cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Image registration using the shearlet transform

In this paper, we present an algorithm for image registration utilizing the shearlet representation. The shearlet framework allows one to collect multi-scale and multi-directional feature information from multidimensional data that can be used to create key feature vectors that are scale, rotation, and shift invariant. These key feature vectors produce a transformation that will align the sensed image to the source image. We demonstrate our registration algorithm on various medical databases.
Multivariate Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (MEWMA) Control Chart

The multivariate exponentially weighted moving average (MEWMA) control chart is used to simultaneously monitor several correlated process variables. The primary focus of this article is monitoring the process mean by constructing an MEWMA control chart. An overview of the application and use of MEWMA control charts is discussed. The plotting statistic is clearly defined and an illustrative example is presented. Keywords: EWMA ; multivariate; control charts; MEWMA
Transient electromagnetic scattering by multiple cavities

This paper presents an analytical method for modeling time-variant scattering from multiple cavities embedded in the ground plane. This work builds upon existing methods for modeling the single cavity problem, with special attention paid to the coupling between scattered fields from multiple cavities. No assumptions of cavity periodicity or similarity are required for implementing this method.
Collaboration between general and special educators and student outcomes: A need for more research

Although collaboration between general and special educators is frequently recommended in the literature,howmuchisknownandunderstoodaboutactualcollaborationpracticesremainsunclear. Yet, current reforms and law are calling for increased collaboration. Therefore, the purpose of this review of the literature was to explore the research base on the impact that collaboration has on academic and/or social or behavioral outcomes for students with disabilities. A total of 19 studies were located for review. Although the studies generally support collaboration for improved student outcomes, this finding is tentative at best, given the small number of studies representing a variety of research designs and collaboration models. C � 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Initial experience using an endoscopic simulator to train surgical residents in flexible endoscopy in a community medical center residency program.

Introduction The importance of training surgical residents in GI endoscopy has been recognized for years. Despite advice from SAGES and the RRC, few programs have managed to incorporate effective flexible endoscopy training into their curriculum, making it difficult for their graduates to be credentialed in GI endoscopy. Prior to October 2001, our residents obtained their entire clinical experience in the endoscopy unit with staff surgical endoscopists. Attendance was inconsistent because of their many other responsibilities, and residents often used much of their clinical endoscopic exposure gaining basic familiarity with the equipment, precluding the development of therapeutic facility. Since October 2001, we have used the Simbionix endoscopic simulator to supplement resident training in GI endoscopy. With the advent of virtual-reality simulators, and studies validating their effectiveness in teaching fundamental technical skills, we report our initial success in implementing a formal GI endoscopy curriculum using a virtual reality endoscopic simulator to provide basic experience before the clinical endoscopic experience begins. Methods Residents are given monthly assignments of simulated cases on the GI Mentor simulator. Junior residents complete the diagnostic case modules; senior residents complete the therapeutic modules. Data were accumulated over the course of two years with a total of five PGY-I and eight senior surgical residents completing assigned cases on the simulator. Objective criteria were measured from their performance on the simulator to determine the efficiency of the examination for each case completed. Results Preliminary data collected over the course of two years indicates that residents improve the efficiency of their endoscopic examinations over time as measured by objective criteria. Junior surgery residents attained an aggregate average of 59% efficiency in their examinations whereas senior surgical residents who had previous experience with the simulator, attained an aggregate efficiency of 80%. Conclusions A formal flexible endoscopy curriculum enhances surgical resident training and positively impacts careers in general and gastrointestinal surgery. Endoscopic simulators allow surgical residents to master the technical aspects of GI endoscopy quickly, thereby permitting them more benefit from their clinical exposure in the endoscopy unit. We anticipate that our formal curriculum in GI endoscopy training will prepare our graduates well for careers that include flexible endoscopy as a component of their clinical practices, and position them to be credentialled in GI endoscopy upon graduation.
Improving patient follow-up after inpatient stay

Follow-up is a vital part of ongoing patient safety. It allows for subsequent investigations to be checked and acted upon, encourages specialist review of patients and ensures that patients with chronic conditions receive the appropriate secondary care input. This study aims to highlight and quantify current problems with how follow-up arrangements are made within our hospital and provide a suitable solution to ensure that these problems are minimised. 20 sets of clinical notes were analysed for plans of follow-up and then compared with the discharge summaries produced. Hospital computer systems were used to find out which interventions happened, and when, to get the baseline data. A simple follow-up prompt sheet was introduced and a further 20 sets of notes were audited to complete the study. Patient follow-up improved after the introduction of a simple follow-up prompt sheet but highlighted the need for a complete change in the way follow up is arranged at our hospital. There is a need for an online system for requesting follow-up appointments in our hospital. This is vital given the 24 hour environment that we work in with many patients being discharged out of normal working hours. This is currently being discussed with management and we hope that the introduction will be imminent to improve the future safety of all patients.
Renal development in dysplasia of the fetal pituitary.

