cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
One-Step Forward: The D.C. Circuit Provides Clarity to the Incremental Approach to Rulemaking

In 2011, EPA issued the Deferral Rule, excusing generators of biogenic b-CO2—emitted from the combustion of biological materials—from Clean Air Act (CAA) regulations for three years. Citing the need to study b-CO2, EPA invoked three legal doctrines to justify the rule: the de minimus, one-step-at-a-time, and administrative necessity doctrines. This Comment addresses Center for Biological Diversity v. Environmental Protection Agency, where the Center for Biological Diversity challenged the Deferral Rule in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The D.C. Circuit vacated the rule. Although the court did not decide the issue of statutory authority, it dismissed EPA’s legal justifications as incompetently invoked. Focusing on the one-step-at-a-time doctrine, the decision clarifies that although incremental rulemaking might be justified, it must be in furtherance of congressional intent, which, in this case, was to regulate all CO2— biogenic or otherwise—under the CAA. The D.C. Circuit’s decision is a decisive victory for the environment.
Unlocking the photobiological conversion of CO2 to (R)-3-hydroxybutyrate in cyanobacteria

Escalating concerns about CO2 emission from fossil fuel utilization and environmental pollution from fossil-derived plastic waste call for the sustainable production and utilization of renewable biodegradable plastic materials. Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable and biocompatible thermoplastics with thermal and mechanical properties comparable to conventional plastics; thus, they are promising materials to mitigate environmental pollution. (R)-3-Hydroxybutyrate (3HB), which is the most common building-block for PHAs, has the potential to be utilized in various medical applications and can also serve as a precursor to a variety of value-added stereospecific chemicals. In addition, it can be produced by microorganisms, such as engineered cyanobacteria, from inexpensive renewable resources such as waste CO2. However, higher titer and rate of (R)-3HB production by cyanobacteria beyond that found in the current literature are critical for commercial applications. Herein, we employed a facile strategy to identify the rate-limiting step in the photoautotrophic production of (R)-3HB by the cyanobacterium Synechocystis and found that acetoacetyl-CoA reductase activity is the bottleneck in the process. Optimization of the gene's ribosome binding site led to a 2.2-fold increase in enzyme activity. In the culture medium of the engineered organism, the (R)-3HB titer reached 1.84 g L−1 within 10 days, with a peak productivity of 263 mg L−1 day−1, using CO2 and light as the sole carbon and energy sources. Moreover, dramatic changes in carbon partition were discovered in the (R)-3HB-producing cells along the course of cultivation using 13C-metabolic flux analysis; after the rapid growth phase, a majority of carbon flux was redirected from the cell mass formation to the production of (R)-3HB in the engineered Synechocystis under the examined experimental conditions.
Reflections From Co-Researchers With Intellectual Disability: Benefits to Inclusion in a Research Study Team

Participatory action research methodologies may empower and protect marginalized individuals; however, they remain underutilized. Limited studies have investigated the impact of participatory action research, specifically on individuals with intellectual disability (ID). This study examines (1) the perspectives of co-researchers with ID on their involvement in the research process and (2) the feasibility of their inclusion based on perspectives of research staff (academic faculty and graduate students without ID). Three co-researchers with ID were interviewed regarding their research participation. Thematic analysis of interviews identified four themes: (1) Shared Experience of Disability, (2) Teaching and Guidance, (3) Acquisition of Skills and Knowledge, and (4) Value of Participation. Research staff reviewed field notes and identified benefits and challenges to feasibility of including co-researchers with ID. Inclusion of co-researchers with ID was found to be both meaningful and feasible.
New to a Country: Barriers for International Students to Access Health Services and Opportunities for Design

Newcomers to a country often face difficulties in adapting to the new healthcare system. Understanding their perceived barriers in utilizing healthcare services in the host country is crucial for designing health IT to meet their health needs. In this paper, we present an interview study of 30 international students attending a U.S. university. We identified barriers that hindered them from accessing health services in the host country -- difficulties in understanding health services information, high healthcare costs, unfamiliar and cumbersome health practices, negative beliefs toward western medicine, and communication and language barrier. We also uncovered their alternative solutions by actively seeking health services information, adopting preventive measures, and self-diagnosing and self-treating with medicine brought from their home countries. Finally, we derived implications for designing health IT and services to better support international students' healthcare.
Bluetooth low energy in the wild dataset

In 2015, we performed a study to learn which Bluetooth Low Energy peripheral devices were most prevalent among consumers, as well as which services these devices provided and utilized in practice. Additionally, we sought to investigate the real-world usage of standard Bluetooth services versus custom protocols among developers. The study involved a continuous month-long scan taken on two floors of an academic building. The resulting dataset consists of scan results from approximately 3000 unique devices.
The Diagnostic Approach to Interstitial Lung Disease

