cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human actions affect Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass balance

A new study that combines a model of glacial surface mass balance with a global climate model determines how much of the current and future increase in marginal melting and interior accumulation of the Greenland Ice Sheet is due to human activity rather than natural forces. The Greenland Ice Sheet, the largest continental glacier in the world, is shrinking at an increasing rate, but scientists are unsure how much of this shrinkage is due to natural versus human-driven climate change.
In-vitro activity of FCE 22101 and synergy studies with other antimicrobial agents

FCE 22101 is a penem antibiotic with broad in-vitro activity similar to that of imipenem, although less active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Combinations of FCE 22101 with ciprofloxacin or gentamicin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staph. epidermidis resulted in addition or indifference by the chequerboard method. The combination of FCE 22101 and gentamicin against Streptococcus faecalis was usually additive. Against Enterobacter cloacae FCE 22101 had MICs of 16 mg/l whilst in combination with gentamicin (0.25-0.12 mg/l) the MICs were reduced to less than 2 mg/l. Ciprofloxacin and FCE 22101 showed only addition against Enterobacter spp. similar results were obtained with the combinations of FCE 22101 and gentamicin or ciprofloxacin tested against Citrobacter freundii. With Serratia spp. FCE 22101 and gentamicin showed synergy, but FCE 22101 and ciprofloxacin showed indifference. Similar results were obtained with strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella, Proteus, and Providencia spp. FCE 22101 plus gentamicin, or aztreonam, against Ps. aeruginosa usually showed indifference, but with ciprofloxacin addition was the rule. In general the combination of FCE 22101 with other agents resulted in an additive rather than a synergistic effect.
Feedforward computer control of a class of distributed parameter processes

A finite difference technique has been developed which is suitable for the derivation of feedforward control algorithms for the control of distributed parameter processes. The method embodies both steady state and transient feedforward compensation. An experimental study, involving closed loop, on line, analogue computer control of a simple distributed parameter process proves the feasibility of the finite difference technique. The process under study is a steam water heat exchanger subject to inlet temperature forcing and controlled by flow rate manipulation. The new technique yielded significantly improved results when compared with the performance of a conventional two-mode feedback controller, or a linearized feedforward control algorithm.
Nucleon decay in the nucleus

We estimate the change in the baryon-number-violating nucleon lifetime inside a nucleus, compared to the freespace decay of the nucleon. For the decay modes $p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{e}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}, {e}^{+}\ensuremath{\omega}$ and $n\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{e}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, we include the effects of pion or $\ensuremath{\omega}$ absorption and pion rescattering (including charge exchange). The rescattering effects are found to represent a correction of only a few percent or less to the total decay rate. The pion and $\ensuremath{\omega}$ absorption corrections depend sensitively on the nature of the nucleon-nucleon short-range correlations, varying from roughly 5 to 50% depending on the hard-core radius. These modes lead to the emission of fast nucleons and a displaced bump in the positron spectrum.
An approach to scoring of toxic chemicals for environmental effects

The systematic scoring of chemicals is a tool to assist in the consistent comparison and ordering of the universe of industrial chemicals. Scoring at an early stage of assessment could identify most of the chemicals that have a high probability for requiring review for possible control or testing. This report describes the results of a three-day workshop held in Washington, D.C., August 13–15, 1979, to develop a system to select chemicals for preliminary assessments according to their hazard to the environment. The system combines environmental release and distribution potential with mobility and persistence scores in the three environmental media, air, soil, and water. The components of the environmental exposure score are then combined with toxicity by using multipliers (3x, 2x, or 1x) which are assigned on the basis of the concentration at which an adverse effect in environmental species is observed. The system requires minimal information inputs, relies on expert professional judgement and is recognized as an initial phase of selecting candidates for additional assessment.
Chronic and acute effects of walnuts on antioxidant capacity and nutritional status in humans: a randomized, cross-over pilot study.

Compared with other common plant foods, walnuts (Juglans regia) are consistently ranked among the highest in antioxidant capacity. In vitro, walnut polyphenols inhibit plasma and LDL oxidation, while in animal models they lower biomarkers of oxidative stress and raise antioxidant capacity. A limited number of human feeding trials indicate that walnuts improve some measures of antioxidant status, but not others. A 19 wk, randomized crossover trial was conducted in 21 generally healthy men and postmenopausal women ≥50 y to study the dose-response effects of walnut intake on biomarkers of antioxidant activity, oxidative stress, and nutrient status. Subjects were randomized to receive either 21 or 42 g raw walnuts/d during each 6 wk intervention phase with a 6 wk washout between phases. Subjects were instructed to consume their usual diet, but refrain from eating any other tree nuts, seeds, peanuts, or ellagitannin-rich foods during the entire study, and other polyphenol-rich foods for 2 d prior to each study visit. Compared to baseline levels, red blood cell (RBC) linoleic acid and plasma pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) were significantly higher after 6 wk with 42 g/d walnuts (P < 0.05 for both). Overall, changes in plasma total thiols, and other antioxidant biomarkers, were not significant with either walnut dose. However, when compared to fasting levels, plasma total thiols were elevated within 1 h of walnut consumption with both doses during the baseline and end visits for each intervention phase (P < 0.05 for all). Despite the observed increase in RBC linoleic and linolenic acids associated with walnut consumption, this substrate for lipid peroxidation only minimally affected malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant capacity. The proportional changes in MDA and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) were consistent with a dose-response effect, although no significant within- or between-group differences were observed for these measures. Walnut consumption did not significantly change the plasma antioxidant capacity of healthy, well-nourished older adults in this pilot study. However, improvements in linoleic acid and pyridoxal phosphate were observed with chronic consumption, while total plasma thiols were enhanced acutely. Future studies investigating the antioxidant effects of walnuts in humans are warranted, but should include either a larger sample size or a controlled feeding intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00626691
Complete Androgen Insensitivity: The Role of the Surgeon

