cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationships between estrogen receptor and estradiol-stimulated progesterone synthesis in the rabbit corpus luteum.

The effects of estradiol on luteal estrogen receptor and steroidogenesis were examined on Days 9 through 11 of pseudopregnancy. In normal pseudopregnant rabbits, unoccupied cytoplasmic and total nuclear estrogen receptor were 2.6 +/- 0.4 fmol/microgram DNA and 0.4 +/- 0.1 fmol/microgram DNA, respectively, on Day 10 of pseudopregnancy. An i.v. injection of 4 micrograms of estradiol caused the translocation of cytoplasmic receptor and a 6.6-fold increment in total nuclear receptor within 15 min, which was followed by rapid processing of the nuclear receptor. Both cytoplasmic and nuclear estrogen receptor returned to normal values within 24 h, and during this period, serum progesterone did not change significantly. Withdrawal of an estradiol implant from animals on Day 9 of pseudopregnancy initiated a marked decline in serum progesterone within 24 h. Following an injection of saline or of 4 micrograms estradiol on Day 10, unoccupied cytoplasmic estrogen receptor in saline- and estradiol-injected rabbits was 1.0 +/- 0.1 fmol/microgram DNA and 1.9 +/- 0.1 fmol/microgram DNA, respectively, on Day 11 of pseudopregnancy. Associated with the increase in cytoplasmic receptor there was an increase in serum progesterone (8.2 +/- 1.5 ng/ml), in contrast to saline-injected animals in which serum progesterone continued to decline (1.6 +/- 0.4 ng/ml). Despite the significant differences in cytoplasmic receptor and in progesterone synthesis, total nuclear estrogen receptor was not different in these animals. These data suggest that in corpora lutea already secreting progesterone at high rates during midpseudopregnancy, the rapid translocation of available estrogen receptor does not cause further stimulation of progesterone synthesis. However, if steroidogenesis is first reduced experimentally, then an injection of 4 micrograms of estradiol can readily stimulate progesterone synthesis, and this stimulation is associated with an increase in cytoplasmic receptor.
Evidence-based nursing: What it is and what it isn't

The term “evidence-based practice” seems to be the up-andcoming buzzword for the decade. Conferences are being presented, books are being written, and arguments are being waged. For those of us who consider “evidence-based practice” just another term for research usage, we question the need for all the fuss and fury. Nonetheless, nursing’s growing interest in the term suggests that a careful exploration of its relevance to nursing is warranted. During the past several years, several schools of nursing have incorporated the terms “evidence-based nursing” (EBN) or “evidence-based practice” into their mission and philosophy statements. Some schools have revised the names of their research centers to reflect their increased focus on the outcomes of research. Most schools would argue that they have always considered research usage an integral part of their thinking about the research process but believe that the inclusion of the term “evidence-based practice” in the title puts the focus right up front where others can see it. One of my colleagues has gone so far as to suggest that the term EBN be used when discussing nursing research with non-nurses who are unfamiliar with what nursing research is all about. She suggests that the link with the current focus in medicine will help eliminate some of the ignorance evident in the past. However, replacing one term for the other is clearly a mistake. Both EBN and nursing research are scholarly processes, but they focus on entirely different phases of knowledge development—application versus discovery. Much of the concern about nursing’s widespread acceptance and adoption of the principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM) (from which evidence-based practice and EBN are derived) stem from the focus of EBM on positivist thinking and the absolute dominance of randomized clinical trials. 1-3 In most discussions of EBM/EBP published in the literature, randomized trials are described as the only studies worth considering. In the few cases in which other designs are discussed, randomized trials are always identified as the most important and most appropriate for use in clinical practice. Other types of quantitative designs are described as lesser, and readers are encouraged to treat them as such. In the discussions about EBM, no mention is made of the use of research garnered through qualitative means. 4-6 This absence is what worries nurse scholars the most. Other nurse scholars decry the exclusion of comment about the use of theory to guide decision making and practice. 7,8 They are concerned about the failure of EBP proponents to consider the importance of a theoretical foundation in the discussions of evidence-derived decision making. They note the absence of discussions about theory in both the interpretation phase and the application phase of the EBP process. For these nurses, the current concept of EBP is deficient in some of the critical dimensions that guide clinical practice.
Phase equilibria in water containing binary systems from molecular based equations of state

Abstract This paper presents a study of phase equilibria for water + carbon dioxide, water + nitrogen and water + n -alkane binary mixtures using the CPA, SAFT and PC-SAFT molecular-based equations of state together with a simple monoparametric mixing rule. These systems have Type III phase behaviour according to the Van Konynenburg classification, with the critical line having a temperature minimum and extending to temperatures above the water critical temperature, with gas–gas immiscibility of the second kind at high pressures. We consider different association models for water and their influence upon phase equilibria correlations. These models predict the general shape of the global phase diagrams of these mixtures qualitatively using a single binary interaction parameter for the whole temperature range. However, the simultaneous prediction in a quantitative way of critical loci, three-phase equilibria and equilibrium compositions is only possible with the PC-SAFT model. We consider transferable binary interaction parameters for n -alkane containing series.
SIV Vpx Is Essential for Macrophage Infection but Not for Development of AIDS

