cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cancer incidence and mortality among workers exposed to benzidine

Background A historical cohort study was conducted among 997 individuals employed at a chemical production facility to investigate whether occupational exposures to benzidine and other arylamines were associated with the increased risk of cancer. Methods Cancers were identified from cancer registries, death certificates, and medical records. Exposures were evaluated using a job-exposure matrix. Workers were categorized into exposure groups to calculate cancer-specific standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and perform survival analyses. Results SIRs for cancer of the bladder (SIR = 3.5; CI 1.7, 6.4), small intestine (SIR 18.4; CI 2.2, 66.4), and soft tissue including heart (SIR = 11.9; CI 1.4, 42.8) were elevated among workers with the highest exposures and risk increased with increasing exposures. SIRs for several additional cancers were also elevated. Conclusion Our results support previous findings of increased risk of bladder cancer among individuals exposed to benzidine and other arylamines. Workers may also have been at increased risk for cancers other than cancer of the bladder. Am. J. Ind. Med. 54:300–306, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cavitation inception in quiescent and co-flow nozzle jets

The prediction and scaling of cavitation inception in jets remains a difficult task. This paper presents findings of an experimental investigation to study the cavitation inception of quiescent and co-flow submerged jets. Experimental data were collected in the ARL/PSU 12-inch and 48-inch Diameter Water Tunnels. A submerged nozzle was mounted axially along the centerline of the test section with jet mass flow supplied using an external pump. The setup allowed for independent control of both jet and freestream velocities. Observations of cavitation patterns, inception locations and cavitation inception numbers for quiescent (VR=V∞/Vjet=0), near-quiescent (0 0.1) operating conditions were recorded. Data were measured using two- 25.4mm and one- 101.6mm diameter axisymmetric nozzles. Visual observations of cavitation indicated that the cavitation occurs in different location for co-flow jets compared to quiescent jets. PIV measurements show that different flow mechanisms are responsible for this cavitation inception.
Memory constrained face recognition

Real-time recognition may be limited by scarce memory and computing resources for performing classification. Although, prior research has addressed the problem of training classifiers with limited data and computation, few efforts have tackled the problem of memory constraints on recognition. We explore methods that can guide the allocation of limited storage resources for classifying streaming data so as to maximize discriminatory power. We focus on computation of the expected value of information with nearest neighbor classifiers for online face recognition. Experiments on real-world datasets show the effectiveness and power of the approach. The methods provide a principled approach to vision under bounded resources, and have immediate application to enhancing recognition capabilities in consumer devices with limited memory.
Computer assisted diagnosis for digital mammography

This article describes the application of wavelet transform for image enhancement in medical imaging. The initial clinical application is the enhancement of microcalcification clusters (MCCs) in digitized mammograms to improve both their visualization and their detection using computer assisted diagnostic (CAD) methods. The potential universal application for improved visual interpretation of medical images using a computer monitor is also demonstrated. The early detection of MCCs is important in screening programs since their presence is often associated with a high incidence of breast cancer. The enhancement of MCCs is an excellent model for real world evaluation of the wavelet transform. The detection of MCCs presents a significant challenge to the performance characteristics of X-ray imaging sensors and image display monitors since microcalcifications vary in size, shape, signal intensity, and contrast and may be located in areas of very dense parenchymal tissue, making their detection difficult. The classification of MCCs, in turn, as benign or malignant, requires their morphology and detail to be preserved. >
Studies on viral DNA protein complexes isolated at different times after infection of monkey kidney cells with simian virus 40.

Abstract The major protein components of the DNA complex, isolated from SV40-infected monkey cells, are the major viral structural polypeptide VP1 and cellular histones. At early times (24 h) after infection, VP1 is present in large amounts relative to histones, whereas at late times (48 h), the complex contains mostly histones. The amount of VP1 in the complex can be correlated to the amount of “free” VP1 present in the cells, i.e. VP1 not yet incorporated into virus particles. At early times about 40% of VP1 is “free” VP1; at late times, most of the VP1 is incorporated into virus particles. In contrast, viral DNA is produced in huge excess and only about 13% is incorporated into virions. In agreement with the above result, we find that only about 16% of the DNA in the DNA complex can be chased into virions. There is, apparently, no turnover of newly synthesized VP1 that is associated with the DNA complex at late times after infection.
A test of two methods for extinguishing Pavlovian conditioned inhibition

Two experiments were performed using rats in a conditioned suppression procedure to test two different methods for extinguishing Pavlovian conditioned inhibition. In both experiments, a target stimulus, X, was made inhibitory by giving discrimination training of the form A+ AX−. Then, in Experiment 1, an attempt was made to extinguish the inhibition conditioned to X by presenting nonreinforced occurrences of X, of AX, and of A. Testing for conditioned inhibition took the form B+ BX−. It was found that the extinction procedure did not weaken the inhibitory properties of X. Experiment 2 attempted to extinguish the inhibition conditioned to X by presenting X randomly and independently of the reinforcer, electric grid shock. This procedure appeared to weaken inhibition quickly and permanently.
Revisiting zinc coordination in human carbonic anhydrase II.

