cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal Investigation of Early Motor Development in Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

Objective Research indicates that children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) have weaknesses in fine and gross motor development in early childhood; however, little is known about the stability and developmental trajectory of motor functioning. We investigated (1) whether motor difficulties are evident and stable in the preschool period in children with NF1 and (2) whether there are particular patterns of motor development in this population. Methods Participants with NF1 and a control group of unaffected siblings were enrolled at ages 3-8 years and were assessed yearly. Motor functioning was assessed longitudinally using the Scales of Independent Behavior-Revised Motor Scale and the Differential Ability Scales-II Copying subtest. Wilcoxon sign tests were used to compare motor functioning at 3 or 4 years to 5 or 6 years old for children with NF1 seen during both time periods (N = 27). Linear mixed model growth curve analyses were used to compare trajectories for both children with NF1 (N = 62) and unaffected siblings (N = 37). Results Children with NF1 made relative gains in raw scores, but not standard scores, across measures. Growth curve analyses revealed a significant effect of NF1 status on gross motor, fine motor, and copying scores, as well as an age by NF1 status effect on fine and gross motor scores. Conclusions Motor difficulties are evident early in life in children with NF1. Though children with NF1 clearly acquire motor skills over time, they continue to fall behind unaffected siblings, with the gap potentially widening over time. Further implications are discussed.
Do-It-Yourself Business Intelligence for the Radiologist-Lessons Learned From 10-Year Trends in an Abdominal Imaging Division at a Tertiary Medical Center.

Abstract “Big data” has changed the way businesses operate in finance, insurance, communications, manufacturing, and logistics, with companies reporting successful outcomes from the implementation of data-driven analytics. Health care has slowly started leveraging big data analysis to identify more cost-efficient and effective care for patients. Business intelligence software aims to help with this transition, converting large data sets into useful, actionable information. Radiology practices have used business intelligence toolkits in the past to increase reading room productivity, scanner efficiency, and patient throughput. Although these tactics have driven down costs and increased volumes, an essential aspect of radiology practice growth—consumer satisfaction—remains largely unexplored. The first commandment of marketing is “know thy customer,” which is the key to increasing radiology’s value to referring clinicians who use our services. Our article explores the business case behind a basic business intelligence model, giving any radiologist the instruments to access and draw business conclusions from their radiology information system data.
An Essay on the Nature and Significance of the Normative Nature of Economics

It is conventional in economics to distinguish between the normative and the positive. The normative has to do with goodness and badness, and with what ought and ought not to be done;1 and the positive has to do with objective description and/or explanation, with what is and with what is necessary given some normative end. The normative has to do with desirability; the positive has to do with truth (in the sense of either descriptive accuracy or serviceability of a means to a given end).2
Neuropharmacological comparison of subcortical actions of anticholinergic compounds.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the possible relationships between the ability of anticholinergic compounds to produce psychotic episodes or ameliorate Parkinson's disease and their ability to block the electrographic effects of physostigmine in experimental animals. The reduction of the single shock response caused by physostigmine was central in origin because (1) this same effect was obtained by high frequency stimulation of the pontine reticulum, (2) it was not produced by neostigmine, and (3) JB-340, a compound which exerts strong anticholinergic actions peripherally, was unable to block this action of physostigmine. The “spontaneous” electrical activity recorded from the midbrain reticulum in an experiment was low in amplitude and was not significantly changed by the above drugs. Pentobarbital also failed to change these patterns but a Metrazol seizure pattern could be induced. The chapter emphasizes the important differences between recording antagonistic actions of drugs on single shock responses and on “spontaneous” electrical activity. The use of a suitable agonist (for example, physostigmine) may be necessary to reveal significant effects of, and differences among, many centrally acting drugs.
Studies on the melanocyte-stimulating hormones of the neurointermediate lobe of the American bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana: I. Electrophoretic and chromatographic seprration and identification of the intraglandular, acid activatable, and secreted forms of melanotropic peptides

Abstract Peptides of the neurointermediate (NI) lobe of the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) were separated by polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis (PDGE) and by gel filtration. Those which had melanotropic activity (MSH) were identified using the Anolis skin bioassay. Five forms of MSH were detected on acrylamide gels. One region exhibited characteristics of an acid-activatable aggregate. Two regions had electrophoretic mobilities similar to mammalian α- and β-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. A high molecular weight form, which was also acid activatable, was separated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-50. A secreted form which had electrophoretic properties similar to mammalian β-MSH, was detected by PDGE of medium from a culture of NI lobes for 1 day. Tritiated amino acids were actively incorporated into the secreted form during incubation of NI lobes. These results indicate that the pars intermedia of the bullfrog contains multiple forms of MSH but it secretes predominantly only one form which resembles mammalian β-MSH. The gland contains a high molecular weight form which is converted to smaller forms by acid treatment.
O delírio cibernético de Norbert Wiener

Esse texto trata da condicao do mundo cada vez mais mediado por uma especie de ciber-hifenizacao delirante da realidade que parece ter comecado a partir do pensamento de Norbert Wiener.
Sprung from Some Common Source: Investigations into the Prehistory of Languages

