cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GeneSeer: A sage for gene names and genomic resources

Independent identification of genes in different organisms and assays has led to a multitude of names for each gene. This balkanization makes it difficult to use gene names to locate genomic resources, homologs in other species and relevant publications. We solve the naming problem by collecting data from a variety of sources and building a name-translation database. We have also built a table of homologs across several model organisms: H. sapiens, M. musculus, R. norvegicus, D. melanogaster, C. elegans, S. cerevisiae, S. pombe and A. thaliana. This allows GeneSeer to draw phylogenetic trees and identify the closest homologs. This, in turn, allows the use of names from one species to identify homologous genes in another species. A website http://geneseer.cshl.org/ is connected to the database to allow user-friendly access to our tools and external genomic resources using familiar gene names. GeneSeer allows access to gene information through common names and can map sequences to names. GeneSeer also allows identification of homologs and paralogs for a given gene. A variety of genomic data such as sequences, SNPs, splice variants, expression patterns and others can be accessed through the GeneSeer interface. It is freely available over the web http://geneseer.cshl.org/ and can be incorporated in other tools through an http-based software interface described on the website. It is currently used as the search engine in the RNAi codex resource, which is a portal for short hairpin RNA (shRNA) gene-silencing constructs.
Reliability Importance and Invariant Optimal Allocation

The reliability importance of a component is a partial derivative of the system reliability with respect to this component reliability. When all components are i.i.d., the reliability importance is called the B-importance. Relationships between reliability allocation and the reliability importance for general coherent systems are explored. The invariant optimal allocation is an allocation related only to the relative ordering rather than the magnitude of the component reliabilities. A strong heuristic method (LK heuristic) is developed to search for an ideal allocation through the application of the reliability importance. The following conclusions are drawn: if there exists an invariant optimal allocation for a system, the optimal allocation is to assign component reliabilities according to the B-importance ordering. Furthermore, the allocation generated by the LK heuristic is the optimal allocation.
Weyerhaeuser, Dryden Operations Improved Power Distribution System Reliability A Case Study

The paper presents a case study to show how Weyerhaeuser, Dryden Operations improved its power distribution system reliability. This paper will focus mainly on the changes that were made on the 115kV and 13.2kV power distribution systems. The protection and synchronizing schemes will be discussed, and the author will show how the addition of circuit switchers provided flexibility to perform maintenance on the incoming 115kV/13.2kV power transformers without interrupting mill operations.
Hazardous Spill Perimeter Detection and Monitoring via Multiple Autonomous Mobile Robotic Agents

The problem of perimeter detection and monitoring has a variety of applications. In this paper, a hybrid system with finite states strategy is proposed for multiple autonomous robotic agents with the purpose of hazardous spill perimeter detection and tracking. In the system, each robotic agent is assumed to be in one of the following states: searching, pursuing, and tracking. The agents are prioritized based on their states, and a potential field is constructed for agents in each state. The location and velocity of an agent in the tracking state as well as those of its closest leading and trailing agents are utilized to control its movement. The convergence of the tracking algorithm is analyzed for multiple spills under certain conditions. Simulation results show that with the proposed method, the agents can successfully detect and track the spills of various sizes and movements.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Why Did the Ruble Collapse in August 1998

The factors that led to the collapse of the ruble are analyzed. It is argued that it resulted from exogenous factors (closely related to the unanticipated Asian financial crisis) interacting with inherited weaknesses in fundamentals (of fiscal policy) that made the Russian economy, while progressively being brought to macroeconomic stability, nonetheless vulnerable to a large external shock. It is contended that, instead of the policy mistake of August 1998 requiring a default of domestic debt and moratorium on payment of foreign commercial debt, a decision by Russian authorities to offer temporary exchange controls, sanctioned by the IMF and the U.S. Treasury as an emergency measure, would have been a better alternative, obviating the de facto partial and unilateral resort to controls that the moratorium and default implied.
Enhancing thermal video using a public database of images

We presented a system to display nightime imagery with natural colors using a public database of images. We initially combined two spectral bands of images, thermal and visible, to enhance night vision imagery, however the fused image gave an unnatural color appearance. Therefore, a color transfer based on look-up table (LUT) was used to replace the false color appearance with a colormap derived from a daytime reference image obtained from a public database using the GPS coordinates of the vehicle. Because of the computational demand in deriving the colormap from the reference image, we created an additional local database of colormaps. Reference images from the public database were compared to a compact local database to retrieve one of a limited number of colormaps that represented several driving environments. Each colormap in the local database was stored with an image from which it was derived. To retrieve a colormap, we compared the histogram of the fused image with histograms of images in the local database. The colormaps of the best match was then used for the fused image. Continuously selecting and applying colormaps using this approach offered a convenient way to color night vision imagery.
Locus of Control, Locus of Control Differences, and Quality of Relationship in Married Dyads:

