cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Concept Analysis: Just Culture

Title: Concept Analysis: Just CultureBackground: Traditionally, healthcareâ€™s culture has held individuals accountable for all errors or mishaps that befall patients under their care. This punitive approach creates the culture of fear among practitioners that withheld information that is needed to identify faulty systems and create safer ones. As an alternative to this traditional system, application of a model which is widely used in aviation industry known as the Just Culture Model seeks to create an environment that encourages individuals to report mistakes so that the precursors to errors can be better understood in order to fix the system issues (ANA, 2010).Â Methods: This concept analysis that utilized the Walker and Avant method aims to (a) observe the basic elements of the concept under study i.e., defining attributes, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents; (b) develop an operational definition that is meaningful across different discipline and participants that can be easily understood and useful across research, policy and practice; and (c) highlight implications for research of the future.Results:Â Defining Attributes: According to this analysis, the occurrence of a just culture environment involves three main features which include (a) encouragement of error disclosure through open communication; (b) a well-established balanced accountability; and (c) a collaborative learning environment. These attributes reinforces the implicit claim of just culture that it is inevitable for practitioners to commit mistakes that even the most experienced individual is capable of making mistakes. It is also implied in just culture that punishment is not an assurance that workers will not be making mistakes and that perfecting a performance is impossible and can never be sustained.Conclusion: Â Â Based on the attributes extracted by this concept analysis, just culture is hereby operationally defined as an environment that reflects a well-established balance accountability supporting collaborative learning that stems from the encouragement of error-disclosure attained through open communication. Having the concept operationally defined and despite the recognized importance of a just culture, not every healthcare institution has adopted this type of approach.Â Keyword: concept analysis, just culture, nursing practice, nursing education
Location of acyl groups of trehalose-containing lipooligosaccharides of mycobacteria.

A variant of a Mycobacterium sp. originating in a patient with Crohn9s disease, but not necessarily implicated in the disease, provided a simple version of a newer class of species-specific surface glycolipids, the trehalose-containing lipooligosaccharides. A combination of high-resolution 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, methylation, ethylation, and absolute configurational analysis established the structure of the oligosaccharide unit as beta-D-Glcp(1----3)-alpha-L-Rhap(1----3)-alpha-D-Glcp(1----1)-alph a-D-Glcp (where Glc is glucose, Rha is rhamnose, and p is pyranosyl), and gas chromatography-electron impact mass spectrometry allowed identification of the fatty acyl esters as primarily 2,4-dimethyltetradecanoate. The relative simplicity of the glycolipid combined with the application of a mild methylation procedure and californium-252 plasma desorption mass spectrometry allowed recognition of three such acyl residues on the 3-, 4-, and 6-hydroxyl positions of the terminal glucosyl residue of the trehalose unit. Thus, the glycolipid is decidedly amphipathic yet is clearly not membranous. This observation leads to speculation about the role of these novel lipooligosaccharides in contributing to the outer segment of the hydrophobic barrier of the cell wall of certain mycobacteria. Images
Customer interchange of tourist attractions: a look at the 'Locals'.

Although a great deal of money and effort is dedicated to attracting the traveling tourist, the value and influence of the local resident market segment should not be underestimated. This paper pre...
Expected performance of the shelf heuristic for 2-dimensional packing

The shelf heuristic is an on-line algorithm to pack oriented rectangles into an open-ended bin of unbounded height. The heuristic uses space effectively by partitioning the bin into 'shelves' into which rectangles of nearly equal heights are packed. We analyze the expected performance of the shelf heuristic when the dimensions of the rectangles are identically and independently distributed according to a uniform distribution on (0, 1]. In addition, we discuss how to choose the shelf sizes to optimize expected performance.
Separation and identification of twelve catechins in tea using liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry.

A method has been developed for the direct microscale determination of 12 catechins in green and black tea infusions. The method is based on liquid chromatography/atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (LC/APCI-MS). Standard catechin mixtures and tea infusions were analyzed by LC/APCI-MS with detection of protonated molecular ions and characteristic fragment ions for each compound. The identities of eight major catechins and caffeine in tea were established based on LC retention times and simultaneously recorded mass spectra. In addition, monitoring of the catechin-specific retro Diels−Alder fragment ion at m/z 139 throughout the chromatogram provided a unique fingerprint for catechin content in the samples that led to the identification of four minor chemically modified catechin derivatives in the infusions. This report is the first to describe the comprehensive determination of all 12 reported catechins in a single analysis. The utility of LC/APCI-MS for providing routine separation ...
Scattering of elastic waves by nonaxisymmetric three‐dimensional dipping layer

