cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Smoking deception and age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose Smoking has been identified as a major modifiable risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Smoking deception or failing to self-report as a smoker is a recognized concern among studies of smoking-related disease. To date, no studies have evaluated the rates of smoking deception in macular degeneration. Methods Data from the 2005 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to produce estimates of smoking deception among three ethnic groups within the US population. Comparisons of self-reported rates of cigarette use, any nicotine product use, and serum cotinine levels were used to produce estimates of potential smoking deception among adults older than 40 years with any-level macular degeneration and those at risk of late-stage disease. Results Any-level AMD was found to be present in 6.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 5.6% to 7.8%) of this cohort. Excluding those with late AMD, 9.7% (95% CI = 8.3% to 11.0%) were at risk of developing late-stage disease. Among individuals with any level of macular degeneration, 5.4% (95% CI = 2.1% to 8.6%) were potential smoking deceivers. A similar rate was seen among those at risk of late-stage disease at 5.0% (95% CI = 2.3% to 7.6%). Conclusions The rate of possible smoking deception seems higher for macular degeneration and those at risk of late-stage AMD than is generally reported in the US population. While the deception rate is low at the individual level, as many as 450,000 adults in the US population at risk of late-stage AMD may misclassify their smoking status.
The Enzymatic Formation of Catecholestrogens from 2 Methoxyestrogens by Rat Liver Microsomes

Catecholestrogens are biologically active metabolites of estrogen which are synthesized by estrogen-2-hydroxylase in the liver, brain, and other organs. Although catecholestrogens are inactivated by enzymatic O-methylation, demethylation of the 2-methoxyestrogens to reform catecholestrogens also occurs. A sensitive and specific radioenzymatic assay for rat liver 2-methoxyestrogen demethylase has been developed which makes it possible to characterize its substrate requirements and to study the influence of various hormones on catecholestrogen formation. 2-Methoxyestrogen demethylase activity is localized in rat liver microsomes. The apparent Km for 2-methoxyestrone (2MeOE1) is 12 μM and that for 2-methoxyestradiol (2MeOE2) is 3 μM. The two most prevalent 2-methoxyestrogens, 2MeOE1 and 2 MeOE2, appear to be demethylated by different enzymes. The enzymes have absolute requirements for NADPH, and their activities are inhibited by CO and SKF-525A, indicating that they are cytochrome P450 dependent. 2MeOE2 deme...
Sensitivity of trypanosoma equiperdum to the action of tumor-inhibitory antibiotics in vitro ☆

Abstract Trypanosoma equiperdum , a member of the brucei-evansi group of African trypanosomes, is sensitive to the following tumor-inhibitory antibiotics: actinomycin D, mitomycin C, porfiromycin, phleomycin, and pactamycin. Only pactamycin inhibited trypanosomal carbohydrate metabolism in vitro , an action that might have contributed to the ability of this antibiotic to depress protein synthesis and various pathways of nucleic acid metabolism. The inhibitory effects of the other antibiotics were restricted to trypanosomal nucleic acid metabolism. Actinomycin D, 1.6 × 10 −8 M, inhibited the incorporation of 3 H-adenine and 3 H-uracil into RNA by approximately 50%, but had no effect at this concentration upon the incorporation of derivatives of these isotopes into DNA. Higher concentrations had no effect upon the incorporation of 3 H-adenine and 3 H-thymidine into DNA, but did inhibit the incorporation of derivatives of 3 H-uracil into DNA. The distribution of radioactivity in the nucleotide components of the acid-soluble fractions suggested that the predominant action of actinomycin D was to inhibit RNA polymerase. Mitomycin C and its methyl congener, porfiromycin, 2.2 × 10 −4 M and 5.7 × 10 −4 M, respectively, inhibited the incorporation of derivatives of 3 H-adenine and 3 H-uracil into RNA and DNA by approximately 50%. At 7.5 × 10 −6 M and 1.1 × 10 −5 M, mitomycin C and porfiromycin inhibited the incorporation of 3 H-thymidine into DNA by approximately 50%, and at 7.5 × 10 −5 M and 7.2 × 10 −5 M, the evolution of 14 CO 2 derived from orotic acid- 14 COOH. The ability of the mitosane antibiotics, at relatively low concentrations, to inhibit the incorporation of thymidine into DNA suggested that interference with DNA replication was a prominent feature of this group. The data also indicated that at higher concentrations, mitomycin C and porfiromycin inhibited RNA polymerase—whether by direct action or as a consequence of their effects upon DNA synthesis remains unsettled. Phleomycin, 1.3 × 10 −4 M, inhibited the incorporation of 3 H-adenine and 3 H-uracil into RNA by approximately 50%. At this concentration, phleomycin inhibited the incorporation of derivatives of 3 H-uracil into DNA to a greater extent than the derivatives of 3 H-adenine. At 3.2 × 10 −6 M, phleomycin inhibited the incorporation of 3 H-thymidine into DNA by approximately 50%. The action of phleomycin seemed to be qualitatively similar to that of the mitosane antibiotics, except for its inability to inhibit orotidylic acid decarboxylase.
On the structural integrity of the spinel block in the β"-alumina structure.