Carbonic anhydrase (CA, general abbreviation for human carbonic anhydrase II) is a well-studied, zinc-dependent metalloenzyme that catalyzes hydrolysis of carbon dioxide to the bicarbonate ion. The apo-form of CA (apoCA, CA where Zn2+ ion has been removed) is relatively easy to generate, and reconstitution of the human erythrocyte CA has been initially investigated. In the past, these studies have continually relied on equilibrium dialysis measurements to ascertain an extremely strong association constant (Ka ≈ 1.2 × 1012) for Zn2+. However, new reactivity data and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) data reported herein call that number into question. As shown in the ITC experiments, the catalytic site binds a stoichiometric quantity of Zn2+ with a strong equilibrium constant (Ka ≈ 2 × 109) that is 3 orders of magnitude lower than the previously established value. Thermodynamic parameters associated with Zn2+ binding to apoCA are unraveled from a series of complex equilibria associated with the in vit...
Divalproex therapy in medication-naive and mood-stabilizer-naive bipolar II depression.

Abstract Background: There have been few systematic studies of the treatment of bipolar II depression. While divalproex sodium (DVPX) is effective in acute mania, there are few data on the antidepressant effects of DVPX. Similarly, little is known regarding the use of DVPX administered in a single daily dose. Method: We performed a 12-week open trial of DVPX monotherapy (mean dose 882 mg qhs, mean level 80.7 μg/ml) in nineteen (thirteen women, six men, mean age 29) bipolar II depressed outpatients. Eleven patients (six women, five men) were medication-naive (MN) and eight (seven women, one man) were mood stabilizer-naive (MSN), having had prior trials of antidepressants or stimulants. Mean illness and current depressive episode duration were 15.4 years and 11.8 weeks, respectively. DVPX was given as a single dose each evening starting with 250 mg at bedtime and increased by 250 mg at bedtime every 4 days until symptom relief or adverse effects were noted. Weekly prospective Hamilton Depression, Young Mania and Clinical Global Impression ratings were obtained. Results: DVPX therapy was generally well tolerated. Twelve of nineteen patients (63%) responded (>50% decrease in Hamilton Depression ratings). MN patients compared to MSN patients tended to have a higher response rate (9/11 versus 3/8, P
Impact of Board Heterogeneity Composition on Firm Risk: An Empirical Study

There has been scant research exploring the implications of board heterogeneity for board's functioning and subsequent corporate outcome of stability in firm performance. A number of hypotheses are developed based on a multi-theoretic approach incorporating board resources, board dynamics, and board independence. Results of testing the hypotheses reveal that board heterogeneity in organizational tenure, functional experience, and educational specialty is related to the stability of returns. Furthermore, increased ownership position by directors and institutional investors strengthens the relationship between board heterogeneity and stability of returns. The results of this study suggest that board heterogeneity increases organizational rationality and further the stability in firm performance through its more effective control and counsel functions to management.
Phosphorus Response of Oryza sativa, O. glaberrima, and Hybrid Rice Cultivars on an Ultisol

Phosphorus (P) deficiency is a major constraint to upland rice production on Ultisols in the humid zone of West Africa. Integrated use of P-efficient cultivars and P nutrition is needed for enhanced sustainable productivity on these soils. This article reports on the P responsiveness of interspecific rice hybrids (crosses from Oryza sativa and O. glaberrima) along with O. sativa and O. glaberrima cultivars grown on an acidic Ultisol, low in available P. The cultivars differed in yield and P-uptake response to fresh and residual P. Two interspecific cultivars gave a linear response to P and produced the greatest grain yield under direct and residual P. The O. glaberrima cultivar CG 14 did not respond to the applied P, whereas the O. sativa cultivar was moderate in its performance. Our results show that the interspecific rice cultivars have the potential to adapt and perform well on acidic upland soils.
Profile and flight time analysis of bovine insulin clusters as a probe of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization ion formation dynamics.

Detailed ion signal profile and flight time analyses were performed on the time-of-flight signals obtained for bovine insulin cluster ions produced by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI). Profile analyses of the ion signals strongly suggest that the signals are made up of a composite of two separate components and analysis of the flight times of the two components suggests that the ions are formed with different dynamics. The formation dynamics of one component of the ions is best described as prompt ionization to yield ions with essentially mass-independent total energies. The formation dynamics of the second component of the ions is best described as delayed gas-phase ionization of entrained material moving at a constant velocity. This model is supported by several ancillary experiments and suggests new insights into the mechanism of MALDI ion formation. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cardiac arrests in skilled nursing facilities: continuing room for improvement?

