cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cytochrome b5 increases the rate of product formation by cytochrome P450 2B4 and competes with cytochrome P450 reductase for a binding site on cytochrome P450 2B4

The kinetics of product formation by cytochrome P450 2B4 were compared in the presence of cytochrome b(5) (cyt b(5)) and NADPH-cyt P450 reductase (CPR) under conditions in which cytochrome P450 (cyt P450) underwent a single catalytic cycle with two substrates, benzphetamine and cyclohexane. At a cyt P450:cyt b(5) molar ratio of 1:1 under single turnover conditions, cyt P450 2B4 catalyzes the oxidation of the substrates, benzphetamine and cyclohexane, with rate constants of 18 +/- 2 and 29 +/- 4.5 s(-1), respectively. Approximately 500 pmol of norbenzphetamine and 58 pmol of cyclohexanol were formed per nmol of cyt P450. In marked contrast, at a cyt P450:CPR molar ratio of 1:1, cyt P450 2B4 catalyzes the oxidation of benzphetamine congruent with100-fold (k = 0.15 +/- 0.05 s(-1)) and cyclohexane congruent with10-fold (k = 2.5 +/- 0.35 s(-1)) more slowly. Four hundred picomoles of norbenzphetamine and 21 pmol of cyclohexanol were formed per nmol of cyt P450. In the presence of equimolar concentrations of cyt P450, cyt b(5), and CPR, product formation is biphasic and occurs with fast and slow rate constants characteristic of catalysis by cyt b(5) and CPR. Increasing the concentration of cyt b(5) enhanced the amount of product formed by cyt b(5) while decreasing the amount of product generated by CPR. Under steady-state conditions at all cyt b(5):cyt P450 molar ratios examined, cyt b(5) inhibits the rate of NADPH consumption. Nevertheless, at low cyt b(5):cyt P450 molar ratios <or=1:1, the rate of metabolism of cyclohexane and benzphetamine is enhanced, whereas at higher cyt b(5):cyt P450 molar ratios, cyt b(5) progressively inhibits both NADPH consumption and the rate of metabolism. It is proposed that the ability of cyt b(5) to enhance substrate metabolism by cyt P450 is related to its ability to increase the rate of catalysis and that the inhibitory properties of cyt b(5) are because of its ability to occupy the reductase-binding site on cyt P450 2B4, thereby preventing reduction of ferric cyt P450 and initiation of the catalytic cycle. It is proposed that cyt b(5) and CPR compete for a binding site on cyt P450 2B4.
The Transmission of Sunlight through Cloudy Skies: An Analysis Based on Standard Meteorological Information

This work examines the use of standard meteorological information to describe the attenuation of sunlight associated with cloudy skies. Datasets consisting of broadband ultraviolet and total spectrally integrated solar irradiance are available for Chicago over the period April-October 1993. A series of regression models seeks to explain variability in the measured irradiances using fractional cloudiness, cloud-ceiling altitude, and visibility as independent variables. Fractional cloud cover alone can explain 39%-51% of the variance in the radiation data. Regression models that combine all three independent variables can increase the explained variance to 61%-77%, depending on local time and spectral region. Comparison of broadband ultraviolet irradiances with simultaneous total solar irradiances indicates that cloudy skies provide less attenuation in the former dataset.
Multivariate negative dependence

Various notions of multivariate negative dependence are introduced and their interrelationship is studied. Examples are given to illustrate these concepts. Applications of the results in statistics and probability are given.
Role of the supX gene in sensitizing Salmonella typhimurium cells to respiration shutoff induced by far ultraviolet irradiation.

—Salmonella typhimurium strains with supX mutations are known to be sensitive to ultraviolet (254 nm) irradiation (UV) and to be protected by plasmid pKM101. Wild type (supX+) cells shut off their respiration after UV and are protected against their shutoff by pKM101. Respiration and survival studies were carried out on several supX strains with different genetic backgrounds. The supX strains shut off their respiration after low fluences of UV. Plasmid pKM101 protected a supX 83 (nonsense mutation) strain against respiration shutoff and killing but did not protect a supX35 (deletion mutation) strain against respiration shutoff or killing. When each of the two supX genes were in the genetic backgrounds of the other, however, full protection was provided by pKM101. The supX35 strain not protected by pKM101 may have accummulated a modifying mutation. The supX locus is identical with one specifying topoisomerase I which removes negative superhelical turns from DNA. In the absence of this enzyme transcription of the DNA is increased. It is proposed that the exaggerated shutoff of respiration and increased killing of supX cells occurs because of the greater ease of transcription of an operon involved in UV-induced respiration shutoff.
Show Me the ID: International Norms and Fairness in Election Reforms

