cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stigmatization and Mental Health in a Diverse Sample of Transgender Women

Abstract Purpose: Previous research indicates elevated risk for psychological distress in sexual and gender minority populations, and some research suggests that stigma contributes to elevated psychological distress among members of these groups. This study examined the hypothesis that exposure to transgender-related stigma (TRS) is associated with both higher levels of depression and anxiety among transgender women. Methods: We analyzed data from a diverse sample of 191 adult transgender women living or working in the San Francisco Bay area who were recruited using purposive sampling methods to participate in a cross-sectional survey, which included measures of stigmatization, depression, and anxiety. Results: Higher levels of exposure to TRS were independently associated with higher levels of depression (β=0.31, P<.001) and anxiety (β=39, P<.001), adjusting for self-reported health and sociodemographic co-variates. Associations between stigmatization, depression, and anxiety were not moderated by partic...
Certification of Imaging Informatics Professionals (CIIP): 2010 Survey of Diplomates

The Certification for Imaging Informatics Professionals (CIIP) program is sponsored by the Society of Imaging Informatics in Medicine and the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists through the American Board of Imaging Informatics. In 2005, a survey was conducted of radiologists, technologists, information technology specialists, corporate information officers, and radiology administrators to identify the competencies and skill set that would define a successful PACS administrator. The CIIP examination was created in 2007 in response to the need for an objective way to test for such competencies, and there have been 767 professionals who have been certified through this program to date. The validity of the psychometric integrity of the examination has been previously established. In order to further understand the impact and future direction of the CIIP certification on diplomats, a survey was conducted in 2010. This paper will discuss the results of the survey.
Protective effects of phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone on the potentiation of noise-induced hearing loss by carbon monoxide.

Free radical injury has been implicated in cochlear damage resulting from exposure to high-intensity noise and due to carbon monoxide (CO) hypoxia. Although exposure to noise plus CO is common in occupational settings and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is enhanced in the presence of CO, potential mechanisms resulting in auditory impairment have not been studied. This study evaluates protective effects of the free radical scavenger phenyl-N-tert-butylnitrone (PBN) against potentiation of NIHL by CO. Three PBN administration protocols have been evaluated in subjects exposed to noise plus CO or noise alone. Long Evans hooded rats were exposed to octave band noise at 100 dB(Lin), center frequency (cf) = 13.6 kHz for a duration of 2 h. The level of CO used was 1200 ppm. Endpoints used to detect permanent auditory impairment were compound action potential (CAP) threshold and 1 microV root mean square (RMS) cochlear microphonic (CM). Testing was done 4 weeks following exposure. PBN administration prior to and following simultaneous exposure provided significant protection against auditory impairment in subjects receiving noise plus CO. Partial protection was observed in the protocols where PBN was injected following noise plus CO exposure. PBN administration appeared to reduce auditory impairment in animals exposed to noise alone, but the difference was not found to be statistically significant. Protective effects of PBN following simultaneous exposure to noise plus CO suggest that free radicals may be generated during combined exposure.
A thermodynamic model of plutonium (IV) nitrate solutions

Plutonium nitrate solutions contain a large number of chemical species and they exhibit significant deviations from ideal behavior. Modeling this system is challenging. A model that includes all known chemical species and accounts for nonideal solution behavior could contain several hundred unknown parameters, but insufficient published data exists for evaluating large numbers of parameters. A practical model of plutonium nitrate solutions, therefore, must be a compromise between the number of chemical species included and the number of parameters that can be evaluated from available data. A practical model of acidic plutonium nitrate was developed. The model, which was based on an extended UNIQUAC–Debye–Huckel equation, captures the essential behavior of the system with a minimum number of chemical species. It is capable of representing the vapor–liquid equilibrium data for the nitric acid–water system, the activity of water in the plutonium nitrate-nitric acid–water system, the distribution of plutonium–nitrate complexes in aqueous nitric acid solution, and plutonium adsorption on an anion exchange resin.
Composite fiber structures for catalysts and electrodes

Abstract We have recently envisioned a process wherein fibers of various metals in the 0.5 to 15 μm diameter range are slurried in concert with cellulose fibers and various other materials in the form of particulates and/or fibers. The resulting slurry is cast via a wet-lay process into a sheet and dried to produce a free-standing sheet of ‘composite apper’. When the ‘preform’ sheet is sintered in hydrogen, the bulk of the cellulose is removed with the secondary fibers and/or particulates being entrapped by the sinter-locked network provided by the metal fibers. The resulting material is unique in that it allows the intimate contacting and combination of heretofore mutually exclusive materials and properties. Moreover, due to the ease of paper manufacture and processing, the resulting materials are relatively inexpensive and can be fabricated into a wide range of three-dimensional structures. Also, because cellulose is both a binder and a pore-former, structures combining high levels of active surface area and high void volume (i.e., low pressure drop) can be prepared as free-standing flow through monoliths.
Battery Pack Modeling, Simulation, and Deployment on a Multicore Real Time Target

