cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ascorbic acid inhibits chemically induced uroporphyria in ascorbate-requiring rats.

Ascorbate was previously shown to suppress accumulation of uroporphyrin (URO) in cultured chick embryo hepatocytes and to competitively inhibit microsomal oxidation of uroporphyrinogen catalyzed by cytochrome P4501A2. Here we used the Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi (ODS) mutant rat, which cannot synthesize ascorbic acid, to examine the in vivo effect of ascorbic acid on hepatic URO accumulation caused by treatment with 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) and 5-aminolevulinate (ALA). Female mutant rats maintained on three levels of dietary ascorbate (15,200, and 800 ppm) were treated for a total of 24 days. On the 11th and 16th days, rats were administered 3-methylcholanthrene, and 5-amino-levulinate was present continuously in the drinking water from day 14. Hepatic URO accumulated at the two lowest ascorbate levels, but not at 800 ppm ascorbate. The latter dose produced normal hepatic ascorbate levels. Plasma ascorbate levels were proportional to the hepatic values. Male rats also accumulated URO at the low dietary dose of ascorbic acid. The methylcholanthrene-induced increase in microsomal levels of CYP1A1 and CYP1A2, total cytochrome P450, and activities of uroporphyrinogen oxidation and ethoxyresorufin deethylase were not affected by the dietary level of ascorbate. Neither male nor female Fischer 344 rats accumulated URO when treated with the MC/ALA regime. Hepatic ascorbate concentrations in these rats were five-fold to seven-fold higher than they were in mutant rats that developed uroporphyria on 150 ppm dietary ascorbate. In ODS rats fed ascorbate at 90 but not 900 ppm in the diet, hexachlorobenzene caused hepatic URO accumulation, indicating that the effect of ascorbic acid is not unique to the regimen using methylcholanthrene. These results are consistent with a role for ascorbate in preventing chemically induced URO accumulation and suggest that ascorbate might have a role in preventing URO accumulation in humans.
On optimizing the treatment of exchange perturbations

Most theories of exchange perturbations would give the exact energy and wave function if carried out to an infinite order. However, the different methods give different values for the second-order energy, and different values for E(1), the expectation value of the Hamiltonian corresponding to the zeroth- plus first-order wave function. In the presented paper, it is shown that the zeroth- plus first-order wave function obtained by optimizing the basic equation which is used in most exchange perturbation treatments is the exact wave function for the perturbation system and E(1) is the exact energy.
Environmental Health for Childbearing Women and Their Families

Laura Anderko, RN, PhD, is Robert and Kathleen Scanlon Endowed Chair for Values Based Health Care in the School of Nursing and Health Studies, Georgetown University, Washington, DC. There is a growing, national concern about the wide range of environmental exposures that can adversely aiect the health of childbearing women and newborns.The environment has been described by some as a ‘‘toxic soup’’ of chemicals and hazards that are present in the air, water, and food we eat.Critical windows of growth and development for the fetus in utero are signi¢cantly aiected by maternal exposure to pesticides, tobacco smoke, and even toxins found in food, such as methylmercury in ¢sh. These exposures are common in our environment. Nurses must play a more active role in preventing long-term disease and illness in children through an informed approach to nursing practice that eiectively communicates risks to childbearing women and their families.
A drug-inducible transgenic system for direct reprogramming of multiple somatic cell types

The study of induced pluripotency is complicated by the need for infection with high-titer retroviral vectors, which results in genetically heterogeneous cell populations. We generated genetically homogeneous 'secondary' somatic cells that carry the reprogramming factors as defined doxycycline (dox)-inducible transgenes. These cells were produced by infecting fibroblasts with dox-inducible lentiviruses, reprogramming by dox addition, selecting induced pluripotent stem cells and producing chimeric mice. Cells derived from these chimeras reprogram upon dox exposure without the need for viral infection with efficiencies 25- to 50-fold greater than those observed using direct infection and drug selection for pluripotency marker reactivation. We demonstrate that (i) various induction levels of the reprogramming factors can induce pluripotency, (ii) the duration of transgene activity directly correlates with reprogramming efficiency, (iii) cells from many somatic tissues can be reprogrammed and (iv) different cell types require different induction levels. This system facilitates the characterization of reprogramming and provides a tool for genetic or chemical screens to enhance reprogramming.
Forging the Heroic Organization: A Daring Blueprint for Revitalizing American Business

The article reviews the book “Forging the Heroic Organization: A Daring Blueprint for Revitalizing American Business,” by Emmett C. Murphy and Michael Snell.
Comparative analysis of data collection methods for individualized modeling of radiologists' visual similarity judgments in mammograms.