Since the 2000 election, there have been many efforts to reform voting across in the United States. Historically, such reforms have often been implemented to serve a specific political purpose, not just in an effort to improve the quality of elections (Keyssar 2000). The dilemma is to know how to evaluate a reform to determine whether it will primarily improve election administration or will primarily serve to introduce some systematic bias into the process. The application of international frameworks for evaluating the fairness of the vote-counting process to the broad issue of election reform makes it possible to identify such biases in proposed voter identification laws in the United States.
An analysis of the delamination of an environmental protection coating under cyclic heat loads

Abstract A computational analysis of a coated high temperature composite material under cyclic heat flux loading is conducted. The material system considered is a carbon–carbon (C C) composite laminate with a SiC environmental protection coating. Interface crack growth between the C C laminate and the SiC coating as well as the concurrent changes in the effective conductivity of the material system are modeled by the use of an irreversible thermo-mechanical cohesive zone model. In this model, the degradation of the cohesive strength due to cyclic loading is accounted for through a damage variable for which an evolution equation is given in terms of cohesive zone tractions and displacement jumps. Furthermore, interface failure progressively degrades the heat transfer across the interface. In the model the crack tip singularities for both stress analysis and heat transfer are removed. While the crack growth rates predicted by the simulation results can in principle be described by a Paris law approach, the strength of the proposed model is that the use of global loading parameters is in fact not necessary. Instead, material failure is described through local changes to the coupled mechanical and thermal fields.
Modulation of opiate responses in brain noradrenergic neurons by the cyclic AMP cascade: changes with chronic morphine.

Abstract It has been recently reported that the cyclic AMP cascade substantially modulates excitatory amino acid 17,42 and d -aminobutyric acid 34 responses in central neurons. Furthermore, interactions between the cyclic AMP system and opiate receptors have been well documented. 10,12,13,27,37 The modification of neuronal responsiveness to opiates through such a second messenger system could be important in both normal functioning of opioid neurotransmitter systems and in opiate abuse. As the noradrenergic nucleus locus coeruleus receives a prominent endogenous opioid innervation 14,32,41 and is thought to be important in brain mechanisms of opiate abuse, 1,9,16 we examined opiate responses in locus coeruleus neurons following activation of the cyclic AMP cascade. We report that opiate responses of locus coeruleus neurons are enhanced by forskolin, an activator of adenylate cyclase, and by intracellular application of cyclic AMP. This potentiation of the opiate response was blocked by protein kinase inhibitors, which also depressed opiate responses below baseline values. Forskolin also potentiated responses to the a 2 adrenoceptor agonist, clonidine, but did not consistently potentiate opiate responses in locus coeruleus neurons from rats chronically treated with morphine.
Physical pretreatments of wastewater algae to reduce ash content and improve thermal decomposition characteristics.

Abstract Previous study showed high ash content in wastewater algae (WA) has a negative effect on bio-crude oil formation in hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). This study explored the effect of different pretreatments on ash reduction and the thermal decomposition of WA. Single-stage (e.g. centrifugation) and two-stage pretreatments (e.g. centrifugation followed by ultrasonication, C + U) were used. The apparent activation energy of the thermal decomposition ( E a ) of pretreated algae was determined. HTL was conducted to study how different pretreatments may impact on bio-crude oil formation. Compared to untreated samples, the ash content of algae with centrifugation was reduced from 28.6% to 18.6%. With C + U pretreatments, E a was decreased from 50.2 kJ/mol to 35.9 kJ/mol and the bio-crude oil yield was increased from 30% to 55%. These results demonstrate that pretreatments of C + U can improve the thermal decomposition behavior of WA and enhance the bio-crude oil conversion efficiency.
High Expression of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Is Associated with Better Outcome for Patients with Early Stage Lung Adenocarcinoma

Purpose: Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key kinase downstream of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT predominantly involved in translational control in the presence of nutrients and energy. Despite the well known role of mTOR in carcinogenesis, its prognostic potential in lung cancer has not been investigated. Here, we quantitatively assessed mTOR protein expression in two large data sets to investigate the impact of mTOR expression on patient survival. Experimental Design: Automated quantitative analysis (AQUA), a fluorescent-based method for analysis of in situ protein expression, was used to assess mTOR expression in a training cohort of 167 lung cancer patients. An independent cohort of 235 lung cancer patients (from a second institution) was used for validation. Results: Tumors expressed mTOR in the cytoplasm in 56% and 50% of the cases in training and validation cohorts, respectively; mTOR expression was not associated with standard clinical or pathologic characteristics. Patients with high mTOR expression had a longer median overall survival compared with the low expressers (52.7 versus 38.5 months; log rank P = 0.06), which was more prominent in the adenocarcinoma group (55.7 versus 38.88 months; log rank P = 0.018). Multivariate analysis revealed an independent lower risk of death for adenocarcinoma and adenocarcinoma stage IA patients with mTOR-expressing tumors (hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.98; P = 0.04, and hazard ratio, 0.12; 95% confidence interval, 0.03-0.72; P = 0.019, respectively). Conclusions: mTOR expression defines a subgroup of patients with a favorable outcome and may be useful for prognostic stratification of lung adenocarcinoma patients as well as incorporation of mTOR into clinical decisions.
Efficient iterative technique for large electromagnetic problems

