with unprecedented drug densities ranging from 17-220 μg mm(-3) (approximately 20 wt%) for films that are micron to submicron scale in thickness, delivering vancomycin over timescales of 4 h to 2.5 days. The released drug is highly effective in inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus growth in vitro. Taking advantage of the difference in release characteristics between dip and spray assembled films, a composite film architecture was engineered to have both a bolus vancomycin release followed by a period of linear sustained drug release. The control over drug densities and release profiles displayed in this work is necessary to address the requirements of varying medical conditions, including those where immediate infection elimination is needed or long term infection prevention is required.
Range Multicast for Video on Demand

We explore a communication paradigm for video on demand, called Range Multicast. This schemeis a shift from the conventional thinking about multicast where every receiver must obtain the same data packet at any time. A range multicast allows new members to join at their specified time and still receive the entire video stream without consuming additional server bandwidth. Clients enjoy better service latency since they can join an existing multicast instead of waiting for the next available server stream. We also present techniques to support video-cassette-recorder-like interactivity in this environment. Unlike existing methods which require clients to cache data in a private buffer, the Range Multicast solution utilizes the shared network storage to make more efficient and cost-effective use of the caching space. Furthermore, since a range multicast can accommodate clients with different play points in the video, a client has a better chance to join an on-going multicast for normal playback after finishing a VCR operation. This strategy avoids the need for a new server stream, and thus further alleviates the server load. Our simulation results confirm the aforementioned benefits.
The complexity of the staggering problem, and other classical inventory problems

We consider a multi-item inventory system with a constraint or penalty associated with the peak usage of a single resource, such as warehouse volume, floor space, or working capital. A number of classical, deterministic, inventory problems have been developed for these systems. Embedded, in these classical inventory problems, is the staggering problem. The staggering problem, consists of time phasing the arrival of the orders to minimize the peak usage of the resource. We show that the staggering problem is NP-complete in the strong sense even if only one item has a different reorder interval. This result is used to prove that the above classical inventory problems are also NP-complete in the strong sense, thereby justifying the effort invested over the last three decades to develop effective heuristics for these problems.
Response of the Rabbit Oviduct to a Tissue Adhesive

Sexual sterilization of mammals by the production of an obstruction at the tubo-uterine junction has been reevaluated experimentally. The application of 0.15 ml of methyl 2-cyanoacrylate monomere to the junction in rabbits produced, at intervals from 1 to 6 weeks later, histological, hydrodynamic, and functional evidence of tubal obstruction.
Formation and reactivity of alternative quinone methides from butylated hydroxytoluene: possible explanation for species-specific pneumotoxicity

Previous work has shown that butylated hydroxytoluene [2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT)] undergoes pi-oxidation in liver microsomes to form the quinone methide 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylene-2,5-cyclohexadienone (QM). This electrophilic species binds covalently to glutathione and protein thiols and is believed to initiate pulmonary toxicity in mice. In the present investigation, we identified another quinone methide metabolite of BHT, 6-tert-butyl-2-(hydroxy-tert-butyl)-4-methylene-2,5-cyclohexadienone (QM-OH), formed subsequent to the microsomal hydroxylation of BHT at a tert-butyl group. Mouse liver and lung microsomes generate the two quinone methides, and evidence was obtained that both metabolites also are formed in vivo. In contrast, rat microsomes produce QM almost exclusively, with only traces of QM-OH formed in liver and none in lung. Studies of the chemical reactivities of the two quinone methides with GSH demonstrated that QM-OH reacts about 6-fold faster than QM. Infrared spectra, 1H NMR spectra, and electrochemical measurements all support the proposal that the enhanced electrophilicity of QM-OH is due to intramolecular hydrogen bonding of the ring oxygen with the side-chain hydroxyl. The results provide evidence, therefore, that the previous metabolic scheme for bioactivation of BHT to a pulmonary toxin should be amended to include tert-butyl hydroxylation and subsequent pi-oxidation to the activated electrophile QM-OH. This scheme is consistent with published data concerning BHT-induced pulmonary toxicity and provides an explanation for the species specificity of this effect.
Recurrent catheter related bloodstream infections by Candida glabrata: successful treatment with taurolidine.