Interstitial lung diseases are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by varying degrees of inflammation and scarring of the lung parenchyma. Diagnosis can be challenging and requires careful multidisciplinary appraisal of carefully obtained history, physical examination, serological profile, imaging, and, at times, lung tissue. We aim to provide a roadmap for the diagnosis of ILD. The diagnostic criteria for IPF, which is the deadliest form of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, and HRCT pattern classification have been updated. Transbronchial cryobiopsies are becoming more prevalent but overall diagnostic yield compared to surgical lung biopsy is not known. A technically adequate high-resolution CAT scan of the chest (HRCT) is a central element but a multidisciplinary evaluation of all available evidence is fundamental for the diagnosis of ILD.
Postoperative Evaluation and Care

Medicine consultants are often called upon to collaborate on the care of patients in the immediate post-operative period. Attention to medical comorbidities, operative and anesthetic course, and a thoughtful postoperative history and physical examination can help support optimal care and reduce complications. This chapter provides an overview of medical assessment in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), common immediate postoperative complications, and common issues to consider when newly consulting or following patients longitudinally after a surgical procedure.
CNS Penetration of Cyclophosphamide and Metabolites in Mice Bearing Group 3 Medulloblastoma and Non-Tumor Bearing Mice

Purpose Cyclophosphamide is widely used to treat children with medulloblastoma; however, little is known about its brain penetration. We performed cerebral microdialysis to characterize the brain penetration of cyclophosphamide (130 mg/kg, IP) and its metabolites [4-hydroxy-cyclophosphamide (4OH-CTX) and carboxyethylphosphoramide mustard (CEPM)] in non-tumor bearing mice and mice bearing orthotopic Group 3 medulloblastoma. Methods A plasma pharmacokinetic study was performed in non-tumor-bearing CD1- nude mice, and four cerebral microdialysis studies were performed in non-tumor-bearing (M1 and M3) and tumor- bearing mice (M2 and M4). Plasma samples were collected up to 6-hours post-dose, and extracellular fluid (ECF) samples were collected over 60-minute intervals for 24-hours post-dose. To stabilize and quantify 4OH-CTX, a derivatizing solution was added in blood after collection, and either directly in the microdialysis perfusate (M1 and M2) or in ECF collection tubes (M3 and M4). Plasma/ECF cyclophosphamide and CEPM, and 4OH-CTX concentrations were separately measured using different LC-MS/MS methods. Results All plasma/ECF concentrations were described using a population-based pharmacokinetic model. Plasma exposures of cyclophosphamide, 4OH-CTX, and CEPM were similar across studies (mean AUC=112.6, 45.6, and 80.8 µmol∙hr/L). Hemorrhage was observed in brain tissue when the derivatizing solution was in perfusate compared with none when in collection tubes, which suggested potential sample contamination in studies M1 and M2. Model-derived unbound ECF to plasma partition coefficients (Kp,uu) were calculated to reflect CNS penetration of the compounds. Lower cyclophosphamide Kp,uu was obtained in tumor-bearing mice versus non-tumor bearing mice (mean 0.15 versus 0.22, p=0.019). No differences in Kp,uu were observed between these groups for 4OH- CTX and CEPM (overall mean 0.10 and 0.07). Conclusions Future studies will explore potential mechanisms at the brain-tumor barrier to explain lower cyclophosphamide brain penetration in tumor-bearing mice. These results will be used to further investigate exposure-response relationships in medulloblastoma xenograft models.
The long-term effects of active management and landscape characteristics on carbon accumulation and diversity within a seasonal dry tropical ecosystem