Sprung from Some Common Source: Investigations into the Prehistory of Languages. Sydney M. Lamb and E. Douglas Mitchell. eds. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1991. 411 pp.
A miniature DC-DC converter for medical implants

The design technique for the converter is based on general formulation and solution of the governing electromagnetic field equations utilizing variational methods in conjunction with an inverse procedure to predict the geometries of transformer magnetic circuits. The technique is applicable for both low- and high-frequency designs, and is powerful in handling nonlinear magnetic materials. >
Double standards in the analysis of Marxist scholarship: A reply to Reidy's critique of my work

Abstract This article is a reply to Reidy's critique of my work, published under the title, ‘Marxist Functionalism in Medicine: A Critique of the Work of Vicente Navarro’. The first part of Reidy's article contains a lengthy list of what she defines as “the symptoms of the disease” and the second part includes the analysis and “definition of the disease; Marxist Functionalism”. Her conclusion is that human liberation requires the elimination of my disease: Marxist Functionalism. She refers to my writings on Chile as yet one more proof of my disease. This article is an answer, case by case, and symptom by symptom, of Reidy's accusations and shows that (1) it is the accuser—Reidy—rather than the accused—Navarro—who is guilty of misrepresentation and inaccurate reporting and (2) her target of criticism is not Marxist Functionalism but Marxism. My article shows that Reidy's piece is an outcome of her (1) maliciousness, (2) limited knowledge of Parsons', Marx's and my own work and (3) own political beliefs, intolerant of Marxist revolutionary positions. The article concludes that Allende's Chile proved me right, rather than wrong, as she indicated.
Purification and characterization of inhibitors of insulin specific protease in human serum

Abstract The presence in human serum of inhibitory activity to rat liver insulin specific protease has been detected in an alpha 1 globulin preparation (Cohn Fraction IV 1 ). Separation into four components and partial purification (40 to 107 fold) has been achieved by heat denaturation of non-active protein, Sephadex G-100 gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography upon QAE Sephadex. Each of the inhibitors was found to be competitive in nature. The molecular weight of the inhibitors is between 4,000–7,000 and the activity is destroyed for the most part by chymotrypsin.
RNA synthesis in intact rat liver nuclei.

Abstract A system has been developed for the in vitro synthesis of RNA from nucleoside triphosphates in morphologically intact rat liver nuclei in a medium of low ionic strength. It requires all four nucleoside triphosphates (NTP's), Mg2+ (or possibly Mn2+), and is stimulated by NaF, NH4+, an ATP generating system, and several oligoamines. Spermidine or other oligo-, di-, or monoamines are required for the preservation of nuclear morphology at the incubation temperature; immediate nuclear lysis results from agitation of the assay mixture in their absence. Sucrose, sorbitol, Mg2+, or monovalent ions at higher ionic strength cannot substitute for the amine, while NH4+ shows only a slight stabilizing effect. Incorporation is inhibited by RNase, DNase, actinomycin, Mn2+, deletion of one NTP, Ca2+, and calf thymus histones. Potassium chloride and NaCl have no effect at moderate concentrations but lead to nuclear lysis at high ionic strength. Mercaptoethanol, sonication, trypsinization, or puromycin treatment of the nuclei do not affect the incorporation. The system is highly active (7 mμmoles GMP incorporated/ mg DNA-P in 5 minutes), and functions over a broad pH range from about 7.8 to 9.5. A stimulation of incorporation in vitro is observed if the fluorinated steroid hormone triamcinolone diacetate is injected into the intraperitoneal cavity of normal rats 3–8 hours before sacrifice. This stimulation by hormone is similar in magnitude to one observed by means of an in vivo pulse of 14C-orotate. The optical density profiles obtained from sucrose density gradients of RNA isolated from the nuclei after in vitro incubations and after in vivo pulses are similar, but the radioactivity profiles and double labeling experiments indicate extensive degradatation of RNA with s values greater than 16 during the in vitro incubations. Differences in radioactivity profiles of RNA from control and hormone-treated rats after short pulses of 14C-orotic acid can be interpreted in terms of stimulation of RNA anabolism by the hormone. No stimulation of incorporation has as yet been obtained by in vitro incubation of the nuclei with triamcinolone.
Electromagnetic Effects of Shield Vibrations in Superconducting Generators

A method for calculating the induced perturbation currents due to the elliptic deformation of conducting cylinders in an ambient magnetic field is presented. The method is expressed in terms of perturbations in the flux linkages, with derived perturbation inductance coefficients. Examples applicable to superconducting generators are given.
Measurement techniques for multiagent systems

Multiagent Systems (MAS) are a software paradigm for building large scale intelligent distributed systems. Increasingly, these systems are being deployed on handheld computing devices, or on non-traditional networks such as mobile ad-hoc networks and satellite links. These systems present new challenges for computer scientists in describing the performance of a system and analyzing competing systems. This paper surveys existing metrics that can be used to describe MASes and related components, and provides a framework for analyzing MASes with a case study using DCOPolis, a distributed constraint reasoning system.
Rate of Cure of Reclaimed Rubber—II