Purpose: This is a retrospective series of the surgical management of complete androgen insensitivity at a single institution.Materials and Methods: The records of 16 patients 4 to 63 years old with complete androgen insensitivity were extracted from an institutionally approved database. We determined whether each patient underwent vaginoplasty, age at vaginoplasty, vaginal depth before vaginoplasty, age at gonadectomy and whether the patient was sexually active. These data were pooled with those from a prior study at our institution to yield a total of 29 patients.Results: All patients had undergone gonadectomy with no evidence of malignancy in any pathology specimens. Of the 27 patients in whom the date of surgery was known 20 underwent surgery in late adolescence/adulthood, while 7 had the testes removed in childhood. Of the 29 patients 11 (38%) have undergone vaginal reconstruction. Average vaginal depth in postpubertal patients without reconstruction was 6.6 cm (range 1.5 to 10). Preoperative vaginal...
Hydrogen cyanide detoxification by Gloeocercospora sorghi

Abstract Gloeorercospora sorghi D. Bain & Edg., the causal agent of zonate leaf spot of Sorghum spp., is adaptively tolerant of hydrogen cyanide. Associated with adaptation to hydrogen cyanide is the appearance of formamide hydro-lyase. The enzyme is induced by hydrogen cyanide and converts hydrogen cyanide to formamide, a compound which is relatively non-toxic, Formamide hydro-lyase from G. sorghi has characteristics of a high molecular weight enzyme, is stable to storage at 4 °C, has optimal activity in the range of pH 7 to 9, and has a k m of approximately 30 m m -hydrogen cyanide. Sorghum tissue infected with G. sorghi has formamide hydro-lyase activity whereas healthy sorghum does not. Formamide hydro-lyase from infected tissue had properties similar to that produced by G. sorghi in vitro .
InN: A material with photovoltaic promise and challenges

Abstract The potential of InN as a photovoltaic material is described. For solar applications, several key developments such as p-type doping and solid-state rectifying junctions have yet to be demonstrated. However, the ability of InGaN materials to optimally span the solar spectrum offers a tantalizing solution for high-efficiency photovoltaics albeit in an inherently lattice mismatched material system. For this reason, the characteristics of InN grown on (1 1 1)-oriented germanium and (0 0 0 1)-plane sapphire substrates via molecular beam epitaxy for the application of InN solar cells is described. To provide an efficient sub-cell interconnect for tandem solar cells, epitaxial Al was deposited on a germanium substrate with InN grown on this epitaxial aluminum layer. Consistent with previous results, the electrical characteristics of n-InN/p-Ge, n-InN/n-Ge, and n-InN/Al/Ge were measured and showed no rectifying behavior. As evidenced by X-ray diffraction, minute amounts of unintentional oxygen incorporation during InN growth forms a secondary phase, tentatively assigned to an indium oxynitride, InON x , phase. Photoluminescence measurements of the InN/InON x show spectral peaks at ∼0.7 and ∼3.8 eV consistent with the bulk excitonic bandgap of the two materials. Photoluminescence was also found at ∼1.7 eV and shown to be related to emission from the sapphire substrates.
Photo Images: Jo Spence’s Narratives of Living with Illness:

Sociological approaches to understanding narratives of illness usually begin with oral or textual discourse. This article extends the study of illness narratives beyond oral and textual accounts to photographs. It takes the position that attempts to distinguish clearly images and words, or verbal and visual narratives, are utopian projects. It examines three photographs taken by British feminist Jo Spence (1934–92) to document her experiences of breast cancer from the time of her diagnosis in 1982 until the time of her death in 1992. After defining ‘narrative’ and ‘photography’ and explaining how some photographs are narratives, the article considers how Spence’s photographs are narratives of living with cancer that incorporate visual and textual elements. It concludes by suggesting how and why extending the study of illness narratives beyond oral and textual accounts can enlarge and enrich social science understandings of people’s experiences of illness.
Sequential studies of healing in endothelial seeded vascular prostheses: Histologic and ultrastructure characteristics of graft incorporation

