cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
38. Endoscopy Handling

This chapter provides an overview of fundamental aspects of endoscope handling. Prior to performing an endoscopic procedure, it is crucial for trainees to become familiar with room and equipment setup, optimal position of patient and endoscopist, and be comfortable with basic maneuvers. Gastrointestinal endoscopic procedures can take place in a wide variety of clinical settings which can affect equipment availability, patient positioning, and the overall feasibility in performing the procedure. Manipulation of the endoscope requires use of both hands in a coordinated effort. In order to perform a successful endoscopy, the endoscopist should be prepared and become familiar with all the tools and techniques available. Finally, standardized training may affect overall proficiency in the clinical setting.
Near-infrared chiral plasmonic metasurface absorbers

Chirality plays an essential role in the fields of biology, medicine and physics. However, natural materials exhibit very weak chiroptical response. In this paper, near-infrared chiral plasmonic metasurface absorbers are demonstrated to selectively absorb either the left-handed or right-handed circularly polarized light for achieving large circular dichroism (CD) across the wavelength range from 1.3 µm to 1.8 µm. It is shown that the maximum chiral absorption can reach to 0.87 and that the maximum CD in absorption is around 0.70. The current chiral metasurface design is able to achieve strong chiroptical response, which also leads to high thermal CD for the local temperature increase. The high-contrast reflective chiral images are also realized with the designed metasurface absorbers. The demonstrated chiral metasurface absorbers can be applied in many areas, such as optical filters, thermal energy harvesting, optical communication, and chiral imaging.
CYP2D6-guided opioid therapy improves pain control in CYP2D6 intermediate and poor metabolizers: a pragmatic clinical trial

CYP2D6 bioactivates codeine and tramadol, with intermediate and poor metabolizers (IMs and PMs) expected to have impaired analgesia. This pragmatic proof-of-concept trial tested the effects of CYP2D6-guided opioid prescribing on pain control. Participants with chronic pain (94% on an opioid) from seven clinics were enrolled into CYP2D6-guided (n = 235) or usual care (n = 135) arms using a cluster design. CYP2D6 phenotypes were assigned based on genotype and CYP2D6 inhibitor use, with recommendations for opioid prescribing made in the CYP2D6-guided arm. Pain was assessed at baseline and 3 months using PROMIS® measures. On stepwise multiple linear regression, the primary outcome of composite pain intensity (composite of current pain and worst and average pain in the past week) among IM/PMs initially prescribed tramadol/codeine (n = 45) had greater improvement in the CYP2D6-guided versus usual care arm (-1.01 ± 1.59 vs. -0.40 ± 1.20; adj P = 0.016); 24% of CYP2D6-guided versus 0% of usual care participants reported ≥30% (clinically meaningful) reduction in the composite outcome. In contrast, among normal metabolizers prescribed tramadol or codeine at baseline, there was no difference in the change in composite pain intensity at 3 months between CYP2D6-guided (-0.61 ± 1.39) and usual care (-0.54 ± 1.69) groups (adj P = 0.540). These data support the potential benefits of CYP2D6-guided pain management.
Nurse manager's use of Lotus 1-2-3 template as support for decision making for nursing hours, staffing and direct nursing costs per day.

Abstract Delivery of appropriate levels of resource utilization is the key to controlling costs in today's health care settings. Nurse Managers have a strategic and pivotal role in patient care delivery and health-care organizations, and have become more accountable for managing patient care, personnel and costs in the face of fluctuating patient activity. The most frequently used statistic for the measurement of nursing care and personnel staffing is Nursing Hours Per Patient Day (NHPPD). The purpose of the development of a PC-based spreadsheet was to provide the nurse managers with an easy-to-use, interactive tool from which changes in resource needs could be quickly determined from changes in patient volume and activity.
Reflecting Abstraction Hierarchy of a Chemical Processing System on Standard Operating Procedures

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are an integral part of everyday operations in oil & gas and petrochemical industries. Also, a majority of incidents in these processing operations are ascribed...
Indigenous Peoples Re-Membering Their Futures in Extraordinary Times

Political turmoil has become widespread in many regions of the world. Trends including right-wing populism, widening income inequality, and the planetary threats of climate change and biodiversity loss affect the rights and survival of Indigenous Peoples (IPs). This article will examine why some of these trends affect IPs in unique ways, and will suggest pathways toward supporting IPs’ right of self-determination for its own sake and for its value to all life.
The Soil Water Isotope Storage System (SWISS): An integrated soil water vapor sampling and multiport storage system for stable isotope geochemistry