Extract: Thirty-one newborns with anencephaly had small kidneys; the weights of these organs were only 67% of the mean value for control infants of the same gestational age. Kidneys of the anencephalic infants had only 81% as many nephrons as kidneys of the control infants. In the kidneys of anencephalic newborns, tubular cells distal to the proximal convoluted tubules contained less cytoplasm than did comparable cells of control subjects. For example, in anencephalic infants, cells in the distal convoluted tubules had only 57% as much cytoplasm as control cells. Pituitary dysfunction may be directly or indirectly responsible for this maldevelopment, since in this study, an infant with isolated congenital absence of the pituitary had similar renal abnormalities while a newborn anencephalic infant with a normal parabiotic twin partner had near normal kidneys. Speculation: Dysfunction of the hypothalmic—neurohypophyseal system might contribute to the hydramnios common in anencephalic gestations by leading to increased urine output by the fetus. In any case, nephron structure is so abnormal in anencephalic newborns that it should be interesting to test their renal function.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma: the spectrum of manifestations on CT in 70 cases.

Abstract AIM: The aim of this pictorial review is to illustrate the spectrum of manifestations on computed tomography (CT) of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Malignant pleural mesothelioma is the most common primary neoplasm of the pleura, but nevertheless is a rare tumour. It has a strong association with previous occupational exposure to asbestos and has a bleak prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pre-treatment CT findings of 70 patients at our institution, and the subsequent findings of the 35 patients who had follow-up CT, have been reviewed by three observers by consensus. 16 patients had surgical resections. RESULTS: The most common pre-treatment findings were pleural thickening (94%) and pleural effusions (76%). Both contraction (27%) and enlargement (10%) of the ipsilateral hemithorax were identified. Extension of disease to the chest wall, mediastinum, thoracic lymph nodes, and below the diaphragm were identified. Concurrent bilateral pleural calcification and plaques indicative of previous asbestos exposure were identified in 16% of patients. CT failed to identify chest wall and mediastinal invasion in a number of patients who underwent surgical resections. CONCLUSION: CT plays an important role in the diagnosis, assessment, and evaluation of treatment response of this tumour, although it has some limitations in specific areas in evaluating patients for surgical resection.
Rb and Sr diffusion in alkali feldspars, with implications for cooling histories of rocks

Volume diffusion of Sr and Rb have been measured in orthoclase feldspar as well as Sr diffusion in albite, using isotope exchange, hydrothermal solutions, and analysis by ion microprobe. For water pressures of 1000 bars, the kinetics of diffusion parallel to the c-axis are given by the Arrhenius relations Strontium transport in the Or is isotropic to within a factor of four. The measurements use a new procedure in which only the elements in question are present in the starting fluid. Cooling rates of igneous rocks can now be determined from closure temperatures, material balance, and the Rb-Sr dating method, based on the departures of the mineral data from the whole-rock isochron, for cooling rates less than approximately 100°C/my.
History-based security for JavaScript

Providing security guarantees for software systems built out of untrusted components requires the ability to enforce fine-grained access control policies. This is evident in Web 2.0 applications where JavaScript code from different origins is often combined on a single page, leading to well-known vulnerabilities. We present a security infrastructure which allows users and content providers to specify access control policies over subsets of JavaScript execution traces and reversion to a safe state if a violation is detected. The proposal is evaluated in the context of a production browser where security principals are based on the browser's same origin policy. Simple security policies can be shown to prevent real attacks without imposing drastic restrictions on legacy applications. We have evaluated our infrastructure with two non-trivial policies on 50 of the Alexa top websites with no changes to the legacy JavaScript code and measured the performance overheads of our instrumentation.
Negatively Charged Anabaena Flavodoxin Residues (Asp144 and Glu145) Are Important for Reconstitution of Cytochrome P450 17α-Hydroxylase Activity

Abstract Catalysis by microsomal cytochromes P450 requires the membrane-bound enzyme NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (P450 reductase), which transfers electrons to the P450 heme via a flavodoxin-like domain. Previously, we reported that Escherichia coli flavodoxin (Fld), a soluble electron transfer protein, directly interacts with bovine cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase (P450c17) and donates electrons to this enzyme when reconstituted with NADPH-ferredoxin (flavodoxin) reductase (FNR) (Jenkins, C. M., and Waterman, M. R. (1994)J. Biol. Chem. 269, 27401–27408). To investigate whether flavodoxins can serve as useful models of the analogous domain in P450 reductase, we have examined the FNR-Fld system from the cyanobacterium Anabaena. Mutagenesis of two acidicAnabaena Fld residues (D144A and E145A) significantly decreased flavodoxin-supported P450c17 progesterone 17α-hydroxylase activity. Specifically, D144A exhibited only 15% of the activity of wild-type Fld, whereas the adjacent mutation, E145A, caused a 40% loss in activity. P450-dependent hydrogen peroxide/superoxide production by wild-type FNR-Fld was measurably higher than that generated by FNR-D144A or FNR-E145A, indicating that the mutations do not lead to P450 heme-mediated electron uncoupling. Interestingly, the D144A and E145A mutants bind with equal or even greater affinity to P450c17 than wild-type Fld. Furthermore, these mutations (D144A and E145A) actually increased cytochrome c reductase activity (35 and 100% higher than wild type). Anabaena Fld residues Asp144 and Glu145 align closely with rat P450 reductase residue Asp208, which has been shown by mutagenesis to be important in electron transfer to P4502B1 but not to cytochrome c (Shen, A. L., and Kasper, C. B. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 27475–27480). Thus, these residues in flavodoxins and P450 reductase appear to have similar functions in P450 recognition and/or electron transfer, supporting the hypothesis that flavodoxins represent valid models for the FMN-binding domain of P450 reductase.
An epidemiologic analysis of staphylococcus aureus-associated keratitis in Boston