olidine in patients on home parenteral nutrition (HPN) who develop catheter related bloodstream infections (CRBSI) and who use the taurolidine lock solutions. This finding is of extremeinterest for the clinicians who manage patients on HPN, who are dependent on the central lines and who are at high risk of CRBSI. As reported, indeed, the repeated CRBSI, in patients with intestinal failure, can become an indication to the small bowel transplantation. 2 Therefore is very important to prevent the septic episodes of the central lines. A previous pediatric survey has reported the efficacy of the taurolidine line lock in patients on HPN to decrease the incidence of CRBSI. 3 In this report the Authors suggested that the use of taurolidine lock solutions should be approached in patients with a history of septicemia on treatment with cyclical parenteral nutrition (PN). 3 In line with this previously reported experience, 3 also our pediatric patients on HPN (currently 40 patients) switched from low-dose heparin (100 mI/mL) to taurolidine catheter locking by the beginning of the year 2013. The inclusion criteria for starting the taurolidine lock in our institution are the following: 1) clinical history positive for at least one episodes of CRBSI in the last year of HPN and 2) admission due to an episode of central line sepsis; in this clinical setting the taurolidine is started when the antibiotic therapy for the episode is concluded. Up to now we have treated three patients; one out of them suffered from repeated episodes of CRBSI by Candida glabrata. He is a 3-years-old boy with a history of neonatal volvulus with intestinal resection at three months of life, with residual intestinal length of 5 cm and loss of the ileocecal valve and of the 50% of the colon. When the child was admitted for the first time to our hospital he had a Broviac catheter, that was the sixth such catheter placed for PN. The last two catheters were removed because of the fungal infection by C. glabrata could not be cleared with systemic antifungal agents (liposomal amphotericin-B and caspofungin). Since the patient started the taurolidine lock no more central line sepsis by C. glabrata or other microbial agents were observed. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a patient with repeated and severe C. glabrata central line sepsis who was successfully treated with taurolidine locks. This experience confirms that, also at pediatric age, this drug can be considered an effective tool to optimize the management of the patients that needs long-term PN.
Texas Instruments (TI) 800X800 Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) Image Sensor

Very-large area high-performance CCD image sensors with 800 x 800 pixel format have been successfully fabricated and operated on the basis of a three-level polysilicon gate technology. They are thinned to 8 microns over the entire 12.2 x 12.2 mm active area, and are used in the rear illumination mode. The light transfer characteristic has a gamma value of 1.000 + or - 0.002 over most of the dynamic range. Analysis of the noise behavior shows that the device SNR is shot-noise-limited over most of the dynamic range. Simple on-chip signal processing can be performed using an integration well to noiselessly collect signal charge from multiple pixels prior to reading out the charge. A UV-sensitive phosphor has been applied to the chip, yielding a device capable of imaging at wavelengths from the vacuum UV to the near IR.
Dynamics of complex singularities in 1D nonlinear parabolic PDE's

We establish local-in-time smoothing of a simple model nonlinear para- bolic PDE in a scale of weighted Bergman spaces on a strip provided the weights are not too singular. This constitutes a very strong smoothing property since an immediate consequence is that the PDE can \push away" an algebraic-type complex singularity provided that the order of the singularity is small enough.
The interaction of 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate with thyroid lipids and membranes: a nuclear magnetic resonance study.

Abstract The proton magnetic resonance (PMR) spectra of thyroid cell membranes and their total lipid extracts, in the presence of 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate (ANS), have been studied. The addition of ANS causes a shifting of the head group PMR signal, a splitting of the signal into two components and an increase in total spectral intensity. The data suggest that ANS interacts with phospholipid in the membrane as it does in total lipid vesicles. Evidence is also presented for the removal of lipids from the membrane, by ANS, and the subsequent formation of micelles. The membrane results are compatred with our earlier work on the interaction of ANS with egg phosphatidycholine (P.C.) vesicles and the results are used in explaining the inhibition of iodide transport in isolated thyroid slices.
Deuterium NMR Studies of Water in Oriented Nylon 6 Fibers

Deuterium NMR studies of drawn nylon 6 fibers hydrated with D2O suggest the presence of three types of water and two classes of exchangeable protons. The water exhibits varying degrees of residual orientational order (incompletely averaged quadrupolar interactions) as well as drying characteristics that enable a comparison with interlamellar and interfibrillar water previously defined by small-angle neutron scattering.1 The interfibrillar water is bound the strongest and exhibits the largest (draw-ratio-dependent) quadrupolar splitting in aligned fibers. Dry fibers (whose accessible amide protons have been deuterium exchanged with D2O) show anisotropic powder spectra. The angular dependence of these spectra suggests that two distinct classes of amide deuterons contribute to the spectra, one associated with aligned interfibrillar amorphous chains (with N−D bonds on average normal to the fiber axis) and more isotropic deuterons probably associated with chain folds and variously oriented crystallite surfaces.
Transonic unsteady pressure measurements on a supercritical airfoil at high Reynolds numbers

Steady and unsteady pressures were measured on a two-dimensional supercritical airfoil in the NASA Langley Research Center 0.3 m Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel at Reynolds numbers of 6 to 35xl06. The airfoil was oscillated in pitch at amplitudes of ±0.25 to ±1.0 deg at frequencies of 5-60 Hz. The special requirements of testing an unsteady pressure model in a pressurized cryogenic tunnel are discussed. Selected steady measured data are presented and are compared with GRUMFOIL calculations at Reynolds numbers of 6 and 30 x 106. Experimental unsteady results at Reynolds numbers of 6 and 30 X106 are examined for Reynolds number effects. Measured unsteady results at two mean angles of attack at a Reynolds number of 30 x 106 are also examined. Nomenclature Cp = pressure coefficient \CP I = modulus of oscillating pressure coefficient Cj = lift coefficient c = chord, in. / = frequency, Hz k = reduced frequency, based on semichord, ircf/V M = Mach number R = Reynolds number based on chord V — velocity, in./s x = stream wise coordinate measured from leading edge, in. a =peak oscillation amplitude in pitch, positive leading edge up, deg a = steady or mean angle of attack, positive leading edge up, deg <£ = phase angle between oscillating pressure and oscillating wing angle of attack, deg
Increased β-adrenergic receptor complement in androgen-induced mouse kidney hypertrophy