Rationale Soil water stable isotopes are a powerful tool for tracking interactions among the hydrosphere, geosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. The challenges associated with creating high-temporal-resolution soil water stable isotope datasets from a diversity of sites have limited the utility of stable isotope geochemistry in addressing a range of complex problems. A device that can enable further development of high-temporal-resolution soil water isotope datasets that are created with minimal soil profile disruption from remote sites would greatly expand the utility of soil water stable isotope analyses. Methods We designed a method for sampling and storing soil water vapor for stable isotope analysis that leverages recent advances in soil water sampling strategies. Here, we test the reliability of the storage system by introducing water vapor of known oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition into the storage system, storing the water vapor for a predetermined amount of time, and then measuring the stable isotope composition of the vapor after the storage period. Results We demonstrate that water vapor stored in our flasks reliably maintains its isotope composition within overall system uncertainty (±0.5‰ for δ18 O values and ±2.4‰ for δ2 H values) for up to 30 days. Conclusions This method has the potential to enable the collection of high-temporal-resolution soil water isotope datasets from remote sites that are not accessed daily in a time- and cost-effective manner. All the components used in the system can be easily controlled using open-source microcontrollers, which will be used in the future to automate sampling routines for remote field deployment. The system is designed to be an open-source tool for use by other researchers.
The Human Condition

Despite humans’ discovery and re-discovery of dynamic interdependence as our basic condition, we lack a social science built on concepts, theories, and models which reflect that reality. Just as placing humans in their biophysical contexts precludes the need to “re-unite” society and environment, situating people in dynamic patterns of interdependence resolves enduring riddles about the relationship between individual and society which have long constrained thought and speech in ways that obscure the real conditions of our existence. This chapter (along with the next) explores how alternative concepts aid efforts to more accurately understand what “individual” and “society” really mean. Elias’ concept of figuration is introduced as a valuable means of orientation, illuminating the largely invisible networks within which people develop and operate.
Ethical and Legal Considerations in Clinical Training and Clinical Supervision

Clinical supervision is an integral component of training mental health providers, serving educational, supportive, and administrative functions. The field of clinical supervision has consistently lagged behind psychotherapy in terms of defining competencies, agreeing about the best methods for training clinical supervisors, and in terms of developing a strong evidence base on clinical supervision. In this chapter, we highlight an array of ethical and legal issues that may arise in working with victims of violence and in working with SGM clients. We discuss interpersonal considerations that can arise in supervisory dyads and the impact of those dynamics on therapy-client dyads; legislative and legal system considerations; case management and social considerations; and other unique elements of the clinical supervision experience.
Postwar wildlife recovery in an African savanna: evaluating patterns and drivers of species occupancy and richness

Author(s): Gaynor, KM; Daskin, JH; Rich, LN; Brashares, JS | Abstract: As local and global disturbances reshape African savannas, an understanding of how animal communities recover and respond to landscape features can inform conservation and restoration. Here, we explored the spatial ecology of a wildlife community in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, where conservation efforts have fostered the recovery of large mammal populations after their near-extirpation during Mozambique’s civil war. We deployed a grid of 60 camera traps and used a hierarchical, multi-species occupancy modeling approach to examine patterns of occupancy and its environmental and anthropogenic correlates for different functional groups and species. Our survey provides strong evidence that wildlife in Gorongosa is recovering. Throughout the study area, modeled species richness was comparable to richness in less-disturbed savanna systems in Tanzania and Botswana, and exceeded estimates of richness from a mixed-use landscape outside the park and from postwar (1997–2002) aerial surveys. However, the mammal community in Gorongosa differs from prewar conditions and from those of more intact systems, with few large carnivores, low occupancy probabilities for large ungulate species that were dominant prior to the war, and high occupancy for other ungulates that are now ubiquitous. Associations with tree cover varied among species and guilds. Contrary to our expectation, there was no effect of lake proximity on community and group-level occupancy, and previously dominant floodplain ungulate species now occupy more wooded areas. Mammals were more likely to occupy areas that burned frequently, as post-fire vegetation regrowth provides high-quality forage, highlighting the importance of Gorongosa’s fire regime. Occupancy was lower in areas with more illegal hunting, and higher closer to roads, potentially because roads were established in areas of high wildlife density and facilitate animal movement. Continued multi-species monitoring in Gorongosa can shed light on the different recovery trajectories of ungulate species and the consequences of ongoing large carnivore restoration, guiding conservation interventions.
Sustainable Cities and Communities

Photon energy has been implemented to design all buildings and houses where at least 25% of its exterior curtain skin wall could be used as the acting photovoltaics (PV) panel to trap the solar energy to transform into electricity to satisfy its net energy demand without any outsource connection in order to develop sustainable cities and communities. Given the current rate of conventional fuel consumption, atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are increasing rapidly where the building and housing sector of traditionally built cities and communities alone is responsible for 40% of GHG emission. These GHGs ultimately cause environmental vulnerability such as climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, acid rain, flooding, and air toxicity which threaten the survival of all living beings in urban communities. Therefore, the mechanism of photo-physical transformation by the acting PV panel of the buildings and houses of exterior skin in all cities and communities in response to solar radiation shall indeed would be a cutting-edge technology to confirm to develop sustainable cities and communities.
Parental involvement during the kindergarten transition and children’s early reading and mathematics skills