Battery Management System (BMS) design is a complex task requiring sophisticated models that mimic the electrochemical behavior of the battery cell under a variety of operating conditions. Equivalent circuits are well-suited for this task because they offer a balance between fidelity and simulation speed, their parameters reflect direct experimental observations, and they are scalable. Scalability is particularly important at the real time simulation stage, where a model of the battery pack runs on a real-time simulator that is physically connected to the peripheral hardware in charge of monitoring and control. With modern battery systems comprising hundreds of cells, it is important to employ a modeling and simulation approach that is capable of handling numerous simultaneous instances of the basic unit cell while maintaining real time performance. In previous publications we presented a technique for the creation of a battery cell model that contains the electrochemical fingerprints of a battery cell based on equivalent circuit model fitting to experimental data. In this work we extend our previous model to represent a battery pack, featuring cell creation, placement, and connection using automation scripts, thus facilitating the design of packs of arbitrary size and electrical topology. In addition, we present an assessment of model partitioning schemes for real time execution on multicore targets to ensure efficient use of hardware resources, a balanced computational load, and a study of the potential impact of the calculation latencies inherent to distributed systems on solver accuracy. Prior to C code generation for real time execution, a model profiler assesses the model partitioning and helps determine the multicore configuration that results in the lowest average turnaround time, the time elapsed between task start and finish.
Wendell Bell: The futurist who would put my grandmother in prison

Abstract Wendell Bell made major contributions to futures studies, and to my own understanding of the field, by helping establish the knowledge base of the field; developing the foundational concept “images of the future”; focusing on the ethical dimensions of futures studies; insisting there is a futures field that should be nurtured; and proposing an interesting use for “equal opportunity” and “affirmative action” laws in the US criminal justice system.
The Genus Odontomyia in America North of Mexico (Diptera, Stratiomyidae)

Forty years ago, Mr. C. W. Johnson monographed the genera Odontomyia and Stratiomys for North America, and separated them, as European authors had done and as American authors have continued to do to the present day, on the basis of the comparative length of the first and second antennal segments. Today, Johnson's work, admirable as it was, has become antiquated in the light of more modern research. New species have been added and, to an extent, concepts of old species have been changed. The present work, based on several thousand specimens from the collections of institutions scattered throughout the United States and Canada, will, I hope, straighten out several perplexing questions and facilitate identifications in this genus. An attempt is made, furthermore, to indicate relationships through the recognition of species groups.
Legionella pneumophila DotA protein is required for early phagosome trafficking decisions that occur within minutes of bacterial uptake

Numerous intracellular bacterial pathogens modulate the nature of the membrane-bound compartment in which they reside, although little is known about the molecular basis for this control. Legionella pneumophila is a bacterial pathogen able to grow within human alveolar macrophages and residing in a phagosome that does not fuse with lysosomes. This study demonstrates that the dotA product is required to regulate trafficking of the L. pneumophila phagosome. Phagosomes containing L. pneumophila dotA+ bacteria exhibited differential trafficking profiles when compared with isogenic dotA mutants. Phagosomes containing dotA mutants showed rapid accumulation of the lysosomal glycoprotein LAMP-1 as early as 5 min after uptake, whereas the majority of wild-type L. pneumophila phagosomes did not acquire LAMP-1. The association of LAMP-1 with phagosomes containing dotA mutant bacteria was concomitant with the appearance of the small GTP-binding protein Rab7 on the vacuolar membrane. These data demonstrate that phagosomes containing replication-competent L. pneumophila evade early endocytic fusion events. In contrast, the kinetics of LAMP-1 and Rab7 association indicate that the dotA mutants are routed along a well-characterized endocytic pathway leading to fusion with lysosomes. Genetic studies show that L. pneumophila requires DotA expression before macrophage uptake in order to establish an intracellular site for replication. However, the bacteria do not appear to require continuous expression of the DotA protein to maintain a replicative phagosome. These data indicate that DotA is one factor that plays a fundamental role in regulating initial phagosome trafficking decisions either upon or immediately after macrophage uptake.
Manometric assessment of anorectal function.

The anorectum plays an important role in the regulation of defecation and in the maintenance of continence. 2,32 In the 1980s and 1990s, a wide range of tests were developed to assess anorectal function. 32 The most common and widely used test is anorectal manometry. 2,32 The American Gastroenterological Association 2 has endorsed this technique but has recognized that "it requires some degree of experience and familiarity with the test and its applications." The position paper further acknowledged that there was a lack of consensus regarding which test to use and when. 2 This lack of consensus was confirmed in a multicenter study that compared current methods of performing anorectal manometry. In 7 centers across North America and Europe, no 2 centers used a similar probe, similar sensor configuration, or similar methodology. 24 This article reviews some of the tests that commonly are used for assessing anorectal and pelvic floor function, assesses the significance of these tests, and provides an approach for the manometric assessment of anorectal function. Tests for assessing anorectal function include the following: Tests commonly performed Anorectal manometry Anal endosonography Sphincter electromyography Object expulsion test Defecography Saline continence test Pudendal nerve terminal motor latency Tests performed in research laboratories Rectal barostat Anal vectorgraphy Rectoanal scintigraphy Ambulatory anorectal manometry MR imaging Videofluorodefecometry Each laboratory should develop its own normal range for interpreting results or if using normative data from the literature to adopt similar methodology. The reader is referred to Olsen's article in this issue for a discussion on neurophysiologic assessment of anorectal function. The present article focuses primarily on the manometric and sensory assessment of anorectal function. The purpose of anorectal manometry is to evaluate the integrated function of the defecation unit, including its motor and sensory function. From these measurements, it is possible to assess the expulsion forces, the resistance to bowel evacuation, the anorectal sensory responses, and the neuronal innervation.
Reversibility of the cyanide inhibition of electron transport in spinach chloroplast thylakoids