Abstract Chronological events leading to incorporation of endothelial cell seeded prosthetic vascular grafts were documented in this investigation. Forty-one adult dogs underwent thoracoabdominal bypass using double-velour Dacron grafts. Experimental grafts were preclotted with blood containing enzymatically derived endothelium immediately after derivation, or after 14 days of cultivation. Control grafts were preclotted without addition of endothelial cells. Grafts were studied grossly as well as by light, scanning electron, transmission electron, and fluorescence microscopy, 1 to 28 days postimplantation. Control graft healing proceeded from pannus and perigraft ingrowth. Experimental grafts healed from seeded cells as well. Platelets covered all grafts by Days 1 and 2. Thrombus accumulations on control grafts, first evident on Day 4, became maximal by Day 14. Seeded grafts appeared relatively thrombus free with patches of endothelial cells noted by 4 days. These cells were initially separated by gaps, often containing leukocytes. Endothelium became densely packed with cellular migration and proliferation. Subendothelial tissues were composed of fibrin and smooth muscle. Control and experimental grafts were approximately 10 and 80% endothelialized, respectively, by Day 28. Smooth muscle dominated subintimal tissue in experimental grafts. These cells initially appeared fibroblastoid. Endothelial seeding enhances both pseudointimal development and rapid graft incorporation.
Neural surveillance of skeletal homeostasis

Endowed with sympathetic and peptidergic nerves, the vertebrate skeleton is under constant surveillance by the nervous system. In addition to pituitary hormone secretion, centrally regulated sympathetic release, as elegantly demonstrated by Karsenty and colleagues, integrate to control both components of skeletal remodeling, osteoblastic bone formation, and osteoclastic bone resorption (Elefteriou et al., 2005).
“Land of Unfinished Monuments”: The Ruins-in-Reverse of Nineteenth-Century America

Abstract By focusing on the design and reception of successfully completed monuments, historians have overlooked the presence in nineteenth-century America of monuments that were left unfinished for decades, or even aborted altogether. This article recovers numerous such monuments, and shows how contemporaries seized on them not merely for their aesthetic value as homegrown ruins to be visited and sketched, but also for their rhetorical value as expressions of unfinished political and social struggles. In refashioning these incipient historical memorials as ironic anti-monuments to contemporary problems, diverse groups – radical workingmen and conservative Whigs, female activists and chauvinist newspapermen, patriotic Americans and critical Englishmen, proslavery southerners and abolitionist northerners – elaborated a broader discourse of unfinishedness. The fragments of these monuments could even figure the nation itself as a work-in-progress, contrary to current arguments about the construction of natio...
The confusion of indexing aspirin crystals.

ABSTRACT Much of the existing literature dealing with crystalline aspirin is vague or ambiguous with regard to indexing of the crystal faces. The inconsistency with which the indices of the dominant faces have been assigned leads to confusion in analysis of surface properties. To clarify this, we have conducted crystal growth experiments on aspirin, and indexed the crystal faces with X‐ray diffraction (XRD), paying special attention to the placement of symmetry elements. The space group was confirmed as P2 1 / c , and the dominant face was (100). Contact angle measurements made on the two major faces of aspirin indicate the (100) face to be more hydrophobic than the (001) face, likely due to the acetyloxy moiety, not the carboxyl, exposed on the (100). © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 97:1361–1367, 2008
Consecutive activation of a type C RNA and polyoma virus from tumors induced by polyoma virus-transformed rat cells.

SummaryA type C RNA virus was activated from cell lines derived from tumors induced by polyoma virus-transformed rat embryo cells and further induction of polyoma virus synthesis from these rat tumor cells was obtained following 5-bromodeoxyuridine treatment.
Aquatic photochemistry of isoflavone phytoestrogens: degradation kinetics and pathways.

Isoflavones are plant-derived chemicals that are potential endocrine disruptors. Although some recent studies have detected isoflavones in natural waters, little is known about their aquatic fates. The photochemical behaviors of the isoflavones daidzein, formononetin, biochanin A, genistein, and equol were studied under simulated solar light and natural sunlight. All of these phytoestrogens were found to be photolabile under certain conditions. Daidzein and formononetin degraded primarily by direct photolysis. Their expected near-surface summer half-lives in pH 7 water at 47° latitude are expected to be 10 and 4.6 h, respectively. Biochanin A, genistein, and equol degraded relatively slowly by direct photolysis at environmentally realistic pH values, though they showed significant degradation rate enhancements in the presence of natural organic matter (NOM). The indirect photolysis rates for these compounds scaled with NOM concentration, and NOM from microbial origin was found to be a more potent photosen...
Nomenclature of Interpenetrating Polymer Networks

A nomenclature scheme for various types of interpenetrating polymer networks (IPN) based on morphology, topology, and method of synthesis is presented. In this scheme, IPN is the generic name of al...
CREB phosphorylation following hypoxia and ischemia in striatum of newborn piglets: possible role of dopamine.