Analysis of rhesus macaques infected with a vpx deletion mutant virus of simian immunodeficiency virus mac239 (SIVΔvpx) demonstrates that Vpx is essential for efficient monocyte/macrophage infection in vivo but is not necessary for development of AIDS. To compare myeloid-lineage cell infection in monkeys infected with SIVΔvpx compared to SIVmac239, we analyzed lymphoid and gastrointestinal tissues from SIVΔvpx-infected rhesus (n = 5), SIVmac239-infected rhesus with SIV encephalitis (7 SIV239E), those without encephalitis (4 SIV239noE), and other SIV mutant viruses with low viral loads (4 SIVΔnef, 2 SIVΔ3). SIV+ macrophages and the percentage of total SIV+ cells that were macrophages in spleen and lymph nodes were significantly lower in rhesus infected with SIVΔvpx (2.2%) compared to those infected with SIV239E (22.7%), SIV239noE (8.2%), and SIV mutant viruses (10.1%). In colon, SIVΔvpx monkeys had fewer SIV+ cells, no SIV+ macrophages, and lower percentage of SIV+ cells that were macrophages than the other 3 groups. Only 2 SIVΔvpx monkeys exhibited detectable virus in the colon. We demonstrate that Vpx is essential for efficient macrophage infection in vivo and that simian AIDS and death can occur in the absence of detectable macrophage infection.
Measurement of tissue blood flow using intravascular relaxation agents and resonance imaging

Simple concepts of indicator-dilution techniques are described, and the theoretical basis of measuring regional blood flow via transit time measurements of a blood pool marker is discussed. Using very fast imaging of the effects of an appropriate and efficient relaxation agent, the concentration-time curve of the agent can be quantified. Preliminary measurements of the transit of superparamagnetic iron oxide through a rat brain at 2.0 T have been obtained. There are problems, however, in relating the NMR signal change to the tissue concentration of an intra vascular relaxation agent when there is not fast exchange of the tissue water with the water in the vasculature, or when the precise efficacy of the agent varies with the geometrical arrangement of the capillaries. Studies of the effects of superparamagnetic iron oxide particles in different media confirm that the in vivo efficacy varies among different tissues, which complicates their use as blood flow markers. © 1990 Academic Press, Inc.
Sulphurous and tormenting flames : understanding the ghost in Hamlet : essay

Shakespeare scholars have analysed and debated the character of the Ghost in Hamlet endlessly. The tendency is to classify the Ghost in a single religious context - that is, to posit "The Ghost is Catholic" or, less often, "The Ghost is Protestant." However, exploring the actual lines of Hamlet presents religious ambiguity surrounding the Ghost, which we must take care to note. Instead of staunchly attempting to make the lines fit one religious denomination, a better way to understand the Ghost is through the lens of Lewes Lavater's Of Ghosts and Spirits Walking By Night (1572): a generally accepted source text for Hamlet. By accepting Lavater's text as an antecedent to Shakespeare's Hamlet, we can understand the character more as a strong derivation from source material, and less as specifically exemplifying one denomination or the other. The purpose of this essay is to argue the importance of Lavater's text to our understanding of the Ghost (most facets of the character - appearance, actions, lines - can be attributed to Lavater's text in one way or another) and to demonstrate, through Lavater, that the true religious status of the Ghost cannot be determined. I will expand on and, to some extent, challenge the argument originally put forward by Stephen Greenblatt in Hamlet in Purgatory. Understanding the Ghost through the lens of Lavater's text allows a complete and more satisfying understanding of Hamlet.
Identifying the cause of ischemic heart disease/myocardial infarction syndrome: A new approach

Abstract Risk factor identification in the coronary heart disease/myocardial infarction syndrome has failed to account for the epidemic pattern of increase in this century with recent decline. It is hypothesized that the true cause remains unidentified and that innovative application of traditional epidemiologic techniques, to correlate the identifiable peaks in different regions with possible agents, may prove successful.
Markedly high prevalence of coronary risk factors in apparently healthy african-american and white siblings of persons with premature coronary heart disease ☆

Among persons with a family history of premature coronary heart disease (CHD), siblings bear an excess risk of CHD that is as high as 12 times that of the general population. Aggressive, new, national guidelines for CHD risk reduction have focused on high-risk families, yet little is known about actual remediable risk factors in siblings of persons with premature CHD. To determine the magnitude of the problem relative to the general population, we screened 846 unaffected siblings (ages 30 to 59 years) of persons with documented CHD before age 60 years and compared their risk factor values with population reference norms obtained in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Mean levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were 0.52 mmol/L (20 mg/dl) higher in siblings; the prevalence of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol > or =4.14 mmol/L (160 mg/dl) was nearly twice that of race, sex, and age-specific values from NHANES III. Levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or =4.52 mmol/L (400 mg/dl). Hypertension prevalence was twice as high among siblings as among the NHANES III. Current smoking was 33.9% in white siblings and 25.5% in the NHIS, whereas smoking in African-Americans was similar to that in the NHIS (31.1% vs 29.2%). A mere 13% to 29% of siblings were without any major remediable risk factors. The overwhelming need for risk factor modification in this easily identifiable high-risk population supports aggressive national guidelines and demonstrates the lack of adequate treatment of apparently healthy siblings of persons with premature CHD.
Rapid Response Teams: Qualitative Analysis of Their Effectiveness