This study represents a replication and extension of the work focusing on the relationship between spouses' locus of control expectancies and their level of marital complaints. In the present study...
Sarcoidosis: Overview of Pulmonary Manifestations and Imaging

Introduction Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease of unknown etiology characterized by clusters of nonnecrotizing granulomas and distortion of surrounding tissue. Although some patients are asymptomatic, sarcoidosis can cause a range of pulmonary complaints, from chronic cough to marked dyspnea and functional disability. Sarcoidosis has a mortality rate of up to 5%,with deathmost commonly due to respiratory failure.On imaging, pulmonary findings are frequent and have a variety of characteristic appearances, ranging from isolated hilar and mediastinal adenopathy to severe pulmonary fibrosis. Knowledge of the wide range of clinical presentations and imaging appearances of sarcoidosis is essential for appropriate diagnosis and management.
The Effects of a First-Year Engineering Design Course on Student Intellectual Development as Measured by the Perry Scheme

In response to the demand for enhanced design, problem-solving, and team skills in engineering graduates, Penn State has instituted a number of team-based, project-learning courses, including one taken by nearly every first-year engineering student. To determine the impact of these experiences on our students we have begun a cross-sectional and longitudinal study of their intellectual development based upon the Perry model. In this paper, we describe the research methodology and results for the initial group of first-year students interviewed. The results of the study include the effects on intellectual development of the first-year design course, gender, honors status, and the students’ academic ability as indicated by SAT scores and grade point average. Design experience was positively related to enhanced intellectual development. Honors status, gender, and academic ability were not significantly related to Perry rating. We discuss the implications of these findings for instruction and curricular reform.
Regulation of Relaxin Release from Monodispersed Porcine Luteal Cells: Effect of Calcium Ionophore A23187 and Calcium Channel Blockers*

The role of calcium ion mobilization in modulation of secretion of the ovarian protein hormone relaxin by porcine luteal cells was examined by use of a reverse hemolytic plaque assay. In this assay, luteal cells were cocultured in monolayers with protein-A-coupled ovine erythrocytes. In the presence of porcine relaxin antiserum and complement, a zone of hemolysis, a plaque, developed around relaxin-releasing luteal cells. The rate of development of plaques in time-course experiments was used in this study as an index of the rate of relaxin release. Exposure of luteal cell-containing monolayers to the calciummobilizing agent A23187 (40 nM to 5 μM) resulted in a doserelated increase in the rate of relaxin-plaque formation. This effect [and the influence of a stimulatory secretagogue, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2; 1 μM)l was suppressed by coculture with Co2+ (5 mM), a calcium channel blocker. These results are consistent with the view that calcium ion redistribution within porcine luteal cells forms a pathway that...
Health Implications of Nitrate and Nitrite in Drinking Water: An Update on Methemoglobinemia Occurrence and Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity

Abstract In 1987, an evaluation of the nitrate drinking water standard was performed with a primary focus on the effects of nitrate on methemoglobinemia and reproductive/developmental effects (Fan et al. (1987). Regul. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 7, 135–148). The present review presents an updated overview and evaluation of the available information on the same health effects of nitrate and nitrite with an emphasis on data not included in the previous review, which should be used as a compendium to this report. Recent epidemiologic data have suggested an association between developmental effects in offspring and the maternal ingestion of nitrate from drinking water, but a definite conclusion on the cause and effect relationship cannot be drawn. Animal experimental data have shown reproductive toxicity associated with high exposure levels to nitrate or nitrite, which are not likely to be encountered in drinking water. No teratogenic effects were observed in rats, mice, rabbits, and hamsters tested. Several cases of methemoglobinemia have been reported in infants in the United States using water containing nitrate at levels higher than the current maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 45 ppm (mg/liter) nitrate (NO 3 ) or 10 ppm nitrate–nitrogen (nitrate–N), but none at or lower than the MCL. The uncertainties in the data base are discussed, noting that no uncertainty factor was applied in deriving the MCL in order to account for the uncertainties that exist in the data base.
Combination chemotherapy with topotecan for non-small cell lung cancer

Patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) typically receive platinum-based combination chemotherapy. In spite of improvements in symptoms and survival, response rates remain low and newer agents are being investigated. The newer agents may offer increased efficacy and reduced toxicity compared with established agents and regimens. The topoisomerase-I inhibitor, topotecan, achieves single-agent response rates of 4-25% in NSCLC. Topotecan has also been studied in combinations: a combination of topotecan, administered using the standard 5-day schedule, with cisplatin was effective but was associated with myelosuppression. The combination of topotecan plus carboplatin may be better tolerated and warrants further investigation. Topotecan was also combined with newer agents (gemcitabine, vinorelbine, docetaxel, paclitaxel) using a range of different administration schedules of topotecan. Response rates of up to 30% were achieved. A weekly schedule of topotecan was effective and well tolerated and was also convenient for healthcare professionals and patients.
The effects of blocking an instrumental avoidance response: Fear reduction or enhancement?