Abstract Reforestation is the largest natural climate solution, while potentially reversing the biodiversity crisis, especially in tropical countries. Dry tropical forests are of particular interest because they experienced greater historic loss, and offer large reforestation opportunities. This study addressed the potential of secondary forests in dry tropical systems regenerating after 60 + years in cattle pasture to accumulate carbon while increasing floristic diversity. Total carbon and woody species diversity were quantified within experimental treatments established 15 years ago. Initial active management practices included removing exotic grass with herbicide, excluding cattle by constructing live fences, and monitoring succession relative to proximity to forested riparian zones and slope position. Overall, carbon accumulated relatively slowly in this landscape (1.30 MgC Ha-1 Yr-1). Differences were seen between management practices and landscape characteristics. Lower slope plots, adjacent to forested zones, had significantly more carbon than upper slope plots, isolated from riparian zones. The initial application of herbicide decreased total carbon. However, natural regeneration of two valuable timber species with small seeds, Astronium graveolens and Cedrela odorata, benefited from this initial treatment. Live fences that were initially planted to exclude cattle significantly increased carbon of regenerating woody species. Lianas were abundant at this successional stage. Almost half of all inventoried trees (44%) had at least one liana climbing through them, with the most common species being Bauhinia glabra and Macherium microfolium. Some valuable timber tree species found within older, protected riparian forests were not yet regenerating in any treatment, such as the wind-dispersed species, Cieba pentandra, and the animal dispersed species, Hymenaea coubaril. These species may need to be actively planted at the mid-successional stage (~15–20 years) to restore biodiversity. A trade-off between timber value, diversity, and carbon sequestration must be considered in reforestation programs and this depends on landscape characteristics and management. Passive management, even with invasive grass species, is a practical option when sites are located near forested riparian zones due to low cost and high timber value of a suite of native species that naturally regenerate. No intervention is needed other than continual protection from fire and grazing. However, low-cost management, such cutting lianas and enrichment planting at the mid-successional stage, is likely to increase carbon accumulation and diversity. More active management, such as planting drought-tolerant, higher timber value tree species, is recommended at sites isolated from forested riparian zones on upper slopes where carbon accumulation is lower. Tropical forest regeneration mechanisms in proximity to forest fragments can be surprisingly resilient if chronic human impacts are removed.
Moving past the vaccine/autism controversy - to examine potential vaccine neurological harms.

Background The vaccine/autism controversy has caused vast scientific and public confusion, and it has set back research and education into genuine vaccine-induced neurological disorders. The great strawman of autism has been so emphasized by the vaccine industry that it, and it alone, often appears in authoritative discussions of adverse effects of the MMR and other vaccines. By dismissing the chimerical vaccine/autism controversy, vaccine defenders often dismiss all genuinely neurological aftereffects of the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) and other vaccines, including well-documented events, such as relatively rare cases of encephalopathy and encephalitis. Objective This report explains that autism is not a physical or neurological disorder. It is not caused by injury or disease of the brain. It is a developmental disorder that has no physical origins and no physical symptoms. It is extremely unlikely that vaccines are causing autism; but it is extremely likely that they are causing more neurological damage than currently appreciated, some of it resulting in psychosocial disabilities that can be confused with autism and other psychosocial disorders. This confusion between a developmental, psychosocial disorder and a physical neurological disease has played into the hands of interest groups who want to deny that vaccines have any neurological and associated neuropsychiatric effects. Methods A review of the scientific literature, textbooks, and related media commentary is integrated with basic clinical knowledge. Results This report shows how scientific sources have used the vaccine/autism controversy to avoid dealing with genuine neurological risks associated with vaccines and summarizes evidence that vaccines, including the MMR, can cause serious neurological disorders. Manufacturers have been allowed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to gain vaccine approval without placebo-controlled clinical trials. Conclusions The misleading vaccine autism controversy must be set aside in favor of examining actual neurological harms associated with vaccines, including building on existing research that has been ignored. Manufacturers of vaccines must be required to conduct placebo-controlled clinical studies for existing vaccines and for government approval of new vaccines. Many probable or confirmed neurological adverse events occur within a few days or weeks after immunization and could be detected if the trials were sufficiently large. Contrary to current opinion, large, long-term placebo-controlled trials of existing and new vaccines would be relatively easy and safe to conduct.
Identifying Factors Important to Patients for Resuming Elective Imaging During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Abstract Purpose To identify factors important to patients for their return to elective imaging during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods In all, 249 patients had elective MRIs postponed from March 23, 2020, to April 24, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of these patients, 99 completed a 22-question survey about living arrangement and health care follow-up, effect of imaging postponement, safety of imaging, and factors important for elective imaging. Mann-Whitney U, Fisher’s exact, χ2 tests, and logistic regression analyses were performed. Statistical significance was set to P ≤ .05 with Bonferroni correction applied. Results Overall, 68% of patients felt imaging postponement had no impact or a small impact on health, 68% felt it was fairly or extremely safe to obtain imaging, and 53% thought there was no difference in safety between hospital-based and outpatient locations. Patients who already had imaging performed or rescheduled were more likely to feel it was safe to get an MRI (odds ratio [OR] 3.267, P = .028) and that the hospital setting was safe (OR 3.976, P = .004). Staff friendliness was the most important factor related to an imaging center visit (95% fairly or extremely important). Use of masks by staff was the top infection prevention measure (94% fairly or extremely important). Likelihood of rescheduling imaging decreased if a short waiting time was important (OR = 0.107, P = .030). Conclusion As patients begin to feel that it is safe to obtain imaging examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, many factors important to their imaging experience can be considered by radiology practices when developing new strategies to conduct elective imaging.
Obesity and Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Obese heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a distinct HFpEF phenotype. Sodium retention, high circulating neurohormone levels, alterations in energy substrate metabolism, group 3 pulmonary hypertension, pericardial restraint, and systemic inflammation are central pathophysiologic mechanisms. Confirming the diagnosis may be challenging and high suspicion is required. Reduction of visceral adipose tissue, via caloric restriction and/or bariatric surgery, may improve outcomes in obese HFpEF patients. Furthermore, mineralocorticoid receptor inhibition, neprilysin inhibition, and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibition can ameliorate the effects of adiposity on the cardiovascular system, allowing for promising new treatment targets for the obese HFpEF phenotype.
Off Label Use of Drugs with Special Focus On CNS: Views From the Industry