Rationale and Objectives: We conducted an observer study to investigate how the data collection method affects the efficacy of modeling individual radiologists judgments regarding the perceptual similarity of breast masses on mammograms. Materials and Methods: Institutional review board approval was obtained prior to the study. Six observers of variable experience levels in breast imaging were recruited to assess the perceptual similarity of mammographic masses. The observers subjective judgments were collected using: (i) a rating method, (ii) a preference method, and (iii) a hybrid method combining rating and ranking. Personalized user models were developed with the collected data to predict observers opinions. The relative efficacy of each data collection method was assessed based on the classification accuracy of the resulting user models. Results: The hybrid data collection method produced significantly more accurate individualized user models of perceptual opinions with comparable and sometimes better time efficiency than the other two data collection methods. The user models derived from hybrid data were clearly superior even when developed with a dramatically smaller number of training cases. Conclusions: A hybrid method combining rating and ranking is an intuitive and efficient way for collecting subjective similarity judgments to model human perceptual opinions with a higher accuracymore » than other more commonly used data collection methods.« less
“New” Catalysts for the Ester-Interchange Reaction: The Role of Alkali-Metal Alkoxide Clusters in Achieving Unprecedented Reaction Rates

The catalytic effect of alkali-metal tert-butoxide clusters on the rate of ester interchange for several pairs of esters has been determined in nonpolar and weakly polar solvents. Reactivities increase in the order (Li+ < Na+ < K+ < Rb+ < Cs+) with the fastest rates reaching 107 catalytic turnovers per hour (TO/h). Ester interchange rates were sensitive to the size of both the transferring OR groups and the ester substituent. Phenyl esters did not exchange with aliphatic esters due to nonstatistical breakdown patterns in the tetrahedral intermediate. A first-order equilibration analysis on the interchange between tert-butyl acetate (tBuAc) and methyl benzoate (MeBz) (5 mol % NaOtBu) indicated enhanced reaction rates as the reaction proceeded. Isolation and quenching (DCl/D2O) of precipitated catalyst points to a mechanism whereby sequential methoxy incorporation into the catalyst cluster increases activity, but eventually precipitates out of solution as a 3:1 OMe:OtBu cluster. The rate law was determined ...
THE USE OF POLYURETHANE FOAM AS AN ADJUNCT TO INTERNAL FIXATION OF PATHOLOGIC FRACTURES.

Summary o 1. Ten cases of pathologic fractures treated by open reduction, metallic fixation and polyurethane foam application have been reported. 2. Criteria for the use of polyurethane foam are discussed. 3. Three case histories have been presented in detail. The use of this method is evaluated in these cases, as well as for the entire series. 4. The author feels that fixation of certain selected pathologic fractures with metallic devices and polyurethane foam has a place in the armamentarium of the orthopedic surgeon.
The impact of carbon nano-fiber modification on asphalt binder rheology

Abstract Nano-reinforced materials hold the potential to redefine the field of transportation materials both in terms of cost effectiveness and long term pavement performance. This study focuses on the exploratory analysis of the mixing procedure of carbon nano-fibers (CNFs) with asphalt cement (AC) and discusses the visco-elastic and fatigue characteristics of neat and CNF-modified AC binders. Three types of AC were modified with varying percentages of CNF. Two CNF-asphalt mixing procedures, dry process and wet process, were investigated. The dynamic shear rheometer was utilized to determine complex shear modulus ( G ∗ ), phase angle ( δ ), and fatigue characteristics of neat and CNF-modified AC for a range of temperatures and loading frequencies. The G ∗ /sin δ values and rotational viscosity analyses revealed that the CNF-modified AC exhibited improved visco-elastic response and resistance to rutting. Furthermore, substantial increases in fatigue life were observed with CNF modification.
Designating required vs. optional input fields

This paper describes a study comparing different techniques for visually distingishing required from optional input fields in a form-filling application. Seven techniques were studied: no indication, bold field labels, chevrons in front of the labels, check marks to the right of the input fields, a different background color, grouping them separately, and a status bar indication. Performance and preference data were collected. In general, we found that the two worst methods were no indication and the status bar. The best method was separate groups.
Transcription of the viral genome in papillomas and carcinomas induced by the Shope virus.

Abstract Single-phase molecular hybridization methods were employed for the detection of viral RNA nucleotide sequences in tumors induced by the Shope agent. DNA probes were prepared either from supercoiled viral DNA isolated from cottontail rabbit papillomas or from DNA cloned in the pBR 322 plasmid. In virus producing papillomas on cottontail rabbits, RNA sequences complementary to between 9 and 32% of the viral genome were found. Benign and malignant non-virus-producing tumors on domestic rabbits contained sequences complementary to between 6 and 12% of the viral genome. In all cases, the transcripts were present at low abundance, and no correlations were made between either abundance or complexity of transcripts and degree of anaplasia.
Different Phenotypes of Walker-Like A Box Mutants of ParA Homolog IncC of Broad-Host-Range IncP Plasmids