Objectives To characterize the care received by skilled nursing facility (SNF/NF) patients suffering cardiac arrest and to evaluate the outcome of SNF/NF patients experiencing cardiac arrest. Design A retrospective analysis of an existing cardiac arrest registry to characterize SNF/NF cardiac arrest patients and to compare them to community-dwelling cardiac arrest patients was performed. Setting The study took place in Rochester, NY, an urban city in upstate New York with approximately 220,000 residents. Participants All patients for whom emergency medical services (EMS) assistance was requested via the 911 system and who were treated for cardiac arrest between January 1998 and December 2001 were included. Measurements Demographic characteristics such as age, gender, race; clinical characteristics and interventions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), defibrillation, initial cardiac rhythm, and call response interval; outcomes measures such as return of spontaneous circulation and 1-year survival were obtained. Results Forty-two (8%) of cardiac arrest patients resided in an SNF/NF. Sixteen (38%) of the events were witnessed arrests. Only 28 (67%) patients received CPR and none were defibrillated prior to EMS arrival. One (2%) patient was alive 1 year after the event, a survival rate similar to the community-dwelling population (5%). Conclusion SNF/NF patients suffering cardiac arrest often did not receive CPR or defibrillation while awaiting EMS arrival. SNF/NF patients suffering cardiac arrest have a very low survival rate, similar to the community-dwelling population. The impact of not providing CPR and defibrillation on the survival rate is unclear, but needs to be evaluated prior to any decisions regarding the medical futility of resuscitating SNF/NF patients.
Cognitions in normal weight, overweight, and previously overweight adults

Cognitions related to eating behavior, and their occurrence in adults of different weight conditions were investigated in two phases. First, an Obesity Cognitions Scale was developed using 20 subjects at least 20% over standard weight for their sex, age, and height. These subjects monitored their cognitions prior to eating, providing a pool of 26 relevant self-statements. Four judges independently examined the 26 cognitions for learned helplessness and cognitive distortion. In the second phase, three other groups of subjects from a random sample rated their belief and frequency of engagement in each of the 26 cognitions. The three groups, each comprising 20 subjects, were respectively normal weight, overweight (average 30%), or normal weight but previously overweight. Analysis of variance revealed considerable differences between groups in terms of belief and/or engagement in over half the identified cognitions. Most differences were found between the normal weight and overweight groups. This study confirms that weight disorders are correlated with food- and weight-focused thoughts but provides less clear evidence on the role of cognitive distortions and misattributions. We conclude that relevant cognitions can be systematically identified. The obtained Obesity Cognitions Scale may help indicate direct targets in cognitive-behavioral interventions and assessments, and may be refined by further research.
Resource-oriented Computing: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of WSRF.NET

Web services have changed the nature of distributed systems development and operation. The Grid community has begun architecting Grid systems to leverage available commercial and open-source Web services technology through the definition of “stateful resources.” These resource-oriented systems are an extension of service-oriented systems typically built using Web services in that they treat state (and the management of state) as an architectural concern rather than an application-level concern. We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of WSRF.NET, a toolkit for building resource-oriented services using the Microsoft .NET platform. We describe the benefits WSRF.NET provides over “pure” .NET Web services for resource-oriented systems development, in terms of programmability (both programming-language abstractions and compile-time tooling) and improved run-time persistence/management of state. The run-time overhead of WSRF.NET is quantitatively evaluated against other technologies that can be used to add state management to Web services. We argue the core WSRF.NET primitives incur negligible overhead compared to typical domain-specific resource manipulation operations. For example, a computational simulation that lasts 10 min and reads/writes 100 medium-sized resources over those 10 min incurs only 0.46% overhead in WSRF.NET operations.
Imaging spectroscopy for two-dimensional characterization of auroral emissions

A large throughput transmission spectrometer, with a grating on a prism as the diffraction element, has been developed to study altitude distributions of auroral emissions. The imaging spectrometer disperses spectrally in one dimension while spatial information is preserved in the orthogonal direction. The image is projected onto a CCD array detector. Image processing methods have been developed to calibrate for wavelength, uniform field, spectral sensitivity, curvature of field, and spatial mapping. Single images are processed to represent a measured signal brightness in a unit of Rayleighs/pixel, from which area integrations can be made for desired spatial-spectral resolution. System performance is ~1.5-nm resolution over a 450-nm bandwidth (420-870 nm). Two spectrometer systems of this design were operated simultaneously, one with additional optical instruments and an incoherent scatter radar at Sondrestrom, Greenland, and the other at Godhavn, Greenland, which lies 290 km to the northwest and nearly in the magnetic meridian of Sondrestrom. The developed system, calibration method, and examples of performance results are presented.
Decreased lung function is associated with increased arterial stiffness as measured by peripheral pulse pressure: data from NHANES III.

