cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sudden Cardiac Death in Women With Suspected Ischemic Heart Disease, Preserved Ejection Fraction, and No Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease: A Report From the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation Study.

BackgroundSudden cardiac death (SCD) is often the first presentation of ischemic heart disease; however, there is limited information on SCD among women with and without obstructive coronary artery...
Job Rotation as a Technique for the Control of MSDs: A Fatigue Failure Perspective:

Job rotation is a common method employed by industry to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). However, the efficacy of this technique has been open to question and methods of quantif...
Tuning the position of head groups by surfactant design in mixed micelles of cationic and carbohydrate surfactants.

Abstract Hypothesis Emerging applications of carbohydrate/cationic surfactant mixtures require not only synergistic mixing, but also accessible sugar headgroups at the exterior of micelles. A previous study showed that the glucoside headgroups of octyl-β- d -glucopyranoside aggregate at the interior of mixed micelles with equimolar cetyltrimethylammonium bromide rather than mixing with trimethylammonium groups at the corona. The current study tests the hypothesis that structural characteristics of the surfactants (the relative lengths of the alkyl tails and the type of linker) can be tuned to shift the carbohydrate groups to micelle surfaces. Experiments The structural arrangement of 30 mM equimolar mixed micelle solutions in D2O is investigated using NMR. The dynamics in different regions are probed using 1H spin-lattice (T1) and spin-spin (T2) relaxation measurements, and relative positioning by nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY). Additional micellar properties are determined using solvatochromic fluorescent probes. Findings Matching surfactant alkyl tail lengths is found ineffective at “pushing out” the carbohydrate headgroups due to a large mismatch in interactions between the headgroups and D2O. However, inserting a novel polar triazole group between the carbohydrate head group and the hydrophobic tail (e.g. in n-octyl-β- d -xylopyranoside) using click chemistry is able to “pull out” the carbohydrate, thus giving accessible sugar moieties at the surface of mixed micelles.
Real-time source localization using phase and amplitude gradient estimator for acoustic intensity

Recent demonstrations of real-time source localization systems have used a variety of direction-finding methods. One such system uses a multi-microphone probe to estimate acoustic intensity [Inoue et al., Proc. Meetings Acoust. 29, 025001 (2016)], although the bandwidth of intensity estimates are traditionally limited by the microphone spacing. The Phase and Amplitude Gradient Estimator (PAGE) method [Thomas et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 137, 3366–3376 (2015)] greatly extends the bandwidth of active intensity, providing an accurate method of source localization for a wide bandwidth. An initial system implemented in LabVIEW estimates active intensity using the PAGE method to identify the direction of the source location in real time. Using a paired webcam, the program then overlays the direction as a three-dimensional arrow onto a webcam image. A demonstration will be provided. Initial quantitative results show the accuracy of the system and limitations of the device. [Sponsored by the NSF REU program.]
Nature’s Great Experiment with Gene Duplication during Evolution from Tunicate-like Creatures to Fish

Of the various invertebrates which existed nearly 500 million years ago in Cambrian times, it was the simplest sessile form which gave rise to the first vertebrate through tunicate-like creatures. What was the genome of these uncommitted creatures like? I would venture a guess that the genome too had to be in an uncommitted state containing the bare essential number of structural genes, and having the least degree of redundancy. Only by starting in this way was it possible to utilize genetic redundancy subsequently created to write a new chapter in the evolution of metazoan animals.
Inherited hepatic enzyme defects as candidates for liver-directed gene therapy.

There are a small number of inherited hepatic defects that are so devastating that virtually 100% of the affected infants either die or suffer severe developmental disability. For these defects, serious consideration must be given to any new treatment that offers the possibility of altering the extremely poor prognosis. In the desparate clinical setting of these single gene defects, two forms of therapy have recently been considered—hepatic transplantation and gene therapy. Here, I discuss two severe single gene disorders that might be candidates for such novel therapies, outline their natural histories, elaborate on the diagnostic tools available, and describe the result of hepatic transplantation in one case. I conclude that there remains a place for the development of cell or gene therapy for these severe disorders, speculate on potential strategies, and suggest that, if a safe and effective strategy could be developed, other less severe conditions of the liver could ultimately be considered for such therapy.
Reducing Asphalt’s Low Temperature Cracking by Disturbing Its Crystallization

This paper investigate effect of a new bio-based modifier, “bio-binder” on disturbing bituminous asphalt crystallization using molecular dynamics simulation and X-Ray powder diffraction while studying effects of introduction of bio-binder on bituminous asphalt low temperature properties and low temperature cracking resistance. The proposed bio-binder is produced from the thermochemical conversion of swine manure. Bio-binder is then blended with virgin binder to produce bio-modified binder (BMB). Bio-binder can be used as a renewable partial replacement for petroleum-based asphalt. The production and application of bio-binder can facilitate swine waste management. In addition, the bio-binder resources (swine manure) is renewable and is not competing with food supplies. This paper argues that the improved low temperature rheological properties in BMB can further enhance pavement low-temperature cracking resistance.
Treatment at low-volume hospitals is associated with reduced short-term and long-term outcomes for patients with retroperitoneal sarcoma.