The β′′-alumina structure is examined in detail and an analysis is presented of the three-dimensional integrity of the lattice. The layer structure that is responsible for the very high sodium conduction rate is the specific focus. Rigid layers that are derived from the cubic spinel structure are interleaved by more open honeycomb pathways where rapid ion diffusion takes place. The three-dimensional rigidity of the spinel block in this structure makes it possible to accurately quantify the conduction layer thickness based only on the hexagonal unit-cell dimensions, as suggested originally by Harbach [(1983), J. Mater. Sci. 18, 2437–2452]. His calculation is tested rigorously against the many single-crystal structure determinations that have been made on the β′′-alumina family compounds and excellent correlation is found.
Assessing Early Triassic paleoceanographic conditions via unusual sedimentary fabrics and features

article i nfo Analysis of the Lower Triassic sedimentary rock record has revealed a variety of unusual sedimentary fabrics and features, many of which were more common in the Proterozoic than the Phanerozoic. These so-called "anachro- nistic facies" developed across Lower Triassic carbonate platforms from shallow subtidal environments to deep, basinal environments and include features associated with the enhanced precipitation of calcium carbonate (e.g., synsedimentary seafloor cements), microbialites, and fabrics that formed due to a reduction in the intensity and depth of bioturbation (e.g., vermicular limestones). Three interacting factors controlled the development of anachronistic facies during the Early Triassic including: 1) environmental conditions (i.e., the unusual chemistry of Early Triassic oceans); 2) biotic factors (e.g., bioturbation and grazing pressures); and, 3) actualistic sedimen- tologic processes (e.g., waves and currents, sedimentation). Because these three factors typically acted in concert with each other, it is important to consider the role of each when using anachronistic facies to reconstruct Early Triassic paleoceanographic conditions. Overall, anachronistic facies are indicative of enhanced calcium carbonate precipitation during the Early Triassic, but do not necessarily indicate the former presence of anoxic or suboxic conditions where they were deposited. The influence of seawater chemistry on the deposition of anachronistic facies was most pronounced in deeper water environments, where anomalous paleoceanographic conditions heightened calcium carbonate precipitation and caused a decrease in bioturbation and grazing pressures via the upwelling of anoxic, alkaline waters. The degree of environmental influence lessened shorewards, where biotic factors and actualistic processes were more important, and slight modification of seawater by microbial activity, shallow burial, or CO2-degassing was necessary for calcium carbonate precipitation to occur. Anachronistic facies are a useful tool for reconstructing paleoceanographic conditions and examining shifts in the distribution of environmental stress during the recovery from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, but only when the biologic, sedimentologic, and geochemical factors that led to their growth are carefully considered.
Chinese MNCs as China's New Long March: A Review and Critique of the Western Literature

Chinese outward foreign direct investment (COFDI) has captured the imagination of international business academics, journalists, and analysts of Chinese foreign economic policy. While these students of COFDI have added greatly to our knowledge, they have not adequately considered the politico-economy of COFDI. Specifically, they have not sufficiently evaluated the degree to which COFDI is driven by political versus economic considerations, the extent to which political considerations influence the overseas operations of Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs), or the political ramifications of COFDI for host countries, international institutions, or China’s interactions with third parties. Reviewing the Western literature, this article provides useful background information about COFDI, distills two general schools of thought about the politico-economy of COFDI—i.e., the “Beijing as Puppeteer” camp and the “Business of Business is Business” camp, and highlights a number of shortcomings with each. As well, it suggests a number of ways in which the extant literature can move forward and makes clear the importance of tracking the development of Chinese MNCs.
Intrathecal morphine for postoperative analgesia following repair of frontal encephaloceles in children: Comparison with intermittent, on-demand dosing of nalbuphine

Abstract Study Objective: To determine the efficacy of lumbar intrathecal (IT) morphine in a dose of 0.02 mg/kg in providing analgesia following repair of frontal encephaloceles. Design: Prospective, open-label investigation of IT morphine with secondary comparison to a retrospective cohort. Setting: Metropolitan hospital in the Philippines. Patients: 24 ASA physical status I and II children undergoing frontal encephalocele repair. Interventions: Following induction of general anesthesia, IT morphine (Group 1) was administered via single-shot technique or through a lumbar IT drain placed for cerebrospinal fluid drainage during the surgical procedure. Postoperative analgesia was assessed by visual analog score in patients greater than 5 years of age or a behavioral score in patients less than 5 years of age. The retrospective cohort received postoperative analgesia with intermittent doses of intravenous nalbuphine (Group 2). Measurements and Main Results: Group 1 had decreased postoperative analgesic requirements, decreased intraoperative inhalational anesthetic requirements, and a longer time to the first request for postoperative analgesia than Group 2. The time to the first request for postoperative analgesia was 16.0 ± 9.1 hours in Group 1 and 1.6 ± 1.2 hours in Group 2 ( p p = 0.02) did require analgesic drugs during this period. The patients in Group 1 who did not require supplemental analgesic drugs maintained pain scores of 2 or less throughout the first 24 postoperative hours. Conclusion: Lumbar IT morphine provides effective analgesia following repair of frontal encephaloceles in children and adolescents.
Arrhythmias in the assessment of coronary artery reperfusion following thrombolytic therapy.