Abstract The kindergarten transition has implications for children’s short- and long-term academic trajectories. In this study, we assess the role that parent expectations about kindergarten readiness and parent–child home activities have on children’s early reading and mathematics skills. We conducted latent profile analyses (LPA) using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten (ECLS-K) Class of 2010–2011 parent interviews (n = 12,670). Results revealed four distinct profiles: (1) high expectations, fewest home activities; (2) high expectations, high activities; (3) very high expectations, moderate home activities; (4) very high expectations, most home activities. We examined both predictors and distal outcomes of displaying these four profiles. When examining children’s academic skills at kindergarten entry, children with parents in the very high expectations, most home activities profile (Profile 4) have the most advanced academic reading and mathematics skills. Therefore, this profile was deemed most optimal. Children with parents in the very high expectations, moderate activities profile (Profile 3) had higher reading and math scores than children in Profiles 1 and 2. Findings of this descriptive study reveal the heterogeneity of parental involvement during the kindergarten transition and the need for more nuanced research investigating how families assist children during this critical developmental period.
A simple approach for adding thixotropy to an elasto-visco-plastic rheological model to facilitate structural interrogation of human blood

Abstract We demonstrate refinements of a simple elastic-viscous-plastic rheological model with the addition of a thixotropic term to better model rheological flow of human blood. The alteration of this model will contribute to better representation of lightly structured complex materials. The simple elastic-viscous-plastic (EVP) framework requires thixotropy for more accuracy in fitting and predicting the thixo-elasto-visco-plasticity of rheological flows with a microstructure. We demonstrate the performance of the added thixotropic features by comparing the TEVP construct to similar peer models using a cost function generated from predictions of rheological flows from triangle ramps to large amplitude oscillatory shear flow. To verify the efficacy of these thixotropic enhancements, the performance of the model is then measured against the other models with a penalty assessed based on number of model parameters. The framework holds the name “Enhanced Thixotropic-Elasto-Visco-Plastic” to reflect this methodology of adding thixotropy to the elastic-viscous-plastic capabilities of the standard construct.
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Treatment Outcomes in Adults.

OBJECTIVES Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are commonly reported by individuals with chronic pain. However, little is known about how ACE exposure influences treatment outcomes. The goal of the current study was to evaluate group and treatment-related differences among adults with varying levels of ACE exposure participating in a pain rehabilitation treatment program. METHODS Adult participants (N=269) were categorized as 0 ACEs (n=65), 1 to 2 ACEs (n=87), or ≥3 ACEs (n=117). Participants completed self-report measures of pain, physical functioning, and psychosocial functioning at intake and discharge from a 10-week interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program. RESULTS ACE exposure was frequently endorsed in this sample, with the majority of participants (78.5%) reporting at least 1 form of childhood adversity. Adults in the ≥3 ACEs group reported a greater level of impairment in mental health symptoms and adjustment to chronic pain; however, all groups endorsed treatment improvements and there were no differences in response to treatment. There were also no differences between groups on measures of pain or physical functioning at intake or discharge. DISCUSSION ACE exposure appears common among treatment-seeking adults with chronic pain and is associated with increased clinical complexity. However, adults with and without exposure to ACEs endorsed significant improvements in pain and functioning following participation in an interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program. This model of treatment may be especially well situated to address the biopsychosocial contributions to pain among those with a history of adversity.
Recurrent Nocardiosis in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: An Evaluation of Secondary Prophylaxis

Background Immunocompromised individuals are at risk for Nocardia infection, with a recurrence rate of approximately 5%. Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients often receive secondary prophylaxis due to their requirement of lifelong immunosuppression. However, data supporting this practice is sparse. We sought to evaluate Nocardia recurrence in SOT recipients, specifically evaluating secondary prophylaxis. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of SOT recipients diagnosed with nocardiosis from 2000 through 2020. We included adult SOT recipients who completed their course of Nocardia therapy and had at least 6 months of post-therapy follow-up. The primary outcome was Nocardia recurrence, which included relapse and reinfection. Results 102 patients met inclusion criteria. Sixty-six (64.7%) were male and mean age was 58.6±11.7 years. Most common SOT types were kidney (46.1%), heart (18.6%), kidney-pancreas (11.8%), and lung (10.8%). Most common sites of infection were lung (85.3%), skin (17.6%), and brain (14.7%). Secondary prophylaxis was utilized in 53 (52.0%) patients. TMP-SMX single-strength daily was the most common prophylaxis agent and dose. Five patients (4.9%) experienced Nocardia recurrence, 3 of which were receiving secondary prophylaxis at time of recurrence. Two recurrences were with the same Nocardia species. Factors associated with recurrence were lung transplantation (p = 0.011), chronic lung disease (p = 0.032), and treatment ≤ 120 days (p = 0.006). Time from treatment completion to recurrence ranged from 107 to 875 days. Conclusions Nocardia recurrence in SOT recipients is an uncommon event. TMP-SMX secondary prophylaxis is incompletely protective and recurrence may be dependent upon other factors. Further study of secondary prophylaxis is warranted. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Dental observations in Gaucher's disease; a twenty-year follow-up.