BACKGROUND Retroperitoneal sarcomas (RPS) are rare tumors for which complete surgical resection remains the mainstay of treatment. The objective of the current study was to determine the impact of hospital case volume on outcomes in patients with RPS. METHODS A total of 6950 patients with primary RPS who underwent surgical resection were identified from the National Cancer Data Base (1998-2011). Treating hospitals were classified by annual case volume; low-volume hospitals (LVHs) and high-volume hospitals (HVHs) were defined as those with ≤10 cases per year and >10 cases per year, respectively. Overall survival (OS) was compared using Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox proportional hazard models were created to compare risks. RESULTS Of the 1131 reporting hospitals, the majority (1127 hospitals; 99.6%) were LVHs treating the majority of patients (6270 patients; 90.2%). Patients treated at LVHs were more likely to have lower grade and smaller tumors, receive radiotherapy, and undergo incomplete macroscopic (R2) resection. Patients treated at HVHs had lower 30-day readmission rates (1.8% vs 3.4%; P<.001), 30-day (1.9% vs 3.1%; P=.004) and 90-day (3.2% vs 5.7%; P=.007) mortality, longer median OS (76.2 months vs 64.2 months; P<.001), and higher 5-year OS rates (58% vs 52%; P<.001). After controlling for age, sex, insurance status, tumor size, tumor grade, surgical resection margin status, and radiotherapy administration, treatment at an HVH was found to be independently associated with a reduced risk of death (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.91 [P=.003]). CONCLUSIONS Primary RPS are rare tumors, and to our knowledge few surgeons and institutions have significant experience and expertise in their multidisciplinary management and surgical resection. Although additional studies are needed, patient outcomes may be impacted by the case volume and expertise of the treating facility.
Bacterial Energetic Requirements for Helicobacter pylori Cag Type IV Secretion System-Dependent Alterations in Gastric Epithelial Cells

Helicobacter pylori colonizes the stomach in about half of the world's population. H. pylori strains containing the cag pathogenicity island (cag PAI) are associated with a higher risk of gastric adenocarcinoma or peptic ulcer disease than cag PAI-negative strains. The cag PAI encodes a type IV secretion system (T4SS) that mediates delivery of the CagA effector protein as well as nonprotein bacterial constituents into gastric epithelial cells. H. pylori-induced nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) activation and interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion are attributed to T4SS-dependent delivery of lipopolysaccharide metabolites and peptidoglycan into host cells, and Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) activation is attributed to delivery of bacterial DNA. In this study, we analyzed the bacterial energetic requirements associated with these cellular alterations. Mutant strains lacking Cagα, Cagβ, or CagE (putative ATPases corresponding to VirB11, VirD4, and VirB4 in prototypical T4SSs) were capable of T4SS core complex assembly but defective in CagA translocation into host cells. Thus, the three Cag ATPases are not functionally redundant. Cagα and CagE were required for H. pylori-induced NF-κB activation, IL-8 secretion, and TLR9 activation, but Cagβ was dispensable for these responses. We identified putative ATP-binding motifs (Walker-A and Walker-B) in each of the ATPases and generated mutant strains in which these motifs were altered. Each of the Walker box mutant strains exhibited properties identical to those of the corresponding deletion mutant strains. These data suggest that Cag T4SS-dependent delivery of nonprotein bacterial constituents into host cells occurs through mechanisms different from those used for recruitment and delivery of CagA into host cells.
Unsteady Flow of Ground Water into a Surface Reservoir

Existing methods are not exact for prediction of water table position and amount of water discharged in cases when ground water is flowing from aquifer to surface reservoir; nonlinear partial differential equation that describes shape of water table is difficult to solve; new approximate solutions, obtained by two different methods for nonlinear equation, are presented; both solutions agree well with experimental results.
Randomness in Physics and Mathematics.