A nonstationary iteration is developed that is suitable for solving the large systems of equations encountered in the integral equation modelling of large electromagnetic structures. This technique utilises correctly predicted trends in past solutions to improve the iteration operator, resulting in greatly reduced numbers of iterations.
Some Metabolic Studies of γ-Aminobutyric Acid.∗:

SummaryIn agreement with previously reported enzymatic studies, experiments with intracerebrally administered L-glutamic-U-C14 in intact mice showed that carbon chain of L-glutamic acid is a source of the carbon chain of GABA formed in brain and that thiosemicarbazide decreases the rate of conversion of cerebral glutamic acid to GABA. It was shown that carbon of GABA can enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle at the succinate level in intact rats in experiments with intraperitoneally administered GABA-1-C14 employing the isotope trapping technic. Experiments in which GABA-1-C14 was injected intracerebrally to mice, or incubated with minces of mouse brain, indicated that utilization of GABA in brain probably takes place by the same mechanism as in the whole animal. The results of present and past biochemical studies can be correlated with relevant physiological data.
Predictors of unilateral renal function after open and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy.

OBJECTIVES To retrospectively evaluate clinical, tumor, and surgical factors that were potential predictors of postoperative unilateral renal function after laparoscopic and open partial nephrectomy. METHODS Sixty-five patients who had undergone partial nephrectomy and had postoperative renal scintigraphy performed were evaluated on the basis of multiple factors as potential predictors of postoperative renal function in the ipsilateral kidney. These factors include patient age, indication for nephron-sparing surgery, type of procedure (laparoscopic vs open), preoperative and postoperative glomerular filtration rate, tumor depth, radiographic and pathologic tumor size, warm ischemia time, and intraoperative visual assessment of functional renal parenchyma preserved. The correlation of each clinical factor to actual postoperative differential renal function, as determined by technetium-99m-mercaptoacetyltriglycine renal scintigraphy, was calculated. RESULTS In univariate regression analysis, the only factors found to be significantly correlated with postoperative unilateral renal function as assessed by renal scintigraphy were intraoperative visually estimated preserved parenchyma volume (P <.001), tumor size (radiologic, P = .017; pathologic, P = .041), and procedure type (P = .021). Tumor depth (P = .050) showed borderline significant relation to postoperative unilateral renal function. Multivariate analysis revealed no factors that were jointly prognostic for postoperative scintigraphic differential renal function. CONCLUSIONS Intraoperative visually estimated functioning residual renal volume was the most accurate predictor of actual postoperative unilateral renal function. Tumor depth had intermediate prognostic value in estimating postoperative split renal function. During both laparoscopic and open partial nephrectomy, intraoperative visual estimation of preserved renal parenchyma volume should be routinely documented.
New models of interstellar gas–grain chemistry – III. Solid CO2

Solid CO2 is observed to be an abundant interstellar ice component towards both quiescent clouds and active star-forming regions. Our recent models of gas–grain chemistry, appropriate for quiescent regions, severely underproduce solid CO2 at the single assumed gas density and temperature. In this paper, we investigate the sensitivity of our model results to changes in these parameters. In addition, we examine how the nature of the grain surface affects the results and also consider the role of the key surface reaction between O and CO. We conclude that the observed high abundance of solid CO2 can be reproduced at reasonable temperatures and densities by models with diffusive surface chemistry, provided that the diffusion of heavy species such as O occurs efficiently.
Small-world characteristics of Internet topologies and implications on multicast scaling

Recent work has shown that the physical connectivity of the Internet exhibits small-world behavior. Characterizing such behavior is important not only for generating realistic Internet topology, but also for the proper evaluation of large-scale content delivery mechanisms. Along this line, this paper tries to understand how small-world behavior arises in the Internet topologies and how it impacts the performance of multicast techniques. First, we attribute small-world behavior to two possible causes-namely the variability of vertex degree and the preference for local connections for vertices. We have found that both factors contribute with different relative degrees to the small-world behavior of autonomous system (AS) level and router level Internet topologies. For AS level topology, we observe that high variability of vertex degree is sufficient to cause small-world behavior, but for router level topology, preference for local connectivity plays a more important role. Second, we propose better models to generate small-world Internet topologies. Our models incorporate both causes of small-world behavior, and generate graphs closely resemble real Internet graphs. Third, using simulation we demonstrate the importance of our work by studying the scaling behavior of multicast techniques. We show that multicast tree size largely depends on network topology. If topology generators capture only the variability of vertex degree, they are likely to underestimate the benefit of multicast techniques.
C-glycosylflavones from species of Ephedra