Introduction The common off label use of drugs will be reviewed from the perspective of drug development and the support of marketed products. Objectives, Aims and Methods A review of the current effects of off label use, using publically available information with conclusions based on the experience of an active drug development scientist. Results Off label drug prescription (OLP) is common, it has been estimated that 20% of prescriptions are for a not approved use. While legal and sometimes useful, OLP presents serious challenges. Doctors often prescribe a drug off label without realizing it is not approved and do not know if commonly used drug treatments are approved. This makes it difficult for pharmaceutical representatives. Manufacturers are prohibited and most have been fined for promoting OLP. OLP is common when a drug is newly approved. Doctors want to prescribe without waiting for formal proof. This can make recruitment for clinical trials difficult. Also populations at special risk are usually not fully studied at the time a new drug is approved. It is often felt to be not ethical to withhold treatment from these groups while waiting for drug approvals. However, this practice can harm patients, as has been seen with the use of antipsychotics in the elderly. Conclusions Guidelines are needed to help the use and development of drugs understanding that approval is a needed and worthwhile goal for all medications; the practice of medicine should not be harmed by the drug approval process.
A convolutive blind signal separation method for joint speech signal separation and echo cancellation

In this paper, we construct a unified blind signal separation model for network and acoustic echo cancellation and propose using a convolutive blind signal separation method based on higher-order statistics to perform joint speech signal separation and echo cancellation. The advantage of this approach is that it works well in the presence of double talk which seriously affects the performance of conventional echo cancellers. The performance is verified by simulation results
Addiction, Neural Basis of

Addictive drugs affect brain function by acting at specialized receptors for the endogenous chemical messengers that affect communication between nerve cells. The understanding of addiction depends on our understanding of these receptors, the brain circuits they are embedded in, and the functions that these circuits normally serve. Keywords: addiction; neural basis; brain mechanisms; drug dependence
Oxygen Inhibition and Other Properties of Soybean Ribulose 1,5-Diphosphate Carboxylase

SUMMARY n-Ribulose-l , 5-di-P carboxylase, purified from soybeans, had K, values of 0.13 XnM for COS and 0.19 mM for ribulose1,5-di-P under a Nz atmosphere. O2 inhibited 14C02 incorporation by the enzyme and this inhibition was rapidly reversed by Ns. Inhibition was competitive with respect to CO2 and uncompetitive with respect to ribulose-1,5-di-P. The Ki for O2 was 0.8 mM. This O2 inhibition, together with the ribulose-1,5-di-P carboxylase-catalyzed oxidation of ribulose-l ,5-di-P to P-glycolate observed previously (Bowes, G., Ogren, W. L., and Hageman, R. H. (1971) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 45, 716-722), explains the “Warburg effect”: the rapidly reversible O2 inhibition of photosynthesis and stimulation of glycolate production seen in plants and isolated chloroplasts. In corn and soybean extracts, ribulose-1,5di-P carboxylase was inhibited by O2 but P-enolpyruvate carboxylase was unaffected. These data may explain the different response to O2 by plants which utilize ribulose-1,5-di-P carboxylase for the initial photosynthetic carboxylation and those utilizing P-enolpyruvate carboxylase. The optimum temperature for purified ribulose-1,5-di-P carboxylase was 55” and activation energies, in kilocalories per mole, were 18.4 in Nt and 20.4 in OZ. Phosphorylated compounds inhibited 14C02 incorporation by the enzyme. Nonphosphorylated sugars, including ribulose, did not inhibit. Fructose-1,6-di-P was a competitive inhibitor with respect to ribulose-l,S-di-P, the Ki being 0.88 mM. Fructose-l, 6-di-P was a more effective inhibitor than fructose-6-P, fructose-l-P, and ribulose-5-P suggesting that both phosphate groups of ribulose-1,5-di-P are involved in binding to the enzyme. HgCl, was a noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to COZ and a mixed inhibitor with respect to ribulose-1,5-di-P, suggesting that sulfhydryl groups are not involved in COZ binding but may be close to the site where ribulose-1,5-di-P binds to the enzyme.
The mixed evidence for brief intervention in emergency departments, trauma care centers, and inpatient hospital settings: what should we do?