Dr. Zed: Gentlemen, I have noticed you admiring the five miniature hand-tooled leather boxes that are sitting on my coffee table. I acquired them on a visit to India and am rather fond of them. There is a little problem associated with them that I think might amuse you. Before you came, I asked my wife to take three coins from her purse and distribute them at random in the boxes. This means, of course, that any possible arrangement has an equal chance of being the one selected. The problem is, gentle men, what is the probability that the first box is empty?
Can students spare the time? Estimates of online course workload

Abstract Background Literature on student workload focuses on land-based courses. Online students primarily participate by typing or reading. Aim An online program was assessed for concerns about increased student workload using a qualitative design. Methods A qualitative case study method was used to assess online course activities to determine workload in five courses. Courses were explored using Barre and Esarey's (2016) estimator. Course faculty were included in assessment discussions and in course revisions. A data collection tool was developed to determine workload expectations for the courses' first week, a heavy week, and a light week. Within each of these weeks, activities included all writing, all reading, discussion posts, and literature searches. Workload assessment rules gauged student time on task, focusing on page density, text difficulty, reading or writing purpose and number of revisions. Authors developed a guideline for student evidence search time. Results Workloads in most courses were over the required institutional credit hours by 6–24 h per week. Conclusions Using the Assessment of Student Workload and the data collection tool, faculty were able to review the courses and consider reading rates and out of class hours for activities improving alignment with institutional credit guidelines.
Pertussis and Pertussis Syndrome

A 2-month-old male is brought to the emergency department via ambulance for evaluation of apnea. The mother states that he was previously well until a few days ago when he developed mild rhinorrhea and nasal congestion. He had no further symptoms until the day of presentation when he stopped breathing for 20–30 seconds and turned blue. EMS was called and brought him in for evaluation. He was born full term, via normal spontaneous vaginal delivery, with no complications. He was discharged home with the mother after 24 hours and has been healthy up until this illness. He lives at home with his parents, a 9-year-old brother and a 15-year-old sister. The mother states that she has had colds and allergies presenting as cough over the past few weeks. There have been no other exposures or sick contacts. The infant does not go to daycare. Due to persistent and worsening apnea, bradycardia, and desaturations in the emergency department, the patient is intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation. A complete blood count (CBC) shows a total leukocyte count of 44,000 cells/μL, with 90% lymphocytes and 10% neutrophils. The remainder of the CBC, electrolytes, and hepatic function panel are within normal limits. A chest radiograph is benign. Blood cultures are negative. A posterior nasopharyngeal swab is positive for Bordetella pertussis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A 5-day course of azithromycin is initiated. On further questioning, the 9-year-old brother last received a pertussis-containing vaccine at 4 years of age. The 15-year-old sister received her last pertussis-containing vaccine at 11 years of age. The mother had not received a pertussis-containing vaccine booster since childhood since she had declined the recommended Tdap vaccine during her third trimester of this pregnancy. Chemoprophylaxis with azithromycin is provided to all of the household contacts and to the attending physician who performed the intubation.
Effect of Elementary School-Based Health Centers in Georgia on the Use of Preventive Services.

Introduction This study measures effects on the receipt of preventive care among children enrolled in Georgia's Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program associated with the implementation of new elementary school-based health centers. The study sites differed by geographic environment and predominant race/ethnicity (rural white, non-Hispanic; black, small city; and suburban Hispanic). Methods A quasi-experimental treatment/control cohort study used Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program claims/enrollment data for children in school years before implementation (2011–2012 and 2012–2013) versus after implementation (2013–2014 to 2016–2017) of school-based health centers to estimate effects on preventive care among children with (treatment) and without (control) access to a school-based health center. Data analysis was performed in 2017–2019. There were 1,531 unique children in the treatment group with an average of 4.18 school years observed and 1,737 in the control group with 4.32 school years observed. A total of 1,243 Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program–insured children in the treatment group used their school-based health centers. Results Significant increases in well-child visits (5.9 percentage points, p Conclusions Implementation of elementary school-based health centers increased the receipt of key preventive care among young, publicly insured children in urban areas of Georgia, with potential reductions in racial and ethnic disparities.
A Large-Scale Second-Order Structural Equation Model of Influence of Management Participation on Organizational Planning Benefits

This study analyzes the relationship between management participation in strategy formation and organizational planning benefits with the construction and subsequent empirical validation of a large-scale structural equation model with 57 items. This model simultaneously considered first-order and second-order measurement models as well as the structural model. Methodological emphasis was placed on developing expanded conceptualizations of these strategy constructs by modeling them as second-order factors and expressing their defining constituent domains of content as first-order factors. Results indicate a strong causal linkage between management participation and two classes of strategic benefits, suggesting that management participation enhances the effectiveness of the strategy process.
Using Predictive Modeling and Supervised Machine Learning to Identify Patients at Risk for Venous Thromboembolism Following Posterior Lumbar Fusion.

Study Design:Retrospective review.Objective:To use predictive modeling and machine learning to identify patients at risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) following posterior lumbar fusion (PLF) for...
A Continuous Optimization Approach to Drift Counteraction Optimal Control

Drift counteraction optimal control (DCOC) aims at optimizing control to maximize the time (or a yield) until the system trajectory exits a prescribed set, which may represent safety constraints, operating limits, and/or efficiency requirements. To DCOC problems formulated in discrete time, conventional approaches were based on dynamic programming (DP) or mixed-integer programming (MIP), which could become computationally prohibitive for higher-order systems. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to discrete-time DCOC problems based on a nonlinear programming formulation with purely continuous variables. We show that this new continuous optimization-based approach leads to the same exit time as the conventional MIP-based approach, while being computationally more efficient than the latter. This is also illustrated by numerical examples representing the drift counteraction control for an indoor airship.
Ten Year Trends in Hospital Encounters for Pediatric Asthma: An Indiana Experience.