Abstract Dental observations in eight cases of Gaucher's disease are described. In seven cases there were lesions in the mandible, the maxilla, and other parts of the skeletal system. One patient did not have any osseous dysplasia in the jaws when examined but did show changes in the femur. Two of the five cases that are described were followed for a period of twenty years. In one of these cases a biopsy of the mandible was performed to confirm the original presumptive diagnosis based on a biopsy from the humerus. The biopsy and diagnosis were confirmed by another observer. Both cases exhibited a slow, gradual enlargement of the original lesions observed in the early stages of the disease. Lesions manifested evidence of bone regeneration following surgical interference. This was later followed by a reappearance of loss of trabecular structure with a “worm-eaten” appearance of the mandible. One of the cases developed a spontaneous hemorrhage of the palatal mucosa. All the cases exhibited a loss of trabecular structure with a pseudocystic appearance in the molar and premolar areas of the mandible. A thinning of the bone cortex of the mandible was a constant finding. In the later stages of the disease, infiltrating Gaucher's cells can produce root resorption. Other intraoral x-ray changes, which have been confirmed by two cases reported in the literature, are described. Hemorrhagic complications following oral surgery are discussed. The dental findings in Gaucher's disease may have some diagnostic significance.
Human Ingenuity: A Novel Standard for Patenting Algorithms

"); see also M. GEMIGNANI, COMPUTER LAw § 40:1 (1985) ("[i]t is possible to build a chip which contains precisely those circuits which define [a] program"); W. SAVITCH, TuRBO PASCAL 4.0/5.0 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ~RT AND SCIENCE OF PROGRAMMING 8 (1989) (describing a program as an algorithm expressed in computer language). 16. A. TANNENBAUM, STRUCTURED COMPUTER ORGANIZATION 11 (2d ed. 1984). 17. [d. The ADD instruction is as it sounds. It adds binary numbers in the CPU. See infra note 30 for an explanation of binary numbers. 18. A. TANNENBAUM, STRUCTURED COMPUTER ORGANIZATION 11 (2d ed. 1984). 4 Golden Gate University Law Review, Vol. 22, Iss. 2 [1992], Art. 10 http://digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu/ggulrev/vol22/iss2/1
Web Based Data Management in Clinical Trials

This article has no abstract. Keywords: electronic data capture; thin client; web-based study management; electronic case report forms
LINGUISTICS : THE LANGUAGE STEAMROLLERS

The 6,000 or so languages in the world are very unevenly distributed. In the whole of Europe, for instance, there are only about 63; New Guinea, by contrast, a tenth of the area of Europe, has about 1,000. To explain differences such as these, a couple of workers have gone back in time to relate the variety in `linguistic geography' to the massive expansions, with the advent of agriculture, of just a few populations from about 10,000 years ago.
Skin: An Ideal Model System to Study Keratin Genes and Proteins

Publisher Summary Skin, by virtue of its location at the interface with the outside world, is one of the largest organs in the body that fulfills a number of important functions, undergoes constant renewal, and enjoys significant clinical relevance, as well as social importance. This chapter contains methods that are particularly useful for the basic characterization of transgenic mouse models in which the expression of keratin genes has been manipulated. Mouse skin presents several advantages for the study of the mechanisms regulating the expression of keratin genes and the properties, regulation, and function of their protein products, for example, a very large fraction of the known keratin genes are differentially expressed in skin epithelia and other IF genes are expressed in nonepithelial compartments of the skin. The compact nature of mouse keratin genes makes their manipulation through genetic engineering in relatively straightforward manner. The methods and assays outlined in the chapter are typically needed during the initial analysis of mice in which the expression of a gene, keratin, or other is manipulated in skin tissue. These methods, thus, have and will continue to be a mainstay in the characterization of the regulation and function of keratin genes in epithelial tissues.
Extramedullary blast crisis as initial presentation in chronic myeloid leukemia with the e1a2 BCR-ABL1 transcript: A case report

A 23-year-old woman presented with enlarged right inguinal lymph nodes. The pathological examination of the nodes revealed infiltration by myeloid sarcoma. A bone marrow smear and biopsy revealed cytogenetic abnormalities, with 46,XX,t(9;22) and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was diagnosed. The e1a2 BCR-ABL1 fusion transcript was detected. The patient received imatinib-based combined chemotherapy, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, donor lymphocyte infusions and dasatinib treatment. The patient achieved complete response and has remained leukemia-free for >48 months. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of CML with the e1a2 BCR-ABL1 transcript, with extramedullary blast crisis as the initial presentation. The aim of the present study was to discuss this special case with reference to the literature.
Procedural justice, police legitimacy, and legal cynicism: a test for mediation effects

The procedural justice theory of police legitimacy has yet to fully consider the potential impacts of legal cynicism. The present study tests the hypothesis that cynicism mediates the justice–legitimacy relationship. Results of structural equation models support partial mediation. Procedural justice significantly reduced cynicism, while declines in cynicism promoted legitimacy. Cynicism should be incorporated into the theory of procedural justice and related empirical tests. Implications for police policy include the important role that process-based fairness plays in helping promote positive attitudes not merely toward police but toward society in general.
Mineralization of 2,4- and 2,6-Dinitrotoluene in Soil Slurries