Using a boundary method, we investigated the scattering of elastic plane harmonic SH, SV, P, and Rayleigh waves by three-dimensional nonaxisymmetric dipping layers embedded in an elastic half-space. The valley was subjected to incident Rayleigh wave and oblique incident SH, SV, and P waves. The method utilized spherical wave functions to express the unknown scattered field. These functions satisfy the equation of motion and radiation conditions at infinity but they do not satisfy the stress-free boundary conditions at the surface of the half-space. The boundary and continuity conditions are imposed locally in the least-square-sense at several points on the layer interface and on the surface of the half-space. A comparative study was done to examine the validity and limitations of the two-dimensional approximations (antiplane and plane strain models) of three-dimensional models. It is demonstrated that the two-dimensional approximations may be inadequate to represent actual displacement field for three-dimensional irregularities.
Community Pharmacy Use Patterns of Women with HIV and Women At Risk for HIV in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Community pharmacies play a key role in the care of patients when dispensing antiretroviral therapy. The primary objective of this study was to describe patterns of community pharmacy use of women enrolled in the San Francisco site of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). The secondary objective was to determine whether the number of pharmacies a patient uses is associated with specific patient characteristics or virologic outcomes in HIV positive women.The primary objective was to determine factors which were associated with using multiple dispensing pharmacies to obtain medications in a population of HIV+ and at-risk women. The secondary objective was to determine whether use of multiple pharmacies was associated with immunologic or virologic changes for the subset of HIV+ women.A survey on community pharmacy use was distributed to San Francisco WIHS participants from 2004-2007. Poisson, linear, and logistic regression methods were used to determine associations between specific patient characteristics and use of multiple dispensing pharmacies and associations between multiple pharmacy use and CD4+ cell count or viral load changes.There was a trend towards an association between HIV status and use of multiple pharmacies (IRR=1.23; 95% CI 1.00-1.51, p =0.05). In multivariable analyses of HIV positive women, use of additional pharmacies (over the primary pharmacy) during the study period was not associated with statistically significant changes in CD4+ count or viral load.HIV positive participants may tend to use multiple pharmacies more frequently than their HIV negative counterparts, though this practice does not appear to be associated with poorer immunologic or virologic outcomes. Future studies should be conducted to determine whether different patient patterns of community pharmacy use affect HIV treatment outcomes.
Birth trends and pregnancy complications among women urologists.

Background As the number of women entering urology grows, so should discussions and awareness about pregnancy. To understand if urology training and practice potentially put women and their pregnancies at risk, we set out to assess the childbearing differences between the average American woman and the female urologist. Study Design A 114-item anonymous survey was sent to all 365 American board certified female urologists in 2007. Data concerning birth trends, pregnancy, assisted reproduction, and complications were analyzed. Findings were compared with 2004 CDC data. Results Two mailings yielded a 69% (n = 243) response rate; average age was 43 years; 67.4% had biologic children (average 2.0 children). Women urologists were older by 7 to 8 years for all births. An assisted reproduction technology birth was nearly 10 times more likely. Pregnancy complications were high, with a prevalence greater than that in the lowest income brackets in the United States. The induction rate was above average; the rate of cesarean deliveries was similar, with only 21 elective procedures performed. Ninety-two percent of women urologists would choose to have the same number of children: 66% at the same point in their career; 16%, earlier; 4%, later; 15%, uncertain. Conclusions Women urologists have children later in life, a smaller number, a higher induction rate, and a higher incidence of pregnancy complications. These are likely related to the older age at pregnancy, which certainly contributes to the higher number conceived by assisted reproduction technology. Cesarean delivery rates, which were expected to be higher, were similar. To avoid complications, childbearing should not be delayed, and residency programs and practice groups will need to develop programs that support the growing number of women urologists.
A scoring mechanism for the rank aggregation of network robustness

Abstract To date, a number of metrics have been proposed to quantify inherent robustness of network topology against failures. However, each single metric usually only offers a limited view of network vulnerability to different types of random failures and targeted attacks. When applied to certain network configurations, different metrics rank network topology robustness in different orders which is rather inconsistent, and no single metric fully characterizes network robustness against different modes of failure. To overcome such inconsistency, this work proposes a multi-metric approach as the basis of evaluating aggregate ranking of network topology robustness. This is based on simultaneous utilization of a minimal set of distinct robustness metrics that are standardized so to give way to a direct comparison of vulnerability across networks with different sizes and configurations, hence leading to an initial scoring of inherent topology robustness. Subsequently, based on the inputs of initial scoring a rank aggregation method is employed to allocate an overall ranking of robustness to each network topology. A discussion is presented in support of the presented multi-metric approach and its applications to more realistically assess and rank network topology robustness.
Low Earth orbit durability evaluation of protected silicone for advanced refractive photovoltaic concentrator arrays