Abstract C -glycosylflavones appear to be a unifying biochemical feature for Ephedra, Gnetum and Welwitschia , the three genera of the Gnetopsida. The present study reinforces the occurrence of C -glycosylflavones, based on apigenin and luteolin, within the genus Ephedra . All examined species were found to accumulate di- C -glycosylflavones.
Ethnicity and electoral manipulation in Russia

To what extent does electoral manipulation follow ethnic lines in Russia? Using an original dataset based on raion-level data, we find that the “ethnic component” of electoral manipulation is more nuanced than previous studies have suggested. Electoral manipulation was most prevalent in majority-minority raions across ethnic and non-ethnic as well as richer and poorer regions. We argue that concentrations of ethnic minorities provide: (1) greater incentives for electoral manipulation by the central state and regional elites in order to signal political dominance and (2) greater capacity to carry out electoral manipulation through networks of local co-ethnic elites. However, multilevel analyses suggest that the extent of electoral manipulation was also strongly contingent on regional context. Electoral manipulation was significantly higher in the more politically volatile Muslim regions, while socioeconomic differences among regions, by contrast, had no discernible effect.
Thymic modulation of IL-2 and IL-4 synthesis by peripheral T cells

In this paper we provide several lines of evidence to support the hypothesis that the thymus can exert regulatory influences on the functional capabilities of mature recirculating T cells. Our studies demonstrate that while the IL-2-producing potential of T cells that repopulate the secondary lymphoid organs of lethally irradiated and stem cell-reconstituted mice is significantly reduced compared to that of T cells harvested from normal mice, the amount of IL-4 produced by the T cells of these experimental animals is equivalent to, or greater than, the amount produced by T cells from control animals. In addition, we determined that the amount of biologically active IL-2 and IL-4 secreted by T cells harvested from lethally irradiated animals who reconstitute their hematopoietic and immune systems under the influence of nonirradiated thymic epithelial grafts is essentially identical to the amount produced by T cells harvested from nonirradiated control animals. Collectively, these findings suggest that: (1) the alterations observed in the lymphokine-producing potential of T cells harvested from lethally irradiated and stem cell-reconstituted mice is not due to a direct effect of ionizing radiation on the T lymphocytes themselves, and (2) the exposure of the epithelial cells of the thymus to ionizing radiation during marrow-ablative regimens abrogates or modifies a component of thymic function which can influence the lymphokine-secreting potential of recirculating T cells. Further evidence for thymic involvement in the regulation of lymphokine production by peripheral T cells comes from our finding of a post-thymectomy time-dependent reduction in the capacity of T cells from animals to produce IL-2. Coincident with this reduction, T cells harvested from peripheral lymphoid organs of thymectomized animals demonstrated an augmentation in their IL-4-producing capabilities. The finding that treatment of thymectomized animals with the androgen steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone reestablished a normal IL-2-producing potential by their T cells makes it unlikely that the reduced capacity to produce IL-2 was secondary to a loss in fresh thymic emigrants.
Bank behavior, interest rate determination, and monetary policy in a financial system with an intraday federal funds market

Abstract This paper has two purposes. One is to construct a formal model of the determination of and relationships between interest rates on funds with 24-hour, overnight, and intraday terms. The second is to use this model to examine the likely effects of alternative Federal Reserve proposals for addressing the issue of intraday extension of Federal Reserve credit in the form of daylight overdrafts of bank reserve accounts. It is demonstrated that present proposals all entail potentially significant drawbacks for monetary policy.
Solvation Structure of Ions in Water

Molecular dynamics simulations of ions in water are reported for solutions of varying solute concentration at ambient conditions for six cations and four anions in 10 solutes. The solutes were selected to show trends in properties as the size and charge density of the ions change. The emphasis is on how the structure of water is modified by the presence of the ions and how many water molecules are present in the first solvation shell of the ions.
Tropical and Extratropical Forcing of the Large-Scale Circulation: A Diagnostic Study

Seasonal anomalies in the large-scale circulation are studied in relation to seasonal-mean tropical forcing and extratropical transient-eddy forcing using nine years of tropical-wind and outgoing-longwave-radiation (OLR) data. Results show that in the interannual time scale, extreme swings in anomalous convection over the maritime continent of Indonesia/Borneo and the equatorial central Pacific are linked, respectively, by an east-west seesaw or a dipole pattern, identified with major fluctuations of the Pacific Walker circulation. It is found that extratropical circulation anomalies are related to the fluctuation of this dipole heat source. The overall extratropical circulation seems to be more responsive to the dipole heating with enhanced convection over the maritime continent. While the characteristics of the transient eddies, especially near the exit region of the East Asia jet stream, change substantially between maximum or minimum convection episodes, these transient eddies (defined as transients from the seasonal mean) appear to be unimportant in forcing the seasonal mean circulation anomalies.
The effect of enrollment in a prepaid health plan on utilization of a community crisis intervention center by chronically mentally ill individuals.