Introduction: Pediatric asthma is a common cause of emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and mortality. Population incidence studies have historically used large-scale survey data. We measured these epidemiologic trends using a health information exchange.Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we used electronic health record data from a regional health information exchange to study clinical trends in pediatric patients presenting to the hospital for asthma in the State of Indiana. Data was obtained from 2010 - 2019 and included all patients ages 2-18 years. Study participants were identified using international classification of disease codes. The measured outcomes were number of hospital encounters per year, percentage of admissions per year, and mortality rates.Results: Data included 50 393 unique patients and 88 772 unique encounters, with 57% male patients. Over the ten-year period, hospital encounters ranged from 5000 to 8000 per year with no change in trajectory. Between 2010 and 2012, the percent of encounters admitted to the hospital was ∼30%. This decreased to ∼20-25% for 2015-2019. Patient mortality rates increased from 1 to 3 per 1000 patient encounters in 2010-2014 to between 5 and 7 per 1000 patient encounters from 2016-2019. White patients had a significantly higher admission percentage compared to other racial groups, but no difference in mortality rate.Conclusions: Asthma continues to be a common condition requiring hospital care for pediatric patients. Regional health information exchanges can enable public health researchers to follow asthma trends in near real time, and have potential for informing patient-level public health interventions.
Unstructured Grid Generation for Complex 3D High-Lift Configurations

The application of an unstructured grid methodology on a three-dimensional high-lift configuration is presented. The focus of this paper is on the grid generation aspect of an integrated effort for the development of an unstructured-grid computational fluid dynamics (CFD) capability at the NASA Langley Research Center. The meshing approach is based on tetrahedral grids generated by the advancing-front and the advancing-layers procedures. The capability of the method for solving high-lift problems is demonstrated on an aircraft model referred to as the energy efficient transport configuration. The grid generation issues, including the pros and cons of the present approach, are discussed in relation to the high-lift problems. Limited viscous flow results are presented to demonstrate the viability of the generated grids. A corresponding Navier-Stokes solution capability, along with further computations on the present grid, is presented in a companion SAE paper.
Dimethylnitrosamine Demethylase and the Mutagenicity of Dimethylnitrosamine

Although the Ames Salmonella plate incorporation assay(1) is the most widely used method for screening chemicals for potential carcinogenicity, it is well known that many carcinogens are not detected in this test. Some of these “false negative” compounds, such as highly chlorinated organic carcinogens, are also difficult to detect in other mutagenicity assays. Dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), however, is negative in the standard Salmonella plate incorporation assay,(2,3) although it is positive in a variety of other types of mutagenicity tests. DMN is carcinogenic in at least 12 different animal species.(4)
The National Library of Medicine: Plans for International Access to its Information Resources

NLM is rapidly expanding Web access to its information resources. This means that I don’t have to describe these resources in detail. I need to bring them to your attention. You can access these resources at your leisure and see how they work and how they can be useful. Web access is essential for you to serve your users adequately. Web access reduces, and in many cases eliminates, the barriers of distance and time. It also can reduce costs. Web access in a small village in Poland or Lithuania provides a health sciences librarian access to the same resources as the colleague in Paris or London.
Fluoride Analysis in Nanoliter- and Microliter-size Fluid Samples:

A variety of techniques is described for measuring fluoride in volumes of from 0.005 to 5 microL, including: (1) micropipette procedures for transference and dilution of samples, (2) construction of miniature and micro fluoride-selective electrodes, and (3) methods for adapting standard electrodes for micro- and semi-micro volumes. These described techniques have a number of advantages, including speed of analysis, high accuracy, and adaptability to many types of fluid samples. Recent studies involving use of these procedures include the analysis of fluoride in: (1) plaque fluid samples from single sites before and after topical fluoride administration, (2) tooth mineral samples recovered by acid-etch or microdrill biopsy of enamel, and (3) fluid recovered from the interior of the tooth during simulation of the caries process.
A TWO-CHARGE ENGINE CONCEPT: HYDROGEN ENRICHMENT

The first engine dynamometer test results are presented for a modified fuel system based on hydrogen enrichment for a V-8 I.C. engine. The hydrogen is produced in a compact onboard generator from gasoline and air. Relative to the stock 1973 350 CID engine, an approximate 10 percent reduction in brake specific fuel consumption was measured over the entire level road load speed range. For the same condition, NO x emissions were reduced to below the equivalent 1977 EPA Standards.
Helical crystallization of soluble and membrane binding proteins