Purpose S. aureus is a normal commensal of the human skin and nasopharynx. It is therefore of interest to determine whether S. aureus keratitis is caused by a subset of these organisms. In this study, the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of S.aureus keratitis isolates were analyzed. Methods All S. aureus clinical isolates were prospectively collected over a 24 month period at the MEEI (2006-2008). The diagnosis of clinical keratitis and associated risk factors was by medical record review. Keratitis-associated S. aureus strains were assessed for: 1) antibiotic susceptibility, 2) biofilm robustness by gentian violet staining using an in vitro microtiter plate assay, and 3) genetic lineage by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Results 26 cases of keratitis were identified from the 600 S. aureus clinical isolates. Risk factors associated with S.aureus keratitis included trauma, prior surgery, soft contact lens wear, and the presence of a foreign body. Ocular surface disease does not appear to be an independent risk factor. All 26 isolates were tetracycline- and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole- sensitive. All the MRSA strains were found to be ciprofloxacin-resistant (10/26). Nearly one-half of all the S.aureus keratitis-associated isolates were caused by a single clone, ST5. Both methicillin sensitive and resistant S. aureus strains were represented within ST5. Conclusion These results suggest that there may be specific S.aureus lineages which possess phenotypic and genotypic characteristics that enable S. aureus to more effectively cause sight-threatening keratitis. Future work will examine their virulence traits and a comparison to commensal S.aureus strains.
Dietary vitamin E protects the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas, against noise exposure.

Abstract The fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) was employed to examine if dietary vitamin E supplementation could protect the inner ear from the deleterious effects of noise. Fish were fed one of the three experimental diets containing either: (1) low vitamin E content (14.5 mg/kg diet as α-tocopheryl acetate), (2) an adequate amount of vitamin E (50 mg/kg), or (3) high vitamin E content (450 mg/kg). After 4 weeks on the diet, fish were exposed to either 2 or 24 h of intense white noise (142 dB re: 1 μPa, bandwidth 0.3–4.0 kHz). Auditory thresholds were measured, using the auditory brainstem response (ABR) technique, within 0.5 days following noise exposure or within a recovery period of 1.5 days. Additionally, liver samples were analyzed for vitamin E content. Increased vitamin E supplementation was dose-dependently associated with a reduction in statistically significant threshold shifts after noise exposure and an enhancement of recovery (i.e., more complete recovery over a shorter period) for fish exposed to either 2 or 24 h of noise. The results obtained suggest that dietary vitamin E affords protection against noise exposure in a cyprinid fish.
Advances in Pediatric Pharmacology, Therapeutics, and Toxicology

In the United States, the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act and the Pediatric Research Equity Act continue to promote clinical trials in pediatric populations across all age ranges. In 2014 and 2015, over 70 changes were made to drug labels with updates on information regarding pediatric populations. Additionally, multiple new therapies have received first-approvals for the treatment of pediatric indications ranging form rare genetic metabolic diseases to oncology. In the European Union, there have been more than 30 new authorizations for medicines used in children and 130 approved pediatric investigation plans. Despite the progress that has been made over the last two years, much work remains to further the development of safe and effective therapies for pediatric patients.
Sediment geochemical records of productivity and oxygen depletion along the margin of western North America during the past 60,000 years: teleconnections with Greenland Ice and the Cariaco Basin