When a prepaid Medicaid Demonstration Project was initiated in Hennepin County, Minnesota, concerns were raised that the new system might place an additional service burden on County-funded mental health agencies responding to underprovision of mental health services by prepaid health plans. This study examined the use of a single County mental health services agency, the Crisis Intervention Center, by a group of vulnerable and frequent users, the chronically mentally ill. The study found that use of the Center by persons enrolled in a prepaid plan declined after enrollment and was different and lower for the prepaid group than for a comparison group of fee-for-service system users during the same time periods. The difference didnot meet conventional levels of statistical significance. This finding is nonetheless important since it may be an indication of successful case management by prepaid health plans in serving chronically mentally ill individuals.
Self-consistent equations for calculating the ideal-gas heat capacity, enthalpy and entropy. II. Additional results

Abstract Fakeeha, a., Kache, A., Rehman, Z.U., Shoup, Y. and Lee, L.L., 1983. Self-consistent equations for calculating the ideal-gas heat capacity, enthalpy and entropy. II. Additional results. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 11: 225–232. This paper presents analyses of 32 further hydrocarbons, using heat-capacity, enthalpy and entropy equations derived in an earlier study (Aly and Lee, 1981). Values of the six constants in the equations for these substances are reported. The ideal-gas values of the heat capacity are predicted to within 0.05% (average absolution deviation). This level of accuracy compares favorably with other correlations for heat capacities, some of which entail an error of the order of 0.5% (e.g., Passut and Danner, 1972).
Case history: Malignant hyperthermia in a trauma patient

Malignant hyperthermia is a rapidly acting, life-threatening condition that occurs in susceptible persons in response to an unpredictable "trigger," most commonly an anesthetic agent. It is believed to have a genetic basis and is characterized by hypermetabolism and hyperthermia. Malignant hyperthermia can result in cardiopulmonary failure and collapse, renal disease, coagulopathies, and neurologic dysfunction.
Novel Inhibitors of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Entry That Act by Three Distinct Mechanisms

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an infectious and highly contagious disease that is caused by SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and for which there are currently no approved treatments. We report the discovery and characterization of small-molecule inhibitors of SARS-CoV replication that block viral entry by three different mechanisms. The compounds were discovered by screening a chemical library of compounds for blocking of entry of HIV-1 pseudotyped with SARS-CoV surface glycoprotein S (SARS-S) but not that of HIV-1 pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus surface glycoprotein G (VSV-G). Studies on their mechanisms of action revealed that the compounds act by three distinct mechanisms: (i) SSAA09E2 {N-[[4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)phenyl]methyl]-1,2-oxazole-5-carboxamide} acts through a novel mechanism of action, by blocking early interactions of SARS-S with the receptor for SARS-CoV, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2); (ii) SSAA09E1 {[(Z)-1-thiophen-2-ylethylideneamino]thiourea} acts later, by blocking cathepsin L, a host protease required for processing of SARS-S during viral entry; and (iii) SSAA09E3 [N-(9,10-dioxo-9,10-dihydroanthracen-2-yl)benzamide] also acts later and does not affect interactions of SARS-S with ACE2 or the enzymatic functions of cathepsin L but prevents fusion of the viral membrane with the host cellular membrane. Our work demonstrates that there are at least three independent strategies for blocking SARS-CoV entry, validates these mechanisms of inhibition, and introduces promising leads for the development of SARS therapeutics.
Dietary fatty acids and plasma alkaline phosphatase after bile duct ligation.

SummaryUnsaturated fatty acids in the diet exert a profound influence on the level of alkaline phosphatase in the plasma of rats with biliary obstruction as well as in normal rats. Following ligation of the common bile duct, alkaline phosphatase was increased about 3-fold in rats fed a diet containing oleic acid. No rise of alkaline phosphatase occurred after biliary obstruction in rats fed the same diet containing no unsaturated fatty acids. Rise in plasma bilirubin occurred after ligation of the common duct regardless of the content or composition of fatty acids in the diet. In the dog with ligation of the bile duct no relation was detected between unsaturated fatty acids in the diet and the increased (about 60-fold) alkaline phosphatase of the plasma; the enzyme rose to very high and nearly similar levels in dogs fed diets with or without unsaturated fatty acids after ligation of the common bile duct.
Alert Calls of Male Red-Winged Blackbirds: Do Females Listen?