Rats which were prevented (blocked) from making an instrumental avoidance response extinguished much more rapidly than non-blocked animals. In a subsequent test, however, passive avoidance of the former shock chamber was much greater in the blocked Ss. When no regular extinction trials were permitted, blocking (per se) reduced residual “fear” below the level present at the end of acquisition. Considered in terms of two-process learning theory, these data suggest a need for multiple indices of behavior change.
Illustrating the steady-state condition and the single-molecule kinetic method with the NMDA receptor.

The steady-state is a fundamental aspect of biochemical pathways in cells; indeed, the concept of steady-state is a definition of life itself. In a simple enzyme kinetic scheme, the steady-state condition is easy to define analytically but experimentally often difficult to capture because of its evanescent quality; the initial, constant velocity condition that signifies the steady-state of the Ef and ES system is often short-lived. The recording of electrophysiologic events through a receptor channel is used here to illustrate the steady-state and to introduce the single-molecule approach to the quantification of biologic kinetic schemes. This article first briefly reviews the Michaelis-Menten and Briggs-Haldane formulations for the simple enzyme kinetic scheme. The salient structural features of the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartic acid) receptor are introduced as is the single NMDA molecule patch-clamp method; this is a high-resolution method for recording charge (ion) transfer through this and other ionotropic (ion-conducting) receptors. The concept of a time constant is related directly to a rate constant in showing that durations of channel opening and closing directly provide values for the rate constants that link the various conformation states adopted by the receptor when it is at a steady state. These rate constants provide the basis for illustrating the energy relationships between the multiple protein conformation states that the receptor populates during steady-state ion conduction across the cell membrane. The article emphasizes the advantages of collecting the mean behavior of a single molecule over time in comparison to the mean behavior of a large collection of independent molecules at a single time point.
Intracranial and spinal metastases from eccrine mucinous carcinoma: case report.

Background and importance Mucinous eccrine carcinoma (MEC) is a rare but distinct type of sweat gland tumor. MECs tend to recur locally, and their spread to distant organs is very uncommon. This article describes the first case of MEC metastasizing to the brain and the spine. Clinical presentation A 45-year-old female presented with a 2-year history of a scalp mass in the occipital area with lymph node spread. She underwent excision of the mass and neck lymph node dissection. Pathology confirmed the diagnosis of MEC. Postoperatively, she received radiation to the involved areas. Four years later the patient presented with left hemiparesis and underwent craniotomy for gross total resection of the metastasis. This recurred after 2.5 years and she underwent another craniotomy for gross total resection followed by whole brain radiation. In addition, the patient had metastases to T11 vertebral body and the left C6 to 7 neural foramen. Moreover, the patient developed leptomeningeal disease in the spine. The metastases to the spine were treated with radiation therapy. The patient died 1.5 years later. Conclusion Even though it is rare for MEC to spread to distant organs, physicians should be aware of the risk of metastatic invasion of the brain and spine and be vigilant about surveillance of these sites. MEC metastases to the brain should be treated aggressively with surgical resection followed by stereotactic radiosurgery to the tumor bed. Spine metastases should be treated with a combination of surgery and image-guided radiation therapy, depending on the degree of cord compression from epidural metastatic disease.
Isolation and Characterization of Sea Star Factor

Sea star factor (SSF) harvested from the echinoderm Asterias forbesi celomocytes is a potent inhibitor of the primary immune response to T-dependent antigens and also suppresses concanavalin-A-induced mitogenesis. We have isolated and purified a basic protein from this source which has a molecular weight of approximately 38, 000 daltons and is responsible for these biological activities. After complete reduction, SSF was shown to be composed of a single pair of heavy and light chains. Preincubation of spleen cells with concanavalin A does not inhibit binding of SSF; however, specific binding can be inhibited by preincubation with unlabeled SSF. These data suggest that the binding site for SSF is not the same as that for concanavalin A.
A node-addition model for symbolic factorization

A symbolic node-addition model for matrix factorization of symmetric positive definite matrices is described. In this model, the nodes are added onto the filled graph one at a time. The advantage of the node-addition model is its simplicity and flexibility. The model can be immediately incorporated into finite element analysis programs. The model can also be extended to determine modification patterns in the matrix factors due to changes in the original matrix. For a given matrix K(=LDLt), the time complexity of the algorithm for constructing the structure of the lower triangular matrix factor L is O(e(L)) where e(L) is the number of nonzero entries in L.
Viscoelastic response of the rat loading model: implications for studies of strain-adaptive bone formation