The need for efficient, cost effective sources of electrical power in space has led to the development of photovoltaic power systems which make use of novel refractive solar concentrators. These concentrators have been conceived in both point-focus and linear-focus designs. Current concentrator lenses are fabricated from flexible silicones with Fresnel facets along their inside surface. To insure the efficient operation of these power systems, the concentrator lenses must be durable and the silicone material must remain specularly transmitting over a reasonable lifetime in low Earth orbit (LEO) and other space environments. Because of the vulnerability of silicones to atomic oxygen and ultraviolet radiation in LEO these lenses have been coated with a multi-layer metal oxide protective coating. The objective of this research was to evaluate the LEO durability of the multilayer coated silicone for advanced refractive photovoltaic concentrator arrays with respect to optical properties and microstructure. Flat metal oxide coated silicone samples were exposed to ground-laboratory and in-space atomic oxyqen for durability evaluation.
Comparison of gold, platinum, and electron irradiation for controlling lifetime in power rectifiers

Recombination statistics based upon a single dominant level have been used to predict the relative characteristics of gold-diffused, platinum-diffused, and electron-irradiated silicon power rectifiers and thyristors. These calculations indicate that gold-diffused devices will have the best trade-off curve between forward voltage drop and reverse recovery time, while exhibiting the highest leakage currents. Electron-irradiated devices are predicted to have the worst trade-off curve among the three cases and twice the leakage current of platinum-diffused devices. The leakage current of platinum-diffused devices is shown to be an order of magnitude lower than gold-diffused devices. The measured characteristics of gold-diffused, platinum-diffused, and electron-irradiated power rectifiers are shown to be in good agreement with these calculations. The results are also shown to be applicable to power thyristors.
Comparative In Vitro Cytotoxicity and Relative Pathogenicity of Mineral Dusts

Abstract In vitro bioassays of mineral dust cytotoxicity were compared with in vivo pulmonary responses in an attempt to determine the value of bioassays as predictors of fibrogenicity. Release of alveolar macrophage enzyme and sheep red cell haemolysis were monitored as indicators of cytotoxicity for eight well characterized minerals. The pathological reaction induced by intratracheal instillation of 5 mg of three minerals (bentonite, silica and kaolin) into Fischer 344 rats were evaluated at intervals of 1, 7, 90, and 180 days. Bentonite and kaolin were found to be more haemolytic than silica. Kaolin induced greater release of macrophage cytosolic and lysosomal enzymes than silica whereas bentonite appeared to inhibit the activity of alveolar macrophage enzymes. All three minerals, silica, bentonite and kaolin, induced an acute inflammatory cellular response in vivo. However, only silica induced a progressive granulomatous and fibrotic response. The pulmonary response to bentonite and kaolin was temporary and had completely resolved six months post exposure. Although only three of the eight minerals have been assayed in vivo, these studies indicate that in vitro bioassays correlate with the acute in vivo reponses to mineral dusts but are not good predictors of fibrogenicity. It would appear that the chronic pulmonary response in animals is still the most reliable predictor of human pulmonary fibrogenic potential.
Effect of antibodies on the respiration and morphology of Candida albicans

Respirometry was used to study the effect of antibodies to Candida albicans on the gowth of this species in vitro. Blastospore suspensions were pre-incubated with rabbit hyperimmune and normal serum and rabbit antibody and normal gamma globulin at 37 degrees C for 30 minutes. They were then inoculated into respirometer flasks containing a semi-synthetic medium and oxygen consumption was measured at 27 degrees C. Rabbit antiserum to C. albicans serotype A inhibited the growth, as measured by O2 consumption, of serotyped A and B strains of C. albicans. The amount of inhibition appeared to be related to the prevention or retardation of germ tube formation. The growth of blastospores incubated with normal rabbit serum was filamentous, whereas, blastospores incubated with antiserum remained in the yeast phase. Inhibition of O2 consumption and retardation of germ tube formation was also demonstrated with the purified gamma-globulin fraction of the antiserum.
Quantitative genetics of skeletal nonmetric traits in the rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago. II. Phenotypic, genetic, and environmental correlations between traits

The general lack of phenotypic correlation among skeletal nonmetric traits has been interpreted as indicating a lack of genetic correlation among these traits. Nonmetric traits scored on animals in the skeletal collection of rhesus macaques from Cayo Santiago are used to calculate phenotypic, genetic, and environmental correlations between traits. The results show that even when phenotypic correlations are low, there may be large, significant genetic correlations among these traits. The genetic correlation pattern suggests that genes which affect nonmetric trait variation act primarily at a local level in the cranium, even though there are genes with pleiotropic effects on skeletal nonmetric traits throughout the cranium. Environmental and phenotypic correlations do not show this neighborhood pattern of correlation.
Fathers of Conscience: Mixed-Race Inheritance in the Antebellum South

Fathers of Conscience: Mixed-Race Inheritance in the Antebellum South, by Bernie Jones, Athens and London: University of Georgia Press, 2009, xiv + 197 pp., $41.97 and $17.47, ISBN 978-0-8203-2980-...
Multi-source spanning trees: algorithms for minimizing source eccentricities