Abstract The goal of the present study was to determine the effects of hypoxia and ischemia and the role of dopamine on phosphorylation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in striatum of newborn piglets. Piglets, with and without prior injection of α-methyl- p -tyrosine (AMT), an inhibitor of dopamine (DA) synthesis, were subjected to 1 h of hypoxia (decreased inspired oxygen pressure, FiO 2 , from 21 to 6%) or 1 h of ischemia (ligation of both carotid arteries and hemorrhage to reduce the systemic arterial pressure to about 40 mm Hg), followed by 2 h recovery. Microvascular oxygen pressure in the cortex ( p CO 2 ) was measured by quenching of phosphorescence. Extracellular DA was determined by in vivo microdialysis. Striatal levels of phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) and total CREB were determined by Western blots. In sham-operated animals, p CO 2 was 49.7 ± 8.2 mm Hg. During hypoxia and ischemia, p CO 2 decreased to 6.3 ± 1.8 mm Hg and 10.2 ± 2.7 mm Hg, respectively. There was statistical difference in the level of extracellular DA during hypoxia versus ischemia. At the end of ischemia and hypoxia, the levels of DA were 96 × 10 3 ± 24 × 10 3 % and 26 × 10 3 ± 12 × 10 3 % of control, respectively. The pCREB measured after 2 h recovery was not changed after hypoxia but was decreased to 47.8 ± 24% of control after ischemia. Depletion of endogenous DA abolished the ischemia-induced decrease in pCREB level. Total CREB did not change after either condition. It can be concluded that observed decreases of CREB phosphorylation following ischemia can be at least partially due to the high extracellular DA level.
Fostering coping by adolescents with newly diagnosed cancer.

Objectives: To review a research program about adolescents' coping with life-threatening illness and nurses' role in fostering the adolescents' coping efforts. Data Sources: Research studies, review articles, and book chapters. Conclusions: Adolescents who have cancer are at risk of negative health outcomes. Promoting positive coping during the developmental period of adolescence helps adolescents to assume greater responsibility for their health actions. Implications for Nursing Practice: Certain behaviors initiated by health care providers on hopefulness in adolescents assists the ill adolescents in articulating their hopes and realizing or redefining those hopes.
Interaction of rhythmic and discrete pattern generators in single-joint movements

Abstract The study investigates a single-joint movement task that combines a translatory and cyclic component with the objective to investigate the interaction of discrete and rhythmic movement elements. Participants performed an elbow movement in the horizontal plane, oscillating at a prescribed frequency around one target and shifting to a second target upon a trigger signal, without stopping the oscillation. Analyses focused on extracting the mutual influences of the rhythmic and the discrete component of the task. Major findings are: (1) The onset of the discrete movement was confined to a limited phase window in the rhythmic cycle. (2) Its duration was influenced by the period of oscillation. (3) The rhythmic oscillation was “perturbed” by the discrete movement as indicated by phase resetting. On the basis of these results we propose a model for the coordination of discrete and rhythmic actions (K. Matsuoka, Sustained oscillations generated by mutually inhibiting neurons with adaptations, Biological Cybernetics 52 (1985) 367–376; Mechanisms of frequency and pattern control in the neural rhythm generators, Biological Cybernetics 56 (1987) 345–353). For rhythmic movements an oscillatory pattern generator is developed following models of half-center oscillations (D. Bullock, S. Grossberg, The VITE model: a neural command circuit for generating arm and articulated trajectories, in: J.A.S. Kelso, A.J. Mandel, M. F. Shlesinger (Eds.), Dynamic Patterns in Complex Systems, World Scientific, Singapore, 1988, pp. 305–326). For discrete movements a point attractor dynamics is developed close to the VITE model For each joint degree of freedom both pattern generators co-exist but exert mutual inhibition onto each other. The suggested modeling framework provides a unified account for both discrete and rhythmic movements on the basis of neuronal circuitry. Simulation results demonstrated that the effects observed in human performance can be replicated using the two pattern generators with a mutually inhibiting coupling.
Leveraging health social networking communities in translational research

Health social networking communities are emerging resources for translational research. We have designed and implemented a framework called HyGen, which combines Semantic Web technologies, graph algorithms and user profiling to discover and prioritize novel associations across disciplines. This manuscript focuses on the key strategies developed to overcome the challenges in handling patient-generated content in Health social networking communities. Heuristic and quantitative evaluations were carried out in colorectal cancer. The results demonstrate the potential of our approach to bridge silos and to identify hidden links among clinical observations, drugs, genes and diseases. In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis case studies, HyGen has identified 15 of the 20 published disease genes. Additionally, HyGen has highlighted new candidates for future investigations, as well as a scientifically meaningful connection between riluzole and alcohol abuse.
The influence of pH on substrate form specificity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase purified from Crassula argentea