The purpose of this review is to provide a broad overview of the status of brief intervention in the emergency department, trauma center and inpatient hospital setting. This review is based on a symposia presented at the 2009 annual conference of the Research Society on Alcoholism (Baird et al., 2009; Field, et al., 2009; Monti et al., 2009; Saitz et al., 2009). While the general efficacy of brief alcohol interventions in these settings has been recognized, the evidence is increasingly mixed. Herein we discuss possible confounding factors; including the inconsistencies in interventions provided, differences in target population, study design and assessment procedures. Recent studies investigating potential moderators of treatment outcomes suggest that a more sophisticated approach to evaluating the effectiveness of brief interventions across varying patient populations is needed in order to further understand its effectiveness. Current dissemination efforts represent a significant advance in broadening the base of treatment for alcohol problems by providing an evidenced based intervention in health care settings and should not be curtailed. However, additional research is required to enhance treatment outcomes, refine current practice guidelines and continue to bridge the gap between science and practice. Given the current state of research, a multi-setting clinical trial is recommended to account for potential contextual differences while controlling for study design.
Modulation classification in fading channels using antenna arrays

Blind modulation classification (MC) is an intermediate step between signal detection and demodulation, and plays a key role in various civilian and military applications. In this paper, first we provide an overview of decision-theoretic MC approaches. Then we derive the average likelihood ratio (ALR) based classifier for linear and nonlinear modulations, in noisy channels with unknown carrier phase, offset and also in Rayleigh fading channels. Since these ALR-based classifiers are complex to implement, we then develop a quasi hybrid likelihood ratio (QHLR) based classifier, where the unknown parameters are estimated using low-complexity techniques. This QHLR-based classifier is much simpler to implement and is also applicable to any fading distribution, including Rayleigh and Rice. Afterwards, we propose a generic multi-antenna classifier for linear and nonlinear modulations, using an antenna array at the receiver. This classifier has the potential to improve the performance of traditional single-antenna classifiers, including the proposed QHLR-based algorithm, via spatial diversity. Simulation results are provided to show the performance enhancement offered by the new QHLR-based multi-antenna classifier, in a variety of channel and fading conditions.
Transport Phenomena, 1. Foundations

Transport phenomena is concerned with the analysis of processes involving the transport of mass, momentum, and energy. The focus of this article is the underlying foundations of transport phenomena, including the mathematical background, the basic laws of mechanics, as well as the mass and energy conservation laws. Cartesian tensor representation and analysis provides the mathematical framework and basic kinematic relations including the Reynolds Transport Theorem provide the relations for developing the basic equations of change from the governing fundamental laws, specifically, in the development of the equations of continuity, motion, and energy. In addition, the thermal and mechanical energy equations are developed and their relations to the equations of energy and motion are discussed. Further, the constitutive equations (or transport flux relations) governing simple and complex momentum and conduction heat transfer in materials are described and integrated with the basic equations of change. Finally, an overview of the solution framework and approaches for analyzing transport phenomena problems is summarized and discussed. The article contains sections titled: 1. Introduction 2. Mathematical Preliminaries 2.1. Coordinate Systems 2.2. Vector and Tensor Operations 2.3 Vector and Tensor Representations – Curvilinear Coordinates 2.4. The Jacobian 2.5. Calculus of Vectors and Tensors 2.6. Divergence Theorem 2.7. Kinematic Relations 2.8. Partial and Total Derivatives 2.9. Relation Between Different Time Derivatives 3. Basic Equations for Compositionally Homogeneous Systems 3.1. The Reynolds Transport Theorem 3.2. Conservation of Total Mass 3.3. Conservation of Linear Momentum 3.4 Conservation of Angular Momentum 3.5 Mechanical Energy Equation 3.6 Conservation of Total Energy 3.7 Thermal Energy Equation 3.8 Forms of the Governing Equations 3.9 Entropy Inequality 3.10 Linear Transport Fluxes and Relations 3.11 Non-Newtonian Fluids 3.12 Summary of Basic Equations 3.13 Boundary Conditions 3.14 Solution Philosophy 4 Dimensionless Equations of Change
Changes in the Law vs. Changes in the Penalties: An Application to Blood Alcohol Content Limits

This paper investigates the impact of lowered BAC limits on alcohol related traffic fatalities. Unlike previous studies that find significant reductions in traffic fatalities after legal limits are reduced, this paper shows that once controlling explicitly for enforcement efforts and the severity of penalties the impact of lowered BAC limits is insignificant. This study is important because national legislation was passed in 2000 requiring all states to have a legal limit of 0.08 BAC by 2004. At the time, proponents of the legislation claimed an estimated 600 lives would be saved nation-wide because of the new legal limits. This study shows that this estimate was most likely overstated.
Variable-Interval Schedule Control Following Response Acquisition with Delayed Reinforcement