Studies of the adaptive skeletal response to mechanical loading require appropriate animal models. Two new approaches involve the nonsurgical application of loads to either the ulna or tibia of rats. Both of these approaches require the loading of bone through adjacent soft tissues, and thus the tissue viscoelasticity might affect the way load is transferred to the bone. The objective of this study was to characterize the mechanical strain in the rat tibia or ulna during applied loading at different frequencies. For the rat ulna model, loading was applied to the ulnae of four adult, female rats as a haversine waveform at frequencies of 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 Hz and peak loads of 5, 10, 15, and 20 N. Mechanical strain was measured on the medial and lateral ulnar surfaces using single element strain gauges. For the rat tibia model, four-point bending loads were applied to the right tibiae of seven rats at frequencies of 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 Hz and peak loads of 30, 40, 50, and 60 N. Mechanical strain was measured on the lateral tibial surface at 5 mm proximal to the tibiofibular junction. We found that peak strains were linearly proportional to applied load, but decreased logarithmically as loading frequency was increased, indicating a significant viscoelastic effect in the soft tissues surrounding the ulnocarpal joint and in the soft tissues surrounding the tibia shaft. The viscoelastic response of the ulna and tibia tends to "filter out" high-frequency loading components and, as a result, the rat loading systems act as a low-pass filter. Consequently, any experiment designed to test the effect of loading frequency on bone formation in the rat ulna and tibia should employ progressively larger loads at higher loading frequencies to guarantee a consistent peak strain magnitude in the bone. The filtering effect of the ulna loading system is illustrated by an analysis of the strain waveforms from the recent study by Mosley and Lanyon (Bone 23:313-318; 1998) that was designed to evaluate the effect of strain rate on bone formation.
Surface Interrogation Methods for Haptic Rendering of Virtual Objects

The process which enables virtual objects to mimic their real world counterparts is known as realistic rendering in haptics. Realistic sensations could relate to any spatial feature like shape or texture. We have proposed a system here that aims at utilizing the shape information of a surface effectively to aid in object recognition through a haptic interface. This paper describes some surface interrogation techniques namely isophotes, contours and Gaussian curvature to assist in haptic rendering by drawing the user's attention to certain features on a surface that cannot be perceived by realistic means. The effectiveness of these tools, based on their behavior in an external environment, has also been compared. The main goal of this paper is to demonstrate that perception of virtual surfaces can be enhanced by providing haptic feedbacks parameterized according to geometric features identified by surface interrogation
Diphtheroids as Ocular Pathogens

Unlike Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Propionibacterium acnes, the pleomorphic gram-positive rods known as diphtheroids are generally regarded as nonpathogenic contaminants of the human external eye. We reviewed five years of microbiology records at Wills Eye Hospital and studied a series of eight cases of apparently infectious keratitis associated with heavy growth of diphtheroids on cultures of ulcer scrapings. All of these cases included indolent ulcers that occurred almost exclusively in elderly patients (mean age, 72 years; range, 11 to 92 years). All patients had preexisting ocular conditions that compromised the corneal surface such as exposed corneal sutures, eyelid surgery, aphakic extended wear contact lenses, viral keratitis, and diabetes mellitus. No other pathogens were isolated. All infections responded well to antibiotic therapy with all organisms sensitive to cefazolin and all but one sensitive to gentamicin.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae in children with acute and refractory asthma.

Abstract Background The presence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae has been associated with worsening asthma in children. Sensitive assays have been developed to detect M pneumoniae –derived community-acquired respiratory distress syndrome (CARDS) toxin. Objectives To identify the frequency and persistence of M pneumoniae detection in respiratory secretions of children with and without asthma and to evaluate antibody responses to M pneumoniae and the impact of M pneumoniae on biological markers, asthma control, and quality of life. Methods We enrolled 143 pediatric patients (53 patients with acute asthma, 26 patients with refractory asthma, and 64 healthy controls; age range, 5-17 years) during a 20-month period with 2 to 5 follow-up visits. We detected M pneumoniae using CARDS toxin antigen capture and polymerase chain reaction and P1 adhesin polymerase chain reaction. Immune responses to M pneumoniae were determined by IgG and IgM levels directed against CARDS toxin and P1 adhesin. pH was measured in exhaled breath condensates, and asthma control and quality of life were assessed using the Asthma Control Test and Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire. Results M pneumoniae was detected in 64% of patients with acute asthma, 65% with refractory asthma, and 56% of healthy controls. Children with asthma had lower antibody levels to M pneumoniae compared with healthy controls. Exhaled breath condensate pHs and asthma control and quality of life scores were lower in M pneumoniae –positive patients with asthma. Conclusion The results suggest that M pneumoniae detection is common in children, M pneumoniae detection is associated with worsening asthma, and children with asthma may have poor humoral immune responses to M pneumoniae .
Laser Optogalvanic Analysis in a Radiofrequency Plasma: Detection of Iodine Atoms and Molecules