Background Individuals with impaired lung function have an elevated risk of cardiovascular events. Improved understanding of the factors associated with increased cardiovascular risk in the setting of lung function impairment is needed. We set out to determine in a nationwide population-based cohort whether impaired lung function as measured by forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) is associated with evidence of increased arterial stiffness measured by peripheral pulse pressure, a risk factor for cardiovascular events. Methods Cross-sectional study of adults > or = 20 years of age in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) who had valid and reproducible FEV1 data and serial blood pressure measurements allowing for the calculation of a mean pulse pressure, a measure of central arterial stiffness (n = 13,090). Results There was a significant negative correlation between FEV1 and mean pulse pressure (r = -0.37). After controlling for demographic variables and confounders including cardiovascular risk factors, smoking history, and lung disease, the negative relationship between pulse pressure and FEV1 varies with age and becomes apparent only after age 40. In individuals aged 40-59 and > or = 60 years, there was respectively a 2 and 3 mm Hg increment in pulse pressure for every one standard deviation decrement in FEV1. Conclusions FEV1 is significantly related to pulse pressure, a clinically important measure of arterial stiffness, among those aged > or = 40 years. This relationship may help to explain the increased risk of cardiovascular events found in individuals with impaired lung function.
Evaluation of Multiclass Traffic Sign Detection and Classification Methods for U.S. Roadway Asset Inventory Management

AbstractFrequent analysis and updating the condition of traffic signs and mile markers are among the most important aspects of a highway asset management system. Today’s practices mainly involve manual data collection and analysis, which have to be done for millions of miles of roads and the practice needs to be repeated regularly. While significant progress has been made on improving the data collection practice by leveraging video streams collected from car-mounted cameras, the analysis has primarily remained a manual and labor-intensive process. Automating the analysis from the collected videos is also challenging due to the interclass variability of traffic signs, expected changes in illumination, occlusion, sign position, and orientation. To address these challenges, this paper presents and evaluates the performance of three computer vision algorithms for detection and classification of traffic signs in presence of cluttered backgrounds and static and dynamic occlusions. The task particularly focuses...
An Illustrative Analysis of Ambient Carbon Monoxide Standards

This paper demonstrates the use of decision analysis for setting primary national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), given the legal, policy and resource constraints of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). An application of decision analysis for evaluating primary carbon monoxide ambient air quality standards is described. The analysis incorporates human activity patterns, ambient pollutant concentrations, physiological effects given concentrations, and dose-response functions to indicate adverse health effects of alternative ambient standards. Uncertainties are explicitly handled. Health consequences and their relative undesirability are determined for the alternative carbon monoxide standards, and sensitivity analyses examine effects of different data or value judgments.
Functional Concurrent Linear Regression Model for Spatial Images

Motivated by a problem in describing forest nitrogen cycling, in this paper we explore regression models for spatial images. Specifically, we present a functional concurrent linear model with varying coefficients for two-dimensional spatial images. To address overparameterization issues, the parameter surfaces in this model are transformed into the wavelet domain and a sparse representation is found by using a large-scale l 1 constrained least squares algorithm. Once the sparse representation is identified, an inverse wavelet transform is applied to obtain the estimated parameter surfaces. The optimal penalization term in the objective function is determined using the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) and we introduce measures of model quality. Our model is versatile and can be applied to both single and multiple replicate cases.
Neutralizing marginally deviant behavior: Bingo players and superstition.

Bingo is one of the most popular and most accepted forms of gambling in the United States today. Yet, despite its popularity, many bingo players are not completely comfortable with the moral “rightness” of their actions. This participant observation and interview study spanning a 5 year period shows how bingo players use superstitious strategies, such as feelings, hunches and psi, attitudes, and luck to neutralize their marginally deviant behaviors.
Preparation of Foam from PVC Plastisol

Abstract The results of physical measurements and microscopic observation are presented to elucidate material behaviour at each stage of the foam preparation from PVC plastisol for use as a part of the cushion flooring. The paper also describes how the problems were solved by overcoming contradicting requirements in the process.
Mixed-mode echoes on vertical-incidence ionograms

Abstract Mixed-mode echoes (MME) have been observed on ionograms from a number of low-latitude vertical-incidence ionospheric sounding stations. Such echoes result from magneto-ionic-mode conversion in the non-deviative region below the F -layer. They appear, for example, half way in virtual height between the traces of normal ordinary and extraordinary 2 F ± nE echoes, where n = 0, 1, 2,4. In echoes involving high order F -layer reflections, the MME are multiple. Examples of the phenomenon with some statistics of occurrence are presented, and three mechanisms of their origin are discussed. One involves scattering by a filamentary structure in an Esq -layer, one involves magneto-ionic coupling in a thin sporadic- E layer, and a third involves off-vertical reflection from a concavity in the underside of the F -layer.
Time-dependent effects of vagotomy on pancreatic polypeptide release

