cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of the Ryan White CARE Act on the Availability of HIV/AIDS Services

This article assesses the extent to which the availability of HIV/AIDS services in the Baltimore and Oakland eligible metropolitan areas (EMAs) increased after receipt of funding under Title I of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act. Survey data on the availability of HIV/AIDS services in each EMA were collected from samples of organizations at two points in time: 1 year before (1991) and 1 year after (1993) the Oakland and Baltimore EMAs received their first installments of CARE Act Title I funds. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of the data were performed to assess changes in the availability of HIV/AIDS services. The results showed that after CARE Act Title I funding became available, the availability of ambulatory medical and social support services in the Baltimore and Oakland EMAs increased. However, the way service availability increased varied significantly, reflecting differing opportunities and constraints present in each community. In Baltimore, the increase in the availability of HIV/AIDS services was due largely to the creation of new organizations that used Title I funds to provide services (system expansion). In Oakland, relatively few new organizations were created, but existing organizations added new HIV/AIDS services (service line expansion). Our data also indicated that in both EMAs the majority of HIV/AIDS organizations receiving Title I funds expanded the capacity of their existing services to meet growing demand.
Free convection heat or mass transfer in porous media

Abstract A boundary-layer analysis is presented for steady free-convection heat or mass transfer between a surface of arbitrary shape and a surrounding porous medium such as soil. The porous medium is treated as a continuum with fluid motion described by Darcy's law, and heat conduction and mass diffusion bu Fourier's and Fick's laws respectively. It is found that the Nusselt numbers for heat and mass transfer are expressible as the product of the square root of midified Rayleigh number and a coefficient dependent only on system geometry.
Plant Growth Response in a Simulated Electric Field-environment

THE physiological effects on plant growth and plant growth response of environmental factors such as moisture, light, temperature, and similar functions are well documented. Literature relating almost all aspects of these environmental conditions is also quite extensive. Yet little is known of the physiological influence on plant growth of the electric field environment which prevails at all times everywhere. This communication shows that sufficiently high electric fields have a definite effect on plant growth and the growth response. Even though the simulated environmental conditions have been magnified rather grossly, it can be argued that under certain conditions affecting the charge balance in the ionosphere (such as radiation damage due to nuclear explosions1 and other forms of ionospheric radiation damage2), these conditions could indeed exist in the terrestrial microclimate.
Characterization Studies on the SOFC Anode Material Using RSM Technique

The characteristics of the Ni/YSZ anode material for the solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) were investigated in order to study the relation between the porosity and the conductivity of the cell. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used for the study. The anode material was prepared with NiO and YSZ along with the graphite as pore former. The experiments were performed based on a central composite design matrix, which yielded nine sets of experiments. Porosity and conductivity measurements were performed on the sintered and reduced anode material. Using the measured values as output variables, statistical analysis was performed. The results indicated that the porosity increases by reducing the sintering temperature values, while the conductivity values were on the reverse scale. The conductivity values increase with increasing temperature. Using RSM technique, a ideal point was found in order to obtain a desired porosity volume and conductivity value.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Evaporative water loss in bats

Abstract 1. 1. There is no difference in rate of evaporative water loss ( EWL ) between adult male and female Natalus stramineus, Glossophaga soricina , and Myotis nigricans irrespective of the reproductive conditions of the females. EWL in pregnant Artibeus cinereus is significantly less than other adults. 2. 2. EWL in bats is related to body weight ( W ) by the equation log EWL = log 0.398 + 0.672 log W , where EWL is g of water/animal per day and W is g. 3. 3. EWL increases with level of activity in torpid, active, and flying bats. 4. 4. EWL in active bats is inversely or directly related to ambient temperature ( T a ) at temperatures below the thermal neutral zone ( TNZ ) in different species. Above the TNZ, EWL is directly related to T a and water vapor pressure ( WVP ). Below the TNZ, EWL is inversely related to WVP . 5. 5. Depending on the species, grouping may result in significant increases, decreases or no difference in EWL .
Models for nitrite reductases. Redox chemistry of iron-nitrosyl porphyrins, chlorins, and isobacteriochlorins and .pi. cation radicals of cobalt-nitrosyl isobacteriochlorins

The iron II (Fe) NO complexes display reversible cyclic voltammetric reduction at effectively the same potential in butyronitrile. Such insensitivity to the nature of the macrocycle is typical of metal-centered reductions. The complexes of all three macrocycles can be reversibly reduced and reoxidized, in a vacuum electrolysis cell. As the reductions proceed, the typical Fe/sup II/ NO EPR signals diminish, and the reduced products are silent. The cobalt II NO complexes produce similar results. However, if electron transport in the enzyme cycle occurs via oxidized macrocycle transients, as has been suggested, the isobacteriochlorin is most easily oxidized, the NO substrate is less labile, and its bent conformation may be better suited for further reaction. The choice of macrocycle may allow control of oxidation site and control of the residence time and reactivity of the NO at the catalytic site. 3 figures, 1 table.
pH-Dependent Hydrolysis of 4,4′-Diformamidodiphenylsulfone