The promiscuous IncPα plasmids RK2 and R995 encode a broad-host-range partition system, whose essential components include the incC and korB genes and a DNA site (OB) to which the korB product binds. IncC2, the smaller of the two incC products, is sufficient for stabilization of R995ΔincC. It is a member of the type Ia ParA family of partition ATPases. To better understand the role of ATP in partition, we constructed three alanine-substitution mutants of IncC2. Each mutation changed a different residue of the Walker-like ATP-binding and hydrolysis motif, including a lysine (K10) conserved solely among members of the ParA and MinD families. All three IncC2 mutants were defective in plasmid partition, but they differed from one another in other respects. The IncC2 T16A mutant, predicted to be defective in Mg2+ coordination, was severely impaired in all activities tested. IncC2 K10A, predicted to be defective in ATP hydrolysis, mediated enhanced incompatibility with R995 derivatives. IncC2 K15A, predicted to be defective in ATP binding, exhibited two distinct incompatibility properties depending on the genotype of the target plasmid. When in trans to plasmids carrying a complementable incC deletion, IncC2 K15A caused dramatic plasmid loss, even at low levels of expression. In trans to wild-type R995 or to R995ΔincC carrying a functional P1 partition system, IncC2 K15A-mediated incompatibility was significantly less than that caused by wild-type IncC2. All three Walker-like A box mutants were also defective for the host toxicity that normally results from co-overexpression of incC and korB. The phenotypes of the mutants support a model in which nucleotide hydrolysis is required for separation of paired plasmid complexes and possible interaction with a host factor.
The cognitive effects of conjugated equine estrogens depend on whether menopause etiology is transitional or surgical

The question of whether to take hormone therapy (HT) will impact every woman as she enters reproductive senescence. In women, studies suggest that ovarian hormone loss associated with menopause has deleterious cognitive effects. Results from clinical studies evaluating whether estrogen-containing HT mitigates these effects, and benefits cognition, are discrepant. Type of menopause, surgical vs. transitional, impacts cognitive outcome in women. However, whether type of menopause impacts cognitive effects of HT has not been methodically tested in women or an animal model. We used the 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide rodent model of ovarian follicle depletion, which mimics transitional menopause, and the traditional rat model of menopause, ovariectomy, to cognitively test the most commonly prescribed estrogen therapy in the United States, conjugated equine estrogens (Premarin). Here we show conjugated equine estrogens benefited cognition in surgically menopausal rats, but, in contrast, impaired cognition in transitionally menopausal rats. Androstenedione, released from the residual transitional menopausal ovary, was positively associated with impaired performance, replicating our previous findings in 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide animals. The current findings are especially salient given that no clinical study testing cognition has methodically separated these two populations of menopausal women for analysis. That we now show surgical vs. transitional modes of menopause result in disparate cognitive effects of HT has implications for future research and treatments optimizing HT for menopausal women.
Vacancies below the (111) surface of Pd

Density functional theory is used to investigate vacancies at or below the (111) surface of palladium and in the bulk. An accurate nonlocal pseudopotential for Pd based on relativistic all-electron calculations is employed. The interaction of the vacancy, a point defect, with a surface, a planar defect, is investigated. Also studied is the interaction between electronic structure and lattice structure around the vacancy. The vacancy-formation energy increases with the depth of the vacancy and with decreasing vacancy concentration. The ions surrounding a vacancy relax slightly into it, and the amount of relaxation decreases as vacancy depth is increased or as vacancy concentration is decreased. The primary electronic effects of the vacancy are a spillout of electrons into it and a strengthening of the bonds between the neighboring atoms that accompanies the inward relaxation.
IDENTIFICATION OF A SHEATH-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN INVOLVED IN PHOSPHATE TRANSPORT IN SPHAEROTILUS NATANS

Sphaerotilus natans was shown to have a fourfold lower K′mof phosphate transport when grown in medium containing 0.1 mm phosphate, compared to cells grown in 10.0 mm phosphate. Analysis of sheath proteins from cells grown at these two phosphate levels revealed a protein of 53 kDa present in the sheath of cells grown at a phosphate concentration of 0.1 mm. This sheath-associated, phosphate-regulated protein, designated SapP, was gel purified and used to raise a polyclonal antibody. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to localize this protein to the surface of the sheathed cells. Phosphate uptake assays done in the presence of the antibody also showed a rise in the K′mof phosphate transport in cells grown in 0.1 mm phosphate, indicating that this protein is involved in high-affinity phosphate transport.
Effects of prefrontal cortical lesions on neuropeptide and dopamine receptor gene expression in the striatum-accumbens complex

In the rat, neurochemical, behavioral, and anatomical investigations suggest that medial prefrontal cortical input modulates the activity of the basal ganglia. To understand how prefrontal dysfunction might alter striatal-accumbens function, in situ hybridization histochemistry with S35-labeled oligonucleotide probes was used to assess changes in striatal-accumbens gene expression following bilateral excitotoxic ibotenic acid (IA) lesions of the rat medial prefrontal cortex. Quantitative densitometry was used to measure changes in mRNA levels for preproenkephalin A (ENK), D1 dopamine receptor, protachykinin (SubP), glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), and D2 dopamine receptor. No differences were found between sham and lesion groups for ENK, D1, SubP, or GAD65 mRNA levels in the striatum or nucleus accumbens (NAC). D2 receptor mRNA levels were, however, significantly higher in the dorsomedial striatum and in the core area of the NAC of the lesioned rats. Although the functional significance of increased D2 mRNA is unclear, these findings demonstrate that glutamate mPFC projections modulate gene expression in relatively regionally-localized subcortical neuronal populations.
Objectivity and a comparison of methodological scenario approaches for climate change research