Abstract Residual alkali in reclaim is chiefly responsible for the faster rate of cure of stocks containing reclaimed rubber as compared with those containing new rubber only. Reclaim prepared in water can be made to cure as fast as alkali reclaim by the addition of sodium hydroxide to the extent that this is present in the alkali reclaim. The determination of residual alkali requires a very long extraction, in this case approximately 60 days. Of five possible theories accounting for the rapid rate of cure of reclaim, only that of residual alkali is tenable. There still remains in certain cases, however, a difference in rate of cure between stocks containing new rubber and those containing water-cooked reclaim for which no explanation has been found. Sodium hydroxide of itself is not deleterious to rubber compounds, for, in addition to its value as an accelerator in certain cases, it tends to improve physical properties and aging resistance, as judged by the Geer oven test.
Ondansetron reduces mood disturbance among biologically predisposed, alcohol-dependent individuals

Background Early-onset alcoholics (EOA) differ from late-onset alcoholics (LOA) by developing problem drinking during youth, experiencing severe behavioral problems, having a familial disease history, and possessing a tendency toward subsyndromal mood disturbance, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and hostility. Subsyndromal mood disturbance is, therefore, an important component of the early-onset syndrome and may be mediated by serotonin dysfunction. Therefore, the serotonin-3 antagonist ondansetron, which has been shown to be effective at improving drinking outcomes and promoting abstinence among EOA, presumably by ameliorating serotonin dysfunction, also may exert its beneficial effects by alleviating mood disturbance among EOA. Methods After one lead-in week of single-blind placebo administration, subjects underwent 11 weeks of double-blind outpatient treatment using a 2 x 4 factorial design that examined age of onset (EOA versus LOA) and medication dose (placebo, or ondansetron 1, 4, or 16 microg/kg twice daily) combined with weekly standardized group cognitive-behavioral therapy. The placebo lead-in week was used to adjust for study entrance effects but not for excluding subjects. Assessments of mood were performed by using the overall score and subscales of the Profile of Mood States both at screening and at weekly intervals during the study. Results Subsyndromal mood disturbance was shown to be an important component of early-onset alcoholism. Ondansetron (16 microg/kg twice daily) showed greater therapeutic efficacy at alleviating symptoms of overall mood disturbance, fatigue, vigor, confusion/bewilderment, and depression among EOA compared with LOA. EOA-associated improvements in mood disturbance seemed to be independent of drinking behavior. Conclusions Ondansetron has been shown to be an effective treatment for early-onset alcoholism. Ondansetron's ability to improve symptoms of depression, anxiety, and hostility among EOA may make an additional contribution to its therapeutic effect. Mechanistic studies are needed to delineate more clearly the relationship between serotonin dysfunction and pathophysiology among various subtypes of alcohol-dependent individuals.
Diel migration patterns of demersal reef zooplankton

Demersal zooplankton reside in or near the reef substrata and usually migrate into the water column at night. There is no single pulse of migratory activity. The zooplankton rise at variable rates throughout the night, with a peak activity usually during the second hour after sunset. This temporal pattern is a reflection of the behavior of the dominant (80–90% of night samples) cyclopoid, Oithona colcarva Bowman. Not all zooplankton taxa exhibit the same diel migratory patterns. Harpacticoids, another Oithona sp., copepod nauplii, barnacle nauplii, and appendicularians are most abundant during the day. Isopods show a peak of activity also during the second hour after sunset while polychaetes are most abundant during the first hour. The behavior of the other groups studied (the cyclopoid Corycaeus sp., other cyclopoids, ostracods, amphipods, tanaids, decapods, mysids, and chaetognaths) was less easily defined. The migration of many species in a pulse during the period of least planktivore activity and migration during the day of small species and juvenile members of larger species suggests that visual predators have an important influence on the migratory behavior of reef zooplankton.
3-Methylindole production is regulated in Clostridium scatologenes ATCC 25775.

Aims: 3-Methylindole (3-MI) is a degradation product of l-tryptophan and is both an animal waste malodorant and threat to ruminant health. Culture conditions influencing 3-MI production in Clostridium scatologenes ATCC 25775 were investigated. Methods and Results: Extracellular 3-MI levels in cells cultured in brain heart infusion (BHI) medium (pH 7·0) at 33°C and 37°C for 72 h were 907 ± 38 and 834 ± 121 μmol l−1, respectively. Cells cultured in tryptone-yeast (TY) extract medium at 37°C for 48 h produced 104 ± 86 μmol l−1 3-MI; however, addition of 1 mmol l−1 l-tryptophan failed to increase extracellular levels (113 ± 50 μmol l−1 3-MI). Specific activity of indole acetic acid decarboxylase measured in BHI, TY and TY plus 1 mmol l−1 tryptophan-grown cells displayed 35-, 33- and 76-fold higher levels than in semi-defined medium-grown cells. Conclusions: When cultured in rich medium, at 33°C or 37°C and pH 7·0, Cl. scatologenes ATCC 25775 optimally produced 3-MI. Addition of l-tryptophan to medium did not lead to significant increases in extracellular 3-MI levels. Whole cell assays indicate growth in rich medium significantly up-regulated 3-MI production. Significance and Impact of the Study: Information presented here may prove useful in understanding what factors influence 3-MI production in malodorous animal wastes.
A comparison of the temperature and emission measure of X-ray active regions with coronal magnetic fields

