cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized estimating equations

Correlated datasets develop when multiple observations are collected from a sampling unit (e.g., repeated measures of a bank over time, or hormone levels in a breast cancer patient over time), or from clustered data where observations are grouped based on a shared characteristic (e.g., observations on different banks grouped by zip code, or on cancer patients from a specific clinic). The generalized linear model framework for independent data is extended to model correlated data via the introduction of second-order variance components directly into the independent data model's estimating equation. This generalization of the estimating equation from the independence model is thus referred to as a Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE). This article discusses the foundation of GEEs as well as how user-specified correlation structures are accommodated in the model-building process. This article also discusses the relationship and similarity to the underlying generalized linear model framework and we point out alternative approaches to GEEs for modeling correlated data such as fixed-effects models and random-effects models. Keywords: working correlation matrix; sandwich estimate of variance; generalized linear models; subject-specific models; population-averaged models
Gridiron football injuries.

Objective: To review the available football epidemiology literature to identify risk factors, facilitate injury prevention and uncover deficiencies that may be addressed by future research. Data Sou
Climate Predictions, Seasonal-to-Decadal

Seasonal-to-decadal climate prediction seeks to quantify the likely evolution or change of the climate system over a specific time horizon of months to years. Climate predictions based on dynamical models incorporate all relevant processes to the extent possible, including anthropogenic climate change, but most importantly those processes that govern the likely evolution of natural climate variability.
Local and Landscape Correlates of Spider Activity Density and Species Richness in Urban Gardens

Urbanization is a major threat to arthropod biodiversity and abundance due to reduction and loss of suitable natural habitat. Green spaces and small-scale agricultural areas may provide habitat and resources for arthropods within densely developed cities. We studied spider activity density (a measure of both abundance and degree of movement) and diversity in urban gardens in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and Monterey counties in central California, USA. We sampled for spiders with pitfall traps and sampled 38 local site characteristics for 5 mo in 19 garden sites to determine the relative importance of individual local factors. We also analyzed 16 landscape variables at 500-m and 1-km buffers surrounding each garden to determine the significance of landscape factors. We identified individuals from the most common families to species and identified individuals from other families to morphospecies. Species from the families Lycosidae and Gnaphosidae composed 81% of total adult spider individuals. Most of the significant factors that correlated with spider activity density and richness were local rather than landscape factors. Spider activity density and richness increased with mulch cover and flowering plant species, and decreased with bare soil. Thus, changes in local garden management have the potential to promote diversity of functionally important spiders in urban environments.
Vertical defects in heavily Mg‐doped Al0.69Ga0.31N

The microstructure of p-type Al0.69Ga0.31N with high Mg-doping was studied by conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Spike-like domains were observed with an average diameter of ∼10 nm, height of ∼400 nm and density of 2.2 × 1011/cm2. These long and narrow domains nucleated about 200 nm above the Mg-doping boundary and resembled ordinary inversion domains induced by Mg-doping. However, the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy line-scan results provided unambiguous evidence that the domains were Ga-rich. The lateral composition segregation between the domains and surrounded matrix was further confirmed by high angular dark field images in STEM. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Risk factors for lung function decline in a large cohort of young cystic fibrosis patients.

Summary Objective To identify novel risk factors and corroborate previously identified risk factors for mean annual decline in FEV1% predicted in a large, contemporary, United States cohort of young cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Methods Retrospective observational study of participants in the EPIC Observational Study, who were Pseudomonas-negative and ≤12 years of age at enrollment in 2004–2006. The associations between potential demographic, clinical, and environmental risk factors evaluated during the baseline year and subsequent mean annual decline in FEV1 percent predicted were evaluated using generalized estimating equations. Results The 946 participants in the current analysis were followed for a mean of 6.2 (SD 1.3) years. Mean annual decline in FEV1% predicted was 1.01% (95%CI 0.85–1.17%). Children with one or no F508del mutations had a significantly smaller annual decline in FEV1 compared to F508del homozygotes. In a multivariable model, risk factors during the baseline year associated with a larger subsequent mean annual lung function decline included female gender, frequent or productive cough, low BMI (<66th percentile, median in the cohort), ≥1 pulmonary exacerbation, high FEV1 (≥115% predicted, in the top quartile), and respiratory culture positive for methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, or Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Conclusions We have identified a range of risk factors for FEV1 decline in a large cohort of young, CF patients who were Pa negative at enrollment, including novel as well as previously identified characteristics. These results could inform the design of a clinical trial in which rate of FEV1 decline is the primary endpoint and identify high-risk groups that may benefit from closer monitoring. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2015; 50:763–770. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
NMR Study of Ortho-Para Conversion at High Pressure in Hydrogen

We have studied ortho-para conversion of hydrogen to high pressures in a diamond anvil cell using NMR. The conversion rate equation is modified for high temperatures to include a first order process related to the known quadratic rate constant. The rate constant which is $1.9%/\mathrm{h}$ at zero pressure, rises, dips, and then increases to $58%/\mathrm{h}$ at our highest pressure, 12.8 GPa.
Risk-based regulatory system and its effective use in health and social care