Climate change assessments rely upon scenarios of socioeconomic developments to conceptualize alternative outcomes for global greenhouse gas emissions. These are used in conjunction with climate models to make projections of future climate. Specifically, the estimations of greenhouse gas emissions based on socioeconomic scenarios constrain climate models in their outcomes of temperatures, precipitation, etc. Traditionally, the fundamental logic of the socioeconomic scenarios—that is, the logic that makes them plausible—is developed and prioritized using methods that are very subjective. This introduces a fundamental challenge for climate change assessment: The veracity of projections of future climate currently rests on subjective ground. We elaborate on these subjective aspects of scenarios in climate change research. We then consider an alternative method for developing scenarios, a systems dynamics approach called ‘Cross-Impact Balance’ (CIB) analysis. We discuss notions of ‘objective’ and ‘objectivity’ as criteria for distinguishing appropriate scenario methods for climate change research. We distinguish seven distinct meanings of ‘objective,’ and demonstrate that CIB analysis is more objective than traditional subjective approaches. However, we also consider criticisms concerning which of the seven meanings of ‘objective’ are appropriate for scenario work. Finally, we arrive at conclusions regarding which meanings of ‘objective’ and ‘objectivity’ are relevant for climate change research. Because scientific assessments uncover knowledge relevant to the responses of a real, independently existing climate system, this requires scenario methodologies employed in such studies to also uphold the seven meanings of ‘objective’ and ‘objectivity.’
Formation of electrical connections between cultured identified neurons and muscle fibers of the snail Helisoma.

We studied the formation of connections between identified neurons removed from the buccal ganglion of the snail Helisoma and muscle fibers dissociated from the buccal mass. Three types of identified neurons — B19, B5, and B4 — were placed into cell culture and muscle fibers fom the supralateral tensor muscle (SLT), normally innervated by B19, were subsequently plated adjacent to the neuronal cell bodies. Growth cones from the neurons contacted the muscle fibers within 6–12 h after isolation. Simultaneous intracellular recordings from the neuronal cell bodies and muscle fibers after 4 days in culture indicated that the neurons had formed electrical connections with the fibers. All 3 types of neurons coupled to the muscle fibers but displayed differing probabilities and strengths of connections. The role of growth cone contact in the formation of these connections was tested by plating muscle fibers onto fields of neurites after neuronal growth had stopped. Under these conditions, neurons still became electrically coupled to the muscle fibers, but the strength of these connections differed from those formed by neurons and fibers that were plated simultaneously. Thus, quantitative characteristics of electrical connections formed between cultured Helisoma neurons and dissociated muscle fibers are influenced by neuronal identity and the timing of neuronal contacts.
Monitoring intravesical therapy for superficial bladder cancer using fluorescence in situ hybridization.

ABSTRACTPurpose: We evaluated fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for assessing the response to therapy in patients with superficial bladder cancer receiving bacillus Calmette-Guerin or other...
A New Model for Growth Factor Activation: Type II Receptors Compete with the Prodomain for BMP-7

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are morphogens with long-range signaling activities. BMP-7 is secreted as a stable complex consisting of a growth factor noncovalently associated with two propeptides. In other transforming growth factor-β-like growth factor complexes, the prodomain (pd) confers latency to the complex. However, we detected no difference in signaling capabilities between the growth factor and the BMP-7 complex in multiple in vitro bioactivity assays. Biochemical and biophysical methods elucidated the interaction between the BMP-7 complex and the extracellular domains of its type I and type II receptors. Results showed that type II receptors, such as BMP receptor II, activin receptor IIA, and activin receptor IIB, competed with the pd for binding to the growth factor and displaced the pd from the complex. In contrast, type I receptors interacted with the complex without displacing the pd. These studies suggest a new model for growth factor activation in which proteases or other extracellular molecules are not required and provide a molecular mechanism consistent with a role for BMP receptors in the establishment of early morphogen gradients.
Tertiary structure stabilization promotes hairpin ribozyme ligation.

The hairpin ribozyme catalyzes a reversible RNA cleavage reaction that participates in processing intermediates of viral satellite RNA replication in plants. A minimal hairpin ribozyme consists of two helix−loop−helix segments. These segments associate noncoaxially in the active folded structure in a way that brings catalytically important loop nucleotides into close proximity. The hairpin ribozyme in the satellite RNA of Tobacco Ringspot Virus assembles in the context of a four-way helical junction. Recent physical characterization of hairpin ribozyme structures using fluorescence resonance energy transfer demonstrated enhanced stability of the folded structure in the context of a four-way helical junction compared to minimal hairpin ribozyme variants. Analysis of the functional consequences of this modification of the helical junction has revealed two changes in the hairpin ribozyme kinetic mechanism. First, ribozymes with a four-way helical junction bind 3‘ cleavage products with much higher affinity t...
Toxic epidermal necrolysis after initiation of felbamate therapy