DNT-degrading bacteria can completely degrade mixtures of DNT in liquid cultures without the production of aminonitrotoluenes. The authors determined whether specific DNT-degrading isolates could also degrade DNT from contaminated soil in the presence of indigenous microbial communities. When 2,4-DNT- and 2,6-DNT-degrading strains were added to a mixture of 2,4-DNT and 2,6-DNT in a soil slurry, disappearance of DNT was accompanied by {sup 14}CO{sub 2} release and stoichiometric appearance of nitrite. When soil historically contaminated with mixed DNT isomers was used in slurries, the combination of DNT-degrading strains removed all of the DNT from the aqueous phase and over 99% of the initial DNT. Traces of extractable DNT remained associated with the soil; however, the toxicity of the treated soil was low. After an extended acclimation period, the 2,4-DNT, and, much later, the 2,6-DNT, was degraded in the uninoculated control. The results show that aged DNT contamination can be removed effectively from soil. The addition of specific DNT-mineralizing bacteria dramatically enhances the mineralization of DNT in soil slurries. Native bacteria do not convert DNT to aminonitrotoluenes during the short incubation times required for mineralization of DNT.
The contingency rules theory of persuasion: An empirical test

The contingency rules theory of persuasion, as alternative to the traditional laws model, assumes that: (1) persuasive behaviors, including compliance‐gaining and responding activities, are governed antecedently by five varieties of self‐evaluative and adaptive behavioral contingency rules; and (2) the context where persuasive communicators interact determines the particular configuration of rules governing their persuasive choices. This research assessed the power of the proposed five‐part rule structure to predict subjects’ responses to messages as functions of the context variables, ego‐involvement, schematic complexity, and affective orientation toward a persuasive issue. Results supported the contingency rules model, in that a significant proportion of the variance in subjects’ behavioral intentions was explained by self‐evaluative and adaptive rules in each context examined in the research. Moreover, the particular mix of rules accounting for intended actions varied sharply as a function of subjects...
Hypothesis: bipolar illness with complaints of chronic musculoskeletal pain is a form of pseudofibromyalgia.

Objective To present a hypothesis accounting for the differential response of bipolar patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia (FM) to standard therapies, taking into account the markedly statistically significant increase of its prevalence in the syndrome. Methods All articles relating to the heading bipolar illness AND fibromyalgia as well as bipolar illness AND pain were searched using PubMed and Medline since 1966. The prevalence of bipolar illness in our last 100 FM consultations was reviewed. Results Ten percent of our 100 most recent FM consultations included patients with an established diagnosis of bipolar illness. They had little if no response to traditional FM interventions and appeared to have vague and uncertain tender point examinations. Conclusions Bipolar illness may be associated with a form of chronic musculoskeletal pain complaints that is not FM. Studies into the role that neurotransmitters play in bipolar patients with complaints of musculoskeletal discomfort deserve further exploration.
Formation of the Ca ii K-line core with arbitrary temperature minima

The formation of the solar Caii K-line core is studied under the assumption of a two component chromosphere for many atmosphere models, which are tested by comparing observed and calculated average intensity profiles at several places on the solar disk. Non-LTE-line profile calculations are made using model atoms of two and three bound levels while the value and depth of the temperature minimum and turbulent velocity gradient are varied. A critique of several broad types of models is provided. Limb darkening of the entire core, a K1 radiation temperature of 4300 K and increasing limbward separation of the K2 peaks are predicted by a combination of a ‘cool’ component, covering 90% of the solar disk, and a ‘hot’ component, representing the bright calcium network. The optimum cool component is characterized by a 4200 K temperature minimum and low (≈ 1 km/sec) microturbulent velocities. The hot component begins its outward temperature rise in the photosphere at 4300 K and is never more than 500 K hotter than the cool component.
Toward a European sale of control doctrina

From an American perspective, the most salient fact about European sale of control doctrine is that there is not much of it. Not much doctrine and, by comparison, not many sales of control either. What European rules there are that impinge on sales of control are either voluntary or quite recent, and in any event only an incidental byproduct of rules actually intended to regulate takeover bids.' In the United States, by contrast, an outpouring of legal cases and intense academic discussion about sale of control doctrine preceded the wave of hostile takeovers and their academic analysis. The 1950s and 1960s were inundated with cases and academic articles debating the existence and nature of the duty to share the sale of an existing block of controlling shares with the noncontrolling shareholders.2 In contrast, the use of tender offers to create new control blocks, which made hostile takeovers possible by creating a mechanism to wrest control involuntarily from an existing control group, did not even begin until the 1960s. And it was not until the 1980s that these tender offers led to a torrent of caselaw and academic literature regarding hostile takeovers.3 It is hardly surprising that in Europe, as in the United States, voluntary sales of control have received far less media attention than hostile takeovers. Hostile takeovers not only offer more intrinsic drama, but unlike negotiated control sales they are played out in
Rise and dissemination of aminoglycoside resistance: the aac(6′)-Ib paradigm