Background Multidisciplinary rapid response teams focus on patients' emergent needs and manage critical situations to prevent avoidable deaths. Although research has focused primarily on outcomes, studies of the actual team effectiveness within the teams from multiple perspectives have been limited. Objective To describe effectiveness of rapid response teams in a large teaching hospital in California that had been using such teams for 5 years. Methods The grounded-theory method was used to discover if substantive theory might emerge from interview and/or observational data. Purposeful sampling was used to conduct in-person semistructured interviews with 17 key informants. Convenience sampling was used for the 9 observed events that involved a rapid response team. Analysis involved use of a concept or indicator model to generate empirical results from the data. Data were coded, compared, and contrasted, and, when appropriate, relationships between concepts were formed. Results Dimensions of effective team performance included the concepts of organizational culture, team structure, expertise, communication, and teamwork. Conclusions Professionals involved reported that rapid response teams functioned well in managing patients at risk or in crisis; however, unique challenges were identified. Teams were loosely coupled because of the inconsistency of team members from day to day. Team members had little opportunity to develop relationships or team skills. The need for team training may be greater than that among teams that work together regularly under less time pressure to perform. Communication between team members and managing a crisis were critical aspects of an effective response team.
Relationship between redox activity and chemical speciation of size-fractionated particulate matter

Although the mechanisms of airborne particulate matter (PM) related health effects remain incompletely understood, one emerging hypothesis is that these adverse effects derive from oxidative stress, initiated by the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within affected cells. Typically, ROS are formed in cells through the reduction of oxygen by biological reducing agents, with the catalytic assistance of electron transfer enzymes and redox active chemical species such as redox active organic chemicals and metals. The purpose of this study was to relate the electron transfer ability, or redox activity, of the PM samples to their content in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and various inorganic species. The redox activity of the samples has been shown to correlate with the induction of the stress protein, hemeoxygenase-1. Size-fractionated (i.e. < 0.15; < 2.5 and 2.5 – 10 μm in diameter) ambient PM samples were collected from four different locations in the period from June 2003 to July 2005, and were chemically analyzed for elemental and organic carbon, ions, elements and trace metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The redox activity of the samples was evaluated by means of the dithiothreitol activity assay and was related to their chemical speciation by means of correlation analysis. Our analysis indicated a higher redox activity on a per PM mass basis for ultrafine (< 0.15 μm) particles compared to those of larger sizes. The PM redox activity was highly correlated with the organic carbon (OC) content of PM as well as the mass fractions of species such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and selected metals. The results of this work demonstrate the utility of the dithiothreitol assay for quantitatively assessing the redox potential of airborne particulate matter from a wide range of sources. Studies to characterize the redox activity of PM from various sources throughout the Los Angeles basin are currently underway.
Synthesis and release of catecholamines by the cat carotid body in vitro: effects of hypoxic stimulation.

Abstract The role of catecholamines (CAs) in cat carotid body chemoreception has been controversial. On the basis of pharmacological experiments, it would appear that endogenous dopamine (DA) may act either as an inhibitory or excitatory transmitter. Neurochemical studies on the effects of natural stimulation on the release of carotid body CAs in the cat have also been inconclusive. In the present study, we have characterized the synthesis and release of CAs in the in vitro cat carotic body preparation in response to different levels of hypoxic stimulation and have correlated these measures with the chemosensory activity of the carotid sinus nerve. The synthesis of [ 3 H]DA and [ 3 H]norepinephrine was linear for at least 4 h in carotid bodies incubated with their natural precursor [ 3 H]tyrosine. Synthesis of both [ 3 H]CAs plateaued when the [ 3 H]tyrosine concentration in the media reached 40 μM, which is a concentration similar to that found in cat plasma. Exposure of the animals to an atmosphere of 10% O 2 in N 2 for 3 h prior to removal and incubation of the carotid bodies with [ 3 H]tyrosine resulted in an approximately 100% increase in the rate of [ 3 H]DA synthesis but no change in [ 3 H]norepinephrine synthesis. This selective increase in [ 3 H]DA synthesis was not detected when [ 3 H]dihydroxyphenylalanine was used as precursor. Carotid bodies first incubated with [ 3 H]tyrosine and later superfused with solutions equilibrated with different gas mixtures (0–100% O 2 in N 2 ) exhibited an increase in [ 3 H]DA release and carotid sinus nerve discharge which were inversely related to the oxygen concentration. This relationship was strongest for the weaker stimuli (between 50% and 20% O 2 in N 2 ), where both nerve activity and [ 3 H]DA release increased almost in parallel. With lower oxygen concentrations (10% O 2 and 0% O 2 equilibrated solutions), the increase in the release of [ 3 H]DA was proportionally greater than the increase in carotid sinus nerve discharge. Our results demonstrate that hypoxic stimulation increases both the rate of synthesis and release of DA in the cat carotid body. Although the precise role of DA in this chemoreceptor organ is presently unknown, our findings suggest that this biogenic amine plays a direct role in generating or controlling the electrical activity in the carotid sinus nerve.
Evidence for optically induced heating of the GLAS/ICESAT doubler crystal