A 33-year-old woman with a 13-year history of partial complex seizures experienced toxic epidermal necrolysis requiring management in a regional burn treatment center after 16 days of single-agent treatment for epilepsy with felbamate 3600 mg/day. Within 24 hours the target lesions involved 45% of her total body surface area. They coalesced and progressed to exfoliation involving the mucosa and the conjunctiva. The patient was hospitalized for 25 days. Reports in the literature describe life-threatening rashes after treatment with felbamate in combination with other anticonvulsant agents. We believe this to be the first reported case of felbamate-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis induced by single-agent therapy. Although felbamate provides many advantages as an anticonvulsant, its structure can be arranged to a conformation in space similar to that of hydantoins and barbiturates, and thus warrants careful patient monitoring for life-threatening rashes.
Prenatal depression effects on the fetus and newborn : a review

A review of research on prenatal depression effects on the fetus and newborn suggests that they experience prenatal, perinatal and postnatal complications. Fetal activity is elevated, prenatal growth is delayed, and prematurity and low birthweight occur more often. Newborns of depressed mothers then show a biochemical/physiological profile that mimics their mothers' prenatal biochemical/physiological profile including elevated cortisol, lower levels of dopamine and serotonin, greater relative right frontal EEG activation and lower vagal tone. Elevated prenatal maternal cortisol is the strongest predictor of these neonatal outcomes. Moderate pressure massage can alleviate these effects including reducing prematurity.
Somatic cell genetics and the study of cholesterol metabolism

The regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis by extracellular cholesterol occurs both in whole animal tissue and in permanent somatic cell lines in culture. Permanent mammalian cells lines, under optimized growth conditions, are easily manipulated both biochemically and genetically. The Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHO-K1) is the most widely used cell line for genetic studies. CHO-K1 is a pseudo-diploid mammalian cell exhibiting a short doubling time and a relatively high plating efficiency. Somatic cell mutants can be generated through mutagenesis and also by drug adaptation. Following mutagenesis, auxotrophs may be isolated either by selection or by screening. Most selection procedures for mutants of cholesterol metabolism must be done in serum depleted of cholesterol which requires the endogenous biosynthetic pathway to be intact. Mutants failing to produce cholesterol do not replicate their DNA and exhibit reduced concentrations of cholesterol in their membranes. BUdR and polyene antibiotics have both been used to select against the wild-type cells which incorporate these compounds and are killed, allowing the survival of the mutant cells. Both mevalonate and cholesterol auxotrophs have been isolated with the BUdR technique and have proven useful for elucidation of the early steps in cholesterol biosynthesis, particularly for the ratelimiting enzyme HMG-CoA reductase. Somatic cell fusion of a mutant and wild-type cell followed by chromosomal segregation, routinely used to map human genes, has also been used to map the human gene for HMG-CoA synthase. Such hybrids also provide valuable information on the dominance or recessivity of a specific lesion. DNA-mediated gene transfer into somatic cell mutants allows the selection of DNA sequences which complement the mutation, and is also useful for analysis of regions of regulatory significance. Mutants, resistant to the regulatory effects of oxygenated sterols, can be isolated following mutagenesis. Mutants of this type vary the lipid content of their membranes in response to cholesterol concentration in the medium. All such mutants tested exhibit a pleiotropic regulatory effect on more than one enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. Adaptation to drugs such as compactin and mevinolin, which inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, have been used to produce mutants which overexpress enzymes in the pathway. These amplified cells are useful sources of specific mRNAs for construction of cDNA libraries and gene isolation. Structure-function relationships of membrane sterols can be studied in cholesterol auxotrophs where changes in acyl-chain ordering can be manipulated by exogenous sterols in the medium.
A comparative study of language models for book and author recognition

Linguistic information can help improve evaluation of similarity between documents; however, the kind of linguistic information to be used depends on the task. In this paper, we show that distributions of syntactic structures capture the way works are written and accurately identify individual books more than 76% of the time. In comparison, baseline features, e.g., tfidf-weighted keywords, function words, etc., give an accuracy of at most 66%. However, testing the same features on authorship attribution shows that distributions of syntactic structures are less successful than function words on this task; syntactic structures vary even among the works of the same author whereas features such as function words are distributed more similarly among the works of an author and can more effectively capture authorship.
Tensions in the Press Box Understanding Relationships Among Sports Media and Source Organizations

Sports journalists have long enjoyed close—many would say too close—relationships with their sources. As suggested by a neoinstitutionalist, understanding of organizational relationships, routines, and professional expectations become accepted over time by journalists and sports organizations alike. However, new competition from online media, as well as new opportunities for teams to bypass the media, have threatened the legitimacy of journalists and their work practices. A survey of 437 reporters and communications personnel found key differences in the ways those in the professions perceived access, suggesting that traditional work patterns are evolving in ways that could delegitimate journalists inside and outside sports.
Discussion of “Swaying of Pedestrian Bridges” by Alexander N. Blekherman