Arrhythmias are used as markers of coronary reperfusion after administration of thrombolytic agents. We studied the effects of coronary recanalization on the development of arrhythmias in patients receiving thrombolytic agents during the early hours of acute myocardial infarction. Acute cardiac catheterization, assessing perfusion of the infarction-related artery and identifying the arrhythmias, was performed within eight hours of onset of symptoms. Fifty-six of 67 patients (84 percent) studied had total occlusion of the infarction-related artery, 25 of whom had restoration of coronary flow during the 90 minutes after initiation of therapy; 31 had no evidence of reperfusion. Eleven patients had subtotal vessel occlusion that did not change appreciably during therapy, and 20 patients (30 percent) had transient arrhythmias. There were no significant differences in the frequency of arrhythmias: 36 percent of reperfused patients, 19 percent of nonreperfused, and 45 percent of subtotal occlusion patients. Only bradyarrhythmia was significantly related to the restoration of flow of the right coronary artery. Other rhythm disturbances, including accelerated idioventricular rhythm, did not correlate with a change in the perfusion status of the vessel. Bradycardia may be a useful marker for right coronary artery reperfusion. Arrhythmias in general are not specific for coronary reperfusion and should not be used as event markers. (Chest 1988; 94:727-30)
Using delegation and control systems to mitigate the trade-off between the performance-evaluation and belief-revision uses of accounting signals

Abstract Two trade-offs arise in an agency relationship when the same accounting signal is used for both performance evaluation and investment evaluation. Using the signal for performance evaluation, (1) directly influences the informativeness of the signal for investment evaluation, (2) induces manipulation, which, in turn, lowers the informativeness of the signal for investment evaluation. The principal can increase her welfare by delegating the investment decision to the agent, setting up multiple control systems, or using the outcome of the investment for performance evaluation. We show the implications of using each alternative on incentive contracts, equilibrium effort, and manipulation levels.
Defining Learning: Two Classroom Activities

This article describes two activities designed to help students evaluate potential definitions of learning and arrive at a useful one. The first activity involves discussion of 10 events, ranging f...
Possible Effects of Black-Spot Disease on Northern Pike

Abstract Twenty-two percent of 623 Niagara River northern pike Esox lucius we examined had black-spot disease. An attempt to identify the causative digenic trematode was unsuccessful. Infected fish were smaller than uninfected fish at ages 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, and the size differential increased with age. Incidence of infection decreased as fish age (and length) increased so that no fish older than 4+ years (or longer than 600 mm total length) had black-spot disease. The proportion of diseased fish recaptured after several months at large was less than that for uninfected fish, but sample size was small. These data suggest that black-spot infection is related to retarded growth and increased mortality, but cause and effect are unclear.
Real and Effective Heat Transfer Coefficients (HTCs) Used for Computer Simulation of Transient Nucleate Boiling Processes during Quenching

In this paper, real and effective heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) are considered. The real HTC is determined by dividing the heat flux density by the superheat of the liquid. The effective HTC is obtained by dividing the heat flux density by the underheat of the liquid plus the superheat of the boundary layer. In practice, especially in the heat treating industry, effective HTCs and their average values are widely used. In many cases that is not correct, because bubble formation (critical diameter) depends on the superheat ΔT = T − TS only and does not depend on the bath temperature. It is shown that due to this incorrectness, many problems arise, and misunderstanding of the quenching process often exists. So as to understand correctly the involved thermo-physical processes and receive correct data for computer simulation, in this paper, the real and effective HTCs are compared with each other. Several contradictions are shown between real and effective HTCs, such as the fact that the real HTCs do not depend on the size of a steel part and the thermal properties of a material. The effective HTC depends proportionally on the thermal properties of a material and is inversely proportional to the size of steel parts that contradict each other. In order to solve this problem, in this paper it is shown that the effective HTC is a mathematical value that can be used only for simplified cooling rate and cooling time calculations at the core of steel parts, and it cannot be used for temperature field calculations and residual stress prediction. The results of this paper can be used for computer simulation of the process of quenching and for the development of new intensive quenching technologies.
Molecular characterization of unique deletion mutants of the streptococcal plasmid, pAMβ1