Male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) have an unusual vocal alert system that operates throughout the breeding season. Territory owners give alert calls repetitively during most of their activities and transmit information about potential predators when they switch call types. Males are known to listen to each other's alert calls, presumably benefiting by receiving anti-predator information. Results of three separate tests supported the hypothesis that nesting female redwings also listen to and benefit from male alert calls. 1) Average call rates of males monitored through the breeding season increased significantly when their first mates started to incubate. Alerting information about predators may be especially important to females during this period because their ability to detect approaching predators is reduced while they are incubating in dense vegetation. 2) Nesting females gave different responses to playback of repetitive calls without call type changes ("background" calls) and with call type changes (which mimic a male changing call types after detecting a predator). Females were more vocal during broadcast of the tape containing call type changes, and, in some cases, they were also more likely to remain near their nests. 3) Females were more vigilant when their calling mates were absent from their territories, and less vigilant when their mates were present, suggesting that territory owners act as vocal sentinels.
The impact of obesity on urinary tract infection risk.

Objective To perform a study to describe the way in which an increasingly obese body mass index (BMI) is associated with urinary tract infection (UTI). The association between UTI and obesity is not well characterized. In fact, previous investigations of this subject have yielded conflicting findings. UTI is increasingly being recognized as a preventable complication, and UTI rates are used to measure quality of surgical care. Materials and Methods We evaluated claims over a 5-year period (2002-2006) in a national private claims database to identify patients diagnosed with UTI or pyelonephritis by ICD-9 coding. Descriptive analyses were performed and odds ratios were calculated. Results A total of 95,598 subjects were identified for evaluation. Gender distribution was 42.9% male and 57.1% female. In the overall study cohort, the diagnosis of a UTI or pyelonephritis occurred in 13% and 0.84%, respectively. Women were 4.2 times more likely to be diagnosed with a UTI (19.3% vs 4.6%), and 3.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with pyelonephritis (1.22% vs 0.34%), than were men. At all stratifications of obesity, the obese were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with a UTI or pyelonephritis than nonobese patients. Conclusion Elevated BMI appears to be associated with an increased risk for UTI and pyelonephritis. Further study is needed to determine whether this association may be attributed to a cause-and-effect relationship. However, these results may serve to guide clinicians who treat obese patients, because it may be an additional benefit of weight loss.
A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR A SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT COLLABORATORY TO SUPPORT INTEGRATED SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING

This paper presents a research effort that is underway to integrate product, manufacturing process, and supply chain models to optimize product design variants in terms of costs and environmental impacts. Integrated sustainable design and manufacturing requires multidisciplinary knowledge from various industrial domains to design and manufacture environmentally-responsible products. Sustainable design should consider life cycle costs and environmental impacts, including those related to materials and energy requirements during the manufacturing, use, and end-of-life phases of a product's life. This paper discusses important technological requirements in product architecture and integrated optimization to realize integrated sustainable design and manufacturing. Finally, this paper introduces a scalable design environment, called the Sustainable Product Development Collaboratory, which can convey sustainability principles in the context of product architectural design, manufacturing, assembly, and supply chain decisions to designers. Potential benefits of this platform are also discussed.
Towards the design of multimodal interfaces for handheld conversational characters

This paper presents a study of individuals having conversations with animated characters on PDAs, and characterizes their use of natural nonverbal behavior compared to behavior exhibited in similar conversations with another person. The study finds that most people use the same nonverbal behavior in conversation handheld characters that they use in conversations with people, although the frequency is somewhat lower in the handheld case. These results can inform the design of new PDA input modalities which leverage the natural nonverbal behavior observed.
The Psychology of Sexual Prejudice

Sexual prejudice refers to negative attitudes toward an individual because of her or his sexual orientation. In this article, the term is used to characterize heterosexuals' negative attitudes toward (a) homosexual behavior, (b) people with a homosexual or bisexual orientation, and (c) communities of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. Sexual prejudice is a preferable term to homophobia because it conveys no assumptions about the motivations underlying negative attitudes, locates the study of attitudes concerning sexual orientation within the broader context of social psychological research on prejudice, and avoids value judgments about such attitudes. Sexual prejudice remains widespread in the United States, although moral condemnation has decreased in the 1990s and opposition to antigay discrimination has increased. The article reviews current knowledge about the prevalence of sexual prejudice, its psychological correlates, its underlying motivations, and its relationship to hate crimes and other antigay...
Degreasing and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Objective: To investigate the relationship between selected solvent-related workplace tasks (degreasing, painting, gluing, stripping paint, staining) and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Methods: We analysed occupational data from a large population-based case-control study of NHL conducted in the USA. For participants reporting occupations with possible exposure to organic solvents, job-specific interview modules were administered to elicit in-depth information on solvent-related workplace tasks and other exposure-related factors (225 cases, 189 controls). Unconditional logistic regression models were fit to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI for average frequency, maximal frequency and cumulative number of hours having performed each task. Individuals with jobs rated as unexposed to organic solvents in the workplace (180 cases, 213 controls) were used as a reference group. Results: We observed an increased risk of NHL among subjects in the highest category of maximal degreasing frequency (>520 h/year: OR 2.1, 95% CI 0.9 to 4.9, trend test p = 0.02). We found similar associations for the highest levels of average frequency and, among men, cumulative number of hours. Other solvent-related tasks were not associated with NHL. Conclusion: Findings from this case-control analysis of solvent-related tasks suggest that frequent degreasing work may be associated with an elevated risk of NHL.
An Eclectic Approach to the State Feedback Control of Nonlinear Dynamical Systems