A discussion of an article with the aforementioned article, published in this journal (Volume 10, No. 2, March/April 2005), is presented. Although the discusser feels that the author provided a thorough literature review on pedestrian-induced lateral vibrations on footbridges, he feels that the author did not sufficiently build his case concerning parametric lateral bridge vibrations. The discusser argues, based on his study of pedestrian-induced vibrations for a suspension bridge, that synchronization is independent of the nonlinear coupling of modes. In synchronization, more and more pedestrians are unwillingly locked into the sway of bridges as they try to keep balance, thus creating larger lateral forces. The discusser argues that the author's assumption that nonlinear parametric vibration is the main source of lateral vibrations without consideration of linear vibrations makes the author's proposal of increasing vertical damping to reduce lateral vibrations premature and incomplete.
High performance discrete Fourier transforms on graphics processors

We present novel algorithms for computing discrete Fourier transforms with high performance on GPUs. We present hierarchical, mixed radix FFT algorithms for both power-of-two and non-power-of-two sizes. Our hierarchical FFT algorithms efficiently exploit shared memory on GPUs using a Stockham formulation. We reduce the memory transpose overheads in hierarchical algorithms by combining the transposes into a block-based multi-FFT algorithm. For non-power-of-two sizes, we use a combination of mixed radix FFTs of small primes and Bluestein's algorithm. We use modular arithmetic in Bluestein's algorithm to improve the accuracy. We implemented our algorithms using the NVIDIA CUDA API and compared their performance with NVIDIA's CUFFT library and an optimized CPU-implementation (Intel's MKL) on a high-end quad-core CPU. On an NVIDIA GPU, we obtained performance of up to 300 GFlops, with typical performance improvements of 2-4times over CUFFT and 8-40times improvement over MKL for large sizes.
Dornow–Wiehler isoxazole synthesis

Isoxazoles from condensation of aryl aldehydes and a-nitro-esters. Interestingly, the nitrogen atom at the isoxazole ring comes from the nitro group.
Accessibility and Quality of Online Cancer-Related Clinical Trial Information for Naïve Searchers

Although the Internet may help to increase cancer patients' awareness of clinical trials, little is known about the accessibility and quality of online clinical trial information. We simulated the experience of a naive cancer patient without clinical trial knowledge by searching three popular search engines for treatment information for breast, lung, and prostate cancer, and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Two coders independently evaluated website content for accessibility and quality. We screened 120 websites and identified 40 unique sites for analysis. Overall, 85% [95% confidence interval (CI), 70%-94%] of sites mentioned clinical trials on the landing page and 68% (51%-81%) included links to specific trials. Overall readability was poor. Approximately half of websites (36%-68%) included information on the potential benefits and risks of clinical trials and 40% provided information about when the site had been updated (25%-57%). Among sites with links to specific clinical trials, only 44% (25%-65%) provided an interactive interface that would allow patients to customize search results; breast (100%) and prostate (50%) sites were more interactive than lung (25%) and MDS (14%; P = 0.007). Although cancer clinical trial information is widely available on the Internet, its quality is highly variable. Given the fact that many emerging cancer therapeutics are personalized based on disease or genomic characteristics, interactive web-based interfaces could serve as powerful vehicles to help patients locate appropriate clinical trials. Without enhanced efforts to ensure greater interactivity of cancer treatment websites, patient awareness of relevant clinical trials may remain low.
Intraoperative usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography: Detection of unsuspected rupture of an aneurysm of the sinus of valsalva

NEURYSMS of the sinus of Valsalva (ASOV) are uncommon, accounting for less than 1% of cardiac pathology requiring surgical repair. 1 An ASOV frequently ruptures into a cardiac chamber, usually the right ventricle. A ruptured ASOV presents clinically as chest pain, dyspnea, and a continuous murmur over the precordium. The differential diagnosis for associated clinical findings includes ventricular septal defect (VSD) combined with aortic insufficiency, persistent ductus arteriosus, coronary arteriovenous fistula, and aortopulmonary window. 2,3 In most patients, but not all, ASOV can be diagnosed with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with Doppler color-flow imaging as accurately as with cardiac catheterization and angiography? ,5 Occasionally, however, neither TTE nor catheterization and angiography can detect the abnormality. An alternative means of detecting ASOV that has been more successful is transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). TEE can also be used to diagnose coexisting anatomic abnormalities and to provide blood flow information, which aid in surgical planning, 6,7 and to verify the adequacy of surgical repair. A patient is presented with a preoperative diagnosis of a VSD made by TTE and cardiac catheterization. Intraoperative TEE showed a ruptured aneurysm of the right sinus of Valsalva that communicated into the right ventricular outflow tract, aortic insufficiency, and absence of a VSD. These findings were confirmed during the surgical repair.
Generation XXX Pornography Acceptance and Use Among Emerging Adults

This study examined correlates of pornography acceptance and use within a normative (nonclinical) population of emerging adults (individuals aged 18—26). Participants included 813 university studen...
Topographic and sea level controls on oolite-microbialite-coralgal reef sequences: The terminal carbonate complex of southeast Spain