Abstract The prior treatment of thylakoids with cyanide (30 mM) was shown to inhibit plastocyanin-dependent electron transport reactions. We find that cyanide inhibition of electron flow from either water or diaminodurene to methyl viologen, but not from water to ferricyanide, is partially reversed when the thylakoids are collected by centrifugation and resuspended in a cyanide-free medium. However, methyl viologen reduction in thylakoids pretreated with cyanide is sensitive to cyanide (∼1 mM) added to the reaction mixtures, whereas that in control thylakoids is unaffected. The cyanide must be added in the dark. Electron transport to methyl viologen in chloroplasts pretreated with cyanide is also sensitive to inhibition by EDTA and bathocuproine sulfonate. Thus, KCN inhibition of electron transport in thylakoids is partially reversible. Moreover, the accessibility of plastocyanin to various reagents is probably altered by the KCN treatment.
Contrasting behavior of the resistivities in the singlet-ground-state systems TbcY1−cP andTbcY1−cAs

Abstract We present data showing that an anomalous maximum in the electrical resistivity versus temperature curve, similar to that in PrcLa1−cSn3, is present for all c in TbcY1−cAs, but is absent for all c in TbcY1−cP and TbcY1−cSb.
Initial methadone dose in treating opiate addiction.

Intramuscular administration of naloxone was used to precipitate the narcotic withdrawal syndrome in opiate-dependent patients. Objective signs of withdrawal were rated according to a previously developed scale. Based upon naloxone-induced withdrawal scores, 76 patients were given a dose of methadone, either low, medium, or high, in a randomized double-blind manner on 2 consecutive days. The adequacy of the methadone dose was evaluated by assessing the patients’ physical responses after each treatment. Results indicate that the medium dose of methadone in each naloxone-induced withdrawal score range provides optimal control of narcotic deprivation. It is concluded that a correct initial dose of methadone can be administered when the degree of opiate dependence is established by the naloxone test.
Availability Assessment of Embedded Systems with Security Vulnerabilities

The paper discusses modeling assessment aspects of incorporating security into an embedded system. The essential assumption in the approach and the model we propose is that a security breach may cause degradation of the service and ultimately a failure. The security model concentrates on the system's interaction with the environment via a communication channel. The cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) system is used as a case study. The results of the study obtained for availability assessment due to security lapses show that a modeling technique may be used to evaluate the need for appropriate mitigation mechanisms allowing the system to withstand the attacks still assuring desired level of availability.
Decentralized dynamic decision making

Problems of decision making in the face of statistical uncertainties have long been of interest to decision theorists in various disciplines. A decentralized detection or hypothesis-testing system is a special case of a decentralized decision-making system in which several local agents or detectors observe a common region of the environment to determine, for example, the presence or absence of a certain phenomenon. Due to such factors as communication constraints, local detectors must make decisions at their local sites and send their decisions, rather than their received measurements or observations, to a central processor, who is responsible for declaring the final decision. Moreover, the local detectors are not permitted to communicate with one another. In this paper, we study a broad class of decentralized multi-stage, multi-detector binary hypothesis-testing problems. It is shown that, under appropriate independence assumptions on the received measurements, local strategies at each time instant are given by threshold tests on the likelihood ratio. Furthermore, it is shown that local decisions of each detector depend not only on his present and past observations, but on his past decisions as well. That is, for each local detector there is a different threshold corresponding to each combination of past decisions.
The indentation of a transversely isotropic half-space by a rigid punch

Der Verfasser gibt eine allgemeine Losung fur die Verteilung des Druckes zwischen einem axialsymmetrischen Stempel und einem transversal-isotropen Halbraum. Es wird gezeigt, dass die Verteilung des Druckes fur den flachen Stempel mit allgemeiner Belastung unabhangig ist von den elastischen Eigenschaften des Halbraums und auch genau dieselbe, als ob der Halbraum isotrop ware.
Instilling a Research Culture in an Applied Clinical Setting

This article offers a framework and practical advice to nurture development of a research culture within a clinical setting. Information is presented on research education, infrastructure, and helping clinicians develop a scientific mindset. Economical ways to facilitate a scientist-practitioner approach to clinical practice are described, as well as metrics to gauge the success of these efforts.
Inhibition of calcium oxalate monohydrate crystallization by the combination of citrate and osteopontin