Abstract Many sediment records from the margins of the Californias (Alta and Baja) collected in water depths between 60 and 1200 m contain anoxic intervals (laminated sediments) that can be correlated with interstadial intervals as defined by the oxygen-isotope composition of Greenland ice (Dansgaard–Oeschger, D–O, cycles). These intervals include all or parts of Oxygen Isotope Stage 3 (OIS3; 60–24 cal ka), the Bolling/Allerod warm interval (B/A; 15–13 cal ka), and the Holocene. This study uses organic carbon (Corg) and trace-element proxies for anoxia and productivity, namely elevated concentrations and accumulation rates of molybdenum and cadmium, in these laminated sediments to suggest that productivity may be more important than ventilation in producing changes in bottom-water oxygen (BWO) conditions on open, highly productive continental margins. The main conclusion from these proxies is that during the last glacial interval (LGI; 24–15 cal ka) and the Younger Dryas cold interval (YD; 13–11.6 cal ka) productivity was lower and BWO levels were higher than during OIS3, the B/A, and the Holocene on all margins of the Californias. The Corg and trace-element profiles in the LGI–B/A–Holocene transition in the Cariaco Basin on the margin of northern Venezuela are remarkably similar to those in the transition on the northern California margin. Correlation between D–O cycles in Greenland ice with gray-scale measurements in varved sediments in the Cariaco Basin also is well established. Synchronous climate-driven changes as recorded in the sediments on the margins of the Californias, sediments from the Cariaco Basin, and in the GISP-2 Greenland ice core support the hypothesis that changes in atmospheric dynamics played a major role in abrupt climate change during the last 60 ka. Millennial-scale cycles in productivity and oxygen depletion on the margins of the Californias demonstrate that the California Current System was poised at a threshold whereby perturbations of atmospheric circulation produced rapid changes in circulation in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. It is likely that the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans were linked through the atmosphere. Warmer air temperatures during interstadials would have strengthened Hadley and Walker circulations, which, in turn, would have strengthened the subtropical high pressure systems in both the North Pacific and the North Atlantic, producing increased rainfall over the Cariaco Basin and increased upwelling along the margins of the Californias.
Desperately seeking sensors

The list of biologically active small molecules for which fluorescent sensors would be desirable is enormous. The list of sensors actually available is surprisingly small. The reason derives in part from a lack of communication between chemistry inventors and biology end-users. A new World Wide Web board has been created to address this need.
Autoregulation of growth hormone secretion in normal subjects.

Studies performed in animals have demonstrated fairly definitely that raised growth hormone levels exert a negative feedback or autoregulatory effect on further pituitary growth hormone release. Similar evidence was sought in normal human volunteers. Growth hormone levels were raised either by introducing a provocative stimulus, exercise or arginine, or by infusing human growth hormone at a constant rate. When circulating levels of growth hormone were raised by a measured exercise stimulus or by an arginine infusion, a second stimulus introduced in tandem failed to cause a further rise, and circulating growth hormone levels dropped to baseline. This was not due to pituitary growth hormone exhaustion, since combining the stimuli produced a far greater growth hormone release than either stimulus alone. Normal release in response to arginine or exercise could be demonstrated if a 30-min pause was allowed between tests. Similarly, when growth hormone levels were raised by injections or with a constant growth hormone infusion, no response to exercise or to arginine was seen. Thus, in man, as in animals, it appears that circulating levels of growth hormone do exert an autoregulatory influence on the secretory activity of either the hypothalamus or the pituitary. Abnormal variations in the threshold sensitivity to this feedback could account for certain disturbances of pituitary growth hormone release, in particular acromegaly.
SIGIR 2003 workshop report: implicit measures of user interests and preferences

The goal of the workshop on Implicit Measures was to explore how various implicit measures of user interest can be used in information retrieval and filtering applications. In most information retrieval or filtering applications, it is difficult to get explicit feedback from users about the relevance of the results, the appropriateness of the presentation, and more generally about the quality of their experience. Yet explicit judgments are assumed by researchers for many activities like the tuning and selection of ranking algorithms, information combination, user modeling, information presentation, etc. This workshop explored how implicit measures of user interest (such as dwell time, click through, and user activities like annotation, printing, and purchasing) can be used to develop predictive models for a variety of purposes. In the context of information retrieval such models could be used to: improve ranking and relevance assessment (e.g., the extent to which implicit measures can be used to evaluate the quality of systems, ranking algorithms and recommendations, or as input to relevance feedback algorithms); personalize search, filtering or presentation; personalize considering both individual and aggregate data; adaptive link generation or web site design; etc. An examination of theoretical issues such as modeling approaches (Bayesian techniques and other predictive models), gold standards for user behavior (e.g., relevance judgments, purchases), combining implicit and explicit preferences, and biases introduced by reliance on implicit measures were also encouraged. Since this was the first workshop on the topic at SIGIR, we encouraged participation from people with different backgrounds and perspectives including theoretical modeling, experimental analysis, and applications development. Applications from information retrieval, collaborative filtering, e-commerce, user modeling, and human-computer interaction were encouraged. Participation from both academia and industry was encouraged. As an outcome of the workshop we hoped to identify key theoretical modeling issues, systematize engineering principles and best practices, and spark new research directions. The workshop was held on August 1, 2003 in Toronto, Canada, immediately following the SIGIR 2003 conference. The workshop drew about 35 participants, representing a nice mix of academia and industry, and information retrieval and learning. To encourage interaction among participants, we limited the number and length of the talks to 15 minutes. This was followed by a 5 minute discussion by one of the organizers and additional open discussion among participants. This seemed to work well as a way to encourage interaction. We also had poster presentations available during the lunch break, which worked well, although only two posters were presented.
Urinary Excretion of β-Amino-isobutyric Acid after Injection of Thymidine labelled with Tritium