The regulatory landscape of the health and adult social care system in England is constantly changing. The establishment of a new regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), will help to integrate the regulation of the health and adult social care sector together and strengthen the safety and quality assurance for patients and service users. It will have the challenge of regulating a much bigger sector and wider variety of organizations than its predecessor bodies--i.e. Healthcare Commission, Commission for Social Care Inspection and Mental Health Act Commission. An effective and efficient regulatory approach is needed by the new regulator to achieve the objectives, without increasing the regulatory burden on the services. A risk-based regulatory approach may help to deal with those challenges by proactively identifying and assessing any key risks to the quality and safety of these services. There are a number of perceived benefits of adapting such a risk-based approach by the regulator, both in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, as experienced by many other regulators in the UK and abroad.
A discrete event scheduler in a dynamic production system

Many everyday production scheduling problems may not advantageously be represented by the classical optimum-seeking formulations of Operations Research. The assumptions underlying these approaches may be too limiting, the methods themselves not comprehensive enough or responsive to change, or the implementation too difficult for the intended user. On the other hand, heuristic approaches by themselves may not be capable of considering all relevant factors, and may not perform as well as the requirements dictate.This article describes an approach which uses a deterministic event scheduling simulation as an adjusting procedure to develop a production schedule based on current equipment availability and batch status information. The problem is characterized by the sensitivity of the production materials to changes in processing time, and by extremely complex equipment constraints which make dispatching heuristics very difficult to define. The article details our experience in designing and implementing this approach, and discusses its performance.
Study of Nerve Conduction and Late Responses in Normal Chinese Infants, Children, and Adults

Healthy Chinese individuals (n = 168), aged from 24 hours to 30 years, were studied to establish the following normal values: (1) motor conduction velocity, distal latency, amplitude, and F-wave velocity in the median, ulnar, tibial, and peroneal nerves; (2) H-reflex velocity and latency in the tibial nerve for all subjects as well as in the median and ulnar nerves in infants; (3) sensory conduction velocity, latency, and amplitude in the median, ulnar, and sural nerves; and (4) the difference in minimal latencies of both H-reflex and F-waves between corresponding nerves in opposite limbs and between two nerves in the same limb. The motor conduction velocities, sensory conduction velocities, F-wave velocities, and H-reflex velocities in newborns were approximately 50%, 40%, 40 to 45%, and 40 to 45% of adult values, respectively. At age 3 years, the normal values were in the adult range for all motor conduction velocities and for the sensory conduction velocities in the upper limbs. The sensory conduction velocities, H-reflex velocities, and F-wave velocities in the lower limbs did not reach adult values until age 6 years whereas the upper limb F-wave velocities reached adult levels between 6 and 14 years in different nerves. These results indicate that adult values for nerve conduction velocities, including the late responses, are reached earlier in the lower extremities; however, conduction velocities at any age are always faster in the upper limbs and in the proximal compared to the distal segments. The maturation process occurs most rapidly during the first 3 to 6 years of life, especially in the first year. This parallels the histologic development of peripheral nerves during childhood.
Experimental aerodynamic coefficients on a Shuttle-like vehicle at Mach 6 and 10 and comparison to prediction

Aerodynamic coefficients measured for an Orbiter-like configuration are presented for a range of angle of attack from 15 deg to 45 deg at Mach 6 and 10. The low-gamma aspect of a real gas on aerodynamic characteristics and shock detachment distance were simulated by testing this configuration in Mach 6 air (freestream gamma equal to 1.4) and Mach 6 CF4 (freestream gamma equal to 1.17). The effects of Mach number, Reynolds number, and gamma on these measurements are examined and comparisons made to an inviscid flowfield computer code known as HALIS. Pitching-moment coefficients measured in CF4 revealed a nose-up increment when compared with measurements in perfect air, indicative of real-gas effects. In general, the HALIS code accurately predicted the measured aerodynamic coefficients in air and CF4.
Progress in quality of life in children and adolescents with cancer.

Objectives To describe the notable progress in conceptualizing, defining, and measuring quality of life (QOL) in children and adolescents with cancer during the past two decades. Data Sources Published articles. Conclusion QOL in children and adolescents with cancer has been defined and conceptual frameworks developed; multiple generic and cancer-specific instruments have been validated for use in this patient population. Advances include a shift to patient reports as the preferred source of QOL ratings, and use of multiple data collection points in the same study to better document the trajectory of QOL in children and adolescents with cancer. Implications for Nursing Practice This progress makes possible the study of interventions designed to improve the QOL of these young patients during and following treatment.
Assessment of 54 biomarkers for biopsy-detectable prostate cancer