Abstract The design of effective crystallization inhibitors of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM), the primary constituent of kidney stones, is a significant goal. Inhibitory molecules identified in urine include a small organic anion, citrate, and osteopontin (OPN), an aspartic acid-rich protein. The results of molecular-scale analyses combining force microscopy with molecular modeling raised the possibility that inhibition of COM crystallization might be increased by the additive effects of citrate and OPN because they act on different crystal faces. Constant composition (CC) kinetics studies of COM crystal growth now confirm that additive effects are, indeed, achieved in vitro when both citrate and OPN are present. These results suggest that a strategy employing combinations of inhibitors may provide a useful therapeutic approach to urinary stone disease.
1,4-Di(1,2-di-tert-butyl-2-phenylethenyl)benzene and related Twist-twist pi conjugated stilbene (PPV) systems

Abstract Twist-twist, pi conjugated, TTPC, systems are described. The twisted stilbene motif represented by 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3,4-diphenylhex-3-ene is extended to systems with five and seven perpendicular pi systems. UV spectra show extension of the chain imparts a regular red shift to the prominent π→π ∗ transition. The shift is attenuated compared to planar pi conjugated systems. Extended TTPC systems occur as mixtures of atropisomers with very similar energies.
Optimally balancing energy consumption versus latency in sensor network routing

We consider wireless sensor networks with nodes switching ON (awake) and OFF (sleeping) to preserve energy, and transmitting data over channels with varying quality. The objective is to determine the best path from each node to a single gateway. The performance metrics we are interested in are: the expected energy consumption, and the probability that the latency exceeds a certain threshold. Under Markovian assumptions on the sleeping schedules and the channel conditions, we obtain the expected energy consumption of transmitting a packet on any path to the gateway. We also provide an upper (Chernoff) bound and a tight large deviations asymptotic for the latency probability on each path. To capture the trade-off between energy consumption and latency probability, we formulate the problem of choosing a path to minimize a weighted sum of the expected energy consumption and the exponent of the latency probability. We provide two algorithms to solve this problem: a centralized stochastic global optimization algorithm, and a distributed algorithm based on simulated annealing. The proposed methodology can also optimize over the fraction of time that sensor nodes remain ON (duty cycle).
Surgical management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the stomach.

BACKGROUND Laparoscopy has emerged as the "gold standard" procedure for many diseases that require surgical treatment. Our goal was to assess the outcomes of laparoscopic vs open partial gastrectomies for the management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the stomach (gGIST) using a national database. METHODS Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database (2006-2009), we identified patients who underwent laparoscopic and open partial gastrectomy gGIST. Overall morbidity and mortality were assessed. The relationships between anesthesia time, operative duration, surgical site infection (SSI), and hospital stay were also examined. Two-sample t tests were used. RESULTS Of 486 patients, 146 (30%) underwent laparoscopic resection (LR) and 340 (70%) underwent open resection (OR). Patients who underwent LP were older (mean: 65 vs 62 years; P = .062). Patients treated with LR experienced shorter anesthesia time (mean: 183 vs 212 minutes; P < .05) and shorter operative time (mean: 119 vs 149 minutes; P < .05) compared with those who underwent OR. All patients treated with LR had fewer SSIs compared with those who underwent OR (0.68% vs 6.7%; P < .001). Patients treated with LR were less likely to experience an overall morbidity (mean: 3.9% vs 11.7%; P < .001) or mortality (mean: 0.23% vs 0.72%; P < .001) and shorter total hospital stay (mean: 3.17 vs 7.50 days; P < .001) compared with those who underwent OR. CONCLUSIONS In ACS NSQIP hospitals, laparoscopic resection of gGIST appears to be preferable to open surgery. However, prospective studies with large sample sizes comparing both surgical approaches with size-matched tumors are strongly suggested.
Dryland residue and soil organic matter as influenced by tillage, crop rotation, and cultural practice