Abstract Purified phospho enol pyruvate carboxylase from both the crassulacean acid metabolism plant Crassula argentea and the C 4 plant Zea mays was shown by kinetic studies at saturating fixed-varying concentrations of free Mg 2+ to selectively use the metal-complexed form of phospho enol pyruvate when assayed at pH 8.0. A similar response to added magnesium at high free phospho enol pyruvate concentrations was obtained for both enzymes, consistent with the use of the complex as the substrate. Kinetic studies at pH 7.0 indicated that at this pH the total concentration of phospho enol pyruvate (including both free and metal-complexed forms) could be used by the enzyme from C. argentea while the C 4 enzyme still utilized the complex. The loss of specificity induced by the decrease in the pH of the assay medium was accompanied by a decrease in the K m of this enzyme for phospho enol pyruvate whatever the form considered and an increase in V max K m . In contrast, a similar decrease of pH led to an increased K m of the C 4 enzyme for phospho enol pyruvate and a decrease of V max K m . For the enzyme from C. argentea (previously shown to contain an essential arginine at the active site), protection of activity by the different forms of substrate against inactivation by the specific arginyl reagent 2,3-butanedione changes markedly with pH. At pH 8.1, the metal complex is the better protector while at pH 7.0 free phospho enol pyruvate gives the best protection consistent with the observed kinetic changes in substrate form utilization. The relationship between the enzyme affinity for substrate, substrate specificity, and the requirement for magnesium for substrate turnover is discussed.
A randomized controlled trial evaluating an alternative mouse or forearm support on change in median and ulnar nerve motor latency at the wrist.

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an alternative mouse and/or a forearm support board on nerve function at the wrist among engineers. Methods This randomized controlled intervention trial followed 206 engineers for 1 year. Distal motor latency (DML) at baseline and follow-up was conducted for the median and ulnar nerves at the right wrist. Results One hundred fifty-four subjects agreed to a nerve conduction study at the beginning and end of the study period. Those who received the alternative mouse had a protective effect (OR ¼ 0.47, 95% CI 0.22‐0.98) on change in the right ulnar DML. There was no significant effect on the median nerve DML. The forearm support board had no significant effect on the median or ulnar nerve DML. Conclusions In engineers who use a computer for more than 20 hr per week, an alternative mouse may have a protective effect for ulnar nerve function at the wrist. No protective effect of a forearm support board was found for the median nerve. Am. J. Ind. Med. 52:304–310, 2009. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Double bragg scattering in cold-worked metals☆

Abstract The small-angle X-ray scattering from cold-worked metals is examined in terms of a double Bragg scattering mechanism. The intensity and angular distribution of the scattering expected from this mechanism are calculated and found to be in accord with experiment. It is shown that this mechanism should give a strongly polarized scattered flux at small angles and that the strong electric vector should be radial in the detecting plane. The polarization of the scattered flux was measured and found in agreement with these predictions. It is concluded that the double Bragg process and not density fluctuation scattering is responsible for most of the observed small-angle scattering.
Holding a Multi-touch Tablet with One Hand: 3D Modeling and Visualization of Hand and Wrist Postures

Multi-touch tablets are increasingly being used in highly mobile work environments such as sales support, medical charting, parts tracking, and field-based work requiring real-time data. Menu options, checklists, and data entry require precise gesture-based movements. The role of stabilizing the 2D gesturing surface while performing gesture input tasks, such as rotating an on-screen image, is undertaken by the non-gesturing hand, wrist, and forearm. This research investigates stabilizing postures of the non-gesturing hand while gesture input commands are being performed. Eleven healthy volunteers performed a series of one-handed gestures on a tablet device while in an erect, unsupported seated posture. Hand coupling postures and stabilizing motions of the hand and wrist in radial and ulnar deviation, flexion and extension, and pronation and supination, are modeled in three-dimensional space. Results offer preliminary data for hand coupling positions and resulting wrist and forearm postures for multi-touch...
Safety of intra-amniotic digoxin administration before late second-trimester abortion by dilation and evacuation.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the safety of intra-amniotic digoxin injection before late second-trimester pregnancy termination by dilation and evacuation through an assessment of maternal systemic digoxin absorption, cardiac rhythm, and coagulation parameters. Study Design: Pregnant women at between 19 and 23 weeks' gestation received 1.0 mg digoxin through intra-amniotic injection and then had serum digoxin levels determined for 48 hours and Holter cardiac monitoring performed for 24 hours. Clotting parameters were assessed before digoxin injection and 24 hours later, at the time of the dilation and evacuation procedure. Results: Eight patients completed the study. The mean (±SD) serum digoxin peak concentration was 0.81 ± 0.22 μg/L (range, 0.5-1.1 μg/L). The mean (±SD) time to peak digoxin concentration was 11.0 ± 5.55 hours (range, 4-20 hours). Ambulatory cardiac monitoring showed no rhythm or conduction abnormalities associated with digoxin. Prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and fibrinogen levels did not change significantly between determinations before and after the dilation and evacuation procedure (11.5 to 11.4 seconds, 24.1 to 24.4 seconds, and 441 to 475 mg/dL, respectively). Conclusion: The maximum digoxin concentration peak achieved after intra-amniotic injection was in the low therapeutic range. No rhythm or conduction abnormalities associated with digoxin were noted by Holter monitoring. Coagulation parameters did not change significantly. On the basis of the limited systemic absorption and the absence of clinically significant cardiac or clotting effects, intra-amniotically administered digoxin may be considered safe for use before late second-trimester pregnancy terminations. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;182:1063-6.)
Pulmonary complications of cancer therapy