Abstract The optogalvanic effect (OGE) may be used to detect specific species in a plasma (ions, atoms, radicals, or molecules) by selective laser excitation of the plasma. The plasma itself is merely the reservoir of electronically excited, ionized, and atomized species. Compared with conventional ICP-AES, OGE has many advantages: no external detector, zero background, no interferences, and greater versatility. Since the photoacoustic (PA) and ionization rate change (IRC) components of the OGE signal can be separated, optogalvanic spectroscopy can exhibit a further selectivity based on this discriminatory ability. The OGE method has been applied to iodine analysis. By careful selection of the operating conditions, pure atomic and pure molecular iodine signals constitute the PA and IRC profiles, respectively. The best detection limit, in a somewhat primitive experiment, is ∼10 −7 μg/ml of I 2 , which is comparable to laser-induced fluorescence. This detection limit can be improved by at least three orders of magnitude by optimizing the experimental conditions.
Alligators and crocodiles as indicators for restoration of Everglades ecosystems

Abstract Alligators and crocodiles integrate biological impacts of hydrological operations, affecting them at all life stages through three key aspects of Everglades ecology: (1) food webs, (2) diversity and productivity, and (3) freshwater flow. Responses of crocodilians are directly related to suitability of environmental conditions and hydrologic change. Correlations between biological responses and environmental conditions contribute to an understanding of species’ status and trends over time. Positive or negative trends of crocodilian populations relative to hydrologic changes permit assessment of positive or negative trends in restoration. The crocodilian indicator uses monitoring parameters (performance measures) that have been shown to be both effective and efficient in tracking trends. The alligator component uses relative density (reported as an encounter rate), body condition, and occupancy rates of alligator holes; the crocodile component uses juvenile growth and hatchling survival. We hypothesize that these parameters are correlated with hydrologic conditions including depth, duration, timing, spatial extent and water quality. Salinity is a critical parameter in estuarine habitats. Assessments of parameters defined for crocodilian performance measures support these hypotheses. Alligators and crocodiles are the charismatic megafauna of the Everglades. They are both keystone and flagship species to which the public can relate. In addition, the parameters used to track trends are easy to understand. They provide answers to the following questions: How has the number of alligators or crocodiles changed? Are the animals fatter or thinner than they should be? Are the animals in the places (in terms of habitat and geography) where they should be? As surely as there is no other Everglades, no other single species defines the Everglades as does the American alligator. The Everglades is the only place in the world where both alligators and crocodiles exist. Crocodilians clearly respond to changes in hydrologic parameters of management interest. These relationships are easy to communicate and mean something to managers, decision makers, and the public. Having crocodilians on the list of system-wide, general indicators provides us with one of the most powerful tools we have to communicate progress of ecosystem restoration in Greater Everglades ecosystems to diverse audiences.
Acoustic approximations for processing in transversely isotropic media

When transversely isotropic (VTI) media with vertical symmetry axes are characterized using the zero‐dip normal moveout (NMO) velocity [Vnmo(0)] and the anisotropy parameter ηinstead of Thomsen’s parameters, time‐related processing [moveout correction, dip moveout (DMO), and time migration] become nearly independent of the vertical P- and S-wave velocities (VP0 and VS0, respectively). The independence on VP0 and VS0 is well within the limits of seismic accuracy, even for relatively strong anisotropy. The dependency on VP0 and VS0 reduces even further as the ratio VS0/VP0 decreases. In fact, for VS0=0, all time‐related processing depends exactly on only Vnmo(0) and η. This fortunate dependence on two parameters is demonstrated here through analytical derivations of time‐related processing equations in terms of Vnmo(0) and η. The time‐migration dispersion relation, the NMO velocity for dipping events, and the ray‐tracing equations extracted by setting VS0=0 (i.e., by considering VTI as acoustic) not only de...
Individual differences in lottery evaluation models

Abstract This study provides evidence about (1) the relative weighting of gain and loss outcomes, (2) the use of stated probability values, and (3) the influence of outcome timing on subjective evaluations of risky options. Lottery attractiveness ratings obtained from MBA students were used to fit and test a variety possible of models inferred from manager′s comments (as reported in March & Shapira, l987) about the way they perceive and handle risk and evaluate gamble attractiveness. The results indicate that managers′ insights about how risk is perceived and how risky options are evaluated are reasonably predictive of how others will evaluate lotteries. Loss aversion, which is extreme for some subjects, was inferred from the weighting of gain and loss outcomes and from estimated subjective probability values. Although not all subjects used probability to weight outcomes, those who did tended to weight asymmetrically; loss was treated as subjectively more likely than gain.
Low marks for education funding priorities.