Novel management practices are needed to increase dryland soil organic matter and crop yields that have been declining due to long-term conventional tillage with spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-fallow system in the northern Great Plains, USA. The effects of tillage, crop rotation, and cultural practice were evaluated on dryland crop biomass (stems + leaves) yield, surface residue, and soil organic C (SOC) and total N (STN) at the 0–20 cm depth in a Williams loam (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid, Typic Argiustolls) from 2004 to 2007 in eastern Montana, USA. Treatments were two tillage practices [no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT)], four crop rotations [continuous spring wheat (CW), spring wheat-pea (Pisum sativum L.) (W-P), spring wheat-barley (Hordeum vulgaris L.) hay-pea (W-B-P), and spring wheat-barley hay-corn (Zea mays L.)-pea (W-B-C-P)], and two cultural practices [regular (conventional seed rates and plant spacing, conventional planting date, broadcast N fertilization, and reduced stubble height) and ecological (variable seed rates and plant spacing, delayed planting, banded N fertilization, and increased stubble height)]. Crop biomass and N content were 4 to 44% greater in W-B-C-P than in CW in 2004 and 2005 and greater in ecological than in regular cultural practice in CT. Soil surface residue amount and C and N contents were greater in NT than in CT, greater in CW, W-P, and W-B-C-P than in W-B-P, and greater in 2006 and 2007 than in 2004 and 2005. The SOC and STN concentrations at 0–5 cm were 4 to 6% greater in CW than in W-P or W-B-P in NT and CT from 2005 and 2007. In 2007, SOC content at 10–20 cm was greater in W-P and W-B-P than in W-B-C-P in CT but STN was greater in W-B-P and W-B-C-P than in CW in NT. From 2004 to 2007, SOC and STN concentrations varied at 0–5 cm but increased at 5–20 cm. Diversified crop rotation and delayed planting with higher seed rates and banded N fertilization increased the amount of crop biomass returned to the soil and surface residue C and N. Although no-tillage increased surface residue C and N, continuous nonlegume cropping increased soil C and N levels at the surface layer compared with other crop rotations. Continued return of crop residue from 2004 to 2007 may increase soil C and N levels but long-term studies are needed to better evaluate the effect of management practices on soil C and N levels under dryland cropping systems in the northern Great Plains.
Radiologic findings following Y90 radioembolization for primary liver malignancies

A therapy gaining rapid clinical adoption involves radioembolization with the use of Yttrium-90 (90Y) microspheres. The 20–60 μm-sized microspheres are injected trans-arterially and flow to hepatic tumors given their preferential blood supply from the hepatic artery. Once they lodge in the arterioles, they impart a very intense local radiotherapeutic effect. Given the combined radiation and embolic effect, the imaging findings imparted by this mode of action differ significantly from other treatments. This work represents a comprehensive review of the imaging findings following radioembolization in patients with primary liver tumors. The report discusses imaging response, benign secondary effects, and complications. This should help educate the radiologist on imaging findings that should be expected following radioembolization and therefore aid in the proper image interpretation.
A Structural Front Over the Continental Shelf of the Eastern Bering Sea

Abstract Conductivity and temperature versus depth (CTD) and expendable bathythermograph (XBT) data taken during the ice-free seasons of 1975–77 define a structural front paralleling the 50 m isobath. This front forms a narrow transition separating a well-mixed coastal domain from a two-layered central shelf domain. In early spring, prior to frontogenesis, we believe that temperature and salinity are continuous across the 50 m isobath. Thus, the front does not result from the confluence of water masses; rather the front permits the evolution of different water masses following frontogenesis. The changing balance between buoyant energy input and tidal stirring determines the frontal location and the frontal width correlates with bottom slope. The front is similar to those reported around the British Isles, but we find that in the Bering Sea the salinity distribution is important, that the ice cover influences the seasonal evolution of the hydrographic structure, and that the geostrophic (baroclinic) speed ...
The Green correspondence and normal subgroups

In a recent paper, Harris and Knorr [6] have discovered a connection between the Brauer correspondence and the covering relation between blocks of a finite group and blocks of its normal subgroups. Green’s module point of view of blocks [4] suggests that this result has a moduletheoretic proof and that there is a more general result on indecomposable modules. We shall show that this is the case by giving a short moduletheoretic proof of the Harris-Kniirr theorem and then use the ideas of the proof to formulate and establish a result relating the Green correspondence [IS] with normal subgroups. Let us establish some notation. Let G be a finite group and H a normal subgroup. Let k be a field of prime characteristic p and b a block of H so b is an indecomposable algebra summand of kH. We shall regard b as a k[H x HI-module in the usual way. Let D be a defect group of b, K = N,(D) and b, equal the block of K with bf’ = b, that is, the Brauer correspondent of b. Finally, set L = N,(D) so K is a normal subgroup of L.
The effects of hands-on and teacher demonstration laboratory methods on science achievement in relation to reasoning ability and prior knowledge

The present study compared the relative effects of hands-on and teacher demonstration laboratory methods on declarative knowledge (factual and conceptual) and procedural knowledge (problem-solving) achievement. Of particular interest were (a) whether these relationships vary as a function of reasoning ability and (b) whether prior knowledge and reasoning ability predict student achievement. Ninth-grade physical science students were randomly assigned to classes taught by either a hands-on or a teacher demonstration laboratory method. Students' reasoning ability and prior knowledge of science were assessed prior to the instruction. The two instructional methods resulted in equal declarative knowledge achievement. However, students in the hands-on laboratory class performed significantly better on the procedural knowledge test than did students in the teacher demonstration class. These results were unrelated to reasoning ability. Prior knowledge significantly predicted performance on the declarative knowledge test. Both reasoning ability and prior knowledge significantly predicted performance on the procedural knowledge test, with reasoning ability being the stronger predictor.
Understanding the role of licenses and evolution in open architecture software ecosystems