Presentation de 4 methodes differentes pour la commande et la stabilisation de systemes non lineaires a modes glissants et entrees multiples
Differential responses of G-protein Arabidopsis thaliana mutants to ozone

Summary • Ground-level ozone (O3) curtails agricultural production in many regions worldwide. However, the etiology of O3 toxicity remains unclear. Activated oxygen species appear to inflict biochemical lesions and propagate defense responses that compound plant injury. Because some plant defense responses involve membrane-delimited GTPases (G proteins), we evaluated the O3 sensitivity of Arabidopsis mutants altered in the heterotrimeric G-protein pathway. • Eight genotypes were treated with a range of O3 concentrations (0, 100, 175 and 250 nmol mol−1) for 13 d in controlled environment chambers. • After treatment with O3, the epinasty typically observed for wild type leaves did not occur in mutant plants lacking the alpha subunit of the G-protein complex (gpa1). O3-induced suppression of leaf chlorophyll levels and leaf mass per unit leaf area were less for gpa1 mutants and were not due to differences in O3 flux. • There was a positive correlation between the lack of a G-protein alpha subunit and decreased O3 sensitivity. Our results suggest that a heterotrimeric G-protein is critically involved in the expression of O3 effects in plants.
Effect of Antifungal Agents on Biological Fitness of Lygus hesperus (Heteroptera: Miridae)

Artificial diets have become important components of rearing systems for insects that are used for research purposes and in commercial production. Because the rearing conditions for insects also provide ideal settings for mold growth, antifungal additives are often used to reduce diet contamination. However, the antifungal agents must not only be effective in mold suppression, they must also be safe to the target insects of the rearing programs. The toxicity of five commonly used antifungal agents (benzoic acid, formalin, methyl paraben, propionic acid, and sorbic acid) was tested using diet bioassays on Lygus hesperus Knight, and the effect on biological fitness was measured. Biological fitness was defined as total number of survivors, mean biomass (dry weight) accumulated per cage over the total treatment period, egg production, time to adult emergence, and time to start of egg laying. Methyl paraben and formalin were found to have significant negative effects on these measurements of biological fitness. Challenge tests to determine the ability of the antifungal agents to suppress mold growth when inoculated into the diet medium are currently in progress.
Control of arm movement using population of neurons

Movements of the human arm in a horizontal plane are very stereotyped in the sense that the corresponding paths are mainly straight lines and the velocity profiles are "bell-shaped like" functions. The dynamics of a two link model of the human arm has been studied with the goal of synthesizing the torques which accomplish the desired transfer. For that purpose a set of parameters which describes the desired transition (initial position, final position, peak velocity, etc.) is chosen randomly according to a certain distribution. The parameters of the desired trajectory as well as the system variables (angles and angular velocities) are encoded using populations of different number of neurons, usually 100-150. The underlying mathematics including integration, differentiation and other algebraic relationships, has been done at the level of neuronal activity. Finally, the driving torques are generated from the corresponding activities using an optimal decoding rule.
Gene Duplication and Hypermutation of the Pathogen Resistance Gene SNC1 in the Arabidopsis bal Variant

The bal defect in the Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia strain was spontaneously generated in an inbred ddm1 (decrease in DNA methylation 1) mutant background in which various genetic and epigenetic alterations accumulate. The bal variant displays short stature and curled leaves due to the constitutive activation of defense signaling. These bal phenotypes are metastable and phenotypic suppression is evident in more than one-third of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-treated bal M1 plants. The semidominant bal allele maps to the RPP5 (recognition of Peronospora parasitica 5) locus, which includes a cluster of disease Resistance (R) genes, many of which show an increase in steady-state expression levels in the bal variant. Here, we report that activation of RPP5 locus R genes and dwarfing in the bal variant are caused by a 55-kb duplication within the RPP5 locus. Although many RPP5 locus R genes are duplicated in the bal variant, the duplication of SNC1 alone is necessary and sufficient for the phenotypic changes in the bal variant. Missense mutations in the SNC1 gene were identified in all three phenotypically suppressed EMS-treated bal lines investigated, indicating that the high-frequency phenotypic instability induced by EMS treatment is caused by a genetic mechanism. We propose that the high degree of variation in SNC1-related sequences among Arabidopsis natural accessions follows the two-step mechanism observed in the bal variant: gene duplication followed by hypermutation.
Not in our backyards: The grassroots environmental movement