The development of pulmonary disease as a result of cancer therapy is an increasingly recognized clinical problem. Chemotherapeutic drugs can induce an acute pneumonitis, pulmonary edema, and pulmonary fibrosis, as well as a variety of other pulmonary diseases in cancer patients.
Inversion of P-wave Nonhyperbolic Moveout In Azimuthally Anisotropic Media: Methodology And Field-data Application

Summary The azimuthally varying nonhyperbolic moveout of Pwaves in orthorhombic media can provide valuable information for characterization of fractured reservoirs and seismic processing. Here, we present a technique to invert long-spread, wide-azimuth P-wave data for the orientation of the vertical symmetry planes and v e key moveout parameters { the symmetry-plane NMO velocities V (1) nmo and V (2) nmo and the anellipticity parameters (1) , (2) , and (3) . The inversion algorithm is based on a 3D semblance operator applied to the full range of osets and azimuths using a generalized version of the Alkhalifah-Tsvankin nonhyperbolic moveout equation. Numerical tests on noise-contaminated data show that the inversion yields satisfactory results if the oset-to-depth ratio reaches at least 2.5. The algorithm was successfully tested on wide-azimuth P-wave reections recorded at Weyburn Field in Canada. Taking azimuthal anisotropy into account increased the semblance values for most long-oset reection events in the overburden, which indicates that fracturing is not limited to the reservoir level. The estimated symmetry-plane directions are close to the azimuths of the o-trend fracture sets determined from borehole data and shear-wave splitting analysis. The eectiv e moveout parameters estimated by our algorithm also provide input for P-wave time imaging and geometrical-spreading correction in layered orthorhombic media.
RISK-1: a novel MAPK homologue in axoplasm that is activated and retrogradely transported after nerve injury.

Sensory neurons (SNs) of Aplysia are widely used to study the molecular correlates of learning. Among these is the activation of an Aplysia (ap) MAPK that phosphorylates the transcription factor apC/EBPβ. Because crushing the axons of the SNs induces changes similar to learning, we tested the hypothesis that apMAPK is a point of convergence on the pathways for learning and injury. One event in common is long-term hyperexcitability (LTH), and LTH was induced in the SNs after intrasomatic injection of active vertebrate extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1; as an apMAPK surrogate). Nerve crush activated an axoplasmic kinase at the site of injury that phosphorylated apC/EBPβ. Surprisingly, this was not apMAPK, but a kinase that was recognized by antibodies to vertebrate ERKs and to doubly phosphorylated, activated ERKs. The activated kinase was transported to the cell body and nucleus and its arrival was concurrent with an injury-induced increase in apC/EBPβ mRNA and protein. We call this retrogradely transported kinase RISK-1. RISK-1 initiated the binding of apC/EBPβ to the ERE enhancer site in vitro and an increase in ERE-binding was detected in injured neurons containing active RISK-1. Thus, Aplysia neurons contain two MAPK homologues, one of which is a late acting retrogradely transported injury signal. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Neurobiol 47: 67–79, 2001
Mast cell–mediated inflammatory responses require the α2β1 integrin

Although the alpha 2 beta 1 integrin is widely expressed and has been extensively studied, it has not been previously implicated in mast cell biology. We observed that alpha 2 integrin subunit-deficient mice exhibited markedly diminished neutrophil and interleukin-6 responses during Listeria monocytogenes- and zymosan-induced peritonitis. Since exudative neutrophils of wild-type mice expressed little alpha 2 beta 1 integrin, it seemed unlikely that this integrin mediated neutrophil migration directly. Here, we demonstrate constitutive alpha 2 beta 1 integrin expression on peritoneal mast cells. Although alpha 2-null mice contain normal numbers of peritoneal mast cells, these alpha 2-null cells do not support in vivo mast cell-dependent inflammatory responses. We conclude that alpha 2 beta 1 integrin provides a costimulatory function required for mast cell activation and cytokine production in response to infection.
Shared and unique determinants on human and murine intestinal epithelium as established by monoclonal antibodies.

To characterize macromolecules from intestinal epithelium known to be reactive with human disease sera, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were elicited to determine cell localization, organ-specificity and cross-reactivity of the immunodominant determinants. Eight MAbs, reactive with murine epithelial cell-associated components by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunoblotting and immuno-fluorescence, demonstrated binding by the same techniques to constituents in disease-involved human small and large intestinal epithelium. Analyzed biochemically, these determinant-bearing epithelial macromolecules were glycoproteins of ~ 180,000 (human) and 199,000 (murine) mol. wt. Pre-incubation of sera from patients with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (but not normal human sera or control protein) inhibited binding of the 199 K macromolecule by three MAbs elicited and characterized in this study.
Open Access to Digital Information: Opportunities and Challenges Identified During the Electronic Geophysical Year