It has been suggested that the pancreatic polypeptide response to a meal is inhibited by truncal vagotomy but returns towards normal with time. We have examined this hypothesis by measuring the pancreatic polypeptide response to a meal in five dogs before and 1 and 6 months after truncal vagotomy. Pancreatic polypeptide responses to food were significantly inhibited (P<0.01) in both postoperative studies. However, comparison of the 1- and 6-month responses revealed a significant increase (P<0.05) in the magnitude of the second hour response from 2.3±1.5% of the preoperative response at 1 month to 21.3±9.6% at 6 months. The pancreatic content of pancreatic polypeptide in four vagotomized dogs (1.06±0.06 nmol/g) was not significantly different from normal (1.30±0.33 nmol/g). These studies have shown that truncal vagotomy permanently inhibits the early phase of pancreatic polypeptide release but that the magnitude of the late phase response increases with time. Whether the response would ever return to that observed before vagotomy is uncertain.
Percutaneous cardiac catheterization and atrial balloon septostomy in pediatrics

Between November, 1971, and July, 1975, 688 patients ranging in age from six hours to 21 years have undergone percutaneous transfemoral venous and/or arterial catheterization at the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center. This represents 93% of all venous catheterizations of the right side of the heart and 97% of all arterial catheterizations of the left side of the heart in the pediatric age range. One hundred and ninety-five patients (29% of the group) weighed 5 kg or less and 133 (20% of the group) were neonates. There were virtually no complications following the venous studies. The complication rate following percutaneous arterial studies is lower than is the reported experience with cut-down arteriotomies. Long-term survival following percutaneous atrial balloon septostomy in D-transposition of the great arteries was comparable to that following cut-down balloon septostomy. The ease of accomplishment, significantly lower complication rate, and successful accomplishment of atrial balloon septostomy prompt us to advocate that the percutaneous technique of cardiac catheterization be extended to include the neonate and young infant who weighs less than 5 kg.
Characterization of protein adsorption by composite silica-polyacrylamide gel anion exchangers I. Equilibrium and mass transfer in agitated contactors

The uptake of proteins by composite porous silica-polyacrylamide gel ion exchangers known under the trade name HyperD, is investigated. These ion exchangers are found to have an exceptionally high static adsorption capacity, greater than about 200 mg/cm3, and a rapid uptake kinetics. Being mechanically quite strong, they are suitable for chromatography applications at elevated mobile phase flow-rates. The uptake equilibrium of proteins by these ion exchangers is obtained experimentally and is found to follow the mass action law. Thus, reversible adsorption and desorption of proteins is obtained by varying the solution ionic strength. Batch mass transfer rates in an agitated contactor under favorable uptake conditions are also obtained. The uptake kinetics is controlled by the fluid phase mass transfer resistance for low protein concentrations, and by the intraparticle mass transfer resistance at high protein concentrations. In the latter case, the uptake is quite rapid and nearly complete saturation of particles 49–76 μm in diameter can be obtained in 5 to 10 min. The parameters of a model describing the batch uptake kinetics in these ion exchangers are obtained by comparing experimental results with model predictions.
Human precipitins against common pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi.

THE demonstration in human sera of precipitating antibodies against common pathogenic and non-pathogenic fungi is of interest for the study of fungal antigens and for the study in man of reactions of the Arthus type which are dependent upon the presence of precipitins. Reactions of this type have been reported1 in patients with precipitins against members of the Aspergillus genus. Certain of these sera also contained precipitins against Cladosporium herbarum and Penicillium notatum, and common antigens were demonstrated in them and in the Aspergillus genus.
Internal rotation of amino and nitro groups in TATB: MP2 versus DFT (B3LYP)

We report second-order Moller−Plesset (MP2) and density functional (B3LYP) fully optimized amino and nitro group torsional potential barriers in 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB), a molecule with unusually strong intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The calculated barriers show optimum values of 17.0 (25.5) kcal/mol for the amino group and 5.6 (10.5) kcal/mol for the nitro group rotation at the MP2 (B3LYP) level. The large barrier associated with the amino rotation is due to the double-bond character of the respective C−N bond. Because the B3LYP results are 50−87% higher in energy than those provided by MP2, a more detailed comparison with other functionals and higher-level ab initio methods is needed for an accurate description of these intramolecular motions.
Dendrimer-Functionalized Self-Assembled Monolayers as a Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor Surface

We report here a multistep route for the immobilization of DNA and proteins on chemically modified gold substrates using fourth-generation NH2-terminated poly(amidoamine) dendrimers supported by an underlying amino undecanethiol (AUT) self-assembled monolayer (SAM). Bioactive ultrathin organic films were prepared via layer-by-layer self-assembly methods and characterized by fluorescence microscopy, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and attenuated total internal reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The thickness of the AUT SAM base layer on the gold substrates was determined to be 1.3 nm from ellipsometry. Fluorescence microscopy and AFM measurements, in combination with analyses of the XPS/ATR-FTIR spectra, confirmed the presence of the dendrimer/biopolymer molecules on the multilayer sensor surfaces. Model proteins, including streptavidin and rabbit immunoglobulin proteins, were covalently attached t...
Reversal of Phencyclidine Effects by a Group II Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Agonist in Rats