The distribution of temperature and of emission measure in X-ray active regions relative to the coronal magnetic fields has been investigated. The position of maximum temperature and the position of maximum emission measure were found to lie along the magnetic neutral line, with the maximum temperature tending to lie above the position of an abrupt change in direction of the neutral line. Several simple structural models of these regions are compared to the emission measure. The total magnetic energy and the total emission measure appear to be related by a power law in the regions studied by us.
Zirconocene-mediated macrocyclizations of diynes containing di-o-methylphenylene spacers.

The diynes 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl-4,4′-di(pent-1-ynyl)biphenyl (4) and 3,3′′,5,5′′-tetramethyl-4,4′′-di(hex-1-ynyl)terphenyl (9) undergo coupling with Cp2Zr(η2-Me3SiC≡CSiMe3)(py) to give dimeric macrocycles in moderate yields (16% for 4 and 26% for 9).
ECT in medication resistant schizoaffective disorder

Abstract For the clinician, schizoaffective patients are a formidable challenge. They are usually the most disturbed, agitated, and difficult to control on the ward. Because they are often young, retain affect (though it may be bizarre) and may have functioned relatively well between episodes and/or prior to hospitalization, ECT is often considered a last resort or may not be given at all. This is unfortunate given the excellent response to ECT and Tsuang's 3 finding that schizoaffective patients not treated with ECT had higher suicide and mortality rates compared with those who had received ECT. The present study and review concludes that: (1) ECT is a very effective acute treatment in schizoaffective disorder; (2) whether called schizoaffective or affective disorder with psychosis there appears to be a subgroup of young patients with prominent confusion and lack of response to medications for whom ECT is particularly effective; (3) lithium should be considered as a prophylactic treatment with these patients; and (4) patients with schizoaffective disorder (as described) should be considered as a separate group in future ECT and/or lithium treatment response studies.
Do Men Believe That Physically Attractive Women are More Healthy and Capable of Having Children

The purpose of this research was to test the hypothesis that men view physical attractiveness as an index of a woman's health and her capacity to have children. 21 men and 26 women from an introductory psychology course were shown photographs from 1972 of men and women college students, judged in 2002 to be attractive or unattractive. Subjects were asked to rate the photographed individuals' current health, the probability that they were married, the probability that they had children, and whether they had reproductive problems. The hypothesis was generally supported; the men rated the photographs of attractive women as healthier, more likely to be married, and more likely to have children.
de Modulatione Cordis

When I first gave my mind to vivisection, as a means of discovering the motions and uses of the heart, and sought to discover these from actual inspection, and not from the writings of others, I found the task so truly arduous, so full of difficulties, that I was almost tempted to think, with Fracastorius, that the motion of the heart was only to be comprehended by God.—William Harvey de Motu Cordis, 1628As quoted by E.H. Starling in his Linacre Lecture on the Law of the Heart, 1918 The gradual unfolding of our awareness of the Frank-Starling, adrenergic, and cholinergic mechanisms for beat-to-beat regulation of cardiac function from the late 19th century through the 1960s has given way to an explosive growth of knowledge regarding cellular signaling starting with the elucidation of the structure and function of G-protein–coupled receptors and their downstream effectors. To this rapidly evolving picture we can now add a large, complex, and fascinating array of cytokine-activated signaling pathways that mediate the changes in gene expression that underlie long-term adaptation of cardiac form and function. Recent developments in cell and molecular biology yield a number of important insights into the cellular and subcellular signaling events that direct cardiac morphogenesis during development and myocardial growth and adaptation in the early postnatal and adult heart. These insights have been gained through unexpected, serendipitous observations and results generated by research focusing directly on the identification of previously unidentified cardiac growth-promoting agents. For example, the targeted disruption of the gene for neuregulins (ie, a neuregulin gene “knockout”), which codes for a family of proteins known to be important in neuronal and mesenchymal cell development, or targeted disruption of either of two neuregulin receptor genes (ie, erb B2 or erb B4), leads to death of the homozygous knockout animals in utero.1 …
Toxic gas release caused by the thermal decomposition of a bulk powder blend containing sodium dichloroisocyanurate

Summary The following chronology of the accident was pre- pared from witness interviews. All times are approxi- mate. At 830 a.m. two operators began filling Blender A with raw materials. The filling was completed, and the material was mixed for 15 minutes. At 930 a.m., a quality control sample was pulled from Blender A, and filling commenced for Blender B. At 1O:OO a.m., a QC sample was pulled from Blender B, and the contents of Blender A were sent to the packaging machine. Operators took a lunch break at 12:15 p.m., and returned at 12:50 p.m. At that time, no changes were observed in the material or the environment. At 1:00 p.m., the contents of Blender B were sent to the pack- aging machine. Approximately three minutes into the packaging process, the following events were observed: Dust emission from the sampling port White powder spraying from gaskets Hatch and dust collectors shaking White smoke from the blender filling the upper Greenish smoke traveling toward the floors portion of room The building was evacuated at 1:15 p.m. The sprin- kler system, which had activated during the evacua- tion, was shut
The Fischer 344 rat reflects human susceptibility to Francisella pulmonary challenge and provides a new platform for virulence and protection studies.