Abstract pAMβ1 is a 17 × 10 6 dalton plasmid originally isolated in a strain of Streptococcus faecalis . This plasmid confers constitutively expressed macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin resistance. Following its introduction in Streptococcus sanguis (Challis) by transformation we have detected a class of pAMβ1 derivatives which carry site-specific deletions. Each of these independently obtained, smaller plasmids has been found to be missing an identical 60% of the pAMβ1 molecule when probed by restriction endonuclease digestion. A typical specific deletion derivative, designated pVA1, is present to the extent of ~10 copies per chromosomal equivalent. It is more stably inherited than pAMβ1 ( S. sanguis grown at 37 °C. However, both pVA1 and pAMβ1 appear to be rapidly segregated from S. sanguis cells grown at 42 °C. pVA1 should provide a useful replicon for genetic studies including those aimed at elucidating R plasmid organization, expression, and molecular cloning vector development in the streptococci.
Alcoholism treatment and marriage and family therapists: An empirical study

This article reports on results of a mail questionnaire study conducted among 257 members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (132 respondents, response rate of 51%) on their attitudes toward alcoholism issues (acceptance of alcoholism as a disease, treatment philosophies used with clients and/or families, and acceptance and use of Alcoholics Anonymous as a resource). Results indicated that 69% of respondents (as compared with 42% formerly) considered alcoholism a disease after MFT education. A combination of individual, family therapy, and AA (81.1%); family therapy (66.7%); and AA only (60.6%) were most often used. Controlled use of alcohol by clients in treatment was believed to be unethical by 43.2%, legal by 39.4% and ineffective by 54.5%.
Systematic selection for increased fruit yield in populations derived from hybridization only, F1 irradiation, and hybridization following parental irradiation in peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.)☆

Three hybrid peanut populations involving a single pair of high yielding parents were developed to determine the effects of irradiation prior to and after hybridization on the response to selection for fruit yield. The control-hybrid population was produced by making reciprocal crosses between the two parents. The pre-hybrid-irradiated population was initiated by making reciprocal crosses between the M1 plants of the two parents irradiated as seeds. The post-hybrid-irradiated population was developed by irradiating the mature F1 embryos of crosses between the same parents. Each of the three original populations consisted of 55 F1 plants. Ten F2 plants were grown from each F1 and one F3 plant from each F2 was used to initiate the yield tests. Selection for increased yield was practiced systematically and uniformly in each population over the F3–F5 generations until the number of lines derived from single F1 plants was reduced to five and the number of sublines descended from particular F2 plants to three per line for yield trials in the F6 generation. The mean yields of the F1 derived lines of the irradiated populations were considerably below that of the control hybrid population when selection began but they reached 99% of the control mean in the F6 generation. Selection gains in the irradiated populations appeared to result from the removal of inferior yielding sublines since greatest progress was made by raising the lower extremities of mean F2 derived subline ranges rather than by extending the upper extremities of the ranges. The three highest yielding lines in the F6 generation occurred in the irradiated populations while the three highest yielding sublines were found in the hybrid-control population. No incidental association between size and yield of fruit was noted and a wide range of fruit sizes was found among the high yielding lines and sublines in all populations.
Do NHLBI lung function criteria apply to children? A cross‐sectional evaluation of childhood asthma at National Jewish Medical and Research Center, 1999–2002

Although National Heart Lung Institute (NHLBI) guidelines categorize asthma severity based on spirometry, few studies have evaluated the utility of these spirometric values in grading asthma severity in children. Asthma is thought to be progressive, but little is known about the loss of lung function in childhood. This study sought to determine the spirometric indices in children from 4–18 years of age. Retrospective cross-sectional analysis was performed on all spirometries done in children at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center from 1999–2002. In total, 2,728 children performed 24,388 measures. The mean ± SD values for forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in 1 sec (FEV1), FEV1/FVC ratio, and forced expiratory flow (FEF)25–75 were 92.7 ± 16.2, 92.2 ± 18.0, 85.3 ± 9.3, and 78.0 ± 36.5 percent predicted, respectively. Seventy-seven percent of FEV1 values were ≥ 80%, 18.6% were between 60–80%, and 3.1% were <60% of predicted. FEV1 was highest in 5-year-old children; it declined thereafter, reaching a nadir at 11 years, followed by a partial recovery from 12–18 years. Expressed in liters, FEV1 values were lower than expected at every age, with the greatest difference at 18 years. FEV1/FVC ratios declined through childhood, suggesting impaired airway but not lung growth in children with asthma. In conclusion, the majority of asthmatic children attending a tertiary care facility had FEV1 values within normal range. With increasing age, the increase in FEV1 lags behind that of nonasthmatics, so that by 18 years, maximum FEV1 is impaired. The NHLBI FEV1 cutoff values do not appear to accurately stratify pediatric asthma, and no useful FEV1 cutoff could be generated. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2005; 39:311–317. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Treatment of metabolic syndrome