Abstract In the last decade, environmental activism in local communities has grown dramatically. Unlike the national environmental organizations, which are predominantly white and middle class, local environmental groups draw their members from a broad cross‐section of class and occupational categories. Members of minority groups are active as well, and women often have leadership roles. Unlike the nationals, grassroots groups emphasize protection of public health rather than the environment and often mistrust government and scientists. Local groups have forced cleanup of contaminated dump sites, blocked proposed facilities, and developed support for a preventive approach to environmental contamination. Functioning as self‐help groups, they assist individuals and communities to cope socially and psychologically with toxics disasters. Critics who deride the “not in my back yard”; (NIMBY) perspective of some local groups ignore their contributions to public health and the fact that many groups develop a “no...
345 PATIENTS SUSPECT OF MENINGITIS. A STUDY IN GENERAL PRACTICE

The purpose of this study was to trace the problems that occur in general practice dealing with patients suspect of meningitis.
DIFFERENTIAL TRANSLOCATION OF RHO FAMILY GTPASES BY LYSOPHOSPHATIDIC ACID,ENDOTHELIN-1, AND PLATELET-DERIVED GROWTH FACTOR

The small GTPases of the Rho family play a key role in a number of signaling pathways activated by lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). However, little is known concerning the mechanism of regulation of these proteins. In this study we demonstrate that in Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts, LPA induces a sustained, time-dependent relocalization of RhoA to the Triton X-100-soluble low speed membrane fraction, which can be reversed by removal of LPA from the medium. Translocation was only observed with micromolar concentrations of LPA and was inhibited by pretreating the cells with pertussis toxin but not with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. LPA also induced translocation of CDC42Hs to the membranes but had no effect on the distribution of Rac1, RhoB, or Rho-GDI. Translocation of RhoA was also induced by endothelin-1. Conversely, platelet-derived growth factor did not cause the translocation of RhoA to any membrane fraction but stimulated relocalization of Rac1 to the high speed membrane fraction. Significantly, incubation of cell lysates with guanosine 5′-O-(thiotriphosphate) was sufficient to translocate RhoA, Rac1, and CDC42Hs from the cytosol to the membranes, whereas incubation with GDP had the opposite effect. These data suggest that the translocation of the Rho family proteins to the membrane fraction is controlled by their activation state and that agonists show selectivity in inducing the activation/translocation of these proteins.
Dynamical evolution of globular clusters

One of the world's most distinguished astrophysicists presents a comprehensive theoretical treatment of the dynamical evolution of globular clusters. Lyman Spitzer's research in this field established the framework for decades of investigation. Now he summarizes in a unified, systematic way this branch of theoretical astrophysics with its still challenging problems.Originally published in 1988.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
New Developments In Polyester Film For Flexible Electronics

Polyester films are well-known substrates for a wide range of electronic applications. This contribution will describe new developments in polyester film substrates for OLED displays.
Pharmacokinetic Parameters Relevant to Recovery from Opioids

BackgroundSeveral recent studies have suggested that the terminal half-lives of many drugs do not predict the rate of washout of drug after the relatively short durations of infusions used in anesthesia. Many anesthetic drugs fit a three-compartment mamillary model, with three volumes of distributio
Product batching and batch sequencing for NC punch presses

This paper proposes a two-stage practical product batching and batch sequencing algorithm for NC punch presses used in the production of precision sheet metal electronics components. The first stage of the algorithm batches a given set of products in order to maximize the number of products in a batch as well as the tool magazine utilization. In this stage, tool magazine constraints such as number of available slots, size of slots, tool configurations and tool locations are taken into consideration. The resulting batches are passed to the second stage of the algorithm which sequences these batches. The sequencing is done by using the ‘ nearest neighbour’ heuristic for the ‘ travelling salesman problem’ Comparison of the new method with the procedure previously used by a manufacturer of such components demonstrated a significant reduction in setup times.
Can Markets Make Citizens? School Vouchers, Political Tolerance, and Civic Engagement

School voucher programs challenge the traditional role of the public school as the builder of citizens, raising the question of whether private schools can provide a civic education of equal quality. In this study, we use survey data from the Milwaukee voucher program to investigate the relative benefits in civic outcomes of attending a voucher school. We find that voucher students demonstrate modestly higher levels of political tolerance, civic skills, future political participation, and volunteering when compared to public schools students. Further analyses indicate these results may be driven in part by those students attending Catholic and other religious schools.