Helical protein arrays offer unique advantages for structure determination by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). A single image of such an array contains a complete range of equally spaced molecular views of the underlying protein subunits, which allows a low-resolution, isotropic three-dimensional (3D) map to be generated from a single helical tube without tilting the sample in the electron beam as is required for two-dimensional (2D) crystals. Averaging many unit cells from a number of similar tubes can improve the signal-to-noise ratio and consequently, the quality of the 3D map. This approach has yielded reconstructions that approach atomic resolution [Miyazawa et al., 1999, 2003; Sachse et al., 2007; Unwin, 2005; Yonekura et al., 2005]. Proteins that naturally adopt helical protein arrays, such as actin and microtubules, have been studied for decades. The wealth of information on how proteins bind and move along these cytoskeletal tracks, provide cross-talk between tracks, and integrate into the cellular machinery is due, in part, to multiple EM studies of the helical assemblies. Since the majority of proteins do not spontaneously form helical arrays, the power of helical image analysis has only been realized for a small number of proteins. This chapter describes the use of functionalized lipid nanotubes and liposomes as substrates to bind and form helical arrays of soluble and membrane-associated proteins.
Affinity models for career sequences

Summary. We develop an affinity model for longitudinal categorical data in which the number of categories is large and we apply the technique to 20 years of labour market data for a contemporary cohort of young adult workers in the USA. The method provides a representation of the underlying complexity of the labour market that can then be augmented to include covariate effects. These can be understood as effects net of transition patterns associated with labour market sorting. We include in our model pairwise affinities to relate nominal categories representing types of job. The affinities capture complex relationships between these types of job and how they change over time. We evaluate the role of gender and education to illustrate the different types of questions and answers that are addressed by this methodology.
Grid computing in new york state, USA

We have designed and deployed the New York State Grid (NYS Grid), which consists of an integrated computational and data grid. NYS Grid is used in a ubiquitous fashion, where the users have virtual access to their data sets and applications, allowing the user to perform tasks without knowledge of the physical hosts for data storage or compute systems. A wide variety of applications have been ported to NYS Grid, including critical programs in a variety of fields that are ideally suited to a multiprocessor computing environment with distributed datasets. Two applications from structural biology are presented as exemplars, including our Grid portal version of the SnB program, which has been run simultaneously on all computational resources on NYS Grid, as well as on the majority of the tens of thousands of processors available through the Open Science Grid. This paper also discusses previous grids that we developed, including the Buffalo-based (ACDC) experimental grid and the Western New York Grid, as well as a wide variety of advances that we have made in terms of grid monitoring, predictive scheduling, grid portal design, and grid-enabling application templates, to name a few.
Brittle-to-ductile transition of lithiated silicon electrodes: Crazing to stable nanopore growth.

Using first principle calculations, we uncover the underlying mechanisms explaining the brittle-to-ductile transition of LixSi electrodes in lithium ion batteries with increasing Li content. We show that plasticity initiates at x = ∼ 0.5 with the formation of a craze-like network of nanopores separated by Si–Si bonds, while subsequent failure is still brittle-like with the breaking of Si–Si bonds. Transition to ductile behavior occurs at x ⩾ 1 due to the increased density of highly stretchable Li–Li bonds, which delays nanopore formation and stabilizes nanopore growth. Collapse of the nanopores during unloading of the LixSi alloys leads to significant strain recovery.
Ammonia Volatilization from Urea-Based Fertilizers Applied to Tall Fescue Pastures in Georgia, USA

The use of urea fertilizers in grasslands is likely to increase in areas with concentrated animal feeding operations as restrictions on manure applications are implemented. Concerns have been raised about the economic and environmental impacts of NH 3 loss from these urea fertilizers. This study evaluated NH 3 losses from Nitamin (a urea polymer), urea-NH 4 NO 3 (UAN), and granular urea applied to tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plots at 50 kg N ha -1 in fall and spring for 2 yr. Fertilizers were applied to circular plots (30-m diameter) and NH 3 loss was measured by the modified passive flux method for 69 to 120 d after application. In a separate laboratory study, Nitamin, UAN, and urea were surfaced applied to fescue thatch at 100 kg N ha -1 and treatments were incubated at 24°C and 90% relative humidity for 31 d. In fall applications, urea lost more NH 3 (19% in 2004, 46% in 2005) than UAN or Nitamin, which were not different from each other (6% in 2004, 34% in 2005). In contrast, there were no differences among fertilizers in spring applications, with average losses of 13% in 2005 and 17% in 2006. In the laboratory study, urea lost significantly more NH 3 (24%) than UAN or Nitamin, which were not different from each other (average 9% loss). These results indicate that Nitamin and UAN undergo similar NH 3 losses, and that both fertilizers may lose less NH 3 than urea under conditions favorable to volatilization.
Regression Model of Partial Pressures of PCBs, PAHs, and Organochlorine Pesticides in the Great Lakes' Atmosphere