Glutamatergic abnormalities have been associated with several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and addiction. Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors were targeted to normalize glutamatergic disruptions associated with an animal model of schizophrenia, the phencyclidine model. An agonist of this group of receptors, at a dose that was without effects on spontaneous activity and corticolimbic dopamine neurotransmission, attenuated the disruptive effects of phencyclidine on working memory, stereotypy, locomotion, and cortical glutamate efflux. This behavioral reversal occurred in spite of sustained dopamine hyperactivity. Thus, targeting this group of receptors may present a nondopaminergic therapeutic strategy for treatment of psychiatric disorders.
Abstract 711: VEGF121/rGel inhibits prostate cancer-induced osteoblastogenesis by targeting osteoblasts and tumor neovasculature

Prostate cancer metastasis to bone usually produces bone-forming lesions although an osteolytic component is present in most cases. We have previously shown excellent efficacy against prostate cancer growth in bone in an osteolytic model (PC-3) with VEGF 121 /rGel, a chimeric fusion toxin of VEGF 121 and the plant toxin gelonin (rGel) that targets VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2. In the current study, we demonstrate that VEGF 121 /rGel systemic administration is also effective in a model of prostate cancer that displays the bone-forming phenotype when growing in the femurs of immunodeficient mice. Both murine osteoblast precursor (MC3T3) cells and primary mouse osteoblasts (PMOs) were shown to express VEGFR-1 but not VEGFR-2. VEGFR-1 mRNA expression was shown to down-regulate during osteoblast (MC3T3) differentiation. In vitro, treatment with VEGF 121 /rGel showed cytotoxicity against osteoblast precursor cells (IC 50 = 15 nM) that was substantially reduced (IC 50 > 1000 nM) after MC3T3 had been allowed to undergo differentiation. This suggests that the effect of VEGF 121 /rGel is specifically mediated by VEGFR-1. Furthermore, immunofluorescence microscopy showed that internalization of VEGF 121 /rGel into PMOs is VEGF 121 -receptor driven. In an ex vivo model of osteoblastic disease, 100 nM VEGF 121 /rGel significantly inhibited prostate cancer-mediated new bone formation in neonatal mouse calvaria. In vivo, systemic (iv, tail vein) administration of VEGF 121 /rGel significantly inhibited growth of the osteoblastic prostate cancer cell line MDA PCa 118b growing intrafemorally. Only 25% of VEGF 121 /rGel-treated mice showed the development of osteoblastic lesions compared to 90% of saline-treated mice. Micro-CT (µCT) analysis of isolated femurs demonstrated that intrafemoral growth of MDA PCa118b tumors caused a dramatic increase in bone volume and that treatment with VEGF 121 /rGel restored the bone volume fraction to normalized levels with no changes to the uninvolved contralateral femurs. HE 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 711.
What evidence, whose evidence?: Physical therapy in New York State's clinical practice guideline and in the lives of mothers of disabled children.

Abstract To provide recommendations based on the best scientific evidence available about “best practices,” the New York State Department of Health Early Intervention Program sponsored the development of an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for assessment and intervention for young children with motor disabilities. The author served on the multidisciplinary consensus panel convened to develop the guideline, holding a position as a parent of a child with motor disabilities, and in addition utilizing data from her qualitative anthropological research on mothers of young children newly diagnosed with disabilities. This article describes the state panel's process for developing the guideline, focusing on recommendations about physical therapy interventions for cerebral palsy. Although evidence-based practice privileges randomized clinical trials, few studies of physical therapy techniques for young children with motor disabilities meet such criteria for evidence. The panel's recommendations, in the absence of such scientific evidence, are analyzed in comparison with competing theories of motor development in physical therapy research and practice, and with interpretations of physical therapy held by mothers of young children with disabilities who were interviewed in the study. The article explores questions of what constitutes evidence in three arenas: (1) clinical practice guidelines, (2) physical therapy research, and (3) the lives of families of young children with motor disabilities. It has broader implications for understanding how information, variously derived, is transformed into evidence. While to some extent authority and power affect the range of knowledge that can be transformed into evidence, the more significant constraints may be the rules of evidence we value and the particular paradigm of our science.
Distribution of constitutive (HO-2) and heat-inducible (HO-1) heme oxygenase isozymes in rat testes: HO-2 displays stage-specific expression in germ cells.