Enzymatic modification is a prevalent mechanism by which bacteria defeat the action of antibiotics. Aminoglycosides are often inactivated by aminoglycoside modifying enzymes encoded by genes present in the chromosome, plasmids, and other genetic elements. The AAC(6’)-Ib (aminoglycoside 6’-N-acetyltransferase type Ib) is an enzyme of clinical importance found in a wide variety of gram-negative pathogens. The AAC(6’)-Ib enzyme is of interest not only because of his ubiquity but also because of other characteristics, it presents significant microheterogeneity at the N-termini and the aac(6’)-Ib gene is often present in integrons, transposons, plasmids, genomic islands, and other genetic structures. Excluding the highly heterogeneous N-termini, there are 45 non-identical AAC(6’)-Ib related entries in the NCBI database, 32 of which have identical name in spite of not having identical amino acid sequence. While some variants conserved similar properties, others show dramatic differences in specificity, including the case of AAC(6’)-Ib-cr that mediates acetylation of ciprofloxacin representing a rare case where a resistance enzyme acquires the ability to utilize an antibiotic of a different class as substrate. Efforts to utilize antisense technologies to turn off expression of the gene or to identify enzymatic inhibitors to induce phenotypic conversion to susceptibility are under way.
Global corporate competition II: Is the large American firm an endangered species?

U.S. firms have declined in relation to foreign competitors in almost every industry. ~ his article I provides a 30-year overview of global corporate competition. In large measure, it is an update through 1990 of findings presented in the article, "Global Corporate Competition: Who's Winning, Who's Losing, and the RD Xerox is included in computers and office equipment; AKZO and Montedison are classified as chemicals firms. Although firm-based data are surely better indicators of the global competitive position of U.S., European, or Japanese-based enterprises
Overlayer screening of transition metal surfaces: p(1 × 1) H on W{100}

The self-consistent calculation of the electronic levels for a dense ordered overlayer of hydrogen on tungsten {100} suggests that the hydrogen screens the tungsten from the vacuum. The outermost tungsten layer resembles bulk tungsten in contrast to the strongly perturbed surface layer of clean tungsten. The hydrogen-induced levels — those that depend on the hydrogen-tungsten layer spacing — are well described by a tight-binding hydrogen band interacting with the nearest tungsten atoms.
Nonaqueous electrophoresis microchip separations: conductivity detection in UV-absorbing solvents.

The use of organic solvents in microfabricated capillary electrophoresis (CE) devices is demonstrated in connection with the separation of aliphatic amines in pure dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, or propylene carbonate media. Contactless conductivity detection is employed for monitoring the separated solutes in these UV-absorbing solvents. The effect of the physicochemical properties of the organic solvent upon the migration behavior is investigated. The apparent mobility increases nearly linearly with the reciprocal of the solvent viscosity, while the electroosmotic mobility increases in a linear fashion with the dielectric constant/viscosity ratio. Some deviation from theoretical predictions is observed using propylene carbonate. The nonaqueous CE microchip offers high separation efficiency, reflected in plate numbers ranging from 93 680 to 127 680, using a separation voltage of +3000 V, a dimethylformamide medium, and a contactless conductivity detection. Experimental paramete...
Inhibitory effect of ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) on the porcine lymphocyte response to mitogens and reversal of the effect with metal ions

The effect of ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) on the mitogen response of porcine lymphocytes and the role of metal ions in reversal of the inhibitory effect of EDTA were determined. Porcine lymphocyte responses to mitogens were totally suppressed when serum used to supplement Ca2+, Mg2+-free minimum essential medium (MEM) was dialyzed against saline or saline with 0.2 or 0.60 mM EDTA, but the responses were only partially reduced when the same serum was added to RPMI-1640 medium. The inhibition observed in MEM could be reversed by adding 1×10−3 M Ca2+ and 1×10−3 M Mg2+ to the dialyzed serum. Serum treated directly with 0.60 mM EDTA completely suppressed blastogenesis in lymphocyte cultures maintained in RPMI-1640 or Ca2+, Mg2+ free MEM. The inhibitory effect of EDTA-treated serum could be completely reversed by adding Zn2+ or a combination of Zn2+ with other cationic ions, or partially reversed by adding Ni2+ or Fe3+. Zn2+ was the most effective ion, in that it was the only ion that, when alone added to the serum, could completely restore lymphocyte responses to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or pokeweed mitogen (PWM).
On the time domain properties of the two-pole model of the glottal waveform and implications for LPC

Abstract LPC speech production models often assume a two real pole function for the glottal volume velocity waveform. This paper discusses the properties of this glottal model with respect to key time domain features and concludes that it is physiologically enrealistic for normal waveform representation. Implications for the performance of LPC analysis schemes, and the perceptual quality of vowel sounds synthesized using this model, are discussed.
Identification of PLX4032-resistance mechanisms and implications for novel RAF inhibitors