Abstract The hydrolysis of the antimalarial agent, 4,4′-diform amidodiphenylsulfone (I), was studied at five hydrogen-ion concentrations and four different temperatures. Under all conditions, 4,4′-diformamidodiphenylsulfone was first hydrolyzed to 4-amino-4′-formamidodiphenylsulfone (II) and then to 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (III) according to the reaction: The k 1 rate constants were greatex than k 2 . Both k 1 and k 2 followed apparent first-order kinetics with respect to 4,4′-diformamidodi-phenylsulfone and 4-amino-4′-formamidodiphenylsulfone concentrations, respectively, and were dependent on pH in the order of k pH2 > > > k pH5 ⋍ k pH10 > k pH10 > k pH4 ⋍ k pH6 . Thus, at the stomach pH, extremely rapid nonenzymatic hydrolysis is to be expected. It is, however, limited by the solubility of the drug which is extremely low. 4,4′-Diformamidodiphenylsulfone was found to be most stable at pH ~6.
CMB and 21-cm signals for dark matter with a long-lived excited state

Motivated by the eXciting dark matter model of Finkbeiner and Weiner, hypothesized to explain the 511 keV signal in the center of the Milky Way, we consider the cosmic microwave background and 21-cm signatures of models of dark matter with collisional long-lived excited states. We compute the relic excitation fraction from the early Universe for a variety of assumptions about the collisional de-excitation cross section and thermal decoupling. The relic excitation fraction can be as high as 1% for natural regions of parameter space, but could be orders of magnitude smaller. Since the lifetime of the excited state is naturally greater than 10{sup 13} s, we discuss the signatures of such relic excitation on cosmic microwave background and high-z 21-cm observations. Such models have potentially richer astrophysical signals than the traditional weakly interacting massive particle annihilations and decays, and may have observable consequences for future generations of experiments.
Effects of Hydration and Calcium Supplementation on Urine Calcium Concentration in Healthy Postmenopausal Women

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether calcium supplementation, compared with placebo, increases urine calcium concentrations to levels indicative of increased renal stone risk, and the role that fluid intake, as indicated by urine volume, may play in mitigating this risk.Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from a randomized placebo-controlled trial of 500 mg/d calcium supplementation to prevent bone loss. Subjects were 240 white postmenopausal women age 40 to 70 years in good general health. Effects of supplementation on 1-year changes in 24h urine calcium concentration and urine volume were examined.Results: Both treatment group and urine volume were strong independent predictors of urine calcium concentration (p < 0.001). Among subjects with urine volume under 2 L/24 h, more than half of placebo subjects were at lowest risk for renal stones compared with less than 35% of calcium-supplemented subjects. Among those with higher urine volumes, all placebo subjects and more than...
Radical Prostatectomy Outcome in Men 65 Years Old or Older With Low Risk Prostate Cancer

Purpose: A recent update of the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group Study-4 concluded that men older than 65 years treated with radical prostatectomy had no survival advantage compared to men treated with watchful waiting. We examined the proportion and outcomes of men 65 years old or older with low risk disease who underwent radical prostatectomy at our institution.Materials and Methods: Our institutional radical prostatectomy database with more than 19,000 patients was queried for men 65 years old or older with low risk prostate cancer. Pathological and survival outcomes were assessed. Subanalysis was done on men 70 years old or older to determine whether outcomes among older men differed by age.Results: A total of 1,560 men (8.1%) 65 years old or older with low risk prostate cancer underwent radical prostatectomy between 1983 and 2010. After radical prostatectomy 38.3% of the men had evidence of more aggressive cancer, including Gleason score 7 or greater, or extraprostatic extension. After radical pros...
Automatically validating temporal safety properties of interfaces

We present a process for validating temporal safety properties of software that uses a well-defined interface. The process requires only that the user state the property of interest. It then automatically creates abstractions of C code using iterative refinement, based on the given property. The process is realized in the SLAM toolkit, which consists of a model checker, predicate abstraction tool and predicate discovery tool. We have applied the SLAM toolkit to a number of Windows NT device drivers to validate critical safety properties such as correct locking behavior. We have found that the process converges on a set of predicates powerful enough to validate properties in just a few iterations.
Experimentation and Learning in a Differentiated-Products Duopoly

Abstract This paper explores price-setting behavior in the context of a duopoly in which firms are uncertain about the degree of product differentiation. Firms learn from the difference in their realized demands in light of the price differential. The informativeness of this market experiment is shown to be increasing in size of the price differential. In markets with highly substitutable products, price dispersion is enhanced as firms adjust their prices so as to generate more information. In markets with highly differentiated products, firms compress their prices as they prefer to reveal less about the extent of product differentiation. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers D43, D83, L13.
Low efficacy opioids: Implications for sex differences in opioid antinociception.