Anyone involved substantively in science education during the past five decades will see the irony in the decision by the Office and Management and Budget (OMB) to trim the federal government's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs on the grounds that many of them lack evaluation data on efficacy (“An invisible hand behind plan to realign U.S. science education,” J. Mervis, News Focus, 26 July, p. [338][1]). Although federal funding often supported formative evaluation (assessment in the pilot phase to improve the program itself) during the development of new curricula, it was virtually impossible to secure funding for summative evaluation (assessment of effectiveness after implementation) because of the costs and time frames involved. At the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study ([ 1 ][2]), where the value of summative evaluation always has been self-evident, we often lamented that the federal government funded a series of 90-meter dashes, supporting development of new instructional materials but not their evaluation. Funding from the Institute for Education Sciences for efficacy trials ([ 2 ][3]) that provide one type of summative evaluation constitutes some progress, but it is not enough. It is perverse for OMB to blame STEM projects for deficiencies that were inherent in the government's funding priorities. Perhaps an evaluation of those priorities is in order. 1. [↵][4]Biological Sciences Curriculum Study ([www.bscs.org][5]). 2. [↵][6]1. J. K. Spybrook, 2. S. W. Raudenbush , Educ. Eval. Pol. Anal. 31, 298 (2009). [OpenUrl][7][CrossRef][8] [1]: pending:yes [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [5]: http://www.bscs.org [6]: #xref-ref-2-1 "View reference 2 in text" [7]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DEduc.%2BEval.%2BPol.%2BAnal.%26rft.volume%253D31%26rft.spage%253D298%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.3102%252F0162373709339524%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [8]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.3102/0162373709339524&link_type=DOI
Integrated Pharmacokinetic-Driven Approach to Screen Candidate Anticancer Drugs for Brain Tumor Chemotherapy

The goal of the study was to develop an effective screening strategy to select new agents for brain tumor chemotherapy from a series of low molecular weight anticancer agents [ON123x] by the combined use of in silico, in vitro cytotoxicity, and in vitro ADME profiling studies. The results of these studies were cast into a pipeline of tier 1 and tier 2 procedures that resulted in the identification of ON123300 as the lead compound. Of the 154 ON123xx compounds, 13 met tier 1 screening criteria based on physicochemical properties [i.e., MW < 450 Da, predicted log P between 2 and 3.5] and in vitro glioma cell cytotoxicity [i.e., IC50 < 10 μM] and were further tested in tier 2 assays. The tier 2 profiling studies consisted of metabolic stability, MDCK-MDR1 cell permeability and plasma and brain protein binding that were combined to globally assess whether favorable pharmacokinetic properties and brain penetration could be achieved in vivo. In vivo cassette dosing studies were conducted in mice for 12 compounds that permitted examination of in vitro/in vivo relationships that confirmed the suitability of the in vitro assays. A parameter derived from the in vitro assays accurately predicted the extent of drug accumulation in the brain based on the area under the drug concentration-time curve in brain measured in the cassette dosing study (r (2) = 0.920). Overall, the current studies demonstrated the value of an integrated pharmacokinetic-driven approach to identify potentially efficacious agents for brain tumor chemotherapy.
MYOSIN ISOZYME EXPRESSION IN RESPONSE TO STRETCH-INDUCED HYPERTROPHY IN THE JAPANESE QUAIL

When skeletal muscle is subjected to stretch it undergoes a rapid increase in muscle mass. However, the effect of stretch on the native myosin isozyme content of muscle has received attention only recently. Using the Japanese quail to investigate stretch-induced hypertrophy, we demonstrated an increase in the expression of fast myosin in the predominantly slow anterior latissimus dorsi muscle (ALD). The fast myosin content of the control quail ALD is not sufficient to be quantified on native myosin pyrophosphate gels. After 33 days of stretch, the fast myosin content (N = 10) averaged 16 +/- 11% in the stretched muscles and reached a maximum of 40%. Mean hypertrophy in the stretched muscle, as indicated by muscle weight, was 247 +/- 91% (range, 168-378%). Fast myosin was consistently expressed in muscles with hypertrophy greater than 250%. Muscle fiber size from the stretched muscles contained a greater number of fibers with small cross-sectional areas than was observed in controls. These results indicate that substantial remodeling occurs in the stretched ALD muscle of the Japanese quail.
Subjective Cognitive Complaints in Parkinson Disease Without Dementia: A Preliminary Study

Little is known about the subjective cognitive complaints of individuals with Parkinson disease (PD). Such complaints have become a topic of interest recently as they play a role in the diagnosis of neurocognitive disorders. The aim of this preliminary study was to determine whether a sample of nondemented individuals with PD reported significantly more difficulties with multiple elements of cognition than a control sample and to assess the relation between their ratings and demographics, motor symptom severity, neuropsychological test performance, and measures of depression and anxiety. Forty nondemented individuals with PD and 27 healthy individuals completed a questionnaire assessing everyday cognitive difficulties. Independent t tests indicated that individuals with PD reported significantly more cognitive complaints in general and in specific tasks involving complex attention, executive function, processing speed, and verbal fluency but not memory. Questionnaire ratings significantly correlated with ...
Calcitonin gene-related peptide induces the formation of second messengers in primary cultures of neonatal rat spinal cord.