Background: The pathogenesis of Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, has been primarily characterized in mice. However, the high degree of sensitivity of mice to bacterial challenge, especially with the human virulent strains of F. tularensis, limits this animal model for screening of defined attenuated vaccine candidates for protection studies. Methods and Findings: We analyzed the susceptibility of the Fischer 344 rat to pulmonary (intratracheal) challenge with three different subspecies (subsp) of F. tularensis that reflect different levels of virulence in humans, and characterized the bacterial replication profile in rat bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). In contrast to the mouse, Fischer 344 rats exhibit a broader range of sensitivity to pulmonary challenge with the human virulent subsp. tularensis and holarctica. Unlike mice, Fischer rats exhibited a high degree of resistance to pulmonary challenge with LVS (an attenuated derivative of subsp. holarctica) and subsp. novicida. Within BMDM, subsp. tularensis and LVS showed minimal replication, subsp. novicida showed marginal replication, and subsp. holartica replicated robustly. The limited intramacrophage replication of subsp. tularensis and novicida strains was correlated with the induction of nitric oxide production. Importantly, Fischer 344 rats that survived pulmonary infection with subsp. novicida were markedly protected against subsequent pulmonary challenge with subsp. tularensis, suggesting that subsp. novicida may be a useful platform for the development of vaccines against subsp. tularensis. Conclusions: The Fischer 344 rat exhibits similar sensitivity to F. tularensis strains as that reported for humans, and thus the Fischer 344 ray may serve as a better animal model for tularemia vaccine development.
Architectural robotics, inevitably

centrally controlled heating and ventilation (an innovation of the 20th century), we are now to a point that science fiction writers and futurists have long foreseen: architectural robotics—intelligent and adaptable built environments that sense, plan, and act. The prospect of what we call architectural robotics was presciently anticipated by architect and MIT Media Lab founder Nicholas Negroponte 40 years ago in his vision of “...a man-made environment that responds to and is ‘meaningful’ for him or her” [1]. Former Wired editor Kevin Kelly has since imagined a “world of mutating buildings” and “rooms stuffed with co-evolutionary furniture” [2]. And while Bill Gates forecasts “a robot in every home” [3], the late William J. Mitchell, former dean of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning and head of its Media Arts and Sciences Program, envisioned homes not as “machines for living” but “as robots for living in” [4], Information and communication technologies (ICT) extend a long line of emerging technologies that have reshaped our built environment and, consequently, society, over millennia. In antiquity, Roman arches afforded greater freedom of movement, physically and socially. In the Middle Ages, flying buttresses allowed light to magnificently penetrate once heavy walls. And in the Industrial Age, reinforced concrete, structural steel, and free-plan organizational systems accommodated mass gatherings of people at work and play. In our Information Age, ICT is increasingly embedded into the physical fabric of the built environment in order to intelligently control heating, air conditioning, and lighting, as well as to transform building facades into vast computer displays. But while ICT can intelligently move temperature-controlled air through building interiors, and digital bits across building surfaces, it also promises to move physical building elements to create intelligent, adaptive built environments responsive to the challenges and opportunities of a digital society. Beyond operable windows and movable partitions (new technologies of past centuries) and in te ra c ti o n s J a n u a ry + F e b ru a ry 2 0 1 2
THE VALUE OF UPPER TRACT CYTOLOGY AFTER TRANSURETHRAL RESECTION OF BLADDER TUMOR IN PATIENTS WITH BLADDER TRANSITIONAL CELL CANCER

AbstractPurpose: Patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder are at risk for concurrent or subsequent cancer of the upper tract. Traditionally disease is monitored by radiography (excretory or retrograde urography). Some elect to sample the upper tract by obtaining urine for cytology. Are the results meaningful when performed in a patient with bladder cancer?Materials and Methods: We evaluated 27 consecutive patients with transitional cell cancer of the bladder (grade 1 to 3, Ta to T2) with bladder wash for cytology and cystoscopy as well as resection of visible tumor. A 5F ureteral catheter was positioned at each ureteral orifice, flushed with saline and passed into each renal pelvis. Urine was collected for cytology.Results: Of 19 patients (68%) with high grade (grade 3) bladder cancer 13 had a positive bladder wash, including 6 (32%) with tumor cells detected in the urine from the upper tract. Of 8 patients (38%) with low grade (grade 1 to 2) transitional cell cancer 3 had a positive bladd...
Two divalent metal ions in the active site of a new crystal form of human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease, ape1: implications for the catalytic mechanism