β AMINO-isoBUTYRIC acid is a metabolic degradation product of thymine1,2, but its relation to the catabolism of endogenous deoxyribonucleic acid has remained uncertain. In the present c ommunication we present results which elucidate the catabolic fate of that fraction of thymine originating from endogenous deoxyribonucleic acid and reflected in the urinary excretion of β-amino-isobutyric acid.
Management of patients after myocardial infarction and thrombolytic therapy

On the basis of the available data concerning the indications for and the timing of arteriography after thrombolysis, the inevitable conclusion is that conservative instead of aggressive management is indicated for the 40% to 50% of patients at low risk who do not have spontaneous myocardial ischemia or myocardial ischemia that was provoked. Factors to be considered in treatment decisions for individual patients after thrombolytic therapy include risk factors before and after thrombolytic therapy, the results of studies assessing conservative versus aggressive post-thrombolytic management, the accuracy of risk stratification by noninvasive testing, and the relevance of the "open artery" hypothesis. The low-risk patient with a left ventricular ejection fraction above 40% and no ischemia during adequate stress testing has a low 3-year mortality rate. Although benefits of routine coronary arteriography exist relative to determining the severity of coronary artery disease and whether the infarct-related artery is patent, selective coronary arteriography is a more feasible and less expensive approach for appropriate patients. The low annual mortality rate with this approach is equal to that obtained when patients undergo routine coronary arteriography with myocardial revascularization based upon the result of the routine procedure. The modification of various coronary risk factors appears as valuable for patients who have undergone thrombolytic therapy as for those who did not. Specifically, the cessation of smoking, the control of hypertension, and the treatment of hypercholesterolemia are indicated for patients after thrombolysis when any of these modifiable risk factors are present. Secondary prevention with pharmacologic agents appears to be similar for those who have undergone standard or thrombolytic therapy. Long-term aspirin therapy is routine for secondary prevention; long-term beta-blocker therapy is useful for high-risk patients; and long-term treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors is indicated for patients after thrombolysis who have a low left ventricular ejection fraction.
Knockout and j-Forbidden Stripping Reactions

By definition, $j$-forbidden stripping reactions have zero cross sections if the filling order of the simple spherical shell model is followed and if only the usual direct stripping mechanism is considered. Several $j$-forbidden stripping reactions have been observed, and all have similar characteristics. One conceivable explanation of these similarities is a common knockout reaction mechanism whereby the deuteron is captured by the target while knocking a proton out of the target. The calculated differential cross sections for knockout are indeed similar to each other, but differ grossly in shape and magnitude from the observed differential cross sections. It is concluded that the knockout reaction mechanism, by itself, does not explain the observed $j$-forbidden stripping cross sections except possibly in the reaction $^{10}\mathrm{B}(d, p)^{11}\mathrm{B}^{*}$.
Stomatal density and aperture length in four plant species grown across a subambient CO2 gradient

Stomatal density, stomatal aperture length, area/leaf, and number of stomata/leaf were measured after the annual C3 agronomic grasses oats (Avena sativa) and wheat (Triticum aestivum), the C3 woody legume honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), and the perennial C4 grass little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) were grown across a subambient carbon dioxide concentration ([C02]) gradient from near 200 to 350 ,tmol/mol in a growth chamber. The purpose was to determine if the size and density of stomata vary in response to atmospheric [C02] during growth, across a subambient [C02] range representative of the doubling that has occurred since the last ice age. Changes in stomatal density and aperture length with increasing [CO2] were small when detected. Stomatal density decreased on adaxial flag leaf surfaces of wheat, and aperture length increased slightly with [C02]. Leaf area and number of stomata/flag leaf increased by similar proportions with [CO2] in two wheat cultivars. No consistent relationship between [C02] and stomatal density or size was detected in mesquite, oats, or little bluestem. We conclude that individual plants of these species lack the plasticity to significantly alter stomatal density and aperture length in response to increasing atmospheric [CO2] in a single generation (annuals) or growing season (perennials).
Calamity Detection Using Nonparametric Statistics

The problem of detecting a sudden change or calamity in the normal operation of a control system is investigated for the case of a deterministic system with measurements corrupted by unknown stationary noise. The basic technique concerns the use of nonparametric two-sample tests. As a consequence, the system under observation does not need to be known in detail; all that is required is a set of observations corresponding to the normal operation of the system.
Urinary Excretion of 16α-Hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone and 16-Ketoandrostenediol During the Early Neonatal Period