It is becoming increasingly evident that the sex of an organism is a critical determinant of responsiveness to opioid analgesics. However, the factors that determine the magnitude and direction of sex differences in opioid antinociception have not been fully elucidated. One factor that has received attention is the relative efficacy of the opioid. This review summarizes recent findings in which opioid efficacy was systematically manipulated as an independent variable to probe underlying sex differences in opioid system function. Overall, in rodents and nonhuman primates, mu and kappa opioids are generally more potent and effective in males than in females. The data indicate that although sex differences in the potency of high efficacy opioids such as morphine are generally less than 3.0-fold, sex differences with lower efficacy opioids can be greater than 90-fold. Moreover, that these drugs can function as full agonists in males while functioning as antagonists in females under identical conditions suggests some fundamental sex difference in opioid system function. In addition to efficacy, a number of other variables can affect the outcomes of these studies, including the drug history, genotype, and nociceptive stimulus modality, duration, and intensity. These factors may interact with opioid efficacy to determine the specific conditions under which sex differences are observed. The testing of low efficacy opioids by other laboratories and under other experimental conditions will determine the extent to which this variable affords a strategic research tool. The potential utility of low efficacy opioids in other domains of behavioral pharmacology is also discussed.
Mechanistic analysis of interhemispheric transport

After a strong interannual modulation in methyl chloroform was observed at Samoa, it was hypothesized that a mechanism other than convection, namely the propagation of Rossby waves through the tropical westerly ducts, may also be responsible for interhemispheric transport. We assess the role of these mechanisms in this exchange using the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)'s Community Climate Model 2 (CCM2). In our analysis of Northern Hemisphere wintertime transport we find that convective outflow is the dominant mechanism for cross-equatorial transport. Rossby wave propagation through westerly ducts contributes significantly less. Furthermore, we find that the observed modulation of methyl chloroform mixing ratio at Samoa is due to a shift in the low level convergence pattern during El Nino, resulting in a more southeasterly flow at the surface over Samoa.
Shock consolidation of a rapidly solidified steel powder

Rapidly solidified AISI 9310 steel powders were consolidated by shock waves produced from the impact of high velocity flyers. Dependence of the microhardness and the ultimate tensile strength of the compacts on the initial shock pressure (from 3.6 to 17.9 GPa) and the maximum shock pressure (from 6 to 37 GPa) was measured for an initial powder density 0.6 of the bulk density and a shock duration of 2–3 s. Photomicrographs and SEM fractographs were used to study the interparticle bonding in the compacts. Results show that for initial shock pressures below 4 GPa, the compacts have negligible strength. However, above this threshold the strength of the compact rises rapidly until a maximum value of 1.3 ± 0.1 GPa is reached for an initial shock pressure of 12.4 GPa. The strength then remains constant before decreasing at the highest initial shock pressure. In marked contrast, with increasing shock pressure, the diamond pyramid hardness increases very gradually from a value of about 340 for the powder to about 500 at the highest shock pressure. The maximum strength obtained correlates reasonably well with the strength-expected from microhardness measurements.
Graduate Fieldwork in Sociology at UC, Davis

We think it useful and productive to outline the graduate fieldwork course we offer at the University of California, Davis, and then to compare it with the one taught by Professor Bogdan. Our team-taught effort spans two quarters-the twenty-three weeks of calendar time from January to mid-June. Its prime goals are (1) to provide graduate students in sociology with an intensive and consequential experience in collecting and analyzing qualitative data that results, at the end of the sequence, in (2) a draft of a paper that with further work can be used as one of the required preliminary papers in our doctoral program and that, therefore, has strong prospects for publication. Over the years, a high portion of the course's papers have been so used and published. Because of these goals, the sequence is structured to provide the required training quickly and intensively at the start, moving the student projects progressively to center-stage as the weeks progress. We organize the basic instruction into the first five or six weeks. To facilitate this, we have codified the process of fieldwork into eleven steps or phases that constitute something of a checklist of sequential concerns to which students must attend. These eleven steps can themselves be grouped into four clusters. The first cluster addresses matters of gathering data and mandates: (1) starting where you are in the sense of employing a current situation, past involvement, or deep interest as a topic of research; (2) evaluating data sites in terms of appropriateness and access; (3) getting in, where that is problematic, and facing up to the numerous unavoidable social, political, legal, and ethical considerations; (4) getting along with people in a setting as this is continually problematic in a variety of ways; and (5) logging data with the use of interview guides, field notes, or both. The second cluster is concerned with focusing the gathering and gathered data in a social scientific fashion and involves: (6) thinking units, which is the emerging need to decide the scale of social organizational unit that will be the focus or multiple foci (e.g., meanings, acts, roles, groups, organizations, or whatever); (7) asking questions by posing one or more of the seven basic questions an analyst can ask about any phenomenon; and (8) being interesting by avoiding trite and well established answers to already asked questions through using one or more of several devices (including irony, generic framing, transcendent bracketing). The third cluster concentrates on processes of analyzing and organizing data into reportable form and requires: (9) developing Lofland & Lofland Teaching Fieldwork 181
Emotional Maltreatment and Depression: Prospective Prediction of Depressive Episodes