Abstract The major human abasic endonuclease, Ape1, is an essential DNA repair enzyme that initiates the removal of apurinic/apyrimidinic sites from DNA, excises 3′ replication-blocking moieties, and modulates the DNA binding activity of several transcriptional regulators. We have determined the X-ray structure of the full-length human Ape1 enzyme in two new crystal forms, one at neutral and one at acidic pH. The new structures are generally similar to the previously determined structure of a truncated Ape1 protein, but differ in the conformation of several loop regions and in spans of residues with weak electron density. While only one active-site metal ion is present in the structure determined at low pH, the structure determined from a crystal grown at the pH optimum of Ape1 nuclease activity, pH 7.5, has two metal ions bound 5 A apart in the active site. Enzyme kinetic data indicate that at least two metal-binding sites are functionally important, since Ca 2+ exhibits complex stimulatory and inhibitory effects on the Mg 2+ -dependent catalysis of Ape1, even though Ca 2+ itself does not serve as a cofactor. In conjunction, the structural and kinetic data suggest that Ape1 catalyzes hydrolysis of the DNA backbone through a two metal ion-mediated mechanism.
Quantum Transport of a Bose Einstein Condensate

A Bose-Einstein condensate has been produced in a hybrid magnetic/optical trap. Various optical potentials have been created in order to study the effect of quantum transport in one dimension.
Macromolecular assembly and secretion across the bacterial cell envelope: type II protein secretion systems

A decade ago, Pugsley and colleagues reported the existence of a large region of Klebsiella DNA, distinct from the Klebsiella gene encoding pullulanase, which was necessary for secretion of this enzyme to the cell surface in Escherichia coli (d'Enfert et al., 1987a,b). The pul genes it contained proved to be the tip of an iceberg. The sequences reported before 1992 (d'Enfert et al., 1987a,b; d'Enfert & Pugsley, 1989; Pugsley & Reyss, 1990; Reyss & Pugsley, 1990) included only one gene (pulD) that matched any sequence in the data base; a 220 amino acid residue segment of PulD was 32% identical with a portion of the filamentous phage-encoded protein, pIV. But by the time the sequence of the 18.8 kb DNA fragment that contained the pul genes had been completed (Possot et al., 1992), reports of sets of homologous genes in several species of Gram-negative plant and animal pathogens had appeared. For the most part, these gene clusters were cloned by their ability to complement mutants that produced, but failed to secrete, proteins normally found in the extracellular milieu; when tested, the mutants showed reduced pathogenicity or were totally avirulent. The secreted proteins included hydrolytic enzymes such as cellulase and pectinase from plant pathogens, and proteases and toxins from animal pathogens. The multi-gene family necessary for secretion of these enzymes is now known as the type II system or the main terminal branch (MTB) of the general secretion pathway (GSP). As summarized by Pugsley et al. (1997), the current tally includes type II systems from Klebsiella oxytoca (pul), Erwinia chrysanthemi and carotovora (out), Xanthomonas campestris (xps), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (xcp), Aeromonas hydrophila (exe), and Vibrio cholerae (eps). A second type II system (sps) necessary for deposition of the S-layer on the cell surface in A. hydrophila is more similar to the X. campestris than A. hydrophila genes (Thomas & Trust, 1995). The biggest surprise has been the discovery of a complete set of type II secretion genes in E. coli K12. The E. coli genes are not expressed under normal growth conditions, and a search is underway to find inducing conditions and secretion substrates (Francetic & Pugsley, 1996). Impressive progress has already been made in defining components of the pathway. What remains to be understood in mechanistic detail is how this protein secretion system functions.
Size-Selective Pulmonary Dose Indices for Metal-Working Fluid Aerosols in Machining and Grinding Operations in the Automobile Manufacturing Industry

The current metal-working fluid exposures at three locations that manufacture automotive parts were assessed in conjunction with epidemiological studies of the mortality and respiratory morbidity experiences of workers at these plants. A rationale is presented for selecting and characterizing epidemiologic exposure groups in this environment. More than 475 full-shift personal aerosol samples were taken using a two-stage personal cascade impactor with median size cut-offs of 9.8 µm and 3.5 µm, plus a backup filter. For a sample of 403 workers exposed to aerosols of machining or grinding fluids, the mean total exposure was 706 µg/m3 (standard error (SE)=21 µg/m3). Among 72 assemblers unexposed to machining fluids, the mean total exposure was 187±10 (SE)µg/m3. An analysis of variance model identified factors significantly associated with exposure level and permitted estimates of exposure for workers in the unsampled machine type/metal-working fluid groups. Comparison of the results obtained from personal imp...
Near‐resonant energy transfer from vibrationally excited OH(v), v = 9, 8, 1 to CO2