ABSTRACT A method utilizing preparative thin-layer chromatography, trimethylsilyl ether derivative formation, and separation on gasliquid chromatography of 16α-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone and 16-ketoandrostenediol in urine of newborn infants is described. Results of serial determinations performed during the first few days of life suggest that these compounds are measurable readily and can serve to evaluate further certain aspects of steroid biogenesis in the neonatal period. Preliminary data reveal that infants born of mothers whose estriol excretion during pregnancy was reduced have decreased rates of excretion of the latter compounds.
Androgen-estrogen synergy in rat levator ani muscle Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase

The effects of castration and hormone administration on the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the rat levator ani muscle were studied. Castration caused a decrease in enzyme activity and in wet weight of the levator ani muscle. Chronic administration of testosterone propionate increased glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in the levator ani muscle of castrated rats; the magnitude of the recovery of enzyme activity was related to the length of time of exposure to testosterone propionate after castration as well as to the length of time the animals were castrated. The longer the period of castration before exposure to testosterone propionate, the greater the effect. This result may be related to previously reported castration-mediated increases in androgen receptor binding in muscle. Dihydrotestosterone was less effective than testosterone propionate in enhancing glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in the levator ani muscle from castrated rats; estradiol-17-beta alone was ineffective. Combined treatment with estradiol-17-beta and dihydrotestosterone, however, was as effective as testosterone alone. Thus, androgens and estrogens may exert synergistic effects on levator ani muscle.
Evaluation of a guild approach to habitat assessment for forest-dwelling birds

The applicability of the Habitat Evaluation Procedure (HEP) was assessed for several nongame bird species in the central Adirondack Mountains of New York. Measures for 24 avian species and 33 associated habitat variables were collected during the summers of 1985 and 1986. The accuracy of four published Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) models was examined: pileated and downy woodpeckers, black-capped chickadee, and veery. Chickadee and veery models were judged successful and were then used to predict habitat quality for respective avian foragingguild members. The HSI model/guild approach provided poor predictors of habitat quality for ubiquitous and uncommon species. Information on relative abundance within the geographic region and specific cover types must be included when designing habitat evaluations using the guild approach.
Terrorism and the pregnant woman

Pregnant women and their infants are vulnerable, during and following a terrorist event. The threat poses a dual challenge: assessment and treatment of the trauma patient, and assessment and treatment of the pregnant woman. Some injuries in the pregnant woman are obvious; some injuries may not be easily observable. Obtaining an obstetric history coupled with careful nursing assessments ensure prompt and appropriate emergency treatment. Obstetricians, certified nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and perinatal nurses are uniquely qualified to perform these assessments because of their understanding of the changes in maternal physiology and anatomy during pregnancy. The pregnant woman can sustain injuries owing to trauma or exposure to biological, chemical, or radiological agents. Following trauma, assessment of the gravid uterus is needed, as well as the use of traditional diagnostic, pharmacologic, or resuscitative procedures. The perinatal care provider must be familiar with the hematological changes that normally suppress any immune response to the fetus and how these protective changes increase the risk from biological agents, such as anthrax and smallpox.
Era of new biomaterials in esthetic dentistry

Many exciting developments are occurring in esthetic, restorative materials. Today, materials are considered in terms of their biologic effects and tests to predict in vivo behavior are needed. Recently, more nondental manufacturers have begun to introduce products and the number of foreign products has also increased. Dentists and materials scientists are currently interested in: microleakage, bonding mechanisms, dentin-bonding agents, polyacrylic acid systems, and composite resins.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS OF ARCTIC EVERGREENS UNDER SNOW: IMPLICATIONS FOR TUNDRA ECOSYSTEM CARBON BALANCE

Vascular plants are generally assumed to have no photosynthetic activity under the snow because of the severity of the subnivean environment. In the arctic tundra, snow cover persists into the spring after air temperatures and light increase to levels suitable for photosynthesis of vascular plants in the absence of snow cover. We found significant photosynthetic activity in four arctic evergreen species under springtime snow. This activity was facilitated by favorable conditions in the subnivean environment, where CO2 concentrations are elevated, temperatures are often above freezing, and light levels are sufficient to drive photosynthesis. Diurnal changes in CO2 concentration under the snow and light responses of snow-covered ecosystem CO2 fluxes provide supporting evidence of carbon gain at the ecosystem level. This activity allows evergreens to rapidly increase photosynthesis upon snowmelt and reduces wintertime losses of carbon from arctic ecosystems. The loss of these species under predicted scenario...
An automated technique for monitoring carbon dioxide respired by insects

. A non-dispersive infrared gas analyser equipped with a Luft-type sonic detector and flow-through reference cell was automated to monitor the total volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) respired by single insects or groups of insects. The infrared analyser was interfaced with an integrator for quantification, a microprocessor to control intermittent air flow through the insect respiration chambers, and a microcomputer for data storage and reduction. This technique has been used to monitor the CO2 Output of diapausing and non-diapausing mature fifth instar larvae and of developing pupae of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae). The resulting data were accurate, quantitative and reproducible.
Liapunov functions and boundedness