Numerical modeling results of optically induced heating of the GLAS doubler explain the performance degradation in output energy of laser-I and II and partially laser-III and are consistent with the on-orbit telemetry.
Charge Transport in Low Stress Si-rich Silicon Nitride Thin Films

Field dependent bulk charge transport in Si-rich, low stress silicon nitride thin films is studied in correlation to the local atomic Si-N bond strain. Across a range of film compositions varying from fully stoichiometric Si3N4 to Si-rich SiN0.54, Poole-Frenkel emission is determined to be the dominant charge transport mechanism with the Poole- Frenkel barrier height found to decrease concomitantly from 1.10 to 0.52 eV. Across the same composition range the local residual Si-N bond strain, as measured by FTIR spectroscopy, is observed to vary from 0.006 to -0.0026. Comparison of the barrier height to the residual strain reveals a direct correlation between the two quantities. It is concluded that reductions in the Poole-Frenkel barrier height are a manifestation of compositionally induced strain relief at the molecular level. Reductions in the barrier height result in increased Poole-Frenkel emission detrapping rates and consequently higher leakage currents in Si-rich films.
Sarcocystis neurona Merozoites Express a Family of Immunogenic Surface Antigens That Are Orthologues of the Toxoplasma gondii Surface Antigens (SAGs) and SAG-Related Sequences

Sarcocystis neurona is a member of the Apicomplexa that causes myelitis and encephalitis in horses but normally cycles between the opossum and small mammals. Analysis of an S. neurona expressed sequence tag (EST) database revealed four paralogous proteins that exhibit clear homology to the family of surface antigens (SAGs) and SAG-related sequences of Toxoplasma gondii. The primary peptide sequences of the S. neurona proteins are consistent with the two-domain structure that has been described for the T. gondii SAGs, and each was predicted to have an amino-terminal signal peptide and a carboxyl-terminal glycolipid anchor addition site, suggesting surface localization. All four proteins were confirmed to be membrane associated and displayed on the surface of S. neurona merozoites. Due to their surface localization and homology to T. gondii surface antigens, these S. neurona proteins were designated SnSAG1, SnSAG2, SnSAG3, and SnSAG4. Consistent with their homology, the SnSAGs elicited a robust immune response in infected and immunized animals, and their conserved structure further suggests that the SnSAGs similarly serve as adhesins for attachment to host cells. Whether the S. neurona SAG family is as extensive as the T. gondii SAG family remains unresolved, but it is probable that additional SnSAGs will be revealed as more S. neurona ESTs are generated. The existence of an SnSAG family in S. neurona indicates that expression of multiple related surface antigens is not unique to the ubiquitous organism T. gondii. Instead, the SAG gene family is a common trait that presumably has an essential, conserved function(s).
Nitric oxide : Lifesaving measure for pulmonary vasospasm after modified Blalock-Taussig shunt

Pulmonary vasospasm and hypertension may occur after repair or palliation of congenital cardiac defects, and can be fatal in spite of conventional treatment. Nitric oxide has been shown to improve pulmonary hypertension unresponsive to conventional measures after a variety of repairs, but use has infrequently been reported after palliative systemic to pulmonary artery shunts. We report a case of pulmonary hypertension and life threatening desaturation after a modified Blalock-Taussig shunt that responded rapidly to inhaled nitric oxide. Clinical use, further study, and prospective analysis of prophylactic use of nitric oxide appear warranted.
Physical Theories of Biological Co-Ordination

Biological organization is manifestly different from the order of the nonliving world, and the study of biology is largely a search for the nature of this difference. The perspective and style with which we see this difference has changed in many respects as our knowledge of living systems has grown. Today, following the molecular biological revolution, we commonly find the opinion that there is no real problem left. This attitude was recently expressed by Delbruck (1970) in his Nobel Lecture: “Molecular genetics, our latest wonder, has taught us to spell out the connectivity of the tree of life in such palpable detail that we may say in plain words, ‘This riddle of life has been solved’.” Many prominent molecular biologists have expressed similar views (Watson, 1965; Crick, 1966; Kendrew, 1967; Stent, 1968).
The hemodynamic effects of isotonic exercise using hand-held weights in patients with heart failure