The terminal carbonate complex of southeast Spain is a Miocene (Messinian) unit of oolite, microbialite, and coralgal reefs deposited in association with glacioeustasy and evaporitic drawdown. The relationship between paleotopography and sea level history is useful for prediction of microbialite and oolite reservoir facies in the subsurface. Four sequences record sea level change with minimum amplitudes of 32–77 m (105–253 ft). Sequences commonly have local basal stromatolites overlain by local thrombolites, ooid grainstone, volcaniclastic-rich planar-bedded ooid grainstone, and fenestral ooid grainstone. At low substrate positions, thrombolite boundstones are thicker and laterally more continuous than at higher positions. At intermediate substrate positions (relative to sea level history), sequences have a build-and-fill architecture, characterized by a relief-building phase and a relief-filling phase, with thin sequences draping paleotopography. Microbialites dominate during the relative sea level rises and build topographic relief. Oolites dominate during the relative sea level falls and fill topographic relief. At higher substrate positions, close to highstand, sequences thicken and yield stratigraphic character that is inconsistent with a build-and-fill model. Apparently, the build-and-fill model requires an intermediate-elevation substrate position and nonoptimal carbonate productivity during rapid sea level change. Sequences progressively show increasing diversity and more normal marine organisms, possibly caused by decreasing aridity. Lithofacies of the La Molata area show evidence of more restricted conditions compared to the La Rellana-Ricardillo area lithofacies, likely because La Molata was in an embayment. These results show that distribution of oolite, microbialite, and reef facies are predictable given known interaction among sea level, paleotopography of the depositional surface (substrate), and coastline configuration.
Insertion electrodes as SMART materials: the first 25 years and future promises

The role of intercalation/insertion reactions in battery electrodes was first recognized just over 25 years ago. From the first prototypical titanium disulfide cells, the technology has more recently been commercialized by Sony in the Li-ion cell using a cobalt oxide insertion cathode and a carbon insertion anode. These cells have proved themselves highly successful in the field in small devices, such as cellular phones and portable computers. However, their energy density is no higher than the titanium sulfide system and they are too expensive for large-scale application. Therefore, the search is on for lower cost cathodes that have at least double the energy density of the present systems. The research trends and future prospects are discussed.
The Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment: How Applier Strength and Body Mass Index Affect External Abdominal Pressure

Objective: To assess the amount of abdominal pressure generated by the Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garment (NASG), a first-aid counter pressure device for obstetric hemorrhage, and to evaluate if body mass index (BMI) and ap- plier strength, affect pressure. Study Design: A pilot study convenience sample of 20 non-pregnant volunteers underwent external abdominal pressure monitoring with NASG placement. Mean pressure and the effects of BMI and applier strength were examined. Results: The mean external abdominal pressure significantly increased from 1.0 mmHg at baseline to 67 mmHg on NASG application, returning to 1.0 mmHg upon removal (p=0.005). Greater mean pressure was exerted by a strong applier ver- sus a weak applier, irrespective of BMI (p<0.001). Pressure had an inverse relationship with BMI, particularly with a strong applier (r=-0.905, p<0.001). The difference between pressures achieved in an underweight patient with a strong ap- plier and an overweight patient with a weak applier was significant (73.2 vs 35.7 mmHg; p=0.051). Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates a significant increase in abdominal pressure with device application and sig- nificant variation with BMI and applier strength. These findings may have important implications for optimizing device usage.
Serologic and Molecular Biologic Methods for SARS-associated Coronavirus Infection, Taiwan

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has raised a global alert since March 2003. After its causative agent, SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), was confirmed, laboratory methods, including virus isolation, reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and serologic methods, have been quickly developed. In this study, we evaluated four serologic tests ( neutralization test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA], immunofluorescent assay [IFA], and immunochromatographic test [ICT]) for detecting antibodies to SARS-CoV in sera of 537 probable SARS case-patients with correlation to the RT-PCR . With the neutralization test as a reference method, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 98.2%, 98.7%, 98.7%, and 98.4% for ELISA; 99.1%, 87.8%, 88.1% and 99.1% for IFA; 33.6%, 98.2%, 95.7%, and 56.1% for ICT, respectively. We also compared the recombinant-based western blot with the whole virus–based IFA and ELISA; the data showed a high correlation between these methods, with an overall agreement of >90%. Our results provide a systematic analysis of serologic and molecular methods for evaluating SARS-CoV infection.
Leadership Practice in Service of Homeless Students: An Examination of Community Perceptions

This qualitative study examines the collaboration and leadership practice that influences the education of homeless students in a large Mid-Atlantic city. The perspectives of administrators and staff members from three homeless shelters are analyzed with insights from Spillane’s (Distributed leadership, 2006) distributed leadership theory. Findings from the study indicate that differences in shelter and school structures and cultures present significant obstacles to productive communication that would facilitate homeless children’s schooling. Several structural and programmatic recommendations are made towards developing more effective leadership practice among schools and shelters.
Scalable spatio-temporal continuous query processing for location-aware services