[1] The transfer of vibrational energy from chemiluminescent OH, produced predominately by the H + O3 → OH (v) + O2 reaction, is of importance in modeling the airglow from the atmospheres of Earth, Mars, and Venus. We have calculated the energy transfer probability per collision as function of temperature for the near-resonant processes OH (v) + CO2 (00001) → OH(v − 1) +CO2 (mnpqr) for v = 1, 8, and 9 in the 100 – 350 K temperature range. We show that the measured room temperature values of the removal rate coefficient of OH(v = 9, 8) and OH(v = 1) by CO2, are in agreement with the ones calculated for the vibration-to-vibration (VV) energy transfer (ET) processes OH (v) + CO2 (00001) → OH (v − 1) + CO2 (00011) and OH (1) + CO2 (00001) → OH (0) + CO2 (1001 n) n =1, 2, respectively. The emission from the latter levels of CO2 in the terrestrial mesosphere is not self-absorbed leading to the possibility that these levels may be important contributors to the 4.3 μm emission. Our calculation favors the “Collisional Cascade” model of vibrational energy transfer from OH to CO2 that predicts about 50 times more radiation in the Martian Meinel bands over that predicted by the “Sudden Death” model. These two models of Martian atmosphere predict vastly different steady-state populations of the vibrational levels of OH and should, because of the chemical reactions, of other trace species, e.g., H, O, and CO, as well.
Silicate melt inclusions and glasses in lunar soil fragments from the Luna 16 core sample

Abstract More than 2000 fragments were studied microscopically, and electron microprobe analyses were made of 39 selected areas, from a few square mm of polished surface, through 75- to 425-μm fragments of lunar soil from two samples of the Luna 16 core. The silicate melt inclusions and glasses differ in important details from those observed earlier in the Apollo samples. Melt inclusions in olivine contain epitaxially oriented daughter crystals, but also show a similar epitaxy around the outside of the crystals not observed in previous lunar samples. Melt inclusions in ilmenite suggest trapping at successive stages in a differentiation sequence. There is abundant evidence for late-stage silicate liquid immiscibility, with melt compositions similar but not identical to those from Apollo 11 and 12. A comparison of the alkali ratio of any given bulk rock analysis with that of its late-stage, high-silica melt shows gross differences for different rocks. This is pertinent to understanding late-stage differentiation processes. Glass fragments and spherules exhibit a wide range of crystallization textures, reflecting their wide range of compositions and cooling histories. No significant differences were found between the two portions of core examined (Zones A and D).
A design for phase II testing of anticancer agents within a phase III clinical trial

A design for testing new anticancer agents is proposed such that the initial testing of new agents (phase II trials) is included within the framework of a comparative clinical trial (phase III). Randomization between phase II trials and the treatment groups of the phase III trial enforces consistency of patient selection and evaluation of response criteria. Patients who progress on the phase II trials of the new agents are randomized to one of the treatments of the phase III trial. Design issues, such as sample size and power, and analysis of the proposed design, are discussed. Advantages and disadvantages of the design are illustrated by sample size calculations for a current clinical trial in advanced breast cancer.
A functional evaluation of fixed and removable bridgework.

Abstract Removable and fixed prosthetic appliances were constructed for each of twenty subjects in order to replace a missing first molar. (In two cases the second bicuspid was also restored.) Masticatory performance tests with soft and tough foods were made before, immediately after, and one and two weeks following the insertion of the appliance. The degree of pulverization before swallowing and the time and chewing strokes required per mouthful were obtained for each subject at each period. The insertion of either fixed or removable appliances caused a statistically significant increase in masticatory performance with both hard and soft foods. The two appliances were about equivalent in their effect. Masticatory performance was generally higher after appliances were in place for a two-week period, indicating that individuals learned to use both fixed and removable appliances more efficiently within this time. The duration of this learning period has not been determined. Subjects with a diminished masticatory capacity swallowed larger particles of food than did those with a normal or superior masticatory performance. Upon the insertion of fixed and removable appliances, most individuals immediately used fewer strokes to pulverize their food finer at the swallowing point. After two weeks of usage, the patients required seven fewer masticatory strokes and six seconds less time per mouthful and at the same time achieved 16 units greater pulverization than they did previous to the insertion of the partial appliances.
Prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection in Nigeria: a pilot study.

Dried saliva specimens from 263 neonates in Lagos, Nigeria were tested for CMV using real-time PCR and 10 infants (3.8%; 95%CI, 2.1-6.8) were positive. Congenital CMV infection was not associated with any of the demographic or maternal factors including HIV. These data demonstrate high prevalence of congenital CMV infection and the feasibility of CMV screening by testing real-time PCR.
Locally Acquired West Nile Encephalitis

Abstract Background West Nile virus (WNV) has spread rapidly across the United States since 1999, causing epidemics of neurologic illnesses including meningitis, encephalitis, and acute flaccid paralysis. West Nile encephalitis can be fatal; recovery can be incomplete; and constitutional and neurological symptoms can persist for months to years. Objectives To raise awareness of an important epidemiologic cause of febrile illness with neurologic involvement in the United States. Case Report We report the case of a 46-year-old woman who presented with fever, altered mental status, and maculopapular rash, who was diagnosed with locally acquired WNV encephalitis. Conclusion Infection with WNV should be considered in patients presenting to emergency departments with fever and neurologic symptoms. Recommended evaluation includes serologic testing of cerebrospinal fluid and serum.
Effect of Molecular Structure on Mesomorphism: 5. Comparison of Methyl and Trifluoromethyl as Lateral Substituents in the Solid and Nematic Phases.1