The role of software ecosystems in the development and evolution of open architecture systems whose components are subject to different licenses has received insufficient consideration. Such systems are composed of components potentially under two or more licenses, open source or proprietary or both, in an architecture in which evolution can occur by evolving existing components, replacing them, or refactoring. The software licenses of the components both facilitate and constrain the system's ecosystem and its evolution, and the licenses' rights and obligations are crucial in producing an acceptable system. Consequently, software component licenses and the architectural composition of a system help to better define the software ecosystem niche in which a given system lies. Understanding and describing software ecosystem niches for open architecture systems is a key contribution of this work. An example open architecture software system that articulates different niches is employed to this end. We examine how the architecture and software component licenses of a composed system at design time, build time, and run time help determine the system's software ecosystem niche and provide insight and guidance for identifying and selecting potential evolutionary paths of system, architecture, and niches.
Neutral products from cation-molecule reactions in the gas phase

Abstract The use of neutral product analysis for examining ionic reaction pathways from electron impact is described. This approach merges techniques of mass spectrometry with those of radiation chemistry. Comparisons are made between experimental results and predictions based on density-of-states arguments using RRKM microscopic rate coefficients. The importance of examining isomer distributions is stressed with special attention given to the question of the mechanism of bimolecular proton transfer in the gas phase.
Design, synthesis, and characterization of an ATP-peptide conjugate inhibitor of protein kinase A.

Abstract An ATP-peptide conjugate was synthesized as a bisubstrate analogue inhibitor of the serine/threonine kinase protein kinase A. The compound was found to be a linear, competitive inhibitor with respect to ATP substrate, exhibiting a Ki of 3.8 μM. The compound was noncompetitive with respect to peptide substrate. The inhibitor was shown to be selective for protein kinase A versus the closely related protein kinase C as well as tyrosine kinase Csk. This analysis provides new evidence for the dissociative transition state of protein serine/threonine kinases and illustrates a simple method to convert a low affinity peptide substrate to a selective and moderately potent inhibitor for these enzymes.
Placental site trophoblastic tumor arising from antecedent molar pregnancy.

Abstract Objective . Placental site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT) is a rare form of gestational trophoblastic disease. Little is known about its pathogenesis and natural history. Methods . This report describes two cases that arose in patients with documented complete hydatidiform moles and summarizes the antecedent prenatal histories of PSTTs based on a detailed Medline literature analysis. Cases . A 28-year-old, G 2 P 2 female had a live, 12-week gestation fetus and a coexisting molar pregnancy. Her hCG levels dropped promptly from 1.5 million to 23,273 IU/ml after termination, but rose shortly thereafter together with the onset of recurrent vaginal bleeding. Curettage revealed persistent mole. Persistently elevated hCG led to hysterectomy disclosing a fundal PSTT. The second case was that of a 48-year-old, G 2 woman who presented with symptoms of preeclampsia, hyperthyroidism, and elevated hCG. Curettage yielded a complete hydatidiform mole. Although the hCG level decreased for a short period, it soon increased despite treatment with methotrexate. A second curettage revealed a PSTT. Discussion . A Medline literature analysis of PSTT, which consists almost entirely of individual cases and several small series, disclosed that PSTT is preceded in 61% of cases by normal term pregnancy, 12% molar pregnancy, 9% spontaneous abortion, 8% therapeutic abortion, and 3% with ectopic pregnancy, stillbirths or preterm delivery. No information is known in 7%. This report describes two additional cases of PSTT preceded by complete molar pregnancy. Conclusions . PSTT is a well recognized, but uncommon form of gestational trophoblastic disease. Although little is known about its pathogenesis, it is preceded not uncommonly by an abnormal pregnancy, including a molar pregnancy.
Counting curves on rational surfaces

In [CH3], Caporaso and Harris derive recursive formulas counting nodal plane curves of degree d and geometric genus g in the plane (through the appropriate number of fixed general points). We rephrase their arguments in the language of maps, and extend them to other rational surfaces, and other specified intersections with a divisor. As applications, (i) we count irreducible curves on Hirzebruch surfaces in a fixed divisor class and of fixed geometric genus, (ii) we compute the higher-genus Gromov–Witten invariants of (or equivalently, counting curves of any genus and divisor class on) del Pezzo surfaces of degree at least 3. In the case of the cubic surface in (ii), we first use a result of Graber to enumeratively interpret higher-genus Gromov–Witten invariants of certain K-nef surfaces, and then apply this to a degeneration of a cubic surface.
High-dose reirradiation of head and neck cancer with curative intent