Objective: We analyzed the association of 54 biomarkers from seven classes including adipokines, immune response metalloproteinases, adhesion molecules, and growth factors with prostate cancer risk adjusting for the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) risk score. Methods: A total of 123 incident prostate cancer cases and 127 age-matched controls were selected from subjects in the San Antonio Center for Biomarkers of Risk of Prostate Cancer cohort study. Prediagnostic serum concentrations were measured in the sample collected at baseline using LabMAP technology. The odds ratios (OR) of prostate cancer risk associated with serum concentrations of 54 markers were estimated using univariate conditional logistic regression before and after adjustment for the PCPT risk score. Two-way hierarchical unsupervised clustering techniques were used to evaluate whether the 54-marker panel distinguished cases from controls. Results: Vascular endothelial growth factor, resistin, interleukin 1Ra (IL-1Ra), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, matrix metalloproteinase-3, plasminogen activator inhibitor, and kallikrein-8 were statistically significantly ( P < 0.05) underexpressed in prostate cancer cases, and α-fetoprotein was statistically significantly overexpressed in prostate cancer cases, but all had area underneath the receiver-operating characteristic curve <60%; none were statistically significant adjusting for multiple comparisons ( P < 0.0008) or after adjustment for the PCPT risk score. Statistical clustering of patients by the marker panel did not distinguish a separate group of cases from controls. Conclusions: This age-matched case-control study did not support findings of increased diagnostic potential from a 54-marker panel when compared with the conventional risk factors incorporated in the PCPT risk calculator. Future discovery of new biomarkers should always be tested and compared against conventional risk factors before applying them in clinical practice. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2007;16(10):1966–72)
Future directions in the management of small cell lung cancer

The treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) has continued to evolve over the past 20 years and now consists primarily of combination chemotherapy with or without thoracic radiotherapy depending on stage at presentation. However, despite marked improvement in overall survival, a majority of patients continue to die of their disease. It is not likely that conventional chemotherapy agents will substantially alter this dismal fact but new agents are available with novel mechanisms of action some of which yield excellent response rates. The agents with greatest promise include the taxanes and drugs that target topoisomerase I. Real progress in the management of SCLC will come with the identification of methods for overcoming drug resistance, exploration of new treatment strategies including gene therapy and possibly through the use of biological agents. Chemoprevention trials are of the utmost importance given the high incidence of second primary tumors that arise in the few long term survivors of this disease. All these areas are fertile grounds for future investigation in the management of SCLC.
Primary structure and functional expression of the beta 1 subunit of the rat brain sodium channel

Voltage-sensitive sodium channels are responsible for the initiation and propagation of the action potential and therefore are important for neuronal excitability. Complementary DNA clones encoding the beta 1 subunit of the rat brain sodium channel were isolated by a combination of polymerase chain reaction and library screening techniques. The deduced primary structure indicates that the beta 1 subunit is a 22,851-dalton protein that contains a single putative transmembrane domain and four potential extracellular N-linked glycosylation sites, consistent with biochemical data. Northern blot analysis reveals a 1,400-nucleotide messenger RNA in rat brain, heart, skeletal muscle, and spinal cord. Coexpression of beta 1 subunits with alpha subunits increases the size of the peak sodium current, accelerates its inactivation, and shifts the voltage dependence of inactivation to more negative membrane potentials. These results indicate that the beta 1 subunit is crucial in the assembly, expression, and functional modulation of the heterotrimeric complex of the rat brain sodium channel.
Line monotonic partitioning of planar cubic B-splines

Abstract This paper describes the line-monotonic partitioning of curves. A set of sufficient conditions for line-monotonicity is provided, along with a method for partitioning closed, periodic, planar, cubic B-splines into line-monotone pieces. A new B-spline control polygon classification is introduced as a framework for discussing B-spline shape behavior, extending and reinterpreting the work of Yates, Wang, and Su and Liu. Line-monotone pieces of cubic B-spline curve segments are identified for each control polygon shape class. Every segment is either line-monotone, or can be partitioned into two line-monotone pieces, a result that extends to all parametric cubics. Line-monotonic partitioning of closed curves is useful in applications such as filling.
Molecular order and dynamics in bilayers consisting of highly polyunsaturated phospholipids.

Abstract The time-resolved fluorescence emission and decay of fluorescence anisotropy of 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) was used to characterize equilibrium and dynamic bilayer structural properties of symmetrically substituted phosphatidylcholines (PCs) with acyl chains containing no, one, four, or six double bonds and mixed-chain phosphatidylcholines with a saturated sn -1 chain and one, four, or six double bonds in the sn -2 chain. Both the Brownian rotational diffusion (BRD) model and the wobble-in-cone model were fit to all differential polarization data, and the descriptions of the data provided by the BRD model were found to be statistically superior. Global analysis of differential polarization data revealed two statistically equivalent solutions. The solution corresponding to a bimodal orientational distribution function, f ( θ ), was selected based on the effects of temperature on f ( θ ) and previous measurements on fixed, oriented bilayers. The overall equilibrium acyl chain order in these bilayers was analyzed by comparing the orientational probability distribution for DPH, f ( θ ) sin θ , with a random orientational distribution. Orientational order decreased and probe dynamics increased in mixed-chain species as the unsaturation of the sn -2 chain was increased. The degree of orientational order dropped dramatically in the dipolyunsaturated species compared with the mixed-chain phosphatidylcholines, which contained a polyunsaturated sn -2 chain. In terms of both orientational order and probe dynamics, the differences between the highly polyunsaturated species and the monounsaturated species were much greater than the differences between the monounsaturated species and a disaturated PC.
Adsorption behavior of the three species of the biprotic peptide Phe-Ala onto an end-capped C18-bonded organic/inorganic hybrid stationary phase.

We recorded the overloaded elution band profiles of the dipeptide phenylalanine−alanine (Phe-Ala) on a column packed with C18-bonded organic (ethyl)/inorganic (silica) hybrid porous particles (BEH), eluted with a series of buffered methanol−water mobile phases (20/80, v/v). The WSpHs of the mobile phases were successively adjusted with addition of suitable buffers to values of 1.67, 2.44, 3.83, 4.94, 7.41, and 10.71 (where the notation WSpH means that the pH of the solution is directly measured in the solution (S) after the electrode was calibrated in pure water (W)). The ionic strength of the eluent was kept constant at 20 mM. The injected samples had different sizes and concentrations. The retention of the low-concentration samples was minimum at an intermediate WSpH (k′ ∼ 0.5) and maximum for the lowest (k′ ∼ 1.3) and highest (k′ ∼ 3.5) WSpHs showing that the zwitterion (+Phe-Ala−) is less strongly adsorbed than the positively (+Phe-Ala) and negatively (Phe-Ala−) charged species of the dipeptide onto B...
A near-infrared dye for multichannel imaging

A large Stokes shift dye, composed of water-solubility and near-infrared feature, was developed for multichannel imaging applications.
Recent Trends in Hospital Mortality of Acute Myocardial Infarction—the Worcester Heart Attack Study: Have Improvements Been Realized for All Age Groups?

Background: While age-related differences in patterns of care for acute myocardial infarction have been demonstrated, temporal trends in clinical outcome for patients in different age groups have not been carefully examined. Methods: We analyzed data collected as part of an ongoing communitywide study of 5480 patients hospitalized with validated acute myocardial infarction in Worcester, Mass, during 7 selected years spanning a 15-year period (1975 through 1990). Patients were stratified into three age groups: less than 65 years (n=2220), 65 through 74 years (n=1595), and 75 years or older (n=1665). Within each age group, the odds of in-hospital death were determined by study year, with adjustments for selected demographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics. Results: For patients less than age 65 years, the odds of dying during the acute hospital phase of myocardial infarction were reduced for all study years relative to the reference year (1975), reaching their lowest level in 1990 (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06 to 0.48). For patients aged 65 through 74 years, the odds of dying declined among patients hospitalized in 1978 (adjusted OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.39 to 1.29) and 1981 (adjusted OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.66) but remained essentially unchanged during the subsequent study years through 1990. For patients 75 years of age or older, the odds of dying declined through 1984 (adjusted OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.25 to 0.72) but increased over the following study years: 1986, 1988, and 1990. Conclusions: While the risk of in-hospital death following acute myocardial infarction has recently declined for patients less than 65 years of age, improvements have not been realized for older age groups. Current patterns of management of acute myocardial infarction in older patients require reexamination. (Arch Intern Med. 1994;154:2202-2208)
Nonadherence to Adjuvant Tamoxifen Therapy in Women With Primary Breast Cancer

Purpose: Although clinical trials have clearly demonstrated the benefits of tamoxifen in women with primary breast cancer, little is known about how this drug is actually used in the general population. We sought to estimate adherence and predictors of nonadherence in women starting tamoxifen as adjuvant breast cancer therapy. Patients and Methods: Subjects were age 18 years or older initiating tamoxifen for primary breast cancer and enrolled in New Jersey’s Medicaid or Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled programs during the study period, from 1990 to 1996 (N = 2,378). Main outcome measures were number of days covered by filled prescriptions for tamoxifen in the first year of therapy with the 4 years after tamoxifen initiation for a subset; predictors of good versus poor adherence. Results: Twenty-three percent of patients missed taking tamoxifen on more than one fifth of days studied, although on average, patients filled prescriptions for tamoxifen for 87% of their first year of treatment....
Street-Level Political Controls Over Federal Bureaucracy

Local partisan activities of legislators and their electoral coalitions systematically influence field office activities of federal bureaucracies in their electoral districts. This alternative to centralized democratic controls over bureaucracy occurs because discretionary policy decisions made at the field office level are influenced by local resources generated through partisan activities. Our study of county-level Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement in New York (1976–85) finds that county, state, and federal elected officials influence local enforcement activities, with liberal, Democratic legislators associated with more active enforcement. The county political parties are most influential for activities with the most local discretion, while members of Congress are more influential for local activities more readily controlled by the national office.
Influence of the P5 Residue on α1-Proteinase Inhibitor Mechanism

Abstract The reactive center loop of native α1-proteinase inhibitor has been reported to be in a helical conformation and in a β-strand conformation by two different studies. In the β-strand loop structure the P5glutamic acid plays a unique role by stabilizing the loop in the predicted optimal conformation for the interaction with target proteinases and insertion into β-sheet A. We hypothesize here that disrupting the interactions that stabilize the β-strand conformation of the loop would result in changes in the inhibitory properties of the serpin. In addition, our earlier studies on reactive center loop mutants of α1-proteinase inhibitor suggested that the P5 residue was important in stabilizing the α1-proteinase inhibitor-proteinase complexes. To address these issues we made mutants of α1-proteinase inhibitor with glycine, glutamine, or lysine at the P5 position and measured the rates and stoichiometries of inhibition with trypsin and human neutrophil elastase and the stabilities of the resulting complexes. In most cases the rate of inhibition was reduced by about half and the stoichiometry increased between 2- and 4-fold. The only exception was for trypsin with the lysine variant where the P5 was now the favored site of cleavage. These data show that the P5 Glu is important in maintaining the reactive center loop in a conformation optimal for interaction with the proteinase and for a fast rate of loop insertion. The complexes formed with trypsin and the variant serpins were less stable than that formed with wild-type serpin and resulted in up to 33% regeneration of trypsin activity over a period of 6 days, compared with 17% with wild type. Thus, the P5 residue of α1-proteinase inhibitor is important in all steps of the inhibitory mechanism in a manner consistent with the structural role played by this residue in the β-strand loop structure of native α1-proteinase inhibitor.
Clonal analysis of cardiac morphogenesis in the chicken embryo using a replication-defective retrovirus. III: Polyclonal origin of adjacent ventricular myocytes

Replication-incompetent variants of the avian spleen necrosis virus (SNV) encoding cytoplasmic or nuclear-directed beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) have been used to trace the clonal growth of myocytes during left ventricular free-wall formation. Tubular-stage hearts were infected with a mixed suspension of both retroviruses and, after hatching, the progeny of marked cells in the ventricular wall were examined by X-gal histochemistry. When a small number of virions was introduced individual blue patches contained myocytes with only one label type (cytoplasmic or nuclear). These results confirmed our previous conclusion that each cluster or patch represents a single clone (Mikawa et al., 1992, Dev. Dynamics, 193:11-23). Each of these clones formed a clone-shaped patch which often extended through the entire thickness of the ventricular myocardium, but typically each patch was heterogeneous, containing a mixture of labeled and unlabeled cells. We then asked whether the two populations of myocytes in each patch were clonally related or generated from more than one progenitor. When hearts were infected with high titer viral suspensions many patches were observed in which cytoplasmic-tagged myocytes were intermingled with nuclear-tagged myocytes. Thus, the cone-shaped myocyte patches in the ventricular wall are polyclones derived from separate progenitors in the precardiac mesoderm. This finding led us to examine the separation of clonally related ventricular myocytes in the developing hearts. Embryos were infected with retroviral suspensions at varying stages of development and the resulting colonies examined after hatching.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Bacterial proteins and CpG-rich extrachromosomal DNA in potential cancer therapy

Bacterial proteins such as azurin and Laz have recently been shown to enter preferentially to cancer cells and kill them by multiple mechanisms. Historically, bacterial DNA, particularly the unmethylated CpG dinucleotides, have been shown to trigger activation of specific Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in immune cells, leading to various cytokine and chemokine production that allows cancer cell death and their regression. However, the enhanced release of specific protein or extrachromosomal DNA by bacteria in response to exposure to cancer cells has not been previously demonstrated. In this review, we discuss how an opportunistic, extracellular pathogenic bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, senses the presence of cancer cells and releases a specific protein or extrachromosomal DNA with antitumor activity for inhibition of cancer cell growth.
High-Resolution Study of the Difference Band ν17 − ν20 of Benzene

The difference band [nu][sub 17] [minus] [nu][sub 20] of benzene centered at 779.643 cm[sup [minus]1] has been recorded on a high-resolution Fourier transform spectrometer with the aim of obtaining accurate information about the infrared- and Raman-inactive fundamental E[sub 2u] mode [nu][sub 20]. Over 3,000 lines of the band have been measured with an effective resolution of [approximately]0.0012 cm[sup [minus]1] and assigned to 70 subbands of the two components, [nu][sup [minus]][sub 17] [minus] [nu][sup [minus]][sub 20] and [nu][sup +][sub 17] [minus] [nu][sup +][sub 20], of this parallel E[sub 2g] [minus] E[sub 2u] transition. Neither of the two states involved in the transition is perturbed by other vibrational states, but the levels of both [nu][sub 17] and [nu][sub 20] are affected by rather strong rotational l-type resonance and doubling. This effect has been explicitly taken into account in the analysis of the band. In adjusting the spectroscopic constants of the two states, the origin of the upper state [nu][sub 17] and its constants [Delta]C and C[delta] were held at values obtained by Hollinger and Welsh from an analysis of a gas-phase Raman spectrum since they cannot be independently determined from a difference band. To break the correlations of the rotational constants [Delta]B,more » q, [eta][sub J], and [Delta]D[sub J] between the two states, these parameters were also adjusted independently from the upper state combination differences R(J,K) [minus] P(J,K) for [nu][sub 17] and from the lower state combination differences R(J [minus] 1, K) [minus] P(J + 1, K) for [nu][sub 20]. The spectroscopic constants obtained for the two states reproduce the observed line positions with an overall standard deviation of 0.00022 cm[sup [minus]1].« less
Intermolecular dehydration reactions of protonated alkenol adducts

Collisionally activated intermolecular dehydration reactions of proton-bound alkenol dimers and proton-bound alkenol-dimethyl ether adducts were examined in both a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer and a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer. Ion-molecule reactions of profonated dimethyl ether (DME) with allyl alcohol, 3-buten-1-ol and 4-penten-l-ol (M) produced the ions [M + H]+, [2M + H]+, [M + H + DME]+ and [M + H + DME − H2O]+. Collisionally activated dissociation was used to characterize the structures of the product ions, and energy-minimized structures and heats of formation of ions were calculated by molecular mechanics and semiempirical computational methods. The loosely bound [M + H + DME]+ ions rearrange and dissociate by an intermolecular dehydration reaction to form [M + H + DME - H2O]+ ions, with methylated ether stuctures. These [M + H + DME − H2O]+ ions dissociate predominantly via direct cleavage of the ether linkage. Comparisons of the bimolecular and dissociation reactions of the alkenols were made with those of simple alcohols, diols and alkenes to demonstrate that the presence of the carbon-carbon double bond specifically assists in many of the observed processes.
Alternate-strand triplex formation: modulation of binding to matched and mismatched duplexes by sequence choice in the Pu-Pu-Py block.

In double-stranded DNA, tandem blocks of purines (Pu) and pyrimidines (Py) can form triplexes by pairing with oligonucleotides which also consist of blocks of purines and pyrimidines, using both Py.Pu.Py (Y-type) and Pu.Pu.Py (R-type) pairing motifs in a scheme called "alternate-strand recognition," or ASR [Jayasena, S. D., & Johnston, B. H. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 320-327; Beal P. A., & Dervan, P. B. (1992) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 114, 1470-1478]. We investigated the relative contributions of the Py.Pu.Py and Pu.Pu.Py blocks in the 16-bp duplex sequence 5'-AAGGAGAATTCCCTCT-3' paired with the third-strand oligonucleotides 5'-TTCCTCTTXXGGGZGZ-3' (XZ-16), where X and Z are either T or A and C is 5-methylcytosine, using chemical footprinting and get electrophoretic mobility shift measurements. We found that the left-hand, pyrimidine half (Y-block) of the third strand (TTCCTCTT, Y-8) forms a Py.Pu.Py triplex as detected by both dimethyl sulfate (DMS) probing and a gel-shift assay; in contrast, the triplex formed by the right-hand half alone (R-block) with X = T (TTGGGTGT, R-8) is not detectable under the conditions tested. However, when tethered to the Y-block (i.e., as XZ-16), the R-block contributes greatly increased specificity of target recognition and confers protection from DMS onto the duplex even under conditions unfavorable for Pu-Pu-Py triplexes (lack of divalent cations). In general, the 16-mer (XZ-16) can bind with apparent strength either greater or lesser than Y-8, depending on whether X and Z are A or T. The order of apparent binding strength, as measured by the target duplex concentration necessary to cause retardation of the third strand during gel electrophoresis, is TT-16 approximately AT-16 > Y-8 > AA-16 > TA-16. Chemical probing experiments showed that both halves of the triplex form even for AA-16, which binds with less apparent binding strength than the pyrimidine block alone (Y-8). The presence of the right half of the 16-mers, although detracting from affinity in cases of AA-16 and TA-16, provides strong specificity for the correct target compared to a target incapable of forming the Pu.Pu.Py part of the triplex. We discuss possible explanations for these observations in terms of alternate oligonucleotide conformations and suggest practical applications of affinity modulation by A-to-T replacements.
Escape response thresholds in rats following repeated electroconvulsive shock seizures

Abstract Young male Fischer rats were given electroconvulsive seizures daily for seven days. Compared with sham controls, the treated rats were more responsive in an escape response threshold test to low-intensity near-threshold footshock 24 hr and 8 days later, when the last measurements were taken. An increase in intertrial responses was also noted for a few treated rats 24 hr, but not 8 days, after the last treatment. The effects appeared to be proactive, were not seen after a single seizure, and were independent of the intensity (50–150 mA) of shock used to induce the grand mal seizures.
Truth and Holiness: The Way of the Cross

The Unity We Have and the Unity We Seek: Ecumenical Prospects for the Third Millennium, Jeremy Morris and Nicholas Sagovsky (eds), T. & T. Clark 2003, A Continuum Imprint (Hb 0-567-8907-X, Pb 0-567-08879-0), pp. xix + 244, Pb £14.99 In One Body Through the Cross: The Princeton Proposal for Christian Unity, Carl E. Braaten and Robert W. Jenson (eds), Eerdmans 2003 (0-8028-2298-3), pp. 62, Pb £7.99/$10
Alternative Project Delivery Systems for Public Transportation Projects

Most public construction projects have traditionally used the Design-Bid-Build (DBB) method of project delivery. This is the familiar process in which the public entity hires an architect/engineer to design the required facility. The fully designed project is then put out for bid, and the lowest bidder is awarded the contract for construction. Facilitated by legislation passed primarily within the last 5 years, public entities have made increasing use of several Alternate Project Delivery Systems (APDS), including Design Build (DB), Construction Management at Risk (CM@R), and Job Order Contracting (JOC). A nationwide survey of DOTs was conducted to compare the impact of APDS on project quality, project cost, and timeliness of project delivery versus the traditional DBB approach. The survey shows that DB is the most popular APDS delivery system among all the departments of transportation. The different DB award methods are covered in detail. The results of the survey indicate that certain types of transpor...
Biliary tract cytology in specimens obtained by direct cholangiographic procedures: A study of 74 cases

A retrospective review of bile (BL) and biliary tract brushings (Br) obtained by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) was undertaken to determine the sensitivity and specificity of cytology in the diagnosis of pancreaticobiliary malignancies. A total of 104 cytologic specimens (PTC-BL 15, PTC-Br 13, ERCP-BL 8, ERCP-Br 68) received between 1990 and mid-1994 from 77 patients who had undergone ERCP and/or PTC primarily for biliary stricture were reviewed. Specimens were unsatisfactory/inadequate in 11 (10.6%), benign in 41 (39.4%), suspicious in 25 (24%), and positive for malignant cells in 27 (26%). Follow-up was available in 74/77 patients; 46 (59.7%) had tissue confirmation while 28 (32.5%) had adequate clinical follow-up based on chart review. Of those with histologic confirmation, there were 32 malignant and 14 benign cases. The overall sensitivity and specificity of PTC- and ERCP-obtained cytologic specimens were 88.9 and 95.7% respectively. There was only one false positive case (ERCP-Br). Overall positive predictive value was 96%, negative predictive value 88%, and accuracy 96%. PTC had a significantly lower sensitivity rate (42.8%) and higher rate for unsatisfactory specimens (21%) compared with ERCP-obtained material (100 and 1.9%). Bile obtained by PTC or ERCP appeared less sensitive in detecting malignancies compared with endoscopic brushing using either technique (BL 50% vs. Br 100%). All three false negative cases were PTC-BL specimens. Of the 17 suspicious cases, eight were confirmed histologically as malignant, four were clinically consistent with malignancy, and five showed marked inflammatory atypia on biopsy. Positive predictive value and accuracy rate of a “suspicious cytology” diagnosis were 69 and 80.5%, respectively. Inadequate specimen, poor cellular preservation, and cells obscured by bile all interfere with proper cytologic evaluation. Experience is necessary to appreciate subtle malignant changes in well differentiated carcinomas. Communication between the cytopathologist and the clinician is critical in the accurate interpretation and proper management of the patients. Diagn Cytopathol 1996;14:334–348. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Redundancy in data from stream surveys

Abstract Data on the distribution of the biota of streams may be unnecessarily expensive and time-consuming to collect because of redundancy of information provided by various groups of organisms. Using correlation coefficients computed between corresponding elements of Q -mode similarity matrices, it was found that in the upper Potomac River aquatic insects gave the best agreement with the total biota of any subset tested ( r = 0.603). In the Clinch River, similarities among stations based on occurrences of Ephemeroptera and Coleoptera agreed most closely with similarities based on the total insect fauna, but the two orders were not closely similar to each other. This result suggests that study of both groups may reveal most of the information provided by the total insect fauna. Associations among stations based on occurrences of Gastropoda were closely similar to those based on the total noninsect macroinvertebrate fauna.
HIV-related primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the vulva.

We report on a 25-year-old HIV-positive woman diagnosed with Ann Arbor Stage IEB primary extranodal immunoblastic lymphoma arising in the vulva. This is the first documented instance of an HIV-associated malignant lymphoma originating in the lower female genital tract, and only the 16th reported case of primary malignant lymphoma of the vulva. The nonspecific clinical presentation coupled with the unanticipated finding of lymphoma made diagnostic confirmation an arduous task, requiring weeks of persistence. The patient's disease was refractory to three courses of chemotherapy, but did respond to a brief palliative course of external beam irradiation prior to her demise 7 months after presentation. Our findings are presented, and 15 cases from the literature, the largest series to date, are discussed.
Analysis and design of harmonic generators

Harmonic generators such as used in radio transmitters are usually designed and adjusted on the basis of experience. This is because the only analysis of their performance that has been available is a laborious point-by-point method of attack which is much too cumbersome to be practical in the general run of problems- In the work described here a method of analyzing the harmonic generator is presented that involves a minimum of labor and at the same time has an accuracy entirely adequate for design purposes.
Bargaining Models for Farm Household Decision Making: Discussion

literature by transferring research developments in labor economics (Becker) and quantitative techniques using game theory (Nash, Shubik, Von Neumann and Morgenstern) and applying these developments to farm family decision making. Game theoretic bargaining models which use game theory differ from unitary household models in that individual preferences and utility functions are unique, allowing for the assessment of the role of individual family members on household decisions. Specific case studies analyzed include farm-level household decisions to (1) adopt a new agricultural technology; (2) allocate household members' labor to farm, off-farm, and household production activities when a policy induced on-farm price increase occurs; and (3) allocate household labor in rural farm households and
Novel 5-(4-alkoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate esters: Highly efficient synthesis and mesogenic evaluation of a new class of materials exhibiting the smectic C phase

A series of alkyl 5-(4-alkoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylates were prepared via a direct, efficient Pd(0)-catalysed Suzuki–Miyaura coupling approach. A series of long-chain alkyl thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate esters, synthesised from newly reported alkyl mercaptoacetates, were elaborated into the target compounds via regioselective (C-5) halogenation followed by cross-coupling with 4-alkoxyphenyltrifluoroborate salts. As expected, these target alkyl 5-(4-alkoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-2-carboxylate ester mesogens exhibited the orthogonal smectic A phase; notably, they are the first materials built on the thieno[3,2-b]thiophene motif to also exhibit the smectic C mesophase.
A Model for Scale Interaction in the Madden–Julian Oscillation*

AbstractThe Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) is an equatorial planetary-scale circulation system coupled with a multiscale convective complex, and it moves eastward slowly (about 5 m s−1) with a horizontal quadrupole vortex and vertical rearward-tilted structure. The nature and role of scale interaction (SI) is one of the elusive aspects of the MJO dynamics. Here a prototype theoretical model is formulated to advance the current understanding of the nature of SI in MJO dynamics. The model integrates three essential physical elements: (a) large-scale equatorial wave dynamics driven by boundary layer frictional convergence instability (FCI), (b) effects of the upscale eddy momentum transfer (EMT) by vertically tilted synoptic systems resulting from boundary layer convergence and multicloud heating, and (c) interaction between planetary-scale wave motion and synoptic-scale systems (the eastward-propagating super cloud clusters and westward-propagating 2-day waves). It is shown that the EMT mechanism tends to ...
Evolution of the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) genes in yeast: characterization of a fourth ADH in Kluyveromyces lactis.

Three alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) genes have recently been characterized in the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis. We report on a fourth ADH in K. lactis (KADH II: KADH21 gene) which is highly similar to other ADHs in K. lactis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. KADH II appears to be a cytoplasmic enzyme, and after expression of KADH2 in S. cerevisiae enzyme activity comigrated with a K. lactis ADH present in cells grown in glucose or in ethanol. KADH I was also expressed in S. cerevisiae and it comigrated with a major ADH species expressed under glucose growth conditions in K. lactis. The substrate specificities for KADH I and KADH II were shown to be more similar to that of SADH II than to SADH I. SADH I cannot efficiently utilize long chain alcohols, in contrast to other cytoplasmic yeast ADHs, presumably because of the presence of a methionine (residue 271) in its substrate binding cleft. A comparison of the DNA sequences of ADHs among K. lactis, S. cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyces pombe suggests that the ancestral yeast species contained one cytoplasmic ADH. After divergence from S. pombe, the ADH in the ancestor to K. lactis and S. cerevisiae was duplicated, and one ADH became localized to the mitochondrion, presumably for the oxidative use of ethanol. Following the speciation of S. cerevisiae and K. lactis, the gene encoding the cytoplasmic ADH in S. cerevisiae duplicated, which resulted in the development of the SADH II protein as the primary oxidative enzyme in place of SADH III. In contrast, the K. lactis mitochondrial ADH duplicated to give rise to the highly expressed KADH3 and KADH4 genes, both of which may still play primary roles in oxidative metabolism. These data suggest that K. lactis and S. cerevisiae use different compartments for their metabolism of ethanol. Our results also indicate that the complex regulatory circuits controlling the glucose-repressible SADH2 in S. cerevisiae are a recent acquisition from regulatory networks used for the control of genes other than SADH2.