Background: Most research to date on the role of maltreatment experiences in depression has focused on physical and sexual maltreatment. However, several researchers have theorized that emotional maltreatment may be more strongly linked to depression. Furthermore, prospective studies in this area are lacking. This study addressed these issues by examining whether experiences of current emotional maltreatment predicted the development of new prospective episodes of major (MD) or minor depression (MiD), and the subtype of hopelessness depression (HD) in young adults. It also assessed whether current emotional maltreatment from peers and from authority figures separately predicted the occurrence of depressive episodes. Method: One hundred and sixty-five participants from the Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression Project were followed prospectively for 2.5 years. Current emotional maltreatment and new depressive episodes were assessed with life event and diagnostic interviews administered every 6 weeks. Results: Greater overall emotional maltreatment predicted shorter time to onset of new MD, MiD, and HD episodes. Peer- and authority-perpetrated emotional maltreatment separately predicted shorter time to development of new HD episodes. Conclusions: Greater emotional maltreatment in young adults prospectively predicts onset of depression, particularly HD. These findings highlight the importance of adult emotional maltreatment experiences in determining targets for prevention and treatment. Depression and Anxiety 26:174–181, 2009. r 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Structural dynamics and oligomeric interactions of Na+,K(+)-ATPase as monitored using fluorescence energy transfer

The oligomeric nature of the purified lamb kidney Na+,K(+)-ATPase was investigated by measuring the fluorescence energy transfer between catalytic (alpha) subunits following sequential labeling with fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate (FITC) and erythrosin 5'-isothiocyanate (ErITC). Although these two probes had different spectral responses upon reaction with the enzyme, our studies suggest that a sizeable proportion of their binding occurs at the same ATP protectable, active site domain of alpha. Fluorescence energy transfer (FET) from donor (FITC) to acceptor (ErITC) revealed an apparent 56 A distance between the putative ATP binding sites of alpha subunits, which is consistent with (alpha beta)2 dimers rather than randomly spaced alpha beta heteromonomers. In this work, methods were introduced to eliminate the contribution of nonspecific probe labeling to FET values and to determine the most probable orientation factor (K2) for these rigidly bound fluorophores. FET measurements between anthroylouabain/ErITC, 5'-iodoacetamide fluorescein (5'IAF)/ErITC, and TNP-ATP/FITC, donor/acceptor pairs were also made. Interestingly, none of these distances were affected by ligand-dependent changes in enzyme conformation. These results and those from electron microscopy imaging (Ting-Beall et al. 1990. FEBS Lett. 265:121) suggest a model in which ATP binding sites of (alpha beta)2 dimers are 56 A apart, and reside 30 A from the intracellular surface of the membrane contiguous with the phosphorylation domain.
Preparing Students to Determine Personally Appropriate Political Behavior.

Although textbooks of organizational behavior and management commonly include chapters on power and organizational politics, they uniformly ignore how to develop competency in these areas. Yet students would benefit from learning that organizational politics affects decision making and that their own political behavior can reflect both organizational goals and their individual interests and preferences. To help students determine appropriate political behavior, this article presents guidelines superimposing individual differences on existent models of politics and provides an experiential vehicle for introducing these guidelines.
Government Reorganization: A Theoretical Analysis

Reorganization is one of the most common activities of government, but it is not adequately understood, either by practitioners or by scholars. This article applies three broad approaches in administrative theory—purpo sive action, environmental determinism, and institutionalism—to the study of reform in industrialized democracies. Each of these three broad approaches is further divided into a number of more specific approaches. The article evaluates all the available approaches, and ends by arguing in favor of the institutional approach.
Detection of Salmonella serovars from clinical samples by enrichment broth cultivation-PCR procedure