Abstract In this paper we give conditions under which one can conclude that all solutions of a differential equation are bounded when there is a Liapunov function which is not radially unbounded. The problem of Lurie and the Lienard equation are given as examples.
Histamine and its lymphocyte-selective derivatives as immune modulators

Abstract Histamine has long been known as a neurotransmitter, inflammatory mediator and a factor in anaphylaxis, cardiac and gastrointestinal functions. Theoretically, it should not be surprising to find that a mediator of inflammation may modulate immunity because receptors for histamine are non-randomly distributed on lymphocytes. Kenneth Melmon and Manzoor Khan cite recent data primarily developed in in-vitro models of delayed hypersensitivity that demonstrate the immune modulatory role of histamine. New lymphocyte-specific histamine H 1 and/or H 2 agonists make it pharmacologically feasible to assess the potential of histamine as a selective in-vivo immune modulator.
Sufficient dimension reduction and variable selection for regression mean function with two types of predictors

Abstract In this article, for the regression mean function of Y on ( X , W ) , where Y is a scalar, X is a p × 1 vector and W is a categorical variable, we propose a method, partial sparse MAVE, to achieve sufficient dimension reduction and variable selection on X simultaneously. The method relaxes any particular distribution assumption on the model and on X . We also extend this method to multivariate response of Y , and GPLSIM [Carroll, R.J., Fan, J., Gijbels, I., Wand, M.P., 1997. Generalized partially linear single-index models. Journal of the American Statistical Association 92, 477–489]. Simulations and a real data analysis confirm the efficacy of our method.
Developmental changes in the open time and conductance of acetylcholine receptors in aneural cultured Xenopus myocytes treated with cycloheximide or tunicamycin.

Aneural cultures of Xenopus myocytes were treated with cycloheximide or tunicamycin in order to determine the influence of continued protein synthesis and insertion of glycosylated acetylcholine (ACh) receptor proteins on developmental changes in ACh-activated single-channel events. The developmental stage of the cultures was estimated from the stage of intact embryos maintained at the same temperature as the cultures. Single-channel recordings (5 × 10−7 M ACh) from untreated cultures revealed primarily low conductance (27.4 ± 0.6 pS) events for the first 14 h in culture (temperature = 23–25 °C) and a second high conductance class of events (42.5 ± 0.9 pS) at later developmental stages (after Stage 28). Treatment with cycloheximide (at Stage 28) or tunicamycin (at Stage 22) produced significantly (P < 0.01) fewer high conductance events at later stages (Stages 31–47), but had no effect on the conductance or open time of the low conductance event. A significant decrease (Chi square, P < 0.05) in ACh sensitivity was observed at Stage 27 in myocytes treated with tunicamycin at Stage 22. The results strongly suggest that the low and high conductance events represent two distinct receptor molecules synthesized at different developmental stages. The tunicamycin results also suggest that a developmental reduction in the mean open time of low conductance events in untreated cultures does not depend upon the continued insertion of newly synthesized receptors.
Antibodies to insect C16-juvenile hormone

Les auteurs ont produit des anticorps contre l'hormone juvenile du parasite du tabacManduca sexta (C16 JH) par immunisation avec un conjuge hapteneproteine. Les antiserums ont montre une forte specificite pour le C16 JH et le C17 JH et ils continennent tres vraisemblablement un groupe d'anticorps ayant une affinite plus grande pour le C17 JH que pour le C16 JH.
A prospective follow-up study of brain morphology and cognition in first-episode schizophrenic patients: Preliminary findings

Brain morphological abnormalities have been reported in several independent investigations of chronic schizophrenic patients. The present study is a prospective 4-year follow-up of first-episode schizophrenic patients to determine whether some of these abnormalities may be a consequence of regional brain structural change over time after the onset of a first psychotic episode. Whole hemisphere, temporal lobes, superior temporal gyrus, hippocampus, caudate, corpus callosum, and lateral ventricles were measured in a series of MRI scans taken over a 4-year period in 20 patients and five controls. Total volume reduction was noted in both hemispheres to a greater degree in patients than controls. When adjusted for total brain size, left ventricular enlargement occurred in patients, but not controls, over time. These preliminary data suggest that subtle cortical atrophy may be occurring over time after the onset of illness.
Allelic imbalance in the clonal evolution of prostate carcinoma.