The vision of the Electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) is that we can achieve a major step forward in geoscience capability, knowledge, and usage throughout the world for the benefit of humanity by accelerating the adoption of modern and visionary practices such as virtual observatories for managing and sharing data and information. eGY has found that the biggest challenges to implementing the vision are educating program mangers and senior scientists on the need for modern data management techniques and providing incentives for practitioners of the new field of geoinformatics.
Developmental and genotypic differences in the response of pea stem segments to auxin

The objective of this investigation was to examine the response to exogenous auxin (indole-3-acetic acid; 1AA)of stem segments at two developmental stages. The standard auxin response of excised stem segments and intact plants consists of an initial growth response and a prolonged growth response. We found that this biphasic response does not occur in internodes at very early stages. Stem segments of light grown pea of various genotypes were cut when the fourth internode was at 6-l 3% of full expansion (early-expansion) or at 18-25% of full expansion (mid-expansion). Length measurements of excised segments were made after 48 hours of incubation on buffer with or without auxin. An angular position transducer linked to a computerized data collection system provided high-resolution measurement of growth of stacks of segments incubated in buffer over 20 hours. Early-expansion segments of all genotypes deviated from the standard auxin response, while mid-expansion segments responded in a manner consistent with previous reports. Early-expansion segments of tall, light-grown plants were unique in showing an auxin-induced inhibition of growth. The auxin-induced inhibition correlated with high endogenous auxin content, as determined by HPLC and GUMS, across genotypes and between early-expansion and mid- expansion segments of tall plants. Measurement of ethylene evolved from stem segments in response to auxin, and treatment of segments with the ethylene action inhibitor, norbomadiene, showed the inhibition to be mediated in part by heightened ethylene sensitivity. Growth of early-expansion segments of dwarf and severe dwarf plants was stimulated by exogenous auxin, but the growth rate increase was delayed compared to that in mid-expansion segments. This is the first time that such a growth response, termed the delayed growth response has been demonstrated. It is concluded that developmental stage and endogenous hormone content affect tissue response to exogenous auxin.
International clinical trials with applicability to mentally impaired individuals: the conundrum of third world sites

Research on the effectiveness of treatment programs in early stages of severe mental illness raise significant ethical questions when conducted in industrialized countries that have adequate protections for the human subjects of biomedical and behavioral research. Before embarking on similar trials in developing countries, researchers face formidable barriers that must first be addressed and overcome. The challenges to external sponsors of research in conducting ethically responsible clinical trials in developing countries include at least the following: the existence of alternative belief systems regarding the causes and treatment of mental illness; difficulty in implementing the results of successful research in resource-poor countries; providing for adequate prior ethical review in the host country of the proposed study; and problems in ensuring that voluntary, informed consent is properly obtained from research subjects or their legally authorized representatives. Global justice demands that we not adopt one ethical standard for rich countries and another for resource-poor countries.
Establishing a Hierarchy for the Two Components of Restricted Activity

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that illnesses and injuries leading to restricted acti vity have adverse functional consequences, but whether the two components of restricted activity have comparable effects is unknown. We evaluated whether an illness/injury leading to bed rest represents a more potent exposure than one leading to cutting down on one’s usual activities without bed rest. Methods: W e prospectively evaluated 754 community-living persons, 70+ years. Telephone interviews were completed monthly for >15 years to assess disability in four basic, five instrumental, and four mobility activities and to ascertain exposure to illnesses/injuries leading to cut down activities and bed rest, respectively. For each of the three functional domains, transitions between no disability, mild disability, and severe disability were evaluated each month. Results: F or each domain, cut down activities and bed rest were significantly associated with at least one transition. The associations were consistently stronger, however, for bed rest than for cut down activities. Bed rest was a particularly potent exposure for transitions from no disability to severe disability, with hazard ratios as high as 8.94 (95% CI, 5.69–14.1) for the mobility activities, and for all transitions from severe disability (representing recovery), with hazard ratios as low as 0.25 (0.12–0.54) for the transition to no disability for the basic activities. Conclusions: In the set ting of an illness/injury, bed rest was more strongly associated with a set of clinically meaningful transitions in functional status than cut down activities. Prompt medical attention may be warranted when an older person takes to bed because of an illness/injury.
Perfecting the Genetic Code with an RNP Complex

In this issue of Structure, Sekine et al. (2006) present a splendid example, using glutamyl-tRNA synthetase crystal structures, of the steps potentially taken in the transition from the RNA world to the theater of proteins.
Diabetes Mellitus and Optic Atrophy: With Associated Findings of Diabetes Insipidus and Neurosensory Hearing Loss in Two Siblings

Two siblings had diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, and optic atrophy. Abnormal findings include color blindness, neurosensory hearing loss, hyposmia, thermoregulatory failure in both hot and cold environments, electroencephalographic epileptiform activity, partial diabetes insipidus, blunted plasma cortisol response to pyrogen infusion, and aminoaciduria, predominantly of alanine. We propose a clinical entity consisting of bilateral optic atrophy, diabetes mellitus, diabetes insipidus, neurosensory hearing deficit, and hypothalamic dysfunction of variable degree.
Religion and empire in the Axial Age

Robert Bellah's Religion in Human Evolution (2011) is a difficult and sometimes exasperating book. Nevertheless, it yields a richly rewarding experience for those patient readers who work their way...
Preoperative evaluation of living related kidney donor: which kidney to donate?