To overcome problems associated with application of PCR to clinical samples, we have combined a short cultivation procedure with a Salmonella-specific PCR-hybridization assay to specifically identify Salmonella serovars from clinical samples of various animal species. The technique was investigated by using fecal samples seeded with known numbers of Salmonella organisms and cultivated for different lengths of time in assorted selective and nonselective enrichment media. The ability of PCR to amplify a Salmonella-specific DNA product (457-bp sequence covering the Salmonella invE and invA genes) was examined in Southern hybridizations with an internal oligonucleotide probe. Forty-seven Salmonella isolates representing 32 serovars were evaluated, and all Salmonella isolates resulted in a 457-bp product that hybridized with the oligonucleotide probe, whereas no hybridizations were evident with 53 non-Salmonella organisms. The assay detected as few as 9 CFU of Salmonella organisms in pure culture and as little as 300 fg of purified chromosomal DNA. Rappaport-Vassiliadis and tetrathionate broths were inhibitory to PCR, whereas brain heart infusion and selenite-cystine broths were not. The PCR-hybridization assay coupled with a brain heart infusion enrichment culture incubated for 2 h detected as few as 80 CFU of Salmonella organisms in seeded feces. We have successfully identified Salmonella serovars in clinical samples from swine, horses, and cattle more rapidly than with conventional culture techniques. The sensitivity and specificity of this assay were both 100% compared with culture results. These results indicate that a combined cultivation-PCR-hybridization assay could be applicable and advantageous in the rapid identification of Salmonella serovars in routine diagnostic situations.
Neuronal activity in the preoptic hypothalamus during sleep deprivation and recovery sleep

The preoptic hypothalamus is implicated in sleep regulation. Neurons in the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) and the ventrolateral preoptic area (VLPO) have been identified as potential sleep regulatory elements. However, the extent to which MnPO and VLPO neurons are activated in response to changing homeostatic sleep regulatory demands is unresolved. To address this question, we continuously recorded the extracellular activity of neurons in the rat MnPO, VLPO and dorsal lateral preoptic area (LPO) during baseline sleep and waking, during 2 h of sleep deprivation (SD) and during 2 h of recovery sleep (RS). Sleep-active neurons in the MnPO (n = 11) and VLPO (n = 13) were activated in response to SD, such that waking discharge rates increased by 95.8 ± 29.5% and 59.4 ± 17.3%, respectively, above waking baseline values. During RS, non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep discharge rates of MnPO neurons initially increased to 65.6 ± 15.2% above baseline values, then declined to baseline levels in association with decreases in EEG delta power. Increase in non-REM sleep discharge rates in VLPO neurons during RS averaged 40.5 ± 7.6% above baseline. REM-active neurons (n = 16) in the LPO also exhibited increased waking discharge during SD and an increase in non-REM discharge during RS. Infusion of A2A adenosine receptor antagonist into the VLPO attenuated SD-induced increases in neuronal discharge. Populations of LPO wake/REM-active and state-indifferent neurons and dorsal LPO sleep-active neurons were unresponsive to SD. These findings support the hypothesis that sleep-active neurons in the MnPO and VLPO, and REM-active neurons in the LPO, are components of neuronal circuits that mediate homeostatic responses to sustained wakefulness.
Multiple Testing. Part III. Procedures for Control of the Generalized Family-Wise Error Rate and Proportion of False Positives

The accompanying articles by Dudoit et al. (2003b) and van der Laan et al. (2003) provide single-step and step-down resampling-based multiple testing procedures that asymptotically control the family-wise error rate (FWER) for general null hypotheses and test statistics. The proposed procedures fundamentally differ from existing approaches in the choice of null distribution for deriving cut-offs for the test statistics and are shown to provide asymptotic control of the FWER under general data generating distributions, without the need for conditions such as subset pivotality. In this article, we show that any multiple testing procedure (asymptotically) controlling the FWER at level alpha can be augmented into: (i) a multiple testing procedure (asymptotically) controlling the generalized family-wise error rate (i.e., the probability, gFWER(k), of having more than k false positives) at level alpha and (ii) a multiple testing procedure (asymptotically) controlling the probability, PFP(q), that the proportion of false positives among the rejected hypotheses exceeds a user-supplied value q in (0,1) at level alpha. Existing procedures for control of the proportion of false positives typically rely on the assumption that the test statistics are independent, while our proposed augmentation procedures control the PFP and gFWER for general data generating distributions, with arbitrary dependence structures among variables. Applying our augmentation methods to step-down multiple testing procedures that asymptotically control the FWER at exact level alpha (van der Laan et al., 2003), yields multiple testing procedures that also asymptotically control the gFWER and PFP at exact level alpha. Finally, the adjusted p-values for the gFWER and PFP-controlling augmentation procedures are shown to be simple functions of the adjusted p-values for the original FWER-controlling procedure.
Review Articles: Approach to Patients with “Complex” Hemodialysis Access Problems: APPROACH TO COMPLEX ACCESS