Abstract Purpose : This study evaluates the responses of new or recurrent head and neck cancers and the response of associated normal tissues to high dose reirradiation with curative intent. Methods and Materials : From 1964 to 1991, 15 patients with in-field new second head and neck cancers and 85 patients with recurrent head and neck cancers have high-dose reirradiation that overlapped with previously irradiated volumes. Reirradiation was given only to patients with no more than apparent minimal clinical radiation effects from the first radiation course. The reirradiation consisted of external beam only in 82 patients, external beam plus intracavitary or interstitial implant irradiation in 14 patients, and interstitial implant irradiation only in four patients. The combined overlapping dose from both the initial and subsequent irradiation (including brachytherapy) was 69–89 Gy in 14 patients, 90–99 Gy in 15 patients, 100–119 Gy in 27 patients, and 120 Gy or greater in 44 patients. Four patients had areas of overlap that received greater than 180 Gy. Results : The actuarial 5-year survival was 37% for patients with new second primary cancers and17% for patients with recurrent cancers. Loco-regional tumor control was achieved in 67% of the patients with new tumors and in 27% of the patients with recurrent tumors. Nine of the 100 patients developed severe adverse normal tissue effects from the reirradiation. Conclusion : High-dose reirradiation of head and neck cancers can be successful curative treatment in a significant proportion of patients. It is associated with substantial but acceptable risks in properly selected patients.
Response of the infantile rat to stress.

The adrenal gland of the neonatal rat is responsive to stress. Three-min exposure at 2 days of age to either heat or electric shock caused a significant increase in plasma corticosterone from a resting level of approximately 11 to 27 μig/100 ml following heat stress and to 16 μig/100 ml following shock. In the 9-day-old rat the corticosterone levels rose from a normal of approximately 6 to 14 μg/100 ml following heat and to 13 μg/100 ml following shock. The time required for maximum response was 30 min in the 2-day-old and 60 min in the 9-day-old rat. Corticosterone levels in the adrenal gland increased in the 9-day-old following either heat or electric shock; however, in the 2-day-old rat only heat was adequate to induce a significant increase in the concentration of corticosterone in the adrenal gland. The increased adrenal response was obtained, when present, in 5 min in both the 2-day-old and the 9-day-old rat. (Endocrinology 79: 631, 1966)
Perspectives of Northern Ugandan Health Providers About the Effect of Cultural Beliefs and Practices on Birth Outcomes

This research is important for those interested in the health of women and children in Africa, specifically the country of Uganda. Maternal and infant mortality rates in Uganda, especially northern Uganda, are very high. Many health providers from resource-rich countries are interested in partnering with health providers in low-resource countries such as Uganda to improve maternal and infant mortality, yet they know very little about the traditional and indigenous beliefs and practices and how these factors contribute to the success of intervention programs. It is essential that cultural considerations be included in interventions. In this article, researchers from the United States offer the perspectives of providers in Uganda regarding an intervention program in which the Americans participated.
The preference of the mitochondrial endonuclease for a conserved sequence block in mitochondrial DNA is highly conserved during mammalian evolution

Endonuclease activity identified in crude preparations of rat and human heart mitochondria has each been partially purified and characterized. Both the rat and human activities purify as a single enzyme that closely resembles the endonuclease of bovine-heart mitochondria (Cummings, O.W. et. al. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262:2005-2015). All three enzymes, for example elute similarly during gel filtration and DNA-cellulose chromatography, and exhibit similar enzymatic properties. Although the nucleotide sequences of the mtDNAs indicate that there has occurred an unusual degree of divergence in the displacement-loop region during mammalian evolution, the nucleotide specificities of the mt endonucleases appear highly conserved and show a striking preference for an evolutionarily-conserved sequence tract that is located upstream from the heavy (H)-strand origin of DNA replication (OriH).
Corticotropin-releasing factor-1 receptor antagonists decrease heroin self-administration in long- but not short-access rats.

Dysregulation of the stress-related corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) system has been implicated in the development of drug dependence. The present study examined the effects of administering CRF type 1 (CRF1) receptor antagonists on heroin self-administration in animals allowed short (1 hour) or long (8–12 hours) access to intravenous heroin self-administration sessions. The nonpeptide CRF1 antagonists MJL-1-109-2 (1 hour versus 8 hours access) or R121919 (1 hour versus 12 hours access) were systemically injected in both short- and long-access rats. MJL-1-109-2 (10 mg/kg) and R121919 (10 and 20 mg/kg) reduced heroin self-administration in long-access animals without altering heroin intake in short-access animals. Both MJL-1-109-2 and R121919 decreased first-hour intravenous heroin self-administration selectively in long-access rats, with R121919 decreasing cumulative heroin intake across the 12-hour session. The results demonstrate that blockade of the CRF–CRF1 receptor system attenuates the increased heroin intake of rats with extended access to the drug.
NICU Care in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: 5 Years of Changes