The gas-phase concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and organochlorine pesticides have been measured at six sites around the Great Lakes every 12 days since the early 1990s as part of the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network. After converting the concentrations into partial pressures, data from all of the sites were combined and fitted using a multiple linear regression equation that included time (indicating the effect of a chemical's regulation), atmospheric temperature (indicating seasonality of use or release), the human population within a 25 km radius of the site (indicating the effect of urbanization) and wind speed and wind direction (indicating the source of the chemical). The atmospheric levels of lindane (gamma-HCH), DDTs, endosulfans, and chlordanes were largely related to seasonality, with much higher levels in the warm summer months. The levels of SigmaPCBs, SigmaPAHs, SigmaDDTs, and chlordanes were related to urbanization (this was a secondary factor for the latter two), a result that was unexpected for the two pesticides. The levels of only two compounds, alpha- and gamma-HCH, decreased rapidly as a function of time; conversely, most other compounds are declining at much slower rates. Wind speed and wind direction were statistically significant but unimportant variables for most of the compounds.
O–Glycosylation and Novel Processing Events During Secretion of α–Factor/GM–CSF Fusions by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Two homologous proteins, murine (m) and human (h) granulocyte–macrophage colony–stimulating–factor (GM–CSF), were differentially glycosylated and processed during secretion by a yeast host. Secreted hGM–CSF, but not mGM–CSF was significantly O–glycosylated. Human GM–CSF was expressed mainly as a highly N–glycosylated form, while 50% of mGM–CSF was unglycosylated, or core–glycosylated. The Asn–X–Thr and Asn–X–Ser sequences of hGM–CSF were equally efficient sites for N–glycosylation, which enhanced the secretion efficiency of hGM–CSF, but not of mGM–CSF. N–terminal analysis of secreted hGM–CSF revealed a novel processing site following the pre–region of the MFα1/hGM–CSF precursor and in addition, suggested partial N–terminal degradation by the STE13–encoded dipeptidase. GM–CSFs secreted by yeast and by animal cells had identical in vitro biological activities.
Prebiotic syntheses of vitamin coenzymes: II. Pantoic acid, pantothenic acid, and the composition of coenzyme A

Pantoic acid can by synthesized in good prebiotic yield from isobutyraldehyde or alpha-ketoisovaleric acid + H2CO + HCN. Isobutyraldehyde is the Strecker precursor to valine and alpha-ketoisovaleric acid is the valine transamination product. Mg2+ and Ca2+ as well as several transition metals are catalysts for the alpha-ketoisovaleric acid reaction. Pantothenic acid is produced from pantoyl lactone (easily formed from pantoic acid) and the relatively high concentrations of beta-alanine that would be formed on drying prebiotic amino acid mixtures. There is no selectivity for this reaction over glycine, alanine, or gamma-amino butyric acid. The components of coenzyme A are discussed in terms of ease of prebiotic formation and stability and are shown to be plausible choices, but many other compounds are possible. The gamma-OH of pantoic acid needs to be capped to prevent decomposition of pantothenic acid. These results suggest that coenzyme A function was important in the earliest metabolic pathways and that the coenzyme A precursor contained most of the components of the present coenzyme.
The physical adsorption of 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane on uranium dioxide

Abstract The interaction between 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane (Freon TF) and uranium dioxide was investigated from a series of gravimetric adsorption measurements in the temperature range −15 to 28°C. All of the isotherms were Type II and completely reversible obeying the BET adsorption equation. Adsorption data also could be fit to the Freundlich equation which suggested a heterogeneous surface. The isosteric heat of adsorption varied from 8.6 to 5.8 kcal/mole as coverage increased and reached a minimum at a coverage of 1.5 molecular layers. The cross-sectional area of the adsorbed molecule was calculated from BET data to be 40A 2 . Adsorption of Freon TF was compared to the adsorption of other chlorinated solvents using the potential theory of adsorption.
mGluR5 and NMDA Receptors Drive the Experience- and Activity-Dependent NMDA Receptor NR2B to NR2A Subunit Switch

Summary In cerebral cortex there is a developmental switch from NR2B- to NR2A-containing NMDA receptors (NMDARs) driven by activity and sensory experience. This subunit switch alters NMDAR function, influences synaptic plasticity, and its dysregulation is associated with neurological disorders. However, the mechanisms driving the subunit switch are not known. Here, we show in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons that the NR2B to NR2A switch driven acutely by activity requires activation of NMDARs and mGluR5, involves PLC, Ca 2+ release from IP 3 R-dependent stores, and PKC activity. In mGluR5 knockout mice the developmental NR2B-NR2A switch in CA1 is deficient. Moreover, in visual cortex of mGluR5 knockout mice, the NR2B-NR2A switch evoked in vivo by visual experience is absent. Thus, we establish that mGluR5 and NMDARs are required for the activity-dependent NR2B-NR2A switch and play a critical role in experience-dependent regulation of NMDAR subunit composition in vivo.
Provider experience and technical efficiency in the treatment of stroke patients: DEA approach