The approach to patients with "complex" permanent hemodialysis (HD) access problems remains poorly defined. The purpose of this review is to outline our current algorithm for patients presenting for dialysis access and to address the management of specific problems that complicate this objective of establishing permanent access. The key components of the algorithm include noninvasive imaging in the diagnostic vascular laboratory to determine all the possible access configurations and invasive imaging with both venography and arteriography to confirm the optimal choice. The specific access-related problems addressed include inadequate ipsilateral vein, inadequate arterial inflow, central vein stenosis/occlusion, multiple previous access failures, and obesity. Despite the label of "complex" access problems, it is possible to construct native arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) in almost all patients presenting for access using the standard principles of vascular surgery that are based on establishing adequate arterial inflow, adequate venous outflow, and selecting an appropriate conduit.
Effect of antipyrine on prostaglandin levels and uterine and umbilical blood flow.

Abstract Antipyrine and 4-aminoantipyrine have been used for approximately 20 years to measure uterine and umbilical blood flow. Fetal infusion of 4-aminoantipyrine has been shown to decrease myometrial activity and to significantly lower prostaglandin F 2α metabolite levels. Since prostaglandins are thought to be important in regulating uterine and umbilical blood flow, their decrease could cause significant changes in blood flow. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of antipyrine on uterine and umbilical blood flow as measured with electromagnetic flow probes and to determine whether antipyrine causes significant changes in levels of prostaglandin E 2 , prostaglandin F 2α metabolite, and prostaglandin I 2 measured as 6-keto-prostaglandin F 1α . Antipyrine infusion produced significant reductions in the uterine venous levels of prostaglandin E 2 and prostaglandin F 2α metabolite (p O 2 , and oxygen content were not significantly altered. These data suggest that the antipyrine method does not affect basal blood flow in the uterine or umbilical circulation even though uterine prostaglandin levels are significantly decreased.
Extrapulmonary intrathoracic blastomycosis: a case report and systematic literature review

Introduction: Mediastinal blastomycosis has been described in multiple case reports, but no review to date has catalogued its various manifestations or response to treatment. Case presentation: An otherwise healthy 18‐year‐old female presented with lymphadenopathy and was found to have a large mediastinal mass concerning for lymphoma. A subsequent biopsy revealed Blastomyces dermatitidis; the patient responded well to therapy with amphotericin B and itraconazole. Similar cases are reviewed and analysed. Conclusion: Mediastinal blastomycosis is a rare but life‐threatening disease manifestation that responds readily to appropriate antifungal therapy.
Osteopontin is not Critical for Otoconia Formation or Balance Function

Unlike the structural and mechanical role of bone crystals, the inertial mass of otoconia crystals provides a shearing force to stimulate the mechanoreceptors of the utricle and saccule (the gravity receptor organ) under the stimuli of linear motion. It is not clear whether otoconia, composed primarily of CaCO3 and glycoproteins, go through similar calcification processes as bone. We have recently shown that otoconin-90 (Oc90) regulates the growth of otoconia crystals as osteopontin does bone crystals. Here, we analyzed the role of this non-collagenous bone matrix protein, osteopontin, in otoconia formation and balance function utilizing its knockout mice, whose inner ear phenotype has not been examined. Despite the presence of the protein in wild-type otoconia and vestibular hair cells, morphological, ultrastructural, and protein and calcium composition analyses of osteopontin null otoconia show that the protein is not needed for crystal formation, and no evidence of compensatory protein deposition is found. Employment of a wide spectrum of balance behavioral tests demonstrates that the protein is not critical for balance function either, which is confirmed by the normal function of the gravity receptor organ directly measured with linear vestibular-evoked potentials (VsEPs). When compared with findings on other otoconins, the data manifest a hierarchy of importance of proteins in crystallization and indicate mechanistic similarities and differences between bone and otoconia calcification.
Inflammation, Homocysteine, and Vitamin B6 Status After Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Epidemiological studies have described an association between low vitamin B6 (measured as pyridoxal 5′-phosphate [PLP]) and ischemic stroke, independent of homocysteine (tHcy). We investigated B6 status, tHcy, and inflammation (measured by C-reactive protein [CRP]) in patients with stroke and controls. Methods— Consecutive cases with new ischemic stroke were compared with matched controls. Fasting tHcy, PLP, and CRP were measured. Results— The adjusted odds ratio of low PLP in the highest compared with the lowest CRP quartile was 16.6 (2, 139.9, P=0.01). Age, CRP, supplemental vitamin use, and albumin were independent predictors of PLP (P<0.05 for all). No relationship was observed between CRP and tHcy. Conclusion— The relationship between inflammation and low B6 status may partially explain the findings of previous epidemiological studies.
High Resolution, High Capacity, Spatial Specificity in Perceptual Learning