BRAF inhibitors improve melanoma patient survival, but resistance invariably develops. Here we report the discovery of a novel BRAF mutation that confers resistance to PLX4032 employing whole-exome sequencing of drug-resistant BRAF(V600K) melanoma cells. We further describe a new screening approach, a genome-wide piggyBac mutagenesis screen that revealed clinically relevant aberrations (N-terminal BRAF truncations and CRAF overexpression). The novel BRAF mutation, a Leu505 to His substitution (BRAF(L505H) ), is the first resistance-conferring second-site mutation identified in BRAF mutant cells. The mutation replaces a small nonpolar amino acid at the BRAF-PLX4032 interface with a larger polar residue. Moreover, we show that BRAF(L505H) , found in human prostate cancer, is itself a MAPK-activating, PLX4032-resistant oncogenic mutation. Lastly, we demonstrate that the PLX4032-resistant melanoma cells are sensitive to novel, next-generation BRAF inhibitors, especially the 'paradox-blocker' PLX8394, supporting its use in clinical trials for treatment of melanoma patients with BRAF-mutations.
Evidence that I-E-negative mice resistant to neonatal H-2 tolerance induction display ubiquitous thymic clonal deletion of donor-reactive T cells.

Induction of neonatal H-2 tolerance is highly efficient in most allodisparate strain combinations, with the exception of those in which neonatal recipients do not, but donor cells do, express I-E molecules. For example, less than 25% of I-E-nonexpressing B10.S mice become tolerant following neonatal injection with I-E+ (B10.AxB10.S)F1 cells. It has been hypothesized that the high rate of nontolerance observed in I-E-nonexpressing neonatal recipients of injections of I-E-bearing cells is caused by a failure to delete V beta 11+ cells in the immediate postnatal period. To test this possibility, we have examined V beta 11 expression and tolerogen-responsiveness among T cells of thymus and spleens harvested periodically from B10.S mice after neonatal inoculation of (B10.AxB10.S) F1 cells. We found that V beta 11+ cells were selectively eliminated within 1-2 days from the thymus glands of all recipient mice, B10.A-specific proliferative T cells disappeared concordantly, and the thymus glands contained donor-derived chimeric cells. Subsequently, an increasing proportion of injected mice acquired V beta 11+ thymocytes and B10.A-responsive T cells, while losing chimeric cells. However, deletion and in vitro nonreactivity were still apparent in the majority of mice at 60 days of age. We conclude that neonatal inoculation of I-E-expressing cells established thymic chimerism and caused profound elimination of V beta 11+ cells from the thymus glands of all injected mice. Therefore, the failure of the majority of neonatally injected B10.S mice to display transplantation tolerance of B10.A antigens as adults cannot be ascribed to an inability to delete I-E-reactive thymocytes.
Thermodynamics of protein folding

Abstract Being the 44th HUFFMAN MEMORIAL AWARD LECTURE of the Calorimetry Conference delivered 7 August 1996 at its 50th Annual Conference held in Vancouver, Canada The most surprising feature of proteins, which distinguishes them from all other types of large polymeric molecules and provides them with a broad range of special properties, is their unique structural order. The position of each atom in these macromolecules is unique relative to its neighboring atoms. Such ordered aperiodic macroscopic systems have never been dealt with before in physics and now attract rapidly increasing attention. This primarily concerns the thermodynamics of formation of their structure. What are the forces responsible for folding these molecules into such sophisticated constructions? Understanding the energetic basis of these structures has not only fundamental but also practical importance. This has required the measurement of the very small heat effects of intramolecular processes in proteins using microcalorimetric techniques, which have been developed specifically for this purpose.
Degeneration of β-glucosidase activity in a foam fractionation process

Foam fractionation is a promising technique for concentrating proteins because of its simplicity and low operating cost. One such protein that can be foamed is the enzyme cellulase. The use of inexpensively purified cellulase may be a key step in the economical production of ethanol from biomass. We conducted foam fractionation experiments at total reflux using the cellulase component β-glucosidase to study how continuous shear affects β-glucosidase in a foam such as a fermentation or foam fractionation process. The experiments were conducted at pH 2.4, 5.4, and 11.6 and airflow rates of 3, 6, 15, 20, and 32 cc/min to determine how β-g1ucosidase activity changes in time at these different conditions. This is apparently a novel and simple way of testing for changes in enzyme activity within a protein foam. The activity did not degenerate during 5 min of reflux at pH 5.4 at an airflow rate of 10 cc/ min. It was established that at 10 min of refluxing, the β-glucosidase denatured more as the flow rate increased. At pH 2.4 and a flow rate of 10 cc/min, the activity remained constant for at least 15 min.
Effects of Experimental Forager Removals on Division of Labour in the Primitively Eusocial Wasp Polistes Instabilis (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Experimental forager removals were performed to assess the mechanisms by which Polistes instabilis colonies regulate their intake of nectar and water. Most foragers gathered nectar, while water was collected by a small number of fixated foragers. Removal of the most active water foragers led to decreases in water foraging, followed by recruitment of a single replacement water forager. Replacement water foragers were usually recruited from among the workers that had previously collected water at low rates. Water forager removals showed that some workers specialized on water collection, but these workers differed in their thresholds of response to colony need for nest cooling. Removal of the most active nectar foragers led to longer-lasting (one to three days) decreases in colony nectar collection rates, and resulted in replacement nectar foragers being recruited away from other foraging tasks or from nest tasks. Nectar forager removals were followed by increases in rates of dominance interactions among nest wasps; this response was not observed after water forager removals. Dominance interactions among workers appear to regulate nectar foraging in P. instabilis. The mechanisms of regulation of foraging differ among materials, and correspond to their maximum rates of collection, predictability of resources, and on the costs of short-term changes in supply to the colony.
Effect of gallium on bone mineral properties