We present two efficient algorithms constructing a spanning tree with minimum eccentricity of a source, for a given graph with weighted edges and a set of source vertices. The first algorithm is both simpler to implement and faster of the two. The second approach involves enumerating single-source shortest-path spanning trees for all points on a graph, a technique that may be useful in solving other problems.
An integral representation and bounds on the effective diffusivity in passive advection by laminar and turbulent flows

Precise necessary and sufficient conditions on the velocity statistics for mean field behavior in advection-diffusion by a steady incompressible velocity field are developed here. Under these conditions, a rigorous Stieltjes integral representation for effective diffusivity in turbulent transport is derived. This representation is valid for all Peclet numbers and provides a rigorous resummation of the divergent perturbation expansion in powers of the Peclet number. One consequence of this representation is that convergent upper and lower bounds on effective diffusivity for all Peclet numbers can be obtained utilizing a prescribed finite number of terms in the perturbation series. Explicit rigorous examples of steady incompressible velocity fields are constructed which have effective diffusivities realizing the simplest upper or lower bounds for all Peclet numbers. A nonlocal variational principle for effective diffusivity is developed along with applications to advection-diffusion by random arrays of vortices. A new class of rigorous examples is introduced. These examples have an explicit Stieltjes measure for the effective diffusivity; furthermore, the effective diffusivity behaves likek0(Pe)1/2 in the limit of large Peclet numbers wherek0 is the molecular diffusivity. Formal analogies with the theory of composite materials are exploited systematically.
Obtaining spatial information from an extremely unresolved source

A means to extract spatial information from an extremely unresolved source of light using a single element detector is demonstrated by use of an optical vortex coronagraph. Applications may range from astronomy to microscopy. For example, the centroid and angular extent of an unresolved collection of incoherent point sources is revealed.
Fatty acids in fossil bones

Abstract 1. 1. Residual fatty acids were determined by gas chromatographic analysis in a group of about thirty fossil bones of ages back to the Carboniferous. The saturated acids are those found in modern bone, two samples of which were examined for comparison. 2. 2. Oleic acid is no longer a major constituent but unsaturated acids are present, sometimes in considerable amounts. 3. 3. The spectra of a number of the fossils also contained peaks that could not be positively identified at this time. 4. 4. All the fossils contained less fatty acid than the Recent bones but there is no proportionality between age and acid content; instead specimens from certain formations are richer than those from others, perhaps thus providing an index of the quality of preservation.
Design and Control of the Acetone Process via Dehydrogenation of 2-Propanol

Acetone is produced via several alternative processes, one of which is the dehydrogenation of 2-propanol (IPA). The endothermic gas-phase reaction converts IPA to acetone and hydrogen. The process consists of a vaporizer, heated tubular reactor, flash tank, absorber, and two distillation columns. The liquid fresh feed is a mixture of IPA and water. It is combined with a small IPA/water recycle stream, vaporized, and fed into the vapor-phase reactor, which is heated by high-temperature molten salt. Reactor effluent is cooled and fed to a flash tank. The gas from the tank contains most of the hydrogen but also some acetone. This gas is fed to an absorber in which a water stream is used to recover acetone. The liquids streams from the base of the absorber and the flash tank are fed to the first distillation column, which produces high-purity acetone out the top. There is also a vapor vent stream leaving the reflux drum of this column to remove the small amount of hydrogen dissolved in the feed. The second di...
DEVELOPMENTAL READINESS: ACCELERATING LEADER DEVELOPMENT

The development of leaders is a stated goal of most organizations, yet a validated framework and theory for leader development does not yet fully exist, nor is there a method for determining who is developmentally ready to engage in leader development. The authors of this article provide a framework for examining how one can accelerate leader development. They propose that leader developers first focus on assessing and then building the developmental readiness of individual leaders, as well as the developmental readiness of the organization as prerequisite steps for accelerating positive leader development. They identify and discuss 5 specific constructs comprising their initial modeling of developmental readiness (i.e., learning goal orientation, developmental efficacy, self-concept clarity, self-complexity, and metacognitive ability), as well as suggest methods for assessing and developing these 5 components.
Cephalometric variables used to predict the success of interceptive treatment with rapid maxillary expansion and face mask. A longitudinal study

INTRODUCTION: Prognosis is the main limitation of interceptive treatment of Class III malocclusions. The interceptive procedures of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and face mask therapy performed in early mixed dentition are capable of achieving immediate overcorrection and maintenance of facial and occlusal morphology for a few years. Individuals presenting minimal acceptable faces at growth completion are potential candidates for compensatory orthodontic treatment, while those with facial involvement should be submitted to orthodontic decompensation for orthognathic surgery. OBJECTIVES: To investigate cephalometric variables that might predict the outcomes of orthopedic treatment with RME and face mask therapy (FM). METHODS: Cephalometric analysis of 26 Class III patients (mean age of 8 years and 4 months) was performed at treatment onset and after a mean period of 6 years and 10 months at pubertal growth completion, including a subjective facial analysis. Patients was divided into two groups: success group (21 individuals) and failure group (5 individuals). Discriminant analysis was applied to the cephalometric values at treatment onset. Two predictor variables were found by stepwise procedure. RESULTS: Orthopedic treatment of Class III malocclusion may have unfavorable prognosis at growth completion whenever initial cephalometric analysis reveals increased lower anterior facial height (LAFH) combined with reduced angle between the condylar axis and the mandibular plane (CondAx.MP). CONCLUSION: The results of treatment with RME and face mask therapy at growth completion in Class III patients could be predicted with a probability of 88.5%.
Freedom, Interference and Domination:

Interference and domination make persons less free. This paper discusses how they do so. It considers and rejects two influential recent accounts of freedom, one that holds that freedom is best understood in terms of non-interference and one that holds that freedom is best understood in terms of non-domination. Against these accounts, the paper argues that both interference and domination play an important role in reducing freedom and that neither concept can be reduced to the other. To bolster this argument, the paper presents and defends an account of freedom that relates both concepts back to a common source. This account shows that while interference and domination have independent significance for judgments of freedom both reduce freedom by obstructing the ability of persons to plan their lives.
Abstract 3969: Stromal depletion of transforming growth factor receptor 2 promotes the development of forestomach squamous cell carcinoma

Deletion or attenuation of transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) signaling pathway has significant impact on human tumor development and progression. Specific deletion of transforming growth factor receptor 2 gene (Tgfbr2) in a subset of fibroblast (Tgfbr2 fspKO , cre-mediated DNA recombination driven by fibroblast specific protein, FSP) specific promoter, leads to the development of squamous cell carcinoma of the forestomach in 100% of Tgfbr2 fspKO mice by 6 Wks of Age. Here we dissect the underlying mechanisms. We first confirmed that deletion of Tgfbr2 is primarly restricted to the stromal components but not epithelial cells using TBR2 (TGFβR2) immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry, which was done in both tumor tissue sections and cancer epithelial cells derived from tgfbr2 fspKO mice. The functionality of TGFβ signaling was further examined in vivo by p-smad2 expression and nuclear localization which was clearly observed in the epithelial but not the stromal components. There was also a clear nuclear localization of p-smad2 protein in cultured cancer epithelial cells when treated with TGFβ1 (10 ng/ml). We further observed that stromal deletion of Tgfbr2 resulted in elevated proliferation of fibroblasts. In addition, there was a significantly increased inflammation in forestomach lesion which was featured by increased CD45+ leukocyte infiltration and elevated expression of inflammatory mediators COX2, NFkB, Akt. Interestingly, the alterations in epithelial cell compartment in Tgfbr2 fspKO mice is very evident compared with floxed control littermates Tgfbr2 fspKO mice, showing a significant enrichment of epithelial cancer stem cells. Our data demonstrate the importance of stromal TGFβ signaling mediated inflammation and carcinogenesis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3969.
A review of the literature on access and utilization of medical care with special emphasis on rural primary care

Abstract Over the past 35 years medical care resources in the United States have become increasingly concentrated in medical centers and university hospitals of large urban areas. This trend has left inhabitants of rural areas increasingly relatively deprived of access to health care resources. More importantly, this relative deprivation of access to medical resources has been a key factor explaining ruralite's deprivation in the utilization of those resources. Although policy makers have been aware of the evolving structural pattern of the industry for some time, to date they appear unwilling and/or unable to fundamentally alter its continued growth and development. This review describes various forces influencing this developmental pattern at both the individual and the system (macro) level. It further discusses how government health policy, the characteristics of the health delivery system and the characteristics of the U.S. people transactionally relate to affect access to and utilization of health care resources.
Atomic Resolution Modeling of the Ferredoxin:[FeFe] Hydrogenase Complex from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The [FeFe] hydrogenases HydA1 and HydA2 in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii catalyze the final reaction in a remarkable metabolic pathway allowing this photosynthetic organism to produce H2 from water in the chloroplast. A [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin is a critical branch point in electron flow from Photosystem I toward a variety of metabolic fates, including proton reduction by hydrogenases. To better understand the binding determinants involved in ferredoxin:hydrogenase interactions, we have modeled Chlamydomonas PetF1 and HydA2 based on amino-acid sequence homology, and produced two promising electron-transfer model complexes by computational docking. To characterize these models, quantitative free energy calculations at atomic resolution were carried out, and detailed analysis of the interprotein interactions undertaken. The protein complex model we propose for ferredoxin:HydA2 interaction is energetically favored over the alternative candidate by 20 kcal/mol. This proposed model of the electron-transfer complex between PetF1 and HydA2 permits a more detailed view of the molecular events leading up to H2 evolution, and suggests potential mutagenic strategies to modulate electron flow to HydA2.
Central TNF inhibition results in attenuated neurohumoral excitation in heart failure: a role for superoxide and nitric oxide