This study investigated second messengers formed in response to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in primary cultures of neonatal rat spinal cord. CGRP increased the level of cAMP above basal levels (50 pmol/mg protein) over a large range of concentrations. The concentration-response curve had an intermediate plateau at 180 pmol cAMP/mg protein in response to 0.01–0.1 nM CGRP and a maximal plateau of 850 pmol cAMP/mg protein at 300 nM CGRP. The biphasic concentration-response curve (EC50s of 0.7 pM and 22 nM) suggests activation of high- and low-affinity receptors for CGRP. Both neurons and nonneuronal cells contributed to the increase in cAMP formation in response to CGRP. The CGRP receptor blocker, CGRP8–37, inhibited the response to both 1 and 100 nM CGRP, providing additional support for the hypothesis that both high- and low-affinity receptors mediate the formation of cAMP. Only a high concentration of CGRP (1 μM) increased the formation of cGMP, and CGRP had no effect on the formation of inositol phosphates at any of the concentrations tested (0.1–1 μM). These results suggest that CGRP-induced responses in the spinal cord are mediated predominately via the formation of cAMP. The observation that both neurons and nonneuronal cells responded to CGRP indicate that this peptide may have multiple actions in the spinal cord. Synapse 26:235–242, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss Inc.
AN INQUIRY INTO THE MISUSE OF THE SURVEY TECHNIQUE BY SALES SOLICITORS

Misuse of the survey approach as a "blind" for sales canvassing is increasing, if one notes the number of complaints made annually to such organizations as the American Marketing Association, the American Association for Public Opinion Research, and the Better Business Bureaus. To determine the present extent of this problem, and any trend indications, the 1962-1963 Public Relations Committee of the American Association for Public Opinion Research made two kinds of inquiries. The first was in the form of requesting certain research organizations to include questions relevant to the problem in surveys they were conducting for clients. The second was an informal mail "survey" among a small group of survey practitioners in the United States. Public Relations Committee members did not feel that deceptive use of the survey approach for sales purposes had reached an alarming level. However, they did note sufficiently flagrant cases of unethical activity to warrant calling the attention of professional researchers to the problem. There is genuine concern that an increase in the fraudulent use of the survey approach over a period of time would represent a severe problem to the legitimate market and opinion researcher. Indeed, it is probable that public confusion, annoyance, and distrust of field interviewers resulting from unfortunate experiences with deceptive "survey" practices can seriously impede legitimate research activity. The following two sections of this article report on the problem from two different perspectives. Part I is concerned with public awareness of the deceptive use of the survey approach, and with variations in incidence according to types of products and services involved, geographic region and size of community in which respondents live, and other factors. Part II reports on the problem from the perspective of survey researchers whose principal professional activity is the conduct of legitimate market and opinion research.
A technique for solving the extended Liapunov matrix equation

A technique for solving the extended Liapunov matrix equation is presented. The system matrix is first transformed to its Jordan canonical form. Then an explicit solution is obtained for the equivalent extended Liapunov matrix equation that results.
Campus attitudes toward alcohol and drugs in a deep southern university.

In our zeal to deal with alcohol and drug abuse, we may have a distorted picture of what the majority of college students actually think about alcohol and drug use. Students in this study done at a public university located in the Deep South report being generally intolerant of substance abuse. Language: en
Microwave radiometric signatures of temperature anomalies in tissue

Because of its ability to measure the temperature-dependent power of electromagnetic radiation emitted from tissue down to several centimeters beneath the skin, microwave radiometry has long been of interest as a means for identifying the internal tissue temperature anomalies that arise from abnormalities in physiological parameters such as metabolic and blood perfusion rates. However, the inherent lack of specificity and resolution in microwave radiometer measurements has limited the clinical usefulness of the technique. The idea underlying this work is to make use of information (assumed to be available from some other modality) about the tissue configuration in the volume of interest to study and improve the accuracy of anomaly detection and estimation from radiometric data. In particular, knowledge of the specific anatomy and the properties of the overall measurement system enable determination of the signatures of localized physiological abnormalities in the radiometry data. These signatures are used to investigate the accuracy with which the location of an anomaly can be determined from radiometric measurements. Algorithms based on matches to entries in a signature dictionary are developed for anomaly detection and estimation. The accuracy of anomaly identification is improved when the coupling of power from the body to the sensor is optimized. We describe the design of a radiometer waveguide having dielectric properties appropriate for biomedical applications.
Multiperspective Modeling and Rendering Using General Linear Cameras