The metabolic syndrome is intended to identify patients who have increased risk of diabetes and/or a cardiac event due to the deleterious effects of weight gain, sedentary lifestyle, and/or an atherogenic diet. The National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III definition uses easily measured clinical findings of increased abdominal circumference, elevated triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, elevated fasting blood glucose and/or elevated blood pressure. Three of these five are required for diagnosis. The authors also note that other definitions of metabolic syndrome focus more on insulin resistance and its key role in this syndrome. This review focuses on how treatment might affect each of the five components. Abdominal obesity can be treated with a variety of lower calorie diets along with regular exercise. Indeed, all of the five components of the metabolic syndrome are improved by even modest amounts of weight loss achieved with diet and exercise. For those with impaired fasting glucose tolerance, there is good evidence that a high fiber, low saturated fat diet with increased daily exercise can reduce the incidence of diabetes by almost 60%. Of note, subjects who exercise the most, gain the most benefit. Metformin has also been shown to be helpful in these subjects. Thiazolidinedione drugs may prove useful, but further studies are needed. Although intensified therapeutic lifestyle change will help the abnormal lipid profile, some patients may require drug therapy. This review also discusses the use of statins, fibrates, and niacin. Likewise, while hypertension in the metabolic syndrome benefits from therapeutic lifestyle change, physicians should also consider angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor drugs or angiotensin receptor blockers, due to their effects on preventing complications of diabetes, such as progression of diabetic nephropathy and due to their effects on regression of left ventricular hypertrophy. Aspirin should be considered in those with at least a 10% risk of a coronary event over 10 years. Finally, three related conditions, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovary syndrome and protease inhibitor associated lipodystrophy improve with therapeutic lifestyle change. Although metformin is shown to be useful with polycystic ovary syndrome, the data supporting drug therapy for the other syndromes is less convincing. More robust studies are needed before any firm recommendations can be made.
Analysis of narratives produced by four children who use augmentative and alternative communication

Abstract The ability to narrate a story is fundamental to the development of overall communicative competence and involves the coordination of a variety of knowledge structures and linguistic abilities. In this study, the narrative discourse abilities of four children who use AAC are described in the context of five tasks designed to elicit a spectrum of narrative skills. Assessment was achieved through application of the Narrative Assessment Profile tool [Bliss, L. S., McCabe, A., & Miranda A. E. (1998). Narrative assessment profile: Discourse analysis for school-age children. Journal of Communication Disorders , 31 , 347–362.] and analysis of seven major story elements. Our results indicate that most narrative discourse dimensions in our participating children appeared to be compromised and in need of intervention. Discussion includes aspects of narrative intervention and suggested topics for further research. Learning outcomes : The reader will be able to: (1) create a list of issues involved in the development of narrative abilities of children who depend on augmentative and alternative communication systems (AAC) and (2) describe the issues involved in assessing the narrative skills of children who use AAC.
1-Butanol Removal from a Contaminated Airstream under Continuous and Diurnal Loading Conditions

A polysulfone microporous membrane module was investigated for control of 1-butanol-contaminated gas streams. A diurnal loading condition, using two different butanol concentrations, was used to simulate start-up and stop conditions associated with shift work. The membrane module was also used to remove 1-butanol from air under continuous loading conditions in a bioreactor. The reactors were seeded with a mixed bacterial consortium capable of butanol biodegradation. Biokinetic parameters for butanol utilization were determined for the culture to be a maximum specific utilization rate (k) equal to 4.3 d(-1) and a half saturation constant (Ks) equal to 8.9 mg L(-1). A biofilter running only with diurnal loading conditions giving a "40-hr work-week" had an average 1-butanol removal rate of 29% (111 ppm, 74 gm(-3) hr(-1)) from a 350-ppm influent at the end of an 8-hr operational day. End-of-day removal varied between 4 and 67% during the operational period. With continuous steady-state operation followed by placement on a diurnal loading schedule and influent butanol concentrations increased to 700 ppm, butanol removal averaged 38% (269 ppm, 145 gm-3 hr(-1)). Under continuous loading, steady-state conditions, 1-butanol removal from the airstream was greater than 99% (200 ppm, 73 gm-3 hr(-1)). These results suggest that the bioreactor can be operated on a diurnal schedule or 40-hr week operational schedule without any decline in performance.
Linear isotherms in multicomponent adsorption onto activated carbon from water and from organic solvents

Abstract The linearity and independence of multiple trace components in the presence of a dominant adsorbate, which was previously found for trace liquids on activated carbon in water solution, is also found for solid adsorbates and in organic solvents. This linearity suggests a general method for the determination of multiple trace adsorbates on activated carbon by adsorptive displacement. Systems studied comprise: 2,5-dichlorophenol, 3,5-dichlorophenol, and phenol in aqueous p-nitrophenol; p-nitrotoluene, o-dichlorobenzene, 1,3-dibromopropane, 1-bromohexane, and 2-bromobutane in p-nitrophenol-methanol; and l-chloro-3-nitrobenzene, p-dichlorobenzene, naphthalene, and 1-chloronaphthalene in a cyclohexane solution of anthracene. Isotherms are reported for one, two, and three components.
Air Pollution In Pittsburgh: A Historical Perspective

The abundance of high volatile-content coal in the Pittsburgh area was responsible for air pollution that plagued the city for nearly two centuries. Outcries for abatement were heard as early as 1804. Successful smoke control was finally achieved in the late 1940's. A brief history of particulate levels in the central city area of Pittsburgh from the eighteenth century to the present is traced. Economic conditions and social attitudes, which are key factors in understanding temporal variations in air pollution, are considered in the analysis. 55 references, 2 tables.
Ultrastructural demonstration and analytical application of extrajunctional receptors of denervated human and rat skeletal muscle fibres.

