cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sex- and Sports-Specific Epidemiology of Traumatic Lumbar Spine Injuries Sustained During Sporting Activities: Male Snowboarders and Female Horseback Riders at Greatest Risk.

Purpose To generate national estimates of sports-related traumatic lumbar spine injury incidence rates using the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) database and determine any sports- and sex-specific epidemiologic patterns of these traumatic injuries. Methods Data regarding traumatic lumbar spine injuries sustained through sporting activities from 2009 to 2018 were extracted from the NEISS, a database generating nationwide estimates through patient information collected during emergency department visits from 100 NEISS hospitals across the United States. The estimated number of injuries was calculated using weights assigned by the NEISS database depending on the geographic location of the injury. Results A total of 497 traumatic lumbar spine injuries were identified over the course of 10 years, suggesting 19,208 estimated injuries. The estimated average injury rate was 6.1 injuries per million persons per year. When analyzed by sex, the incidence rate of traumatic lumbar spine injury was 3.6 injuries per million persons per year for male patients and 2.5 injuries per million persons per year for female patients (P = .663). In male patients, 47% of the injuries occurred in individuals aged between 10 and 29 years, whereas injuries in female patients were more equally distributed across different age groups. Horseback riding (27%), skiing (5%), and roller skating (4%) were the leading causes of traumatic lumbar injuries in female patients. In male patients, most injuries were experienced as a result of snowboarding (13%), weightlifting (10%), and football (6%). Conclusions From 2009 to 2018, the estimated incidence of sports-associated traumatic lumbar spine injuries was approximately 6.1 injuries per million persons per year. Male patients experienced a greater number of traumatic lumbar injuries (3.60) than female patients (2.46), with a relative incidence rate of 1.46. The most common source of injury was snowboarding in male patients and horseback riding in female patients. Level of Evidence Level III, retrospective comparative study.
Draupadi: The Fierce Fire-Born Woman

Draupadi is the central female protagonist of the Mahabharata. She is the representation of the energies of Gods, similar to Durga Mahishamardini to whom she is compared frequently in the Mahabharata and other classical tales; she is a fiery woman. Like Satyavati she also inherits her aspirations and perils from belonging to the Kuru lineage. It is through Draupadi’s veracity and courage that the lineage of Pandu survives the battle and is blessed with progeny to continue into the future generations. Draupadi’s deviance is noticed in every major event of her life including her marriage. Draupadi remains an inspiration to modern women, her story endures in a variety of recollections, and her worship is carried on through dedicated festivals. Examining her story afresh and in comparison with other narratives of women provides a clearer understanding of gender norms and social roles of women in India.
UNIT 20.5 Transfection by Electroporation

Electroporation—the use of high-voltage electric shocks to introduce DNA into cells—can be used with most cell types, yields a high frequency of both stable transformation and transient gene expression, and, because it requires fewer steps, can be easier than alternate techniques. This unit describes electroporation of mammalian cells, including ES cells for the preparation of knock-out, knock-in, and transgenic mice. Protocols are described for the use of electroporation in vivo to perform gene therapy for cancer therapy and DNA vaccination. Also described are modifications for preparation and transfection of plant protoplasts. Curr. Protoc. Cell Biol. 52:20.5.1-20.5.10. © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: molecular biology; introduction of DNA into cells; gene regulation; gene expression; transcription and translation; gene therapy; DNA vaccine
Public Perceptions about COVID-19 Vaccines: Policy Implications from US Spatiotemporal Sentiment Analytics

There exists a compelling need to better understand the temporal dynamics of public sentiment towards COVID-19 vaccines in the US on a national and state-wise level for facilitating appropriate public policy applications. Our analysis of social media data from early February of 2021 and late March of 2021 shows that in spite of overall strength of positive sentiment, and increasing numbers of Americans being fully vaccinated, negative sentiment about COVID-19 vaccines still persists among sections of people who are hesitant towards the vaccine. In this study, we performed sentiment analytics on vaccine tweets, studied changes in public sentiment over time, conducted vaccination sentiment validation using actual vaccination data from the US CDC and Household Pulse Survey (HPS), explored influence of maturity of Twitter user-accounts and generated geographic mapping of sentiments by location of Twitter users. Furthermore, we leverage the emotion polarity based Public Sentiment Scenarios (PSS) framework which was developed for COVID-19 sentiment analytics, to systematically analyze directions for public policy processes to potentially improve the administration of vaccines. Application of the PSS framework provides important time sensitive insights for state and federal government agencies and associated organizations to better implement public policy processes for healthcare management, communication, transparency, motivation and societal operational policies such as social distancing. These insights are expected to contribute to processes that can expedite the vaccination program and move closer to the cherished herd immunity goal.
In vivo comparison of two anti-PSMA mAb Fab' conjugates containing branched-chain PEG derivatives with Fab' and F(ab')2

1545 Objectives Our previous studies demonstrated that conjugating an anti-PSMA Fab9 fragment with branched-chain polyethyleneglycol (PEG) derivatives (MW~4-8kDa) dramatically reduced kidney concentrations. However, tumor targeting was not evaluated in that study. The objective of this investigation was to prepare two Fab9-PEG conjugates and compare their biodistributions with Fab9 and F(ab9)2 in mice bearing human prostate cancer (C4-2B) xenografts. The two Fab9-PEG conjugates differed only in whether a closo-decaborate(2-) moiety, used for 211At labeling, was part of the PEG conjugation reagent or was conjugated in a second step. Methods Two maleimido-PEG conjugation reagents were synthesized, one incorporating a closo-decaborate(2-) moiety. The maleimido-PEG reagents were conjugated with the Fab9 fragment via thiol groups produced by DTT reduction. For the Fab9 conjugated with the PEG reagent without a closo-decaborate(2-) moiety, a second conjugation was conducted with an isothiocyanato-closo-decaborate(2-) reagent. The Fab9 conjugates were characterized by SE-HPLC, SDS-PAGE and IEF. The Fab9-PEG conjugates and F(ab9)2 were labeled with 125I. Fab9 was labeled with 131I for dual-label injections. Results Gamma counts of tissues indicated that: (1) blood concentrations of both Fab9-PEG conjugates were higher than Fab9, but lower than F(ab9)2, (2) both Fab9-PEG conjugates had decreased kidney concentrations from that of Fab9, and the Fab9-PEG without closo-decaborate(2-) conjugated had the lowest kidney concentrations, (3) both Fab9-PEG conjugates with closo-decaborate(2-) had higher liver concentrations than Fab9 or F(ab9)2, and (4) the Fab9-PEG conjugate with closo-decaborate(2-) on the PEG reagent had tumor concentrations similar to F(ab9)2. Conclusions The Fab9-PEG conjugates had similar tissue clearance, but higher tumor concentrations were obtained with the Fab9-PEG conjugate containing the closo-decaborate(2-) on the PEG reagent. High liver concentrations obtained with the Fab9-PEG conjugates indicates reagent modification is needed. Research Support We thank the National Institutes of Health (CA113431) for funding this research
From Chastity Requirement To Sexuality License: Sexual Consent and a New Rape Shield Law

Historically, a rape defendant at trial could offer evidence that the complainant was previously unchaste in order to discredit her testimony. Professor Michelle Anderson calls the conditioning of a rape victim's vindication on her sexual virtue the "chastity requirement" in rape law. By the early 1980s, almost every jurisdiction in this country had passed a rape shield law, which curtailed defendants' ability to admit complainants' sexual histories. Too often, however, Anderson argues, these legal shields function as sieves, particularly in acquaintance rape cases when the complainant is deemed promiscuous. Crucial holes in shields admit sexual history evidence when the complainant has been intimate with the defendant before, when the defendant claims that he held a reasonable but mistaken belief as to her consent, or when the complainant has previously engaged in a pattern of sexual conduct, prostitution, or other promiscuity. Anderson contends that rape shields have failed to defend these women because the law has maintained crucial aspects of the chastity requirement. It is time for the law to reject the ancient norms of that requirement fully, Anderson argues, and to embrace, instead, a sexuality license, which would protect rape complainants from suffering the negative legal consequences that follow judgments about their prior sexual lives. Anderson proposes a new rape shield statute designed to end the continued admission of irrelevant and prejudicial evidence of the complainant's sexual history in rape trials and to vindicate the new norms of the sexuality license.
The role of glycans in platelet birth and death (359.2)

Delayed platelet recovery and bleeding complications are major determinants of morbidity and mortality following cancer treatment. Platelets are produced by megakaryocytes (MKs), which normally reside in the vascular bone marrow (BM) niche and interact with sinusoidal BM endothelial cells to release platelets into the bloodstream. Following release, platelets circulate for 5 days in mice and 10 days in humans. The regulatory mechanisms of platelet death and birth remain unclear. In recent years it has become increasingly apparent that platelet life-span is regulated by glycan-lectin clearance mechanisms. We have now obtained direct evidence that lactosaminyl glycans (LacNAc) synthesized by the β4galatosyltransferase 1 (β4GalT1) not only regulate platelet life span, but are key regulators of thrombopoiesis. β4GalT1-/- mice exhibit severe macro-thrombocytopenia because megakaryocytes lacking functional β4GalT1 fail to produce circulating platelets, although they mature and differentiate normally. Expression...
The Physics of CMB Anisotropies

The past ten years will be remembered as a decade of discovery for cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropies. The launch of the COBE satellite ushered in the decade in 1990 and lead to the first detection of CMB anisotropies at the > 10° scale [1]. Through the decade, a combination of higher resolution experiments made the case for a rise in the anisotropy level on the degree scale and a subsequent fall at arcminute scales [2]. The final two years saw experiments with sufficient angular resolution and sky coverage to localize [3] and then precisely measure [4, 5] a sharp peak in the anisotropy spectrum at approximately 0°.5 or multipole l∼ 200. In this review, we discuss the theoretical background and implication of these results and provide a roadmap for critical tests and uses of CMB anisotropy theory in the coming decade.
A retrospective analysis of outcomes of dalteparin use in pediatric patients: a single institution experience.

Abstract Background Dalteparin is a commonly used low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) with extensive safety data in adults. With distinct advantages of once daily dosing and relative safety in renal impairment, it has been used off-label in pediatric practice; however, age-based dosing guidelines, safety and efficacy data in children are evolving. Objectives To report our institutional experience with the use of dalteparin in the treatment and prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pediatric patients. Patients/Methods Retrospective chart review of all children (0-18 years) that received dalteparin from December 1, 2000 through December 31, 2011. Doses per unit body weight per day (units/kg/day) were calculated for age-based group comparisons. Results Of 166 patients identified, 116 (70%) received prophylactic doses while 50 (30%) received therapeutic doses of dalteparin. Infants ( 10-18 years) (mean dose units/kg/day; 396.6 versus 236.7 and 178.8 respectively, p Conclusions In our experience, dalteparin is effective for prophylaxis and therapy of VTE in pediatric patients. Dosing should be customized in an age-based manner with close monitoring of anti-Xa activity in order to achieve optimal levels, prevent bleeding complications, and to allow full benefit of prevention or therapy of thrombotic complications.
Brainstem and limbic encephalitis with paraneoplastic neuromyelitis optica

The spectrum of disorders associated with anti-neuromyelitis optica (NMO) antibody is being extended to include infrequent instances associated with cancer. We describe a patient with brainstem and limbic encephalitis from NMO-immunoglobulin G in serum and cerebrospinal fluid in the context of newly diagnosed breast cancer. The neurological features markedly improved with excision of her breast cancer and immune suppressive therapy. This case further broadens the NMO spectrum disorders (NMOSD) by an association between NMOSD and cancer and raises the question of coincidental occurrence and the appropriate circumstances to search for a tumor in certain instances of NMO.
Making safety an integral part of 5S in healthcare.

Background: Healthcare faces major challenges with provider safety and rising costs, and many organizations are using Lean to instigate change. One Lean tool, 5S, is becoming popular for improving efficiency of physical work environments, and it can also improve safety. Objective: This paper demonstrates that safety is an integral part of 5S by examining five specific 5S events in acute care facilities. We provide two arguments for how safety is linked to 5S:1. Safety is affected by 5S events, regardless of whether safety is a specific goal and 2. Safety can and should permeate all five S's as part of a comprehensive plan for system improvement. Methods: Reports of 5S events from five departments in one health system were used to evaluate how changes made at each step of the 5S impacted safety. Results: Safety was affected positively in each step of the 5S through initial safety goals and side effects of other changes. Conclusions: The case studies show that 5S can be a mechanism for improving safety. Practitioners may reap additional safety benefits by incorporating safety into 5S events through a safety analysis before the 5S, safety goals and considerations during the 5S, and follow-up safety analysis.
The effect of tide on the hydrology and morphology of a freshwater river

How does river hydrology and morphology change due to tidal influence? We contend that this is a question of particular consequence to many earth surface disciplines, but one that has not been adequately addressed. Previous studies have relied on gradients in channel morphology and stratigraphy to infer energy regime of channels. However, in tidal rivers geomorphology influences the energy regime while the energy regime influences morphology; thus, geomorphic and stratigraphic patterns do not fully resolve the mechanisms which lead to change. We addressed this problem by comparing measurements of hydraulic energy and channel morphology along a tidal gradient to predictions of these characteristics in the absence of tides, and attributed the differences to tidal processes. Measurements of discharge, channel area, and energy dissipation (in kJ day–1) were made over a 24·8 hour period at four sites spanning the non-tidal to tidal freshwater Newport River, NC. We then predicted those characteristics under non-tidal conditions using hydraulic geometry relationships and literature values from coastal plain rivers. Discharge was enhanced more than 10-fold by tide, and this tidal effect increased from upstream to downstream along the tidal gradient. Cross-sectional area increased three-fold due to tide. Energy dissipation measured in the upper tidal river was four-fold lower than predicted to occur in the absence of tide because tides decreased average velocity and discharge. Energy dissipation measured downstream was similar to that predicted to occur without tides, although there was large uncertainty in predicted values downstream. While this limited dataset does not permit us to make broad generalizations for definitive models, it does provide a proof-of-concept for a new approach to addressing a critical problem at the interface of fluvial and coastal morphology. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Failure to Inhibit In