Research of perceptual learning has received significant interest due to findings that training on perceptual tasks can yield learning effects that are specific to the stimulus features of that task. However, recent studies have demonstrated that while training a single stimulus at a single location can yield a high-degree of stimulus specificity, training multiple features, or at multiple locations can reveal a broad transfer of learning to untrained features or stimulus locations. We devised a high resolution, high capacity, perceptual learning procedure with the goal of testing whether spatial specificity can be found in cases where observers are highly trained to discriminate stimuli in many different locations in the visual field. We found a surprising degree of location specific learning, where performance was significantly better when target stimuli were presented at 1 of the 24 trained locations compared to when they were placed in 1 of the 12 untrained locations. This result is particularly impressive given that untrained locations were within a couple degrees of visual angle of those that were trained. Given the large number of trained locations, the fact that the trained and untrained locations were interspersed, and the high-degree of spatial precision of the learning, we suggest that these results are difficult to account for using attention or decision strategies and instead suggest that learning may have taken place for each location separately in retinotopically organized visual cortex.
Absolute free energies of biomolecules from unperturbed ensembles.

Computing the absolute free energy of a macromolecule's structural state, F, is a challenging problem of high relevance. This study presents a method that computes F using only information from an unperturbed simulation of the macromolecule in the relevant conformational state, ensemble, and environment. Absolute free energies produced by this method, dubbed Valuation of Local Configuration Integral with Dynamics (VALOCIDY), enable comparison of alternative states. For example, comparing explicitly solvated and vaporous states of amino acid side-chain analogs produces solvation free energies in good agreement with experiments. Also, comparisons between alternative conformational states of model heptapeptides (including the unfolded state) produce free energy differences in agreement with data from μs molecular-dynamics simulations and experimental propensities. The potential of using VALOCIDY in computational protein design is explored via a small design problem of stabilizing a β-turn structure. When VALOCIDY-based estimation of folding free energy is used as the design metric, the resulting sequence folds into the desired structure within the atomistic force field used in design. The VALOCIDY-based approach also recognizes the distinct status of the native sequence regardless of minor details of the starting template structure, in stark contrast with a traditional fixed-backbone approach. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Geometric estimation of the inherent dimensionality of single and multi-material clusters in hyperspectral imagery

The inherent dimensionality of a spectral image can be estimated in a number of ways, primarily based on statistical measures of the data cloud in the hyperspace. Methods using the eigenvalues from Principal Components Analysis, a Minimum Noise Fraction trans- formation, or the Virtual Dimensionality algorithm are widely applied to entire hyperspectral images typically with the goal of reducing the overall dimensionality of an image. Addition- ally, in complex scenes containing non-natural materials, the lack of multivariate normality of the data set implies that a statistically-based estimation is less than optimal. However, it is desirable to understand the dimensionality of individual components and small multi-material clusters within a hyperspectral scene, as there is no a priori reason to expect all distinct mate- rial classes in the scene to have the same inherent dimensionality. For this reason, the inherent dimensionality may be useful as an indicator of the presense of manmade or natural materials within small subsets of the image. Here, a geometric approach is developed based on the spa- tially local estimation of dimensionality in the native data hyperspace. It will be shown that the dimensionality of a collection of data points in the full n dimensions (where n is the num- ber of spectral channels measured) can be estimated by calculating the change in point density as a function of distance in the full n dimensional hyperspace. Simple simulated examples to demonstrate the concept will be shown, as well as applications to real hyperspectral imagery collected with the HyMAP sensor.
Scientific literature on biological effects of radio frequency radiation: criteria for evaluation

There are a number of general principles that should be applied to the evaluation of the scientific literature, to determine the probability of biological effects being caused by exposure to radio-frequency (RF) radiation. Specifically, before the claims of positive or negative effects in an individual report are accepted into the body of established scientific knowledge, that report should meet the criteria discussed. In analyzing the scientific literature to determine the probability of a biological response from exposure to RF energy, one must consider (1) the consistency of experimental results claimed, (2) the nature of the response and the biological system involved, (3) the ability to consistently replicate the results, and (4) whether results claimed and observations reported can be explained by previously accepted biological principles, or must be explained only on the basis of new, untested hypotheses.
Multi-loop twist field correlation functions for ZN orbifolds☆

Abstract We calculate the correlation functions of bosonic twist fields for Z N orbifolds on Riemann surfaces of arbitrary genus.
Fluoro-Phenyl-Styrene-Sulfonamide, a Novel Inhibitor of σB Activity, Prevents the Activation of σB by Environmental and Energy Stresses in Bacillus subtilis