WE describe a new approach for distinguishing denervated from normal skeletal muscle fibres, based on the visualisation of differences in distribution of acetylcholine (ACh) receptors in the sarcolemma. Iontophoretic application of ACh1,2 and autoradiography with labelled α-bungarotoxin (αBuTX)3,4 have shown that after denervation (and before innervation5) ACh receptors appear throughout the sarcolemmal membrane, in contrast to their normal location in the neuromuscular junction. Using an immunopeiroxidase staining technique6,7 to localise αBuTX, which binds specifically to ACh receptors3,4,8, we now have a rapid and convenient method for high resolution, at light and electron microscopic levels, of the ACh receptors present throughout the sarcolemmal membrane of defectively innervated human and rat skeletal muscle fibres. We have used this immunoperoxidase method of molecular probing to analyse muscle biopsies in various human neuromuscular diseases and animal models.
A combinatorial problem involving graphs and matrices

In this paper we discuss a combinatorial problem involving graphs and matrices. Our problem is a matrix analogue of the classical problem of finding a system of distinct representatives (transversal) of a family of sets and relates closely to an extremal problem involving 1-factors and a long standing conjecture in the dimension theory of partially ordered sets. For an integer n >=1, let n denote the n element set {1,2,3,..., n}. Then let A be a kxt matrix. We say that A satisfies property P(n, k) when the following condition is satisfied: For every k-taple (x"1,x"2,...,x"k@en^k there exist k distinct integers j"1,j"2,...,j"k so that x"i= a"i"i for i= 1,2,...,k. The minimum value of t for which there exists a k x t matrix A satisfying property P(n,k) is denoted by f(n,k). For each k>=1 and n sufficiently large, we give an explicit formula for f(n, k): for each n>=1 and k sufficiently large, we use probabilistic methods to provide inequalities for f(n,k).
Collaborative workspaces for distributed virtual environments: issues and implementation results

Within current distributed virtual environments (DVEs) each participant operates in isolation and lacks facilities for moving information to other participants. Therefore, because the information flow is incorrect, the participants are encumbered with unnecessary work and are not prepared to accomplish the tasks they have been trained for in the real world. Our research is directed toward ending this isolation by investigating means for inserting collaborative tools into DVE applications. The research reported in this paper begins the process of identifying the tools and supporting technologies that are required to operate and manage forces effectively within a distributed virtual battlespace and other types of DVEs. Our hypothesis for the research reported in this paper was that collaborative tools can be used within a DVE to emulate real-world staff collaborative efforts. To be effective, these tools should allow the individual to communicate using techniques that are analogous to their current modes of work and that support anticipated future modes of work. The paper describes each of the tools for collaborative work that we developed; the rationale for the toolset we selected; the tools' purpose, capabilities, design, software architecture, and implementation; the techniques we use for display of information sent by other users; and the user's interface to the tools. We conclude the paper with suggestions for further work.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Monitoring of Inadequate Instructions by Language-Impaired Children and Normal Controls

Metacommunicative skills serve an important role in the regulation of conversations. Previous studies have reported deficiencies in metalinguistic and metacommunicative abilities among language-impaired children. Given this background, we hypothesized a deficiency in the ability of language-impaired children for accomplishing the present task. Subjects included 15 school-age children with language impairments and two normal control groups: age-mates and younger language-mates. Subjects attempted to construct block buildings following adequate and inadequate instructions. Two behaviours were observed: judgments of adequacy or inadequacy and delays in building following the instructions. The results support a notion of emerging comprehension monitoring skills for some language-impaired children. Language-impaired children demonstrated skills in advance of language-mates and less advanced than normal age-mates. Intervention considerations are discussed.
Identify condition-specific gene co-expression networks

Since co-expressed genes often are co-regulated by a group of transcription factors, different conditions (e.g. disease versus normal) may lead to different transcription factor activities and therefore different co-expression networks. We propose a method for identifying condition-specific co-expression networks by combining our recently developed network quasi-clique mining algorithm and the expected conditional F-statistic. We apply this method to compare the transcriptional programmes between the non-basal and basal types of breast cancers. The results provide a new perspective for studying gene interaction dynamics in cancers and assessing the effects of perturbation on key genes such as transcription factors. Our work is a way for dynamically characterising the gene interaction networks.
Mucosal immune responses to SIV infection

Abstract We have begun the process of characterizing the mucosal immune responses to SIV in the SIV/rhesus macaque system. We demonstrate that anti-SIV antibodies are found in the vaginal secretions, rectal secretions, saliva and serum of SIV-infected rhesus macaques and that IgG is the major anti-SIV antibody isotype in vaginal secretions and saliva. We have provided the first demonstration that anti-SIV cytotoxic T lymphocytes are present in the vaginal epithelium of SIV-infected rhesus macaques. The work described here clearly shows the existence of both cellular and humoral anti-SIV immune responses in the genital tract of SIV-infected female rhesus macaques.
Escalating ethanol intake is associated with altered corticostriatal BDNF expression