BACKGROUND To understand better the genetic basis of the clonal evolution of prostate carcinoma, the authors analyzed the pattern of allelic loss in 25 matched primary and metastatic prostate tumors. METHODS Twenty-five cases were selected from the surgical pathology files of the Mayo Clinic from patients who had undergone radical retropubic prostatectomy and bilateral lymphadenectomy between 1987-1991. All patients had regional lymph node metastases at the time of surgery. DNA samples for the analysis of allelic loss pattern were prepared from primary tumors and matched synchronous lymph node metastases by tissue microdissection. The oligonucleotide primer pairs for the microsatellite DNA markers were D8S133, D8S136, D8S137, ANK1 on chromosome 8p12-21, LPLTET on chromosome 8p22, and D17S855 (intragenic to the BRCA1 gene) on chromosome 17q21. One case was not informative at any of the loci tested and was excluded from further analysis. RESULTS The overall frequency of allelic imbalance was 79% in primary tumors and 88% in paired metastases. Of 24 informative cases, 14 patients (58%) showed the same pattern of allelic loss or retention in matched primary and metastatic tumors at all marker locus; discordant allelic loss was observed in the remaining 10 patients (42%). Four patients showed loss of the same allele at one or more marker loci in both primary and metastatic tumors, but discordant allelic loss was observed at other marker loci. Five patients showed allelic loss in at least one genetic marker in the metastatic tumor but not in its matched primary tumor. Five patients displayed loss of one allele at one or more marker loci in a primary tumor but not in the matched metastases. There was no significant difference in the frequency of allelic imbalance between primary and metastatic tumors at any marker analyzed (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that different patterns of allelic deletion may be acquired during cancer progression to metastases. The differences in genetic composition between primary prostate carcinoma and its metastases may be related to intrinsic cancer heterogeneity, overall genetic instability, and clonal divergence. Cancer 1999;85:2017–22. © 1999 American Cancer Society.
Anaerobic Basin Sedimentation and Differential Preservation of Planktonic Foraminifera: ABSTRACT

In paleoclimatic reconstruction, fossil planktonic Foraminifera usually are related to ancient surface-water conditions. Processes on the ocean floor, however, are able to alter faunal composition drastically. Ten core samples from various depths were taken in the Santa Barbara basin which is anaerobic below a sill depth of about 480 m. Sixteen samples were analyzed for their microfossil content, in four size fractions. In each size fraction there is a pronounced difference in composition between samples above and below sill depth. The anaerobic, black, laminated sediments obtained below sill depth contain numerous species and specimens, including very fragile forms such a Hastigerina digitata. Fragments are almost absent; pelagic gastropods and pelecypods (aragonite) are plentiful, as are thin-walled calcareous benthonic Foraminifera. Just above sill depth, sediments are dark green and homogeneous, suggesting moderate aeration. The percentages of Globoquadrina dutertrei and of Globigerina pachyderma s.s. are much greater there than in the anaerobic samples. Fragments of both planktonic and benthonic Foraminifera are abundant. Thin-walled benthonic Foraminifera are much scarcer than in the deeper samples; aragonitic shells are virtually absent. Well above sill depth sediments are light green and homogeneous and appear well aerated. Both planktonic and benthonic foraminiferal numbers are greatly reduced and G. dutertrei strongly dominates all but the finest fraction. Fecal pellets are abundant. There are several possible causes for the pronounced change in fossil fauna across the anaerobic-aerated boundary: (1) changes in supply, (2) mechanical destruction by benthonic organisms, and (3) chemical dissolution. A change in supply from the overlying water is unlikely, because the effects of the aeration boundary do not extend into the productive zone. Mechanical destruction by benthonic animals is possible in the aerated zone. The siliceous skeletons of diatoms and Radiolaria, however, are much less affected by the aeration boundary than are calcareous fossils, which suggests that chemical dissolution is the most important factor. Two mechanisms may be responsible: (1) production of CO2 by the oxygenation of organic matter in the aerated zone, and (2) a more vigorous exchange of interstitial solutions with bottom water by burrowing activity. These two effects of bottom aeration should enhance calcite solution. The study of the distribution of the resistant Foraminifera, such as G. dutertrei, G. pachyderma s.s., G. End_Page 468------------------------------ truncatulinoides, and G. inflata, in ancient Californian sediments should lead to a better understanding of paleobasin oceanography by making it possible to determine sill depths and oxygen minimum distributions. Such studies have obvious applications in the determination of petroleum source rocks, because organic material is preserved in anaerobic conditions but destroyed in aerated sediments. End_of_Article - Last_Page 469------------
Soil—Structure Interaction and Imperfect Trench Installations for Deeply Buried Corrugated Polyvinyl Chloride Pipes

The imperfect trench installation method has been used to reduce earth pressure on buried rigid pipes by inducing positive soil arching over the pipe. Because they are relatively flexible, corrugated thermoplastic pipes induce a small amount of positive soil arching. Therefore, there has been little research on the effects of imperfect trench installation on flexible pipes, such as those fabricated with corrugated thermoplastic. A study was done of the soil—structure interaction for corrugated polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes and the efficiency of the imperfect trench method for their installation. The soil—structure model was simulated with the Duncan soil model and Selig soil parameters by using the finite element method. The geometry of a soft zone was optimized to maximize the earth load reduction effects for imperfect trench installations. The optimization process was based on parametric studies of the geometry and location of the soft zone, combined with bedding and sidefill treatments to reduce earth...