Abstract Treatment of female mice with testosterone propionate led to a pronounced, but gradual increase in kidney β-adrenergic receptor complement. The specific binding of [ 125 I]iodohydroxybenzylpindolol rose 2–3-fold above the control levels after 8–12 days of the treatment. No significant changes were detected prior to the fourth day of androgen administration. No gross changes in either the binding strength or cooperativity of the binding were apparent in membrane preparations from treated animals. Averages of the high-affinity binding constant estimates were 1.3 ± 0.3 nmol in controls, vs. 1.6 ± 0.5 nmol in treated animals (15 groups each) in competition with pindolol, with the Hill slope factors of 0.98 ± 0.08 for controls, and 0.91 ± 0.07 for the treated animal membrane preparations. Scatchard estimates of the binding constants in self-competed [ 125 I]iodohydroxybenzylpindolol binding were about 160 pmol in both control and treated animals. Competition experiments using isoproterenol also indicated similar dissociation constants (151 ± 16 nmol) for control and treated groups. Na + /K + -activated ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) was also found to be increased at the 12th day of the androgen treatment (to 74% above control levels).
Designed Two-Dimensional DNA Holliday Junction Arrays Visualized by Atomic Force Microscopy

A two-dimensional DNA crystal has been designed and constructed from Holliday junction analogues that contain two helical domains twisted relative to each other. The Holliday junction is not an inherently rigid system, but it can be made less flexible if it is combined into a larger construct. We have fused four junctions into a rhombus-like molecule consisting of four six-turn helices, two on an upper layer and two on a lower layer; the branch points, which define vertices, are separated by four double helical turns each. Ligation of the rhombus-like motifs produces no cyclic species, when assayed by ligation-closure experiments. Self-assembly of the rhombuses in one dimension leads to a linear pattern. The rhombuses can be directed to self-assemble by hydrogen bonding into a two-dimensional periodic array, whose spacing is six turns in each direction. The expected spacing is seen when the array is observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Variation of the dimensions of the repeat unit from six turns × ...
Aneurysmal bone cyst mimicking Ewing's sarcoma of the rib

A cantaloupe-sized intrathoracic tumor destroying the eighth rib with a pleural effusion is ominous. This case of an aneurysmal bone cyst of a rib mimicking a malignant chest wall tumor was both interesting and instructive.
Some Physiological Responses of Broad Breasted Bronze Poults to Chlorinated Naphthalene

ABSTRACT INVESTIGATIONS by Bell (1952) and Sikes et al. (1952) revealed that a chlorinated naphthalene was one causative agent of hyperkeratosis (X-disease) in cattle and aroused an interest in this laboratory in the possible toxicity of these compounds in poultry. Chlordane, a chlorinated hydrocarbon structurally similar to chlorinated naphthalene, was reported by Moore et al. (1954) to be quite toxic to poults when used in a mixture of equal parts of a 2% chlordane and 0.4% lindane spray to control ants and flies in a room housing poults. They found lindane to be nontoxic to poults when used alone as a spray. Aldrin, a chlorinated naphthalene derivative, when fed at levels of 12.5 and 25 p.p.m. to 76-day old Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys in a 42-day feeding experiment, caused mortalities of 15 and 100%, respectively, the latter occurring in 14 days (Anderson et al., 1952). No reports, however, on the influence . . .
Calcium and the Control of Mitosis in the Mammal

INCREASING the calcium concentration in the environment of various types of isolated mammalian and insect cells hastens their progress through mitosis and also counteracts the transient mitotic inhibition following irradiation1–6. The same effects can be produced in the bone marrow and thymus of the whole animal by raising the blood calcium either directly, by injecting calcium salts, or indirectly through the action of parathyroid hormone7,8. Conversely, lowering the calcium level in the medium of isolated normal or irradiated cells reduces their rate of flow into mitosis6. Reducing the total calcium level in the blood by injecting the chelating compound ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) or inorganic phosphate should therefore reduce the mitotic activity in normal and irradiated marrow and thymus in vivo. Contrary to expectations, the present study shows that these compounds in fact stimulated mitosis.
Two-Dimensional Discrete Gaussian Markov Random Field Models for Image Processing and Analysis

This paper is concerned with a systematic exposition of the usefulness of two-dimensional (2-D) discrete Gaussian Markov random field (GMRF) models for image processing and analysis applications. Specifically, we discuss the following topics; notion of Markovianity on a plane, statistical inference in GMRF models; and their applications in several image related problems such as, image synthesis, texture classification, segmentation and image restoration.