ABSTRACT Sigma B (σB) is an alternative sigma factor that regulates the general stress response in Bacillus subtilis and in many other Gram-positive organisms. σB activity in B. subtilis is tightly regulated via at least three distinct pathways within a complex signal transduction cascade in response to a variety of stresses, including environmental stress, energy stress, and growth at high or low temperatures. We probed the ability of fluoro-phenyl-styrene-sulfonamide (FPSS), a small-molecule inhibitor of σB activity in Listeria monocytogenes, to inhibit σB activity in B. subtilis through perturbation of signal transduction cascades under various stress conditions. FPSS inhibited the activation of σB in response to multiple categories of stress known to induce σB activity in B. subtilis. Specifically, FPSS prevented the induction of σB activity in response to energy stress, including entry into stationary phase, phosphate limitation, and azide stress. FPSS also inhibited chill induction of σB activity in a ΔrsbV strain, suggesting that FPSS does not exclusively target the RsbU and RsbP phosphatases or the anti–anti-sigma factor RsbV, all of which contribute to posttranslational regulation of σB activity. Genetic and biochemical experiments, including artificial induction of σB, analysis of the phosphorylation state of the anti–anti-sigma factor RsbV, and in vitro transcription assays, indicate that while FPSS does not bind directly to σB to inhibit activity, it appears to prevent the release of B. subtilis σB from its anti-sigma factor RsbW.
Effect of the viral protease on the dynamics of bacteriophage HK97 maturation intermediates characterized by variance analysis of cryo EM particle ensembles.

Cryo EM structures of maturation-intermediate Prohead I of bacteriophage HK97 with (PhI(Pro+)) and without (PhI(Pro-)) the viral protease packaged have been reported (Veesler et al., 2014). In spite of PhI(Pro+) containing an additional ∼ 100 × 24 kD of protein, the two structures appeared identical although the two particles have substantially different biochemical properties, e.g., PhI(Pro-) is less stable to disassembly conditions such as urea. Here the same cryo EM images are used to characterize the spatial heterogeneity of the particles at 17A resolution by variance analysis and show that PhI(Pro-) has roughly twice the standard deviation of PhI(Pro+). Furthermore, the greatest differences in standard deviation are present in the region where the δ-domain, not seen in X-ray crystallographic structures or fully seen in cryo EM, is expected to be located. Thus presence of the protease appears to stabilize the δ-domain which the protease will eventually digest.
Teaching Environmental Planning And Policy By Linking Theory And Praxis

Teaching environmental planning is complicated by the number and diversity of topics that could be and often are covered in such courses, the problem of educating students in the basic science behind environmental issues, and the need to address the roles of economy and equity in environmental planning.The author addresses these problems and offers practical suggestions for teaching environmental science and policy analysis. Teaching environmental planning within a public affairs college can be a challenge. It is not quite environmental science, not quite environmental policy, not just theory, not just science. Rather, it is finding the delicate balance between sound science and feasible politics, between the protection of ecosystems and economic development, and between environmental protection and social equity. It is difficult to find that balance when there is little guidance from practitioners about what students need to know and when there are few, if any, good books that give a comprehensive overview of the materials.1 This article explores some of the problems with teaching environmental planning in an urban affairs setting and discusses applying theoretical materials to environmental issues by using current local examples and environmental issues open to public review.
Inequalities and Asymmetries

The availability of data is not evenly distributed. Some organizations, agencies, and sectors are better equipped to gather, use, and analyze data than others. If data is transformative, what are the consequences of defense and security agencies having greater capacity to leverage data than, say, education or social services? Financial wherewithal, technical capacity, and political determinants all affect where data is employed. As data and analytics emerge, who benefits and who doesn't, both at the individual level and the institutional level? What about the asymmetries between those who provide the data and those who collect it? How does uneven data access affect broader issues of inequality? In what ways does data magnify or combat asymmetries in power?
Indexing dataspaces

Dataspaces are collections of heterogeneous and partially unstructured data. Unlike data-integration systems that also offer uniform access to heterogeneous data sources, dataspaces do not assume that all the semantic relationships between sources are known and specified. Much of the user interaction with dataspaces involves exploring the data, and users do not have a single schema to which they can pose queries. Consequently, it is important that queries are allowed to specify varying degrees of structure, spanning keyword queries to more structure-aware queries. This paper considers indexing support for queries that combine keywords and structure. We describe several extensions to inverted lists to capture structure when it is present. In particular, our extensions incorporate attribute labels, relationships between data items, hierarchies of schema elements, and synonyms among schema elements. We describe experiments showing that our indexing techniques improve query efficiency by an order of magnitude compared with alternative approaches, and scale well with the size of the data.