We present a General Linear Camera (GLC) model that unifies many previous camera models into a single representation. The GLC model is capable of describing all perspective (pinhole), orthographic, and many multiperspective (including pushbroom and two-slit) cameras, as well as epipolar plane images. It also includes three new and previously unexplored multiperspective linear cameras. The GLC model is both general and linear in the sense that, given any vector space where rays are represented as points, it describes all 2D affine subspaces (planes) that can be formed by affine combinations of 3 rays. The incident radiance seen along the rays found on subregions of these 2D linear subspaces are a precise definition of a projected image of a 3D scene. We model the GLC imaging process in terms of two separate stages: the mapping of 3D geometry to rays and the sampling of these rays over an image plane. We derive a closed-form solution to projecting 3D points in a scene to rays in a GLC and a notion of GLC collineation analogous to pinhole cameras. Finally, we develop a GLC ray-tracer for the direct rendering of GLC images. The GLC ray-tracer is able to create a broad class of multiperspective effects and it provides flexible collineation controls to reduce multiperspective distortions.
Drug modification of catecholamine synthesis and uptake in early chick embryos

Abstract Using fluorescence histochemistry for catecholamines, the primary trunks in the chick embryo can be seen on the third day of development. It has been reported previously that the enzymes necessary for production of epinephrine and norepinephrine are not present until after the third day of incubation, and that the yolk contains both of these catecholamines. Therefore, the source of catecholamines in the primary trunks has been studied using alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (AMT) to block synthesis and desmethylimipramine (DMI) to block uptake. Only embryos treated with both AMT and DMI showed an absence of fluorescence in the primary trunks. However, radioisotopic-enzymatic measurements of catecholamines in whole embryos revealed that epinephrine and norepinephrine were depleted by AMT alone. This indicates that the catecholamines in the primary trunks are synthesized rather than taken up from the yolk. Depletion of the catecholamines in the primary trunks did not cause any developmental aberration in either the primary or secondary sympathetic trunks, which may indicate that catecholamines are not necessary for the development of the trunks, or may be attributed to alpha-methylnorepinephrine, which was present in AMT-treated embryos. Blocking uptake alone caused large increases in both epinephrine and norepinephrine. Since these increases were blocked by AMT, they are believed to be due to increased tyrosine hydroxylase activity. This may indicate that there is end-product regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase in the developing primary sympathetic trunks similar to that reported in adults.
The Epidemiology of Congestive Heart Failure: Contributions from the Framingham Heart Study

In 1971, McKee et al. at the Framingham Heart Study published a seminal paper on the epidemiology of congestive heart failure. The authors proposed a set of standardized criteria for heart failure for use in research studies and described the risk factors for developing heart failure. Their data demonstrated the strong association between advanced age and increased incidence of heart failure and underscored the importance of hypertension as a precursor of heart failure in the community. The authors were also among the first to demonstrate the poor long-term outcomes of heart failure in the community, with 1 in 2 affected individuals dying within 5 years of the diagnosis. Subsequent Framingham studies have documented other predictors of new onset heart failure, including elevated plasma natriuretic peptide levels, asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and increased left ventricular diastolic dimension. These findings have highlighted potential opportunities for prevention based on the modification of risk factors such as hypertension, and they continue to provide a foundation for future investigations aimed at reducing the burden of heart failure.
Comparison of immunoassay and HPLC-MS/MS used to measure urinary metabolites of atrazine, metolachlor, and chlorpyrifos from farmers and non-farmers in Iowa

Urine samples were collected from 51 participants in a study investigating pesticide exposure among farm families in Iowa. Aliquots from the samples were sent to two different labs and analyzed for metabolites of atrazine (atrazine mercapturate), metolachlor (metolachlor mercapturate) and chlorpyrifos (TCP) by two different analytical methods: immunoassay and high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). HPLC-MS/MS methods tend to be highly specific, but are costly and time consuming. Immunoassay methods are cheaper and faster, but can be less sensitive due to cross reactivity and matrix effects. Three statistical methods were employed to compare the two analytical methods. Each statistical method differed in how the samples that had results below the limit of detection (LOD) were treated. The first two methods involved an imputation procedure and the third method used maximum likelihood estimation (MLE). A fourth statistical method that modeled each lab separately using MLE was used for comparison. The immunoassay and HPLC-MS/MS methods were moderately correlated (correlation 0.40-0.49), but the immunoassay methods consistently had significantly higher geometric mean (GM) estimates for each pesticide metabolite. The GM estimates for atrazine mercapturate, metolachlor mercapturate, and TCP by immunoassay ranged from 0.16-0.98 microg l(-1), 0.24-0.45 microg l(-1) and 14-14 microg l(-1), respectively and by HPLC-MS/MS ranged from 0.0015-0.0039 microg l(-1), 0.12-0.16 microg l(-1), and 2.9-3.0 microg l(-1), respectively. Immunoassays tend to be cheaper and faster than HPLC-MS/MS, however, they may result in an upward bias of urinary pesticide metabolite levels.