Four experimentally naive White Carneau pigeons acquired a key-peck response without specific response shaping or other training when such responding was reinforced according to a tandem variable-interval t-s differential-reinforcement-of-otherbehavior 30-s schedule. This schedule defined an unsignaled, resetting delay-of-reinforcement procedure. When subsequently exposed to a variable-interval schedule of immediate reinforcement, response rates increased rapidly, usually within a single 90-min session. The response rates of the pigeons under this latter condition were comparable to those of other pigeons with a history of responding only on variable-interval schedules of reinforcement, with reinforcement rates and distributions yoked to the delay of reinforcement condition. Two other pigeons exposed to a schedule of response-independent food delivery, yoked in terms of food delivery rate to the tandem schedule, did not peck consistently and eventually stopped responding. The results suggest that the persistence of low-rate responding often reported in studies of behavioral history effects is not universal. Rather, it is a product of both experimenter-arranged and naturally occurring specific past and current contingencies.
Ofloxacin: Its Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, and Potential for Clinical Application

Ofloxacin is a 4-quinolone antibiotic with rapid bactericidal activity against a wide variety of organisms. Its proposed mechanism of activity is interference with DNA gyrase, an enzyme essential for the replication of bacterial DNA. In vitro activity of ofloxacin includes a variety of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Enteric gram-negative bacilli and cocci are generally sensitive to ofloxacin; nonaeruginosa strains of Pseudomonas are less so. Numerous bacterial pathogens of the gastrointestinal tract are also sensitive to the drug. Although its MIC values for gram-positive aerobic organisms are generally higher, ofloxacin's bactericidal activity against these organisms is considered by some to be adequate, and superior to that of most other fluoroquinolones. Ofloxacin is well absorbed after oral administration. Wide tissue and body fluid distribution is demonstrated. Urinary excretion is thought to be the primary route of elimination, with 80% of the dose recovered in the urine within 24 hours. The serum half-life ranges between 2.9 and 9 hours in a dose-dependent manner. Only modest accumulation is reported after multiple-dose administration. Clinical trials using daily dosages of 100-800 mg/day in single or divided doses have been reported in the treatment of a variety of conditions such as skin and soft tissue infections, tonsillitis, sexually transmitted disease, respiratory tract infections, cystitis, and complicated and uncomplicated urinary tract infections. English reports of these trials, however, are generally limited to abstract form, making evaluation of trial design difficult. Side effects most frequently encountered include gastrointestinal and central nervous system reactions.
FFT based signaling for multimedia steganography

This paper addresses good choices for the signaling method for multimedia steganography, or data hiding. A novel FFT based signaling method, with many properties that make it especially suitable for steganographic applications is proposed. The use of FFT permits large codebook sizes, without drastically increasing the computational complexity.
The physical activity, stress and metabolic syndrome triangle: a guide to unfamiliar territory for the obesity researcher.

Summary Research aimed at deciphering the aetiology of obesity and the metabolic syndrome remains focused on two behavioural factors, namely diet and physical activity, even though epidemiologic research suggests that these two cornerstones of treatment and prevention account for only a small-to-moderate portion of the variance in these phenotypes. In recent years, this observation has prompted the intensified investigation of the pathogenic potential of factors that extend beyond the traditional concept of energy imbalance and examine the putative causes of this imbalance. Psychosocial stress has emerged as one such factor, raising the need for researchers to be informed about this expansive and complex literature. The purpose of this review is twofold (i) To introduce obesity researchers to fundamental concepts and historically important theoretical developments in the stress field and (ii) To outline the dyadic and triadic interactions between stress, physical activity and the metabolic syndrome. Although the expansion of the research focus to multiple, diverse and interacting putative causal agents will certainly increase the complexity of the research enterprise, this step seems essential for the comprehension and effective response to the continuing rise in the prevalence of obesity and the metabolic syndrome.
Biotic and Abiotic Influences on Abundance and Distribution of Nonnative Chinook Salmon and Native ESA-Listed Steelhead in the Wind River, Washington

Abstract Biotic and abiotic factors influence fish populations and distributions. Concerns have been raised about the influence of hatchery fish on wild populations. Carson National Fish Hatchery produces spring Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Wind River, Washington, and some spawn in the river. Managers were concerned that Chinook salmon could negatively affect wild steelhead O. mykiss and that a self-sustaining population of Chinook salmon may develop. Our objectives were to assess: 1) the distribution and populations of juvenile spring Chinook salmon and juvenile steelhead in the upper Wind River; 2) the influence of stream flow and of each population on the other; and 3) if Chinook salmon populations were self-sustaining. We snorkeled to determine distribution and abundance. Flow in the fall influenced upstream distribution and abundance of juvenile Chinook salmon. Juvenile Chinook salmon densities were consistently low (range 0.0 to 5.7 fish 100 m-2) and not influenced by number of spa...
Psychosocial factors associated with dieting behaviors among female adolescents.