This study examined the effect of central tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) blockade on the imbalance between nitric oxide and superoxide production in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and ventrolateral medulla (VLM), key autonomic regulators, and their contribution to enhanced sympathetic drive in mice with congestive heart failure (CHF). We also used a TNF gene knockout (KO) mouse model to study the involvement of TNF in body fluid homeostasis and sympathoexcitation in CHF. After implantation of intracerebroventricular (ICV) cannulae, myocardial infarction (MI) was induced in wild-type (WT) and KO mice by coronary artery ligation. Osmotic mini-pumps were implanted into one set of WT + MI/Sham mice for continuous ICV infusion of Etanercept (ETN), a TNF receptor fusion protein, or vehicle (VEH). Gene expressions of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and angiotensin receptor-type 2 were reduced, while those of inducible NOS, Nox2 homologs, superoxide, peroxynitrite and angiotensin receptor-type 1 were elevated in the brainstem and hypothalamus of MI + VEH. Plasma norepinephrine levels and the number of Fos-positive neurons were also increased in the PVN and VLM in MI + VEH. MI + ETN and KO + MI mice exhibited reduced oxidative stress, reduced sympathoexcitation and an improved cardiac function. These changes in WT + MI were associated with increased sodium and fluid retention. These results indicate that elevated TNF in these autonomic regulatory regions of the brain alter the production of superoxide and nitric oxide, contributing to fluid imbalance and sympathoexcitation in CHF.
Effect of 9-cis-Retinoic Acid on Growth and RXR Expression in Human Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract A number of studies have demonstrated the ability of retinoic acid (RA) to inhibit the growth of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) human breast cancer cell lines. The precise mechanism of growth inhibition is not known. However, the biological effects of RA in other model systems have been shown to be mediated via the nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and the retinoid X receptors (RXRs). While several laboratories have examined the expression of RARs in various breast cancer cell lines, no information is available concerning the role of the RXRs and 9-cis-RA, the natural ligand of RXRs, in the response of breast cancer cells to RA. Using a representative panel of breast cancer cell lines, we determined the effect of 9-cis-RA on growth and cell cycle stage distribution, analyzed steady-state mRNA levels of RXR-α, -β, and -γ, and determined the effect of all-trans-RA and 9-cis-RA on RXR expression. Our results show that: (1) the growth of ER+/RA-sensitive breast cancer cells is inhibited by treatment with 9-cis-RA by blocking entry into S phase; (2) both ER+/RA-sensitive and ER-/RA-resistant breast cancer cell lines express RXR-α and RXR-β mRNAs but not RXR-γ however, levels of these transcripts did not correlate with the RA response; and (3) levels of RXR-α and RXR-β mRNA were not significantly altered following treatment with either all-trans-RA or 9-cis-RA. These results suggest that the mechanism responsible for the retinoid sensitivity of breast cancer cells does not involve transcriptional modulation of the RXRs by RA.
Soybean Cultivar Differences in Ureides and the Relationship to Drought Tolerant Nitrogen Fixation and Manganese Nutrition

Water deficit in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] results in the accumulation of the products of N 2 fixation (ureides) in shoots, and this may lead to feedback inhibition of N 2 fixation. Manganese is required for ureide degradation in leaves, and it was hypothesized that increased leaf Mn +2 would alleviate ureide accumulation during drought, lessen feedback inhibition, and prolong N2 fixation. In a growth chamber experiment, ureides supplied through roots decreased N 2 fixation in well-watered plants, and a soybean cultivar with demonstrated tolerance of N 2 fixation to water deficit (Jackson) had a lesser concentration of shoot ureides following exogenous ureide application than a cultivar sensitive to water deficit (KS4895). In a greenhouse experiment, N 2 fixation in Jackson under moderate water deficit was not different from the control in the absence or presence of soil-applied Mn +2 , whereas N2 fixation in KS4895 was 30% of the control in the absence of soil-applied Mn +2 and 111% of the control in the presence of soil-applied Mn +2 . Increased N 2 fixation in KS4895 with soil-applied Mn +2 under water deficit was associated with decreased shoot ureide concentration. In field experiments, Jackson consistently had lesser shoot ureide concentrations than did KS4895, and enzymatic degradation of ureides was greater for Jackson on one date than for KS4895. We concluded that ureides inhibit N 2 fixation, that genetic variation in the ability to degrade ureides may be important in drought tolerance, and that increased leaf Mn +2 concentration promotes ureide breakdown and prolongs N 2 fixation under water deficit.
SENSORY-INDUCED MODIFICATIONS OF VENTILATION AND HEART RATE IN CRAYFISH.