This study uses Data Envelopment Analysis to examine relationships between provider experience and technical efficiency in stroke treatment patients. Using 214 hospitals grouped according to stroke treatment experience, the study examines how the inputs—average length of stay (ALOS), occupational and physical therapy charges, and all other charges—are combined to treat mild and severe stroke cases. This study finds that, on average, technical efficiency improves with experience. However, although more experienced providers are on average deemed more technically efficient, they tend to have higher charges. The study further illustrates that the gap in case severity between efficient and inefficient providers widens as experience level increases. These findings suggest there is great potential for inefficient providers to alter practice patterns to those similar to efficient providers, in order to significantly reduce aggregate expenditures.
Regular organization of thick filaments in mammalian smooth muscle.

THE thick filaments in vertebrate smooth muscle, demonstrated by recent electron microscopy1–5, are dispersed among denser random arrays of thin actin filaments1,4,5 which correspond to those originally detected by X-ray diffraction6. The characteristic 144 A meridional X-ray reflexion of myosin has been detected in smooth muscle and assigned to the thick filaments7 and it has been suggested on the basis of electron microscopy that ribbons of uniform width and irregular length are the preferred form of organization of myosin in mammalian smooth muscle and that only occasional thick filaments can be found in well preserved tissues. In our experience, however, such ribbons are shrinkage artefacts (see following article by Somlyo et al.8).
Effect of ethanol on heart rate and blood pressure in nonstressed and stressed rats

The effect of ethanol on the cardiovascular system (ECG, heart rate, blood pressure) was studied in anesthetized, nonstressed or stressed rats. In anesthetized rats, ethanol showed no effect on heart rate or ECG. In nonstressed rats, ethanol sedated the animals but increased heart rate significantly. This ethanol induced tachycardia seemed the result of a direct stimulation of the sympathetic nerves to the heart. Blood pressure was not significantly affected by ethanol in these nonstressed rats. In stressed rats, marked behavioral excitation and significant increases in heart rate and blood pressure were noted. Ethanol pretreatment calmed the animals considerably during restraint. Ethanol did reduce slightly the stress-induced tachycardia but markedly reduced or antagonized stress-induced blood pressure increases. No major changes in the ECG were noted during these studies with the exception of a few individual animals which showed pathologic ECG responses to ethanol. These data show that ethanol affects cardiovascular functions differently in anesthetized, nonstressed or stressed rats, and that ethanol can significantly reduce or antagonize stress-induced behavioral excitation, tachycardia and hypertension.
Intracellular recordings from two cell types in an in vitro preparation of the salamander olfactory epithelium

Abstract Two electrophysiologically distinct cell types were found with intracellular recordings for the first time in an in vitro preparation of the olfactory epithelium of the salamander, Ambystoma tigrinum . Intracellular recordings showed that Type I cells did not discharge action potentials but had high resting membrane potentials (− 50 to − 104 mV) and relatively low input resistances. Type II cells had resting membrane potentials of − 24 to − 52 mV, high input resistances, and discharged upon penetration and to depolarizing current steps. The discharge pattern of Type II cells showed the following characteristics: (1) decreased spike latency and increased discharge frequency with increasing current step intensity; (2) relatively slowly adapting spike trains; and (3) varying spike amplitude during repetitive discharges. The superficial location in the epithelium of the Type I cells implies that they may be sustentacular cells with glial-like electrophysiological properties. The Type II cells are presumably olfactory receptor cells, based on the characteristics of their spike discharge to depolarizing current and their intermediate location within the olfactory epithelium.
Continuous physiological changes and subjective reports in panic patients: A preliminary methodological report ☆

Six panic disorder patients and six matched control subjects were studied using a new technique allowing continuous and simultaneous monitoring of physiological responses (blood pressure, heart rate, respiration) and subjective reports of anxiety and panic. This was done before, during, and after CO2 inhalation. Panic patients had significantly higher variability in their heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate than the control subjects. They also had irregular breathing patterns with frequent pauses. We identified three different patterns of response to CO2 inhalation in the panic patients. Some patients who panicked on CO2 showed a definite association between changes in physiological responses that preceded their subjective ratings of anxiety; however, others did not show this pattern. The possibility of different physiological mechanisms of panic in different patients is discussed.
A modern epidemic