: This study determined whether female adolescents who were attempting weight loss (dieters) differ from those who were not (nondieters) with respect to a set of psychosocial factors. The sample consisted of 2,536 normal-weight and underweight female adolescents who participated in the National Longitudinal Adolescent Health Survey. Psychosocial factors examined included depression (four measures), self-esteem, trouble in school, school connectedness, family connectedness, sense of community (two measures), grades, autonomy, and protective factors. MANCOVA revealed significant differences between dieters and nondieters. Self-esteem was the strongest contributing factor differentiating dieters and nondieters. These results have implications for health education and health promotion with regard to both primary and secondary prevention. Self-esteem building should be incorporated within the parameters of a comprehensive school health program and certainly should be a component in any nutrition education program aimed at preventing unhealthy dieting behaviors. By understanding the factors associated with these behaviors, it may be easier to identify individuals attempting weight loss despite being of normal or low body weight.
The alchemy of jargon: etymologies of urologic neologisms. number 6: the language of the urogenital system.

BACKGROUND As the scientific community is increasingly severed from the study of linguistics, the underlying significance of their common technical words is becoming blurred. This article will focus on the genesis of terminology of the urogenital system. METHODS These notes will give a detailed background of the history of technical terms, including how they came into being, whence they were derived, and how they impacted the scientific community through the ages. RESULTS In this installment, following terms are analyzed: Penis, Ampulla, Vas Deferens, Epididymis, Gonad, and Bladder. CONCLUSIONS This analysis of the history and significance of scientific terms common to the urological community works towards a fortification of their power by offering a reminder of their origins. Prostate 69: 1611–1612, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Internal‐Viscosity Dumbbell in the High‐IV Limit: Implications for Rheological Modeling

The internal viscosity (IV) polymer chain model, which features an interbead connector functioning as a Hookean spring and a dashpot in parallel, is examined for the case of dumbbells (N=2) in the limit of very high IV. When the IV parameter Φ becomes very large, the moments of the configurational diffusion equation become identical to those of the rigid rod, thus establishing equivalence of rheological predictions for these two models. Next, an approximate linearization (preaveraging) technique for computing bead deformational and rotational velocities—previously found to give useful results in the limit Φ→0—is examined also in the limit Φ→∞. Predictions for non‐Newtonian viscosity and first normal stress coefficient are made using both the exact and approximate methods. Major differences are found, with the approximate method leading to an unrealistic (Newtonian) viscosity and vanishing normal stress, thus casting doubt on earlier results obtained with this method for high‐N chains with large Φ. For the...
Parental physical and psychological aggression: Psychological symptoms in young adults

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between various levels of parent-child physical violence and psychological symptoms reported by college students, while controlling for demographic variables, severity and frequency of violence, and co-occurrence of parental psychological aggression. METHOD: Participants included 298 college students ranging in age from 18 to 27 years. Participants completed a demographic information form, the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale (CTSPC). RESULTS: Results of analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance indicated that individuals in the child physical abuse group obtained higher BSI scores compared to individuals in the corporal punishment and no violence groups. Few differences were observed between mild and severe corporal punishment groups. Multiple regression analyses indicated that when frequency of corporal punishment, child physical abuse, and psychological aggression, along with demographic variables, were considered simultaneously, psychological aggression was the most unique predictor of BSI scores. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that severe forms of physical violence were associated with long-term psychological symptoms. When demographic variables and the frequency of several parent aggression variables were considered simultaneously, however, psychological aggression was most predictive of psychological outcome. These findings suggest that messages communicated to a child via psychological aggression may be more important in contributing to psychological outcome than the actual occurrence of physical violence toward the child. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The current study supports the premise that severe physical aggression experienced in childhood is associated with serious psychological consequences in adulthood. In contrast, individuals who experienced less severe forms of parent-child violence, such as corporal aggression, exhibited similar symptom levels to those reporting no parent-child violence. When severe physical aggression, corporal aggression, and psychological aggression were considered simultaneously, however, psychological aggression emerged as the most unique predictor of psychological outcome. Researchers and clinicians who work with adults reporting childhood histories of severe parent-child violence should be aware of the importance of parent-child psychological aggression in contributing to psychological outcome. Language: en
Impaired coronary vasodilation with Regadenoson in patients with angiographically normal coronaries when compared to normal volunteers - Insights from Quantitative MRI Perfusion