Abstract Background: Controversy surrounds the use of resistance exercise in patients with heart failure because of concerns that increases in rate-pressure product and systemic vascular resistance might lead to increased afterload and decreased cardiac output. Methods Following pharmacologic left ventricular unloading therapy using a pulmonary artery catheter, 34 patients with advanced heart failure performed isotonic weightlifting exercise at 50%, 65%, and 80% of the calculated one repetition maximum. Measurements were made of hemodynamics, ST segment, rate-pressure product, serum norepinephrine, rating of perceived exertion, and dysrhythmias following each exercise set. Results Repeated analysis of variance showed significant increases in systolic blood pressure (p = 0.0005), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.01), rate-pressure product (p = 0.005); serum norepinephrine (p = 0.004), and rating of perceived exertion (p = 0.0005). However, systemic vascular resistance and cardiac output did not change significantly (p > 0.05). Pulmonary capillary wedge pressures, the incidence of dysrhythmias, and ST segments did not significantly differ from baseline. No patients experienced angina or dyspnea during the study. Conclusions Isotonic exercise using hand-held weights was well tolerated hemodynamically and clinically, and no patients experienced adverse outcomes during exercise.
Applications of Operant Conditioning of the EEG for the Management of Epileptic Seizures

Operant conditioning of physiological activity, better known as biofeedback, has been employed for nearly two decades both experimentally and clinically for studies of behavioral self-control of physiology. Applications have covered a large number of disorders involving the neuromuscular system, the vascular system, endocrine regulation, and regulation of the central nervous system (Olton & Noonberg, 1980). Disorders treated range from muscle contraction and vascular headaches to functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, pain syndromes, and many neurological syndromes, including movement disorders, pain of neurological origin, and neuromuscular rehabilitation following injury to the central or peripheral nervous system. Psychological and psychiatric disorders such as general anxiety syndrome, certain types of insomnias, and generalized stress management have come under the domain of biofeedback conditioning procedures.
ROBUSTNESS VERSUS REDUNDANCY IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

Genetic networks offer a wealth of data; this is mainly due to the genomic dimensionality rather than the samples, as the latter usually come from measurements obtained under a few experimental conditions or time points. It is therefore a challenging task to design suitable statistical models and to develop effective reverse engineering algorithms. The signature of noise is pervasive in genetic networks. For instance, in perturbation experiments only a few genes change expression value, while most genes are either noisy or constant. Consequently, a genetic regulatory network is a redundant system, due to the high-dimensionality and the dependence between genes, and also a sparse system through the gene-gene interaction matrix only partially active. In order to explore these two aspects, redundancy and sparsity, independent component analysis (ICA) is proposed as a flexible approximation model targeted to dimensionality reduction and gene feature selection.
Public Approval ofU.S. State Legislatures

The determinants of public approval for state legislatures have not received much attention, but one important finding is that more professionalized legislatures experience lower levels of public support. We argue that this result is an artifact of limited data and problematic model specifications. Analyzing a large national survey sample, we demonstrate that the negative relationship holds primarily for conservatives and to a lesser extent for moderates but not liberals. Additionally, we find that legislative approval in states with term limits and ballot initiatives is no different than in states without these institutions.
Regulation of Expression of the Paralogous Mlp Family in Borrelia burgdorferi

The Mlp (multicopy lipoproteins) family is one of many paralogous protein families in Borrelia burgdorferi. To examine the extent to which the 10 members of the Mlp family in B. burgdorferi strain 297 might be differentially regulated, antibodies specific for each of the Mlps were developed and used to analyze the protein expression profiles of individual Mlps when B. burgdorferi replicated under various cultivation conditions. All of the Mlps were upregulated coordinately when B. burgdorferi was cultivated at either elevated temperature, reduced culture pH, or increased spirochete cell density. Inasmuch as the expression of OspC is influenced by a novel RpoN-RpoS regulatory pathway, similar induction patterns for OspC and the Mlp paralogs prompted an assessment of whether the RpoN-RpoS pathway also was involved in Mlp expression. In contrast to wild-type B. burgdorferi, both RpoN- and RpoS-deficient mutants were unable to upregulate OspC or the Mlp paralogs when grown at lower pH (6.8), indicating that pH-mediated regulation of OspC and Mlp paralogs is dependent on the RpoN-RpoS pathway. However, when RpoN- or RpoS-deficient mutants were shifted from 23°C to 37°C or were cultivated to higher spirochete densities, some induction of the Mlps still occurred, whereas OspC expression was abolished. The combined findings suggest that the Mlp paralogs are coordinately regulated as a family and have an expression profile similar, but not identical, to that of OspC. Although Mlp expression as a family is influenced by the RpoN-RpoS regulatory pathway, there exists at least one additional layer of gene regulation, yet to be elucidated, contributing to Mlp expression in B. burgdorferi.
A Critical Survey of Neoplasms of the Choroid

Reviewing recent work on the origin of melanin it is concluded that the chromatophores of the choroid and skin cannot produce pigment but are only phagocytic cells that ingest the melanin. A case is reported of buphthalmos for which the eye was removed, and studied microscopically. From the study of this specimen and accounts of others it is concluded that the choroid in this and similar cases shows the structure described in neurofibromatosis, the lesion being developmental and not malignant. This work was done at the Mayo Foundation and the report of it submitted as part of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Ophthalmology in the University of Minnesota.
Poverty and Polygyny as Political Protest: The Waldensians and Mormons.