The heme oxygenase isozymes, HO-1 and HO-2, oxidatively cleave the heme molecule to produce antioxidants, the bile pigments, the gaseous cellular messenger, CO, and iron, a regulator of transferrin, ferritin, and nitric oxide synthase gene expression. HO-1 (hsp32) is a stress-inducible enzyme, whereas HO-2 is constitutively expressed at high levels in the testes and brain. In the present study, using immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization techniques, we report for the first time the cellular distribution of HO-1 and HO-2 in the testes of normal and heat-shocked rats and define a cell-specific expression of the isozymes and a stage-specific expression of HO-2 in the organ. In normal tissue, HO-1 was present at low levels in the Sertoli cells and could not be detected in germ or Leydig cells. HO-2, on the other hand, was most prominently expressed in residual bodies and was not detected in spermatogonia. Modest levels of HO-2 were observed in spermatocytes, spermatids, and select Leydig cells. In con...
Determination of neutrino oscillation parameters at a neutrino factory

AbstractWe examine the ability ofa neutrino factory to determine the neutrino oscillation parameters in three-neutrino models that can describe existing solar and atmospheric neutrino data. We determine what valuesofthe experimental parametersE m (stored muon energy), L (oscillation length), N (number ofuseful stored muons),and S (detector size) are required to meet the various physics goals ofsuch a machine.r 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. Allrights reserved. 1. IntroductionThe SuperKamiokande (SuperK) collaboration[1] has found that the deﬁcit of atmospheric muonneutrinos can be described by neutrino oscilla-tions, dominantly n m -n t ; with maximal or near-maximal mixing and a neutrino mass-squareddiﬀerence dm 2atm C3 10 3 eV 2 : Neutrino oscilla-tions can also be used to explain the observeddeﬁcit ofsolarneutrinos[2].Therearefourregionsofoscillation parametersdm 2solar ; sin 2 2y solar thatcan accommodate the present solar data [3], eachwith dm 2solar 5dm 2atm :Long-baseline experiments are expected to con-ﬁrm the n
Prenatal stress is associated with depression-related electroencephalographic sleep changes in adult male rats: a preliminary report.

Abstract 1. 1. Prenatal stress in rats has been shown to produce long-term behavioral, neuroendocrine and neurochemical changes. These changes may model aspects of human depressive illness. 2. 2. In this pilot investigation, adult male offspring exposed to stress in utero and nonstressed controls were studied using 24-hour electroencephalographic sleep recordings. 3. 3. Prenatally stressed animals demonstrated reduced latency to the onset of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, prolongation of the first REM episode, and diminished slowwave sleep. 4. 4. Although preliminary, the observed changes parallel those seen in studies of human depression. These data further support the face validity of the prenatal stress model as a potential tool for future studies on the pathophysiology of depressive disorder.
All-atom molecular dynamics simulations reveal significant differences in interaction between antimycin and conserved amino acid residues in bovine and bacterial bc1 complexes.

Antimycin A is the most frequently used specific and powerful inhibitor of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. We used all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the dynamic aspects of the interaction of antimycin A with the Qi site of the bacterial and bovine bc1 complexes embedded in a membrane. The MD simulations revealed considerable conformational flexibility of antimycin and significant mobility of antimycin, as a whole, inside the Qi pocket. We conclude that many of the differences in antimycin binding observed in high-resolution x-ray structures may have a dynamic origin and result from fluctuations of protein and antimycin between multiple conformational states of similar energy separated by low activation barriers, as well as from the mobility of antimycin within the Qi pocket. The MD simulations also revealed a significant difference in interaction between antimycin and conserved amino acid residues in bovine and bacterial bc1 complexes. The strong hydrogen bond between antimycin and conserved Asp-228 (bovine numeration) was observed to be frequently broken in the bacterial bc1 complex and only rarely in the bovine bc1 complex. In addition, the distances between antimycin and conserved His-201 and Lys-227 were consistently larger in the bacterial bc1 complex. The observed differences could be responsible for a weaker interaction of antimycin with the bacterial bc1 complex.
Determination of sucrose, glucose and fructose in plant tissue by high-performance liquid chromatography

A cation-exchange resin column (Ca2+) and protective precolumns are used to estimate rapidly sucrose, glucose and fructose in extracts of dried plants
Primary CD8+ T cells from elite suppressors effectively eliminate non-productively HIV-1 infected resting and activated CD4+T cells

Elite controllers or suppressors have the remarkable capacity to maintain HIV-1 plasma RNA levels below the limit of detection of clinical assays (<50 copies/mL) without therapy and have a lower frequency of latently infected cells compared to chronic progressors. While it is unclear how this reduced seeding of the reservoir is achieved, it is possible that effective CTL responses play an in important role in limiting the size of the latent reservoir. Herein, we demonstrate that primary CD8+ T cells from HLA-B*57/5801 elite suppressors were able to efficiently eliminate resting and activated primary CD4+ T cells shortly after viral entry and prior to productive infection. CD8+ T cells from elite suppressors were significantly more effective at eliminating these cells than CD8+ T cells from chronic progressors. Nonproductively infected CD4+ T cells may represent a subpopulation of cells that are precursors to latently infected cells; therefore, the effective elimination of these cells may partially explain why elite suppressors have a much lower frequency of latently infected cells compared to chronic progressors. Thus, a vaccine strategy that elicits early and potent CD8+ T cell responses may have the capacity to limit the seeding of the latent reservoir in HIV-1 infection.
Radical neck dissection