Alcoholism is a chronically relapsing condition, indicative of long-term neuronal adaptations maintaining the disease even after prolonged abstinence. Previously, we identified brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the dorsal striatum as the central mediator of a homeostatic mechanism which is activated by acute alcohol (ethanol) exposure and functions to decrease the sensitivity of rodents to ethanol-related behaviors. We hypothesized that extensive exposure to ethanol would result in dysregulation of this BDNF-mediated protective mechanism, accompanied by heightened ethanol intake. In this study, we demonstrate that while a single bout of ethanol intake increases BDNF mRNA expression in the dorsal striatum, this effect is no longer observed after 6 weeks of daily ethanol access. Additionally, 6 weeks of ethanol consumption decreases BDNF in the cortex, a main source of BDNF for the striatum. Importantly, these ethanol-induced changes in BDNF levels are not ameliorated by 2 weeks' abstinence. Together, these data suggest that the BDNF pathway, which is activated following a single bout of ethanol drinking, breaks down by the end of 6 weeks of access and does not recover its protective function after a 2-week deprivation period. These results suggest that the persistence of altered BDNF signaling may contribute to the inflexibility of addictive behaviors.
Reactions of the Honey Bee, Apis mellifera L., to Artificial Sounds and Vibrations of Known Frequencies

Stopping-reactions induced in honey bees by pure tones were observed among workers, drones, and queens. The reactions were most complete for sound frequencies between 500 and 1,000 c.p.s., and no reaction was observed below 100 or above 6,000 c.p.s. Sound levels above 108 decibels were necessary to elicit the reaction. Tests with surfaces vibrated either by intense sound or directly by the voice coil of a loud-speaker indicated that the stopping-reaction was a result of substrate vibration. The threshold magnitude of vibration for the tarsi was estimated as being about 0.05 micron. Tests indicated that the antennae were not involved in receiving the stimuli in the stopping-reaction, but that all three pairs of legs were involved and to a similar extent.
The Need for Dietary Choline by Young Japanese quail

Abstract Experiments showed that young Japanese quail required dietary choline for optimum growth and prevention of perosis. Methylaminoethanol was effective as a substitute for dietary choline, while aminoethanol, betaine and carnitine were not.
PREDICTING THE CRITICAL BOUNDARY TEMPERATURE OF MULTIDIMENSIONAL EXPLOSIVES.

Abstract In this paper, an approximate temperature profile method [1] is used to predict the critical boundary temperatures for explosives of two- and three-dimensional geometry under Frank-Kamenetskii type boundary conditions. Specific geometries considered are the rectangular parallelepiped, the finite right cylinder, and the right cone.
Two Cases of Human Myiasis Caused by Phaenicia Sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in Chicago Area Hospitals

Third-instar larvae of Phaenicia sericata were found under a tracheotomy bandage and in the nose of terminally ill patients in 2 hospitals. Circumstances are described that suggest a nosocomial problem resulting from these eusynanthropic, endophilic carrion flies.
ACUTE TOXICITY OF SOME BLUEGREEN ALGAE TO THE PROTOZOAN PARAMECIUM CAUDATUM1

Four species of bluegreen algae were tested for possible effect on the protozoan Paramecium caudatum Ehrenberg. Toxicity was demonstrated using lyophilized cells of Fischerella epiphytica Ghose and Gloeotrichia echinulata (Smith) Richter. Nostoc linckia (Roth) Bornet & Thuret failed to show any effects when lyophilized but became toxic when sonified. Anabaena flos-aquae (Lyngb.) Breb. was nontoxic in all tests. G. echinulata was lethal at 0.1 mg·ml−1 which is comparable to the toxic concentration of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (L.) Ralfs reported for microcrustaceans.
Dirac's Equation and the Spin-Spin Interactions of Two Electrons

An improvement is made on a previous attempt to treat two particles by means of Dirac's equation. The approximate equation (1) below is considered in successive steps. The first step, following Oppenheimer, includes the electrostatic energy exactly, rather than to the first in power in ${e}^{2}$. This makes it possible to use it as a good starting point in the calculation of spectral terms. The second step brings in the energy due to the interaction of the electric currents. It is given by (9) below. Maxwell's equations and the conservation of energy (see (8.5)) demand the validity of the diagonal matrix elements of this expression as a first order perturbation energy, independently of theories of light quanta. The interactions of the particles with themselves give additive constants in the energy within the limits of the approximation used. Within the same limits the results are in agreement with experiment.
In vitro activity of linezolid against vancomycin-resistant enterococci, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae.