This paper examines Waldensianism and Mormonism, two very different religious movements, separated by time, space, cultural, and economic conditions. The sources are a mixture of secondary and published primary sources, including church documents both in translation and the original language, and personal writings, such as diaries and letters. The treatment of these sources is not unusual, rather the contribution of this paper is a synthetic theoretical analysis of these movements in terms of the practical consequences of action. Both movements were coherent attempts to address contemporary social issues; neither was principally illogical nor irrational, nor comprised primarily of socially disconnected individuals. These movements were neither apolitical nor solely comprised of pure political action. Instead, both became political protest movements, in addition to being religious movements, because the symbolic content of the movement was interwoven with contemporary politics: the movements’ ideological critiques implicated the larger political structure which attempted to prevent ideological change. These religious struggles were processes, becoming political movements because ideological change implied political action.
Agent-based simulation of nosocomial transmission in the medical intensive care unit

Patients receiving care in medical intensive care units (MICU) are at high risk for colonization or infection by pathogenic organisms acquired during their treatment. Hand washing compliance by health care providers is a major determinate of the rate of organism transmission in this setting. We created a computer simulation of the MICU at our affiliated public hospital using the C++ computer language and the Swarm simulation library. The simulation models the colonization of patients with a pathogenic organism and evaluates the effects of infection control techniques. The simulation accurately models the behavior and interaction of nurses and patients in the MICU. Using this application, we altered the hand washing behavior of the virtual nurses to evaluate R/sub 0/ (an epidemiologic measure of pathogen transmission). Our simulation indicates that a hand washing rate of > 60% results in an R/sub 0/ of less than 1. Given the assumptions of the model, this implies when a colonized patient is introduced into the MICU, if hand washing is maintained at a frequency greater than 60%, spread of the pathogen to other patients would extinguish over time and the organism would not become endemic in the MICU.
An apolipoprotein E synthetic peptide selectively modulates the transcription of the gene for rat ovarian theca and interstitial cell P450 17α-hydroxylase, C17–20 lyase

Ovarian theca/interstitial cells produce androgens in response to luteinizing hormone (LH) stimulation and apolipoprotein (apo) E exerts a selective effect on the type of steroid product made by these cells. We have identified an apoE synthetic peptide containing the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor binding domain, acetyl-Y(LRK LRKRLLRDADDL)2C, that mimics the activity of native apoE. Depending on the concentration, the apoE synthetic peptide either enhanced or inhibited the LH-stimulated production of androstenedione with concomitant changes in the mRNA for its synthetic enzyme, P450 17α-hydroxylase, C17–20 lyase, without any changes in progesterone production or the mRNA for its synthetic enzyme, P450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage. The apoE synthetic peptide caused changes in the rate of transcription of the mRNA for P450 17α-hydroxylase, C17–20 lyase without altering its stability. Pretreatment of the theca/interstitial cells with receptor-associated protein, which blocks apoE binding to members of the LDL receptor superfamily, prevented the apoE synthetic peptide-mediated stimulation of androstenedione and mRNA for P450 17α-hydroxylase, C17–20 lyase, but did not attenuate the inhibitory activity of the peptide. Thus, apolipoprotein E selectively altered the type of steroid made by ovarian theca/interstitial cells by regulating the transcription of mRNA for the gene for P450 17α-hydroxylase, C17–20 lyase, in part through its interaction with apolipoprotein E-specific receptors of the LDL receptor superfamily. —Zhang, G., L. K. Curtiss, R. L. Wade, and C. A. Dyer. An apolipoprotein E synthetic peptide selectively modulates the transcription of the gene for rat ovarian theca and interstitial cell P450 17α-hydroxylase, C17–20 lyase. J. Lipid Res. 1998. 39: 2406–2414.
New Orleans and the Wisdom of Lived Space

This essay contrasts the failures of technocratic planners with the wisdom of citizens embedded in lived space, and it argues that the successful reconstruction of New Orleans depends on mobilizing the knowledge of local residents. For this reason, a more democratic process should replace current efforts to plan the future in the absence of the city’s poor.
Evaluating stream buffers as a secondary cache replacement