Originally developed as a technique of monoblock lymphadenectomy for head and neck malignancies, radical neck dissection has been increasingly modified to minimize morbid dysfunction and disfigurement while preserving diagnostic and therapeutic integrity. Indications for the original radical procedure still exist in certain cases of cervical metastasis and are reviewed here, along with detailed surgical technique for the procedure. Contraindications and complications are also addressed.
How voters' perceptions of junior coalition partners depend on the prime minister's position

Recent studies document that voters infer parties’ left-right policy agreement based on governing coalition arrangements. This article extends this research to present theoretical and empirical evidence that European citizens update their perceptions of junior coalition partners’ left-right policies to reflect the policies of the prime minister’s party, but that citizens do not reciprocally project junior coalition partners’ policies onto the prime minister’s party. These findings illuminate the simple rules that citizens employ to infer parties’ policy positions, broaden understanding of how citizens perceive coalition governance and imply that ‘niche’ parties, whose electoral appeal depends upon maintaining a distinctive policy profile, assume electoral risks when they enter government.
Trust and technology: Work‐life blending at Unisys

Bob Illingworth, HR Director at Unisys, describes how the organization has implemented flexible working as part of its shift from a technology supplier to an IT services company.
Surgical removal of an intracavitary left ventricular myxoma.

PRIMARY intracardiac tumors of theheart are rare. The commonest primarytumor is myxoma, found almost exclusivelyin the atria, 75 or mnore occurring in theleft atrium. Mahaim' reported 200 primarycardiac tumors in 1945, from the world liter-ature up to that time. Strauss and Merliss2reviewed 480,331 autopsies from the LosAngeles County Hospital and were able toreport 8 cases of myxoma occurring in theleft atrium.Myxoma originating in the ventricles ap-pears to be extremely rare. A well-doeu-mented pathologic study of a left ventric-ular myxoma with embolic occlusion of theabdominal aorta and renal arteries was pub-lished by Young and Hunter3 in 1957. Thepatient was a 10-year-old girl diagnosed ashaving rheumatic heart disease because ofher cardiac disability and a rough mitralsystolic murmur transmitted to the axillaand over the precordium. At autopsy
Structure of Br adlayers in the course of electrocatalytic reactions O2 reduction of Pt(111) and Au(100)

Abstract Structures of Br adlayers were determined on the Pt(111) and Au(100) electrodes in the absence and in the presence of O 2 reduction in 0.1 M HClO 4 solutions. On Pt(111), the commensurate (3 × 3) Br adlayer was found between 0.3 and 0.8 V. On Au(100), the c(√2 × 2√2)R 45 and c(√2 × p)R45° phases were found above 0.35 and 0.68 V, respectively, in agreement with previous work in neutral solutions. O 2 reduction is completely inhibited by the c(√2 × 2√2)R45 phase on Au(100). It takes place only at potentials negative of the low potential limit of the existence of the c(√2 × 2√2)R45 phase. On Pt(111), O 2 reduction is also completely blocked by the (3 × 3) Br adlayer up to 0.5 V. At this potential, the ordered phase vanishes and O 2 reduction takes place. Adsorbed disordered Br adions change the mechanism of O 2 reduction on Pt(111) from a 4e- into a 2e-reaction.
Power system and communication network co-simulation for smart grid applications

The vision of a smart grid is predicated upon pervasive use of modern digital communication techniques to today's power system. As wide area measurements and control techniques are being developed and deployed for a more resilient power system, the role of communication network is becoming prominent. Power system dynamics gets influenced by the communication delays in the network. Therefore, extensive integration of power system and its communication infrastructure mandates that the two systems are studied as a single distributed cyber-physical system. This paper proposes a power/network co-simulation framework which integrates power system dynamic simulator and network simulator together using an accurate synchronization mechanism. The accuracy is tunable based on the time-scale requirements of the phenomena being studied. This co-simulation can improve the practical investigation of smart grid and evaluate wide area measurement and control schemes. As a case study an agent-based remote backup relay system is simulated and validated on this co-simulation framework.
Patterns of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia associated with clinically aggressive prostate cancer.

High-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) is the only widely accepted precursor lesion for prostatic adenocarcinoma (PCa). However, the spread of established PCa within prostatic ducts may be indistinguishable morphologically from high-grade PIN. By convention, all cytologically malignant cellular proliferations within prostatic ducts have been lumped into a PIN category, although there have been recent attempts by McNeal to develop reproducible criteria to separate high-grade PIN from the spread of established PCa within prostatic ducts-intraductal carcinoma (IDCa). Using McNeal's criteria for IDCa, we studied whole-mount sections from 252 patients with pT3NO PCa for the presence of IDCa and correlated the presence or absence of IDCa with Gleason score, total tumor volume, surgical margin status, seminal vesicle involvement, and disease progression. Patients with IDCa had higher Gleason score and total tumor volume and were more likely to show seminal vesicle involvement and disease progression than those patients without IDCa. In addition, IDCa was of independent prognostic significance. Total tumor volume and surgical margin status had no independent prognostic significance in this data set.