Abstract 1. 1. The responses to several types of stimuli have been examined for their effects on the ventilation system and the heart of the crayfish. 2. 2. It is demonstrated that tactile stimuli applied either unilaterally or bilaterally induce a bilateral acceleration of the scaphognathites and may or may not produce a change in heart rate. 3. 3. Chemical stimuli such as CO 2 , low oxygen and solutions of L -glutamic acid and sodium chloride produce an inhibition of the homolateral scaphognathite. This reflex is usually accompanied by a simulataneous bradycardia or cardiac arrest. No response was obtained from solutions of CaCl 2 , d (−)levulose or sucrose. 4. 4. Stimulation with water currents produced a reflex inhibition similar to that obtained from the effective chemicals, but the flow reflex is shown to be distinct. A sudden change in temperature also produces a response similar to that obtained from chemical stimulation. 5. 5. The chemoreceptors involved in the observed reflexes appear to be located somewhere within the gill chambers. The receptors mediating the flow response are less well localized. The nature of the remaining neuronal connections forming the reflex circuits is discussed. 6. 6. The short-term changes in ventillation and circulation observed here may greatly influence gas transport, but such modifications in activity do not necessarily reflect the internal demands for oxygen. A central control mechanism must be present which compensates for the random sensory induced changes according to the long-term requirements of the animal.
Organization and components of psychomotor ability.

We investigated the organization and components of psychomotor abilities by administering a diverse set of cognitive and psychomotor tasks to a group of recent high school graduates (N = 161). Confirmatory factor analyses identified two psychomotor factors: a general factor associated with all psychomotor tests and an orthogonal psychomotor learning factor associated exclusively with practiced psychomotor tests. Path analyses suggested that the general psychomotor factor could be largely accounted for by two cognitive factors, general working-memory capacity (r = .67) and an orthogonal time estimation factor (r = .32). Most of the psychomotor learning factor variance was unique, but psychomotor learning was somewhat related to processing speed (r =.49). We conclude that initial psychomotor performance is constrained by working-memory limits and the ability to keep track of time. Practiced psychomotor skill is additionally limited by processing speed, consistent with the literature on the development of process automaticity. The Discussion addresses (a) the small dimensionality of the psychomotor abilities space, (b) our discovery of the importance of time estimation and other cognitive factors in psychomotor learning, and (c) the changing nature of psychomotor skill with practice.
Direct uptake of nitrogen by Pfiesteria piscicida and Pfiesteria shumwayae, and nitrogen nutritional preferences

Abstract The rates of uptake of a range of forms of nitrogenous nutrients were measured in cultures of Pfiesteria piscicida and Pfiesteria shumwayae maintained at varying physiological states. The measured rates of dissolved N uptake under some conditions approached the rates of N uptake that are achieved through phagotrophy. Rates of dissolved N uptake by P. piscicida contributed (V , h −1 ) were higher for cells that were maintained on algal prey for long periods (months) than those that were grown with live fish. However, rates of N uptake on a cellular basis for cells grown on or recently removed from fish were comparable to those maintained on algal prey, likely reflecting differences in the sizes of cells of different physiological condition. Preferences for form of N generally followed a decreasing trend of amino acids > urea > NH 4 + > NO 3 − . Nitrate consistently was not a preferred form of N. Although Pfiesteria spp. are often found in eutrophic environments, the relationship between Pfiesteria spp. and nutrient availability is likely to be primarily indirect, mediated through the production of various prey on which Pfiesteria spp. feed. These findings also confirm, however, that when dissolved N concentrations are elevated, they can contribute to the supplemental nutrition of these cells, and thus may provide a significant source of N to Pfiesteria spp. in nature.
On the Misdiagnosis of Surface Temperature Feedbacks from Variations in Earth’s Radiant Energy Balance

The sensitivity of the climate system to an imposed radiative imbalance remains the largest source of uncertainty in projections of future anthropogenic climate change. Here we present further evidence that this uncertainty from an observational perspective is largely due to the masking of the radiative feedback signal by internal radiative forcing, probably due to natural cloud variations. That these internal radiative forcings exist and likely corrupt feedback diagnosis is demonstrated with lag regression analysis of satellite and coupled climate model data, interpreted with a simple forcing-feedback model. While the satellite-based metrics for the period 2000–2010 depart substantially in the direction of lower climate sensitivity from those similarly computed from coupled climate models, we find that, with traditional methods, it is not possible to accurately quantify this discrepancy in terms of the feedbacks which determine climate sensitivity. It is concluded that atmospheric feedback diagnosis of the climate system remains an unsolved problem, due primarily to the inability to distinguish between radiative forcing and radiative feedback in satellite radiative budget observations.
Arabidopsis mutants with reduced response to NaCl and osmotic stress