Geographic circumstances: I was on duty in the NICU of a flooded downtown New Orleans hospital during Hurricane Katrina and returned to the NICU when it reopened. About the author: I am a professor of pediatrics and the division head of neonatology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. With 7 dedicated and resilient colleagues, I practice neonatology at 4 area hospitals and am active in medical education. I spent 4 days in a flooded downtown New Orleans hospital immediately after Hurricane Katrina and have been involved in the evolution of hospital, local, and statewide hurricane-preparedness efforts as they relate to NICU patients. When I entered University Hospital on August 28, 2005, I did not realize how much the events of the next few days would change my life both personally and professionally. As division head of our 12-person Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) neonatology group, I was assigned to be the in-house attending at University Hospital; several of my colleagues were similarly moving into 1 of the other 8 local hospitals in which we provided neonatology care. University Hospital was the site for maternal-child services of the modern-day Charity Hospital, a series of hospitals that had survived various floods and fires over the years to provide indigent care in New Orleans dating back to 1736. The following morning, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina would arrive and bring a massive storm surge that would breach an inferior levee system. More than 80% of New Orleans was covered by floodwater, including the area surrounding University Hospital. Katrina's wrath resulted in more than 1800 deaths and more than $80 billion in damage, and the greater New Orleans area was the site for most of these losses, including more than 700 deaths. The experiences and losses of thousands … Address correspondence to Brian M. Barkemeyer, MD, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, LSU Health Sciences Center, 200 Henry Clay Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118. E-mail: bbarke{at}lsuhsc.edu
TGF-β Modulates the Expression of Retinoic Acid-Induced RAR-β in Primary Cultures of Embryonic Palate Cells

We have previously shown that both transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and retinoic acid (RA) regulate the expression of cellular retinoic acid binding proteins (CRABP) I and II and TGF-beta 3 mRNAs in primary cultures of murine embryonic palate mesenchymal (MEPM) cells. We now describe additional cross-talk between the RA and TGF-beta signal transduction pathways--the ability of TGF-beta, including the endogenous form(s), to modulate the expression of the nuclear retinoic acid receptor-beta (RAR-beta). Northern blot hybridization revealed that RA induced the expression of RAR-beta mRNA, there being little or no detectable expression in untreated MEPM cells. Induction by 3.3 microM RA was abrogated by simultaneous treatment with TGF-beta 1 (5 ng/ml). TGF-beta 1 alone had no effect on RAR-beta mRNA expression. Determination of RAR-beta mRNA half-life by treatment with actinomycin D indicated that TGF-beta 1 did not alter the stability of RAR-beta mRNA. Conditioned medium (CM) from MEPM cells contained little active TGF-beta protein; heat treatment of the CM dramatically increased the amount of active TGF-beta as assessed by the mink lung epithelial cell bioassay. Furthermore, heat- or acid-activated CM also inhibited CRABP-I and RA-induced RAR-beta expression. The effect of heat-activated conditioned medium could be abrogated with panspecific neutralizing antibodies to TGF-beta, confirming that endogenous TGF-beta is the biologically active factor in heat-activated CM. These results provide evidence for complex interactions between TGF-beta and RA in the regulation of gene expression in embryonic palatal cells and suggest a role for endogenous TGF-beta in the regulation of expression of genes encoding elements of the RA signal transduction pathway.
Pediatric urolithiasis: clinical predictors in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to identify factors that predict the presence of urolithiasis detected with unenhanced computed tomography (UCT) in children. METHODS: A retrospective study of all subjects RESULTS: A total of 339 eligible patients were identified, with 110 cases of urolithiasis detected with UCT for 95 individual patients. The mean age of the study patients was 14.4 years; 72 patients (66%) were female. In 17 cases (15%) of urolithiasis, initial urinalysis results were negative for blood. Fifty-seven stones (51.8%) were ureteral, 26 (23.6%) were renal, and 4 (3.6%) were in the bladder. Among children who did not have a stone identified through UCT, 23 cases (10%) of potentially significant, alternative diagnoses were identified. A history of urolithiasis, a history of nausea and vomiting, the presence of flank pain on examination, and >2 red blood cells per high-power field in urine microscopy were positively associated with urolithiasis. A history of fever or dysuria and costovertebral angle tenderness on physical examination were inversely associated with urolithiasis on UCT scans. CONCLUSIONS: UCT plays an important role in the diagnostic evaluation of children with flank pain. Approximately 15% of children with urolithiasis do not have hematuria.
Prostacyclin receptor expression on platelets of humans with type 2 diabetes is inversely correlated with hemoglobin A1c levels

Inappropriate platelet aggregation can result in thrombosis and tissue ischemia. When compared to healthy human platelets, those of humans with type 2 diabetes (DM2) exhibit increased aggregation when stimulated. Activation of the platelet prostacyclin receptor (IPR) results in cAMP accumulation and inhibition of platelet aggregation. We hypothesized that DM2 platelets express decreased IPR when compared to platelets of healthy humans, resulting in decreased IPR agonist-induced cAMP accumulation. We measured IPR expression with radioligand binding of [(3)H]-iloprost, a stable prostacyclin analog, and with Western blotting of the IPR protein. Iloprost-stimulated platelet cAMP levels were used to identify the functional response to IPR activation. IPR binding, expression of the IPR protein and the levels of cAMP in platelets incubated with iloprost were significantly decreased in DM2 platelets when compared to platelets of healthy humans. IPR expression decreased in platelets as glycemic control of the subjects worsened, as indicated by increased hemoglobin A1c levels. Taken together, these findings suggest that reduced IPR expression in DM2 platelets may contribute to platelet hyperactivity in humans with type 2 diabetes.