Gallium nitrate is biologically active in blocking bone rsorptionin vitro as well asin vivo. Administration of gallium nitrate to growing rats results in a dose-dependent accumulation of low levels of gallium in bone that is associated with specific changes in the mineral properties of bone. To elucidate in greater detail the changes induced by gallium, the properties of whole and density-fractionated bone samples from control and galliumtreated rats were examined. These studies showed that short-term treatment with gallium nitrate caused an increase in bone calcium and phosphate content. Devitalized bone powder from the gallium-treated rats was less soluble in acetate buffer and less readily resorbed by monocytes. Density fractionation analyses demonstrated that the largest proportion (76% by weight) of powdered metaphyseal bone particles from rats had a density of <2.15 g/cc. Following short-term treatment (14 days) with gallium nitrate (45 mg/kg body weight), a significant increase in the relative proportion of more dense bone (≥2.15 g/cc) was observed (24% for the control vs. 39% for the gallium-treated rats,P<0.01). In the diaphyseal samples, the largest proportion (88% by weight) of the bone powder had a density of ≥2.15 g/cc. After short-term treatment with gallium, a slight decrease in mean diaphyseal particle density was observed. Measurement of calcium accretion with45Ca in the gallium-treated rats demonstrated increased specific activity in the metaphyseal bone samples, densities=2.0, 2.1, 2.15, and 2.25 g/cc; the difference was significant only for the 2.25 g/cc fraction. Therefore, short-term treatment with gallium nitrate leads to an increase in the calcium content of mature bone with more dense (more mineralized) bone particles accumulating in the metabolically more active metaphyseal bone. The data provide greater insight into the changes in bone properties induced afterin vivo treatment with gallium nitrate. However, the physiologic mechanisms by which these changes are effected are not known.
Serial-order analysis of spike trains: ethanol effects on cerebellar neurons, with and without penicillamine.

Abstract 1. 1. We used a powerful serial-order analysis technique to test the hypothesis that some of ethanol's intoxicating effects could be due to action of its metabolite, acetaldehyde. 2. 2. Single-unit activity from cerebellar cortex was evaluated in 24 rats that were given ethanol intravenously (0.64 gm/kg); in half of these rats, acetaldehyde accumulation was prevented by pretreatment with d-penicillamine (1.2 mg/kg), which is known to prevent acetaldehyde accumulation as ethanol is metabolized. 3. 3. Spike train interval patterns were monitored before and after ethanol, and the incidence of certain patterns was significantly changed in both test groups by ethanol. Across neurons, the number of such patterns in which there were increases or decreases in incidence was comparable in both pretreatment groups. Likewise, there were no clear differences between test groups in the number of sets of 3 or more neurons that had the same change in specific groups of patterns. 4. 4. Overall, we found that the serial-order analysis provided a powerful and sensitive indication of drug effect, yet there was no convincing evidence that ethanol effect was significantly different in the two pretreatment groups.
Effects of prazosin and propranolol on blood pressure and plasma lipids in patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis

Twenty patients receiving hemodialysis who had mild to moderate hypertension were treated with prazosin or propranolol to control predialysis hypertension. Effective blood pressure control was achieved with prazosin (mean dose 8.3 +/- 2.2 mg [+/- standard error of the mean], n = 10) and propranolol (mean dose 123 +/- 39 mg, n = 10). Therapy with prazosin did not significantly affect total plasma triglyceride or total cholesterol levels. The level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol tended to increase, but not significantly. However, the HDL3 subfraction did increase significantly, from 16.3 +/- 1.5 to 20.6 +/- 1.5 mg/dl (p = 0.05). Propranolol therapy increased plasma triglyceride levels, primarily of the very low density lipoprotein class. HDL cholesterol levels decreased from 44.2 +/- 6.7 to 34.7 +/- 4.2 mg/dl (p less than 0.03). The reduction in the HDL cholesterol levels was attributable to a decrease in HDL2 cholesterol levels (from 21.3 +/- 3.8 to 16.3 +/-3.0 mg/dl, p less than 0.04) and HDL3 cholesterol levels (from 23.0 +/- 3.1 to 19.5 +/- 2.1 mg/dl, difference not significant). Thus, both prazosin and propranolol are effective in controlling hypertension in patients undergoing hemodialysis. HDL3 cholesterol levels increased in patients treated with prazosin, but no other significant changes in the plasma lipids occurred. Patients treated with propranolol had a significant decrease in plasma HDL2 and HDL3 cholesterol levels.