We isolated 6 mutant lines of Arabidopsis thaliana that expressed reduced sensitivity to salt and osmotic stress during germination. All 6 lines carry recessive mutations in a single gene, designated reduced salt sensitivity (rss), linked to the ADH marker on chromosome 1. The rss mutants are less sensitive than wild type for NaCl and osmotic stress inhibition of germination, tolerating approximately 150 mM higher concentrations of NaCl and about 250 mM higher concentrations of sorbitol in the media. Germination assays on media containing various salts indicate that the rss mutations reduce sensitivity to Na + and Rb + but also, to a much lesser degree, to K + and Cs + . However, the rss mutation does not improve plant growth when plantlets are transferred to high salt or high osmotic pressure media after germination. The rss plantlets accumulate proline to a significantly lesser degree than wild type when they are exposed to either salt or osmotic stress. Thus, the rss mutants differ from wild type both at germination and during vegetative growth indicating that the rss mutations are pleiotropic and might affect perception of solutes or some aspect of stress-induced signaling. The rss mutations do not alter ABA sensitivity and therefore probably do not affect ABA-mediated signaling
Regulation, Competition, and Technology: The Restructuring of the US Commercial Banking System:

The impact on the US commercial banking system of government regulation, of increased competition from other financial services sectors, and of new technology is examined in this paper. The banking industry is responding by creating the semblance of an interstate banking system through merger and acquisition. Multibank holding companies have forged regional banking organisations despite federal prohibitions. A model of the bank merger process is presented. In the spatial context, the possible consequences of this merger process include reduction in the number of banks and branch offices, migration of banking functions up the urban hierarchy, and outflow of funds from small cities and rural areas towards regionally important cities and the international market.
Multiple acoustic source localization based on multiple hypotheses testing using particle approach

Localization of multiple acoustic sources in a non-ideal environment has a number of difficulties, among which are accurate acoustic feature estimation for multiple sources and association uncertainty between measurements and their corresponding sources. This paper focuses more on the latter and proposes an algorithm based on a multiple-hypothesis framework for both a measurement model and a measurement association model to localize multiple sources. A conditional data likelihood model based on a measurement hypothesis is proposed and implemented using particles. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is capable of localizing the positions of multiple sources with a small number of microphones without any prior knowledge when the amount of reverberation is moderate.
The Challenge of Predicting Demand for Emergency Department Services

Objectives: The objective was to develop methodology for predicting demand for emergency department (ED) services by characterizing ED arrivals. Methods: One year of ED arrival data from an academic ED were merged with local climate data. ED arrival patterns were described; Poisson regression was selected to represent the count of hourly ED arrivals as a function of temporal, climatic, and patient factors. The authors evaluated the appropriateness of prediction models by whether the data met key Poisson assumptions, including variance proportional to the mean, positive skewness, and absence of autocorrelation among hours. Model accuracy was assessed by comparing predicted and observed histograms of arrival counts and by how frequently the observed hourly count fell within the 50 and 90% prediction intervals. Results: Hourly ED arrivals were obtained for 8,760 study hours. Separate models were fit for high- versus low-acuity patients because of significant arrival pattern differences. The variance was approximately equal to the mean in the high- and low-acuity models. There was no residual autocorrelation (r = 0) present after controlling for temporal, climatic, and patient factors that influenced the arrival rate. The observed hourly count fell within the 50 and 90% prediction intervals 50 and 90% of the time, respectively. The observed histogram of arrival counts was nearly identical to the histogram predicted by a Poisson process. Conclusions: At this facility, demand for ED services was well approximated by a Poisson regression model. The expected arrival rate is characterized by a small number of factors and does not depend on recent numbers of arrivals.
A Study of the Interactions of Human, Pig, and the Human Pork Tapeworm

The role of pigsty-privies on Cheju Island, South Korea, in the transmission of helminth parasites from pig to man is discussed with particular reference to Taenia solium. It appears that pigsty-privies reduce the incidence of intestinal nematode infections in the human population but not that of T. solium. It is suggested, however, that the prevalence of the more pathogenic qaberrantq infection (with cysticerci) is reduced, and the efficacy of the Korean government policy of...
The application of three-mode factor analysis (TMFA) to receptor modeling of SCENES particle data

Abstract In the previous applications of eigenvector mathematical methods such as factor analysis, principal components analysis, and empirical orthogonal function analysis, the analysis has been made on a two-dimensional set of data. These data sets could be the chemical composition of a series of particle samples taken at a single location over time or the concentration of a single species measured over multiple locations at multiple times. However, there have not been methods previously available to examine a data set of chemical compositions measured at multiple sites over a series of sampling time intervals. Three-mode factor analysis permits the reduction of a three-dimensional data set into three two-dimensional matrices and a three-dimensional core matrix that presents how the system variance is partitioned among the three modes (chemical specie, location and time). The technique will be illustrated with data from the SCENES program that is measuring particle compositions at a number of sites in the southwestern United States.
Complication tardive d’un stentgraft thoracique

La reparation endovasculaire aortique thoracique (TEVAR) est devenue de plus en plus populaire pour le traitement des anevrysmes aortiques thoraciques descendants. En depit de son efficacite et de sa securite, plusieurs complications peuvent se produire avec TEVAR. Nous rapportons un cas d'une femme de 76 ans avec une complication tardive apres TEVAR liee a la recidive d’un cancer thyroidien et a une revascularisation carotido-sous-claviere.