Quantitative myocardial perfusion to assess impaired coronary vasoreactivity has been used to identify subclinical atherosclerosis. Impaired coronary vasodilation has been observed in patients with cardiac risk factors in the MESA cohort. The coronary vasodilator response in patients with angiographically normal coronary arteries/minimal stenosis is not known. The purpose of this study was to compare the stress myocardial blood flow (MBF) of patients with normal coronaries/minimal stenosis with normal volunteers.
Reliability-based design optimization using probabilistic sufficiency factor

A probabilistic sufficiency factor approach is proposed that combines safety factor and probability of failure. The probabilistic sufficiency factor approach represents a factor of safety relative to a target probability of failure. It provides a measure of safety that can be used more readily than the probability of failure or the safety index by designers to estimate the required weight increase to reach a target safety level. The probabilistic sufficiency factor can be calculated from the results of Monte Carlo simulation with little extra computation. The paper presents the use of probabilistic sufficiency factor with a design response surface approximation, which fits it as a function of design variables. It is shown that the design response surface approximation for the probabilistic sufficiency factor is more accurate than that for the probability of failure or for the safety index. Unlike the probability of failure or the safety index, the probabilistic sufficiency factor does not suffer from accuracy problems in regions of low probability of failure when calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. The use of the probabilistic sufficiency factor accelerates the convergence of reliability-based design optimization.
A new symplectic surgery: the 3-fold sum

Abstract We define a symplectic surgery along positively intersecting symplectic surfaces in 4-manifolds, the generalized symplectic sum, and prove an existence theorem for the special case of a 3-fold sum. With a slight generalization of the 3-fold sum, we show how to sum along immersed surfaces and indicate a relation between the sums and algebraic desingularization. We use images of the moment map for a torus acting in the neighborhood of intersection points to illustrate when it is possible to perform the proposed sums.
Talking Back: The Role of Narrative in Vietnam’s Recent Land Compensation Changes

As in other rapidly growing economies, Vietnam’s urban land development has been a source of social conflict as those who are relocated contest the distribution of economic gains. More recently, the relocated have increased their bargaining power and receive better compensation packages. The paper analyses this situation to discuss further developing our understanding of how property rights institutions change. The case study shows the efficacy of social narratives to renegotiate the terms of the social contract supporting property rights even in a society with limited means for public participation in governmental reform. Secondly, it illuminates that modern property rights are entwined with public finance and so property rights reforms are tied to the organisational structure of government and fiscal relations.
Low-temperature Specific Heats of Body-centred Cubic Chromium–Iron and Chromium–Manganese Alloys

THE electronic structure of the transition elements in the metallic state is not yet fully understood. It may be hoped that additional information with regard to the electronic specific heat coefficients and other physical properties of these elements, as well as of their alloys, will help in the interpretation of their structure.
STRATEGIC DEFENSE AND ATTACK FOR SERIES AND PARALLEL RELIABILITY SYSTEMS: COMMENT

In our original comment, we showed that Hausken's characterization of Nash equilibrium is invalid for much of the parameter space examined and provided necessary conditions for his solution to hold. Most of the comments in his reply are either tangential or irrelevant. However, several of the claims made in the reply reveal continuing misunderstandings and gaps in his understanding. In this rejoinder, we briefly clarify the fundamental issues.
Energy-aware memory firewalling for QoS-sensitive applications

This paper presents operating system abstractions for managing physical memory and paging that can be used to improve both timing predictability and the run-time performance of soft real-time tasks. First, we propose a memory reservation scheme which allows any application to reserve a portion of the total system memory pages for its exclusive use. If the application's memory needs exceed its memory reservation, its pages are swapped within its own reservation, thereby containing the performance effects of its memory access profile to its reservation. Swap space for the application is also reserved. A memory reservation can be shared by multiple threads/applications, and reservations can be used hierarchically, with children using only a portion of their parent's reservation. Next, we propose a novel methodology to determine reservation sizes for an embedded task-set that optimizes the overall performance of the system. We also show how an application can leverage customized predictable page-replacement policies to minimize performance penalties from avoidable page faults ("capacity misses").
Investigation of optical reflectance from human brain in vivo for guiding brain surger

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive disease of the basal ganglia (gray matter). The globus pallidus is one such mass that lies deep within the brain and is surrounded by white matter. A pallidotomy surgery involves inserting a thin probe into the globus pallidus and creating a small lesion with radio frequency current. These lesions help relieve the tremors associated with PD. Precise mapping of the globus pallidus border is essential. A lesion miscalculation could cause permanent damage, such as blindness or paralysis. Currently, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are used to identify aberrant locations prior to surgery. However, these tools are not sufficient for safe localization due to anatomic variations, and they are unavailable during the operation. It would be desirable to have portable, real-time display equipment available in the operating room for quick, simple and accurate lesion localization.