Real-time spatio-temporal query processing needs to effectively handle a large number of moving objects and continuous spatio-temporal queries. In this paper, we use shared execution as a mechanism to support scalability in location-aware servers. Our main idea is to maintain a query table that stores information about continuous spatio-temporal queries. Then, answering spatio-temporal queries is abstracted as a spatial join among the moving objects and queries. Three query join policies are proposed aiming to minimize the cost of the join operation under the shared execution paradigm, namely the clock-triggered join policy, the incremental join policy, and the hot join policy. We introduce the concept of a no-action region that is used in conjunction with the hot join policy. We propose algorithms that calculate the no-action region for objects and queries. Experimental performance demonstrates that the no-action region is more efficient than other approaches when used along with the hot join policy. Experiments also demonstrate that the hot join policy outperforms the clock-triggered join policy and the incremental join policy in terms of both I/O and CPU costs.
Fluorescence microscopy of fresh tissue as a rapid technique for assessing early injury to mesophyll.

A technique was developed for sectioning fresh red spruce foliage (Picea rubens Sarg.) for use in fluorescence microscopy. This allowed rapid examination of mesophyll in 3–5 mm needle sections. Healthy, ozone treated and cold stressed needles were examined to assess the utility of this technique for early detection of damage. Healthy mesophyll cells fluoresced bright red, while injured cells fluoresced yellow-green in ozone treated needles, and yellow-orange in frozen needles. Shifts in fluorescence wavelengths may be useful for early detection of injury to mesophyll before it is evident by standard light or electron microscopy.
The ttpC Gene Is Contained in Two of Three TonB Systems in the Human Pathogen Vibrio vulnificus, but Only One Is Active in Iron Transport and Virulence

The TonB system of proteins is required for the energy-dependent active transport of iron-bound substrates across the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. We have identified three TonB systems within the human pathogen Vibrio vulnificus. The TonB1 system contains the TonB1, ExbD1, and ExbB1 proteins, whereas both the TtpC2-TonB2 and TtpC3-TonB3 systems contain an additional fourth protein, TtpC. Here we report that TtpC3, although highly related to TtpC2, is inactive in iron transport, whereas TtpC2 is essential for the function of the TtpC2-TonB2 system in V. vulnificus. This protein, together with TonB2, is absolutely required for both the uptake of endogenously produced iron-bound siderophores as well as siderophores produced from other organisms. Through complementation we show that V. vulnificus is capable of using different TtpC2 proteins from other Vibrio species to drive the uptake of multiple siderophores. We have also determined that aerobactin, a common bacterial siderophore involved in virulence of enteric bacteria, can only be brought into the cell using the TtpC2-TonB2 system, indicating an important evolutionary adaptation of TtpC2 and TonB2. Furthermore, in the absence of TonB1, TtpC2 is essential for a fully virulent phenotype as demonstrated using 50% lethal dose (LD50) experiments in mice.
Heating of solid targets by electron beams

The heating of a solid material by a high-energy electron beam is discussed. The two-dimensional transient nonlinear heat equation has been solved by the finite element method, considering both the penetration of the beam into the target and its finite size. The importance of the temperature dependences of each of the material properties on melt time have been established. Results are presented for the time needed for the first melting of the target for Cu, AI, Si, GaAs, impinged by beams having energies and parameters covering a wide range of values. Also the regimes of validity of the one-dimensional heat equation are discussed.
A 90nm data flow processor demonstrating fine grained DVS for energy efficient operation from 0.25V to 1.2V

We present a 90nm data flow processor that executes DSP algorithms using fine grained DVS at the component level with rapid V DD switching and V DD dithering for near-ideal quadratic dynamic energy scaling from 0.25V–1.2V. Measurements show energy savings up to 50% and 46% compared to single-V DD and multi-V DD alternatives.
Identifying English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities: Key Challenges and Possible Approaches

The need for effective approaches for identifying English language learners with learning disabilities is great and growing. Meeting this need is complicated by recent developments in the field of learning disabilities that are unrelated to the English language learning status, and by limitations in existing knowledge specific to the identification of English language learners with learning disabilities. We review recent developments in the field of learning disabilities concerning the need for earlier identification, the need for a more appropriate conceptualization of learning disability, and the need for more effective assessments and treatments. We discuss challenges to assessment and identification of English language learners with learning disabilities, provide examples of two approaches to meeting these challenges, and describe some remaining challenges.
Bilateral asynchronous paratesticular leiomyosarcomas.

Paratesticular tumors account for only 0.8% of adult soft tissue sarcomas and leiomyosarcomas comprise roughly 30% of the total, with the remainder being other mesenchymal sarcomas, including rhabdomyosarcoma (40%), liposarcoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma.1 Leiomyosarcomas are thought to arise from undifferentiated mesenchymal cells of the cremasteric muscles, vas deferens, epididymal canal and dartos layers. The typical age at presentation is the forties to seventies. To our knowledge, we report the first case of bilateral paratesticular leiomyosarcomas.