Abstract Objectives As the number of cadaveric donor is far beyond the demand of the waiting list, living related kidney transplantation is important for the worldwide organ shortage. Besides, living related transplantation has advantages compared with cadaveric transplantation in terms of graft function and survival. However, the remaining kidney function of the living donor needs to be evaluated. Methods We collected 28 paired living kidney donations from March 2003 to March 2005. All patients underwent laparoscopic donor nephrectomy. The preoperative kidney evaluation included renal echography, renal nuclear scan, computed tomography angiography (CTA), and creatinine clearance (CCr). The renal function of the donor kidney was expressed as (donor kidney/both kidneys)%. The percentage renal function from renal echography, renal nuclear scan, and CTA were correlated with CCr. Results The mean percentage of donor kidney function according to renal echo, nuclear scan, and CTA were 49.77%, 51.83%, and 50.70%, respectively. The correlation coefficients for renal echography, nuclear scan, and CTA to CCr were −0.316, −0.201, and 0.123, respectively. The correlation coefficients for renal echography, nuclear scan, and CTA to postoperative serum creatinine of donor were 0.426, 0.036, and −0.119, respectively. Conclusion From the viewpoint of donor postoperative residual renal function, preoperative renal sonography offered a better predictive value than nuclear scan or CTA.
NEW ISOTOPES OF EINSTEINIUM

The new isotopes ${\mathrm{E}}^{249}$, ${\mathrm{E}}^{250}$, ${\mathrm{E}}^{251}$, and ${\mathrm{E}}^{252}$ were produced by bombardment of ${\mathrm{Bk}}^{249}$ with helium ions. A recoil method was used to separate the bombardment products from the target material, so that the target could be used repeatedly.Approximate excitation functions for the formation of the einsteinium isotopes were measured as well as their half-lives, $\ensuremath{\alpha}$-particle energies, and electron-capture branching ratios.
SAXS and the Working Protein

In this issue of Structure , Davies et al., 2005 present shape reconstructions for the molecular motor p97 using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and offer insights into how ATP consumption is coupled to cyclical domain motions. This work emphasizes the emerging potential of SAXS for visualizing the workings of biological machines in solution.
Mitigation of Salinity Intrusion in Well-Mixed Estuaries by Optimization of Freshwater Diversion Rates

The diversion of fresh water from estuaries for agricultural and municipal uses leads to an upstream shift in the brackish water zone that can disrupt ecosystems and deteriorate water quality at downstream points. Models are routinely used to predict hydrodynamic and water quality conditions in estuaries, and presented here is a modeling approach that ultimately could prove helpful in designing strategies to divert fresh water while mitigating changes in salinity further downstream. An optimization problem is formulated whereby a least-squares function of the salinity distribution predicted by the model is minimized by optimizing a parameter vector describing the diversion rate as a function of time. The optimization method is shown to rapidly identify diversion schedules in a range of test systems. Optimization is performed by a quasi-Newton method that utilizes a Broyden-Fletcher-Goldfarb-Shanno update, and an adjoint sensi- tivity method is formulated and applied to evaluate the gradient of the objective function with respect to the parameter vector. The sensitivity of salinity levels to diversion rates is predicted to have both intratidal and intertidal variability, giving insight into the potentia l for diversions at any given time and any location along an estuary to have either a rapid or longer-term effect on the salinity distribution. The controllability of salinity levels by fresh-water diversions is directly related to these sensitivities.
Orthoreovirus and Aquareovirus core proteins: conserved enzymatic surfaces, but not protein-protein interfaces.

Orthoreoviruses and Aquareoviruses constitute two respective genera in the family Reoviridae of double-stranded RNA viruses. Orthoreoviruses infect mammals, birds, and reptiles and have a genome comprising 10 RNA segments. Aquareoviruses infect fish and have a genome comprising 11 RNA segments. Despite these differences, recent structural and nucleotide sequence evidence indicate that the proteins of Orthoreoviruses and Aquareoviruses share many similarities. The focus of this review is on the structure and function of the Orthoreovirus core proteins 1, 2, 3, and 2, for which X-ray crystal structures have been recently reported. The homologous core proteins in Aquareoviruses are VP3, VP1, VP2, and VP6, respectively. By mapping the locations of conserved residues onto the Orthoreovirus crystal structures, we have found that enzymatic surfaces involved in mRNA synthesis are well conserved between these two groups of viruses, whereas several surfaces involved in protein–protein interactions are not well conserved. Other evidence indicates that the Orthoreovirus 2 and Aquareovirus VP5 proteins are homologous, suggesting that VP5 is a core protein as 2 is known to be. These findings provide further evidence that Orthoreoviruses and Aquareoviruses have diverged from a common ancestor and contribute to a growing understanding of the functions of the core proteins in viral mRNA synthesis. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.