Abstract Two laterally-substituted nematogenic liquid crystals, methyl-p-phenylene-di-p-butoxybenzoate and trifluoromethyl-p-phenylene-di-p-butoxybenzoate, have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry, powder x-ray diffraction, and polarized light microscopy (hot stage microscopy and hot-wire stage microscopy). Comparison of thermodynamic data for the nematicisotropic transitions of these two compounds suggests a strongly repulsive electronic interaction between molecules in the nematic phase of the trifluoromethyl compound. Detailed molecular structural augments are presented to rationalize the thermodynamic data. The room temperature solid phases of the two compounds were found to have different crystal structures. However, the high temperature solid phases were found, by a novel application of hot-wire stage microscopy, to be isomorphous.
Nonviral gene carriers based on diblock copolymers of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) and linear polyethylenimine.

Diblock copolymers that consist of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEOz) and linear polyethylenimine (LPEI) were prepared for use as nonviral gene carriers. The PEOz-b-LPEI copolymers were synthesized by coupling PEOz with LPEI in a thiol-disulfide exchange reaction between the sulfhydryl and pyridyl disulfide terminal groups. A polymer/DNA weight ratio (P/D) of over 12 was required to enable PEOz-b-LPEI to condense DNA completely. The DNA-condensing capability of the diblock copolymers was increased with increasing the hydrolytic degrees of the LPEI segment. The PEOz-b-LPEI polyplexes were stable in 150 mM NaCl aqueous solution and had a mean diameter around 190 nm, whereas BPEI and LPEI polyplexes formed large aggregates in the range 300-500 nm. In addition, these polyplexes exhibited the sensitivity to solution pH and were dissociated in the acidic buffers (pH e 5.5). The results of in vitro cell viability and luciferase assay indicated that PEOz- b-LPEI showed not only low cytotoxicity but also high transfection efficiency in gene expression.
Congregating by cassette: Recording and participation in transnational Haitian religious rituals

A B S T R A C T • A single communications device has transformed interactions between members of widely dispersed transnational Haitian religious communities: the audiocassette recorder. Messages, hymns and prayers taped on them crisscross the sea between Haiti and its diaspora, engaging distantly separated co-religionists in sporadically sequenced, yet effectively intimate conversations and rituals. For both Vodouist and Catholic religious congregations, tape recordings in Haitian Creole effectively circumvent scriptural French and help cement transnational ties by creating vast transnational performative spaces. This article draws on ethnographic research in Haiti and Florida to describe and theorize the important role that audiocassettes have played, in the transnational Haitian case, in cementing 'assembled groups' and recreating 'certain mental states of those groups' in ways that Durkheim might not have imagined when developing his epic argument about the socially cohesive function and essence of religion, an argument from which we take our theoretical orientation.
CTn12256, a chimeric Bacteroides conjugative transposon that consists of two independently active mobile elements.

Abstract A Bacteroides conjugative transposon (CTn), CTn12256, which has an estimated size of more than 150 kbp appeared to contain most or all of a previously discovered 65 kbp CTn, CTnDOT. To determine whether the integrated CTnDOT was still intact and to identify the element into which CTnDOT had integrated, large segments of CTn12256 were cloned and sequenced. Results of this analysis revealed that an intact CTnDOT type CTn had integrated into another CTn that was most closely related to a putative CTn found in the genome sequence of Bacteroides fragilis YCH46 (CTn3Bf). The CTnDOT portion of CTn12256 (CTnDOT2) proved to be capable of excising from CTn12256 and to transfer itself independently of CTn12256. The CTn3Bf region rarely transferred independently of CTnDOT2, and the transferred CTn3Bf contained a large deletion flanking the site of CTnDOT2 insertion and was no longer transmissible. Nonetheless, genetic analysis showed that the CTn3Bf portion controls transfer of CTn12256.
Low-lying T = 2 states of 16O

Abstract The excitation energies of the lowest two T = 2 states in 16 O are found to be 22.717±0.008 MeV ( Γ Γ 14 C( 3 He, n) reaction. These energies are in excellent agreement with elementary Coulomb energy calculations which are quite successful in other T = 2 and T = 3 2 isobaric multiplets. Double stripping angular distributions indicate that the 24.52 MeV state has J π = 2 + . In a 12 C( 3 He, n) measurement, the excitation energy of the fourth excited state of 14 O has been determined to be 6.585±0.005 MeV. Some systematics of T = 2 and T = 3 2 levels are discussed.
Thomas Fermi model of finite nuclei

Abstract A relativistic Thomas-Fermi model of finite nuclei is considered. The effective nuclear interaction is mediated by exchanges of isoscalar scalar and vector mesons. We include also a self-interaction of the scalar meson field and the Coulomb repulsion of the protons. The parameters of the model are constrained by the average nuclear properties. The Thomas-fermi equations are solved numerically for finite, stable nuclei. The particular case of 208 82 Pb is considered in more detail.