We report the activity of LY333328 against 35 clinical isolates of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (including organisms carrying the vanA, vanB, vanC-1, and vanC-2/3 genes, as determined by PCR), 33 clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus, and 29 clinical isolates of high-level penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae. All isolates of vancomycin-resistant enterococci were inhibited by 2 μg/mL LY333328, and 8 μg/mL LY333328 was bactericidal against all isolates tested. All isolates of methicillin-resistant S. aureus were inhibited by 1 μg/mL LY333328, and 4 μg/mL LY333328 was bactericidal against all methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates tested. All isolates of penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae were inhibited by <0.125 μg/mL LY333328, and 0.25 μg/mL LY333328 was bactericidal against all S. pneumoniae isolates tested. LY333328 is a promising new glycopeptide antimicrobial agent.
THE HISTORY OF FINANCE: AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT

In this account of the evolution of finance theory, the “father of modern finance” uses the series of Nobel Prizes awarded finance scholars in the 1990s as the organizing principle for a discus-sion of the major developments of the past 50 years. Starting with Harry Markowitz's 1952 Journal of Finance paper on “Portfolio Selection,” which provided the mean-variance frame-work that underlies modern portfolio theory (and for which Markowitz re-ceived the Nobel Prize in 1990), the paper moves on to consider the Capi-tal Asset Pricing Model, efficient mar-ket theory, and the M & M irrelevance propositions. In describing these ad-vances, Miller's major emphasis falls on the “tension” between the two main streams in finance scholarship: (1) the Business School (or “micro normative”) approach, which focuses on investors ‘attempts to maximize returns and cor-porate managers’ efforts to maximize shareholder value, while taking the prices of securities in the market as given; and (2) the Economics Depart-ment (or “macro normative”) approach, which assumes a “world of micro optimizers” and deduces from that assumption how the market prices actually evolve. The tension between the two ap-proaches is resolved, and the two streams converge, in the final episode of Miller's history–the breakthrough in option pricing accomplished by Fischer Black, Myron Scholes, and Rob-ert Merton in the early 1970s (for which Merton and Scholes were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1998, “with the late Fischer Black everywhere ac-knowledged as the third pivotal fig-ure”). As Miller says, the Black-Scholes option pricing model and its many successors “mean that, for the first time in its close to 50-year history, the field of finance can be built, or…rebuilt, on the basis of ‘observable’ magnitudes.” That option values can be calculated (almost entirely) with observable vari-ables has made possible the spectacu-lar growth in financial engineering, a highly lucrative activity where the prac-tice of finance has come closest to attaining the precision of a hard sci-ence. Option pricing has also helped give rise to a relatively new field called “real options” that promises to revolu-tionize corporate strategy and capital budgeting. But if the practical applications of option pricing are impressive, the op-portunities for further extensions of the theory by the “macro normative” wing of the profession are “vast,” in-cluding the prospect of viewing all securities as options. Thus, it comes as no surprise that when Miller asks in closing, “What would I specialize in if I were starting over and entering the field today?,” the answer is: “At the risk of sounding like the character in ‘The Graduate,’ I reduce my advice to a single word: options.”
Enhanced field strength and resolution in gel electrophoresis upon substitution of buffer by histidine at its isoelectric point

Gel electrophoresis in isoelectric buffers, recently introduced by R. Westermeier and H. Schickle (Electrophoresis '95, Paris, Abstract No.3, 1995), was applied to the automated HPGE-1000 apparatus in the expectation to be able to increase the field strength under the limiting conditions of heat dissipation capacity and voltage of that apparatus. A previous attempt to achieve that aim by reduction of gel thickness had not yielded more than a twofold increment in resolving power. Replacing 0.2 X Tris-boric acid-EDTA (TBE) buffer, conventionally applied in the apparatus at 15 V/cm, by 0.05 M histidine, pH 7.6 (close to the pI of 7.47), allows one to increase the field strength to 60 V/cm, thus providing a nearly fivefold increment in resolution under otherwise identical conditions (fluorescein carboxylate-labeled conalbumin-sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and soybean trypsin inhibitor-SDS samples, 10 degrees C, 4% MetaPhor agarose). An additional decrease in band dispersion can be obtained by decreasing the starting zone width through buffer dilution in the sample phase.
Sharp mean-variance bounds for Jensen-type inequalities

Abstract We give a short proof of a Jensen-type inequality involving the mean and variance of random variables and valid for a class of functions having a convexity-like property. A number of applications are presented which illustrate the applicability of the result.
Generalization of a frequency domain stability criterion for proper linear time-varying systems based on eigenvalue and co-eigenvalue concepts

A time-varying linear dynamical system of the form dx/dt=A(t)x is said to be proper if A(t)=f(t,G), for some (scalar) primitive function f(t, lambda ) and (constant) generating matrix G. In a recent (1987) paper, the authors showed that finite-form analytic solutions and stability information for proper systems dx/dt=A(t)x can be obtained using the conventional (time-varying) eigenvalues of A(t) and novel entities called coeigenvalues of A(t). In particular, a general necessary and sufficient stability criterion of the time-domain type and a restricted stability criterion of the frequency-domain type were developed. The criterion is generalized to extend its domain of application. The result presented can be used to analyze the stability of a broad class of (vector) proper linear time-varying systems. >