Today's commodity microprocessors require a low latency memory system to achieve high sustained performance. The conventional high-performance memory system provides fast data access via a large secondary cache. But large secondary caches can be expensive, particularly in large-scale parallel systems with many processors (and thus many caches).We evaluate a memory system design that can be both cost-effective as well as provide better performance, particularly for scientific workloads: a single level of (on-chip) cache backed up only by Jouppi's stream buffers [10] and a main memory. This memory system requires very little hardware compared to a large secondary cache and doesn't require modifications to commodity processors. We use trace-driven simulation of fifteen scientific applications from the NAS and PERFECT suites in our evaluation. We present two techniques to enhance the effectiveness of Jouppi's original stream buffers: filtering schemes to reduce their memory bandwidth requirement and a scheme that enables stream buffers to prefetch data being accessed in large strides. Our results show that, for the majority of our benchmarks, stream buffers can attain hit rates that are comparable to typical hit rates of secondary caches. Also, we find that as the data-set size of the scientific workload increases the performance of streams typically improves relative to secondary cache performance, showing that streams are more scalable to large data-set sizes.
Payor mix of trauma patients at a rural-metropolitan regional trauma center: A three-year experience

The development of a statewide trauma system will depend on designation of community hospitals as trauma centers. The financial impact of such designation will be a prime concern. The payor mix of trauma patients will be one of the deciding factors as to whether hospitals will agree to accept designation. A three-year review of payor class on discharge for 2,605 trauma and 55,041 nontrauma admissions to a nonuniversity teaching hospital is presented. Sixty-four percent of all trauma admissions had third-party payor insurance coverage, compared with 72% of all nontrauma admissions ( P
Crystallographic analysis reveals a novel second binding site for trimethoprim in active site double mutants of human dihydrofolate reductase.

Abstract In order to produce a more potent replacement for trimethoprim (TMP) used as a therapy for Pneumocystis pneumonia and targets dihydrofolate reductase from Pneumocystis jirovecii (pjDHFR), it is necessary to understand the determinants of potency and selectivity against DHFR from the mammalian host and fungal pathogen cells. To this end, active site residues in human (h) DHFR were replaced with those from pjDHFR. Structural data are reported for two complexes of TMP with the double mutants Gln35Ser/Asn64Phe (Q35S/N64F) and Gln35Lys/Asn64Phe (Q35K/N64F) of hDHFR that unexpectedly show evidence for the binding of two molecules of TMP: one molecule that binds in the normal folate binding site and the second molecule that binds in a novel subpocket site such that the mutated residue Phe64 is involved in van der Waals contacts to the trimethoxyphenyl ring of the second TMP molecule. Kinetic data for the binding of TMP to hDHFR and pjDHFR reveal an 84-fold selectivity of TMP against pjDHFR (Ki 49 nM) compared to hDHFR (Ki 4093 nM). Two mutants that contain one substitution from pj- and one from the closely related Pneumocystis carinii DHFR (pcDHFR) (Q35K/N64F and Q35S/N64F) show Ki values of 593 and 617 nM, respectively; these Ki values are well above both the Ki for pjDHFR and are similar to pcDHFR (Q35K/N64F and Q35S/N64F) (305 nM). These results suggest that active site residues 35 and 64 play key roles in determining selectivity for pneumocystis DHFR, but that other residues contribute to the unique binding of inhibitors to these enzymes.
An improved flocculator design for use in particle aggregation experiments

Experimental studies of aggregate formation usually require knowledge of the rate of fluid shear. A type of Couette device which consists of a fixed inner and a rotating outer cylinder provides an easily quantifiable two-dimensional laminar flow in the annular space between the cylinders. Early designs of such devices had several drawbacks, however, including the sedimentation of particles in vertically oriented devices and difficulties in the ease and repeatability of sampling in horizontal units. The new horizontal design presented here addresses these problems through the use of a movable endcap and sampling port. This device has been shown experimentally to minimize the effects of sedimentation and also to allow multiple samples to be taken without the inconveniences associated with previous horizontal units. Use of the device is illustrated by repeated measurements, over a period of 34 d, of the coagulation efficiency (a) of the diatom Skeletonema costatum.
Tissue microscopy using optical generation and detection of ultrasound

Optical detection of ultrasound provides a unique and appealing way of forming detector arrays (1D or 2D). Etalon based optical techniques are of particular interest, due to their relatively high sensitivity resulting from multiple optical reflections within the resonance structure. Detector arrays formed by etalon based techniques are characterized by high element density and small element active area, which enables high resolution imaging at high ultrasonic frequencies (typically 10-50 MHz). Laser generated ultrasound using the photoacoustic effect has been demonstrated in recent years as a powerful imaging modality for medical and biological applications. A short laser pulse illuminates a tissue creating rapid thermal expansion and acoustic emission. Detection of the resulting acoustic field by a detector array enables the imaging of the tissue optical absorption using ultrasonic imaging methods. One of the most appealing features of photoacoustic imaging is that it provides access to tissue composition at the molecular level using multiple wavelength illumination. elements are easily accomplished by optical focusing. These techniques are typically characterized by a flat bandwidth. Laser generation of ultrasound was studied and demonstrated for several decades but gained renewed interest since the late nineties for applications in medical imaging (7-10). The method is based on illuminating tissue with a short laser pulse. The optical pulse is absorbed by the tissue causing it to heat rapidly. The temperature rise is followed by thermal expansion producing acoustic emission. Detection of the resulting acoustic field allows reconstructing the initial distribution of heat deposition and therefore the distribution of optical absorption in the tissue. The most appealing feature of this method is that image contrast is based on the optical properties of tissue. This makes it possible for ultrasonic imaging to probe tissue composition at the molecular level and facilitates the interaction with optical based contrast agents for functional imaging (11, 12).
GENERALIZED RENORMALIZABLE GAUGE FORMULATION OF SPONTANEOUSLY BROKEN GAUGE THEORIES.