Allergy: The History of a Modern Malady by Mark Jackson Reaktion Books, London, UK 288 pp, $40/£25 ISBN 1861892713 ![][1] The great epidemics of the past resulted from infection: influenza, yellow fever and the plague. Today, these have largely been replaced by new epidemics of chronic disease—such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes—the etiologies of which are as much social and economic as they are biological. In Allergy: The History of a Modern Malady , Mark Jackson traces one such epidemic from its roots in nineteenth‐century immunology to its current status as one of the most pervasive maladies afflicting mankind. In doing so, he has written a remarkably concise, accessible, and yet intellectual account of the essential role that history has in understanding the socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental origins of allergy and other modern diseases. Throughout the book, Jackson provides an historical overview of the term ‘allergy’, describing how its meaning has changed over time and how, at any one moment, its perception has varied between scientists, clinicians and the lay public. In 1905, Clemens von Pirquet, an Austrian … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Molecular implications of hydrophobic organic partitioning theory

Recent normal phase silica followed by reverse phase XAD separation has led to the identification of several flavonoid and condensed tannin structures in Suwannee River Fulvic Acid (SFRA) (Leenheer, J. A., Rostad, C. (2004) Scientific Investigations Report 2004-5276, U.S. Geological Survey). We have used the molecular properties of one of these structures to define ideal behavior during partitioning of PAHs assuming that these structures function as an immiscible liquid solvent bound to finely dispersed mineral particles. Existing data for the partitioning of PAHs into NOM compared well to this ideal behavior under Raoult/Henry and Flory-Huggins treatments, and activity coefficients of pyrene in the hypothetical NOM phase and the free energy of transfer were estimated. If experimental data on partitioning of PAHs into synthesized samples of these structures is similar to NOM uptake data, it will be attractive to assume that, a) much smaller components of the NOM complex than suggested by gross molecular weight may be important in environmental properties such as solubility enhancement, and b) the effective molar volumes within the NOM complex responsible for solubility enhancement may be solute, or solute class dependent.
Hg absorption in aqueous permanganate

Aqueous acidic permanganate is known to be an effective solvent for elemental Hg vapor. EPA method 29 specifies permanganate as the scrubbing solution for determination of elemental mercury in gas streams. Permanganate has been used to collect mercury in flue-gas field sampling procedures. Even though permanganate is an expensive reagent, it is effective at low concentration for mercury removal, so it may be commercially useful for air-pollution control or removal of mercury from other gases. No previous work was found giving the rate of reaction of permanganate with mercury. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the kinetics in a well-characterized gas-liquid contactor.
A generalized computer program for editing narrative text

Some attention and effort have been devoted to the computer storage and retrieval of narrative information for purposes ranging from the production of output diagnostic of a subject's score profile on attitudinal or personality measures (Myers, 1962; Guertin, Litcher, Hedges, & Wilson, 1975) to storing clinical interview material in narrative form (Danskin, Unger, & Kennedy, 1970). In the former case, the narrative data must be stored in memory and, upon consideration of each component of a subject's score vector, appropriate diagnostic narrative paragraphs can be retrieved and output. This procedure has the advantage of a standardized interpretation by a clinical specialist (usually the test author and/or those consorting with the author). With only the score profile and scale names, the interpreting counselor or the subject may make vast interpretive errors. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to describe a computer program which will read in alphameric narrative text and edit it to a specified leftand right-justified line length and also code and punch FORTRAN "DATA" statements containing the edited output. The narrative text could then be compiled by a scoring program and sections would be selected and output diagnostic of a subject's score profile. Alternatively, scoring could be accomplished independently and a purely interpretive program could be built based on these DATA statements. Program procedure. The narrative text is read from the desired input unit with a desired record length. Right justification is accomplished by inserting blanks into positions selected by the following algorithm setting position priorities. If there is a period in the line with only one blank after it, a blank is first inserted after that period. If no period is found, a blank is inserted after any comma with only one blank following it. In order to facilitate readability and appearance, remaining blanks are inserted between words, beginning from the end of the line, with the most nonblank characters. After extra blanks are inserted between all the words in the line, the "character density" is recalculated and the blank insertion begins from the appropriate end of the line. When the line is right justified, the algorithm stops and edits a new line. In addition, the program provides for a character to signify the premature end of an input record. This is necessary in inserting records or parts
Pneumothorax following Attempted Nasogastric Intubation for Nutritional Support

Nasogastric intubation is a routine procedure, performed daily by both medical and nursing staff. It is a simple procedure, but not without complications which can be life threatening. We present an unusual, life threatening complication which occurred when nasogastric intubation using a no. 8 polyurethane tube with its metal stilet resulted in a pneumothorax after intubation of the endotracheal tree in the presence of a cuffed endotracheal tube. We emphasize that the presence of a cuffed endotracheal tube should not be considered a safeguard against pulmonary intubation during nasogastric placement of a feeding catheter. (Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition8:450-452, 1984)