The spontaneously broken gauge theory is formulated in the generalized renormalizable gauge (${R}_{\ensuremath{\xi}}$ gauge). A parameter $\ensuremath{\xi}$ can be adjusted to include existing gauges, $U$ gauge, $R$ gauge, and 't Hooft-Feynman gauge as special cases. Three applications of the ${R}_{\ensuremath{\xi}}$-gauge formulation are given. First we compute the weak correction to the muon magnetic moment unambiguously in the existing models for leptons. Secondly, we discuss the large-momentum-transfer limit of the Pauli magnetic form factor of the muon. Finally, we discuss the static charge of the neutrino, and show that an appropriate regularization makes it vanish.
Mutiny of an Error: Wittgenstein and Kierkegaard on Suicide

In their philosophical work Ludwig Wittgenstein and Soren Kierkegaard both reflect on suicide as a response to existential despair. While Anti-Climacus, the pseudonymous author of The Sickness unto Death, rejects the contemplation of suicide as an outright barrier to an “awakening” of the self to its own sinful condition, Wittgenstein’s diary notes betray a different attitude towards such thinking; while he largely concurs with Kierkegaard’s characterization of despair, Wittgenstein strikes a less confident pose concerning the possibility of a leap into faith that would all at once overcome any thought of suicide.
CFD as a Design Tool for Fixed-Bed Reactors

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a tool that is becoming more realistic for use in the description of the detailed flow fields within fixed beds of low tube-to-particle diameter ratio (N). The...
Effect of Genetic Variation on HIV Transmission and Progression to AIDS

The identification of genetic factors that regulate HIV-1 infection and AIDS kinetics has clarified our view of viral pathogenesis by illuminating the importance of host-virus interactions at virtually every stage of infection. Genetic studies often point to unexpected roles for host factors, providing insights into immune regulation of HIV-1 replication and possible selective forces that may influence HIV-1 quasispecies evolution. Host genetic factors have been shown to affect susceptibility to infection, the rate of CD4 + T-cell depletion, and the rate of progression to AIDS. Thus, it is important to consider the genetic background of the host when assessing the efficacy of antiretroviral agents and vaccines in clinical trials.
Book Review: Francesca Orsini and Samira Sheikh, eds, After Timur Left: Culture and Circulation in Fifteenth Century North India

Francesca Orsini and Samira Sheikh, eds, After Timur Left: Culture and Circulation in Fifteenth Century North India, Delhi: Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 500.
An analysis of Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 underflight data and the implications for time series investigations

Abstract The newly launched Landsat 8 satellite continues the long and extremely important record of Earth observation from the Landsat program. We analyzed differences between Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 surface reflectances and cirrus cloud characterization to address how substitutable Landsat 8 observations are within this long archive. Comparison of surface reflectance estimates acquired near simultaneously during Landsat 8's underflight orbital placement shows that Landsat 8 surface reflectance is consistently darker in the blue, green, and red bands and brighter in the near infrared than in Landsat 7. Vegetation indices that rely on the visible and near infrared bands should be used with caution as individual biases in index components can be amplified to create large biases in vegetation indices. We also analyzed time series datasets from the Landsat Climate Data Record (CDR) surface reflectance product across four scenes that contained only Landsat 7 data, Landsat 7 data and only Landsat 8 data post-launch, and Landsat 7 data and data from both sensors post-launch to investigate how sensor differences propagate in time series analysis. If left uncorrected or unexplained, the difference in reflectance between Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 creates spurious time trends in visible wavelengths and in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The introduction of Landsat 8 into time series of Landsat 7 data also biases the mean reflectance or vegetation index value as measured by a time series model intercept while increasing the Root Mean Squared Error of such models. We characterized the spectral reflectance of cirrus clouds in the underflight data that were omitted from Landsat 7 cloud masks but were detected in Landsat 8's cloud mask due to the use of the newly added cirrus band. While these cirrus cloud observations missed in Landsat 7's cloud mask are only slightly brighter in the visible bands, a simulation of time series containing Landsat 8 data that does not use the cirrus band shows that omission of cirrus clouds can result in anomalously brighter time series intercepts and positive time trends. Our results indicate that while Landsat 8 has improved on the legacy of previous sensors through increased radiometric resolution, better cloud identification, and better geometric accuracy, difference in reflectance between sensors in the current Landsat CDR product must be corrected or explained within time series analysis to avoid deleterious consequences. Future efforts should identify the contributions of target specific effects versus differences in atmospheric correction methods to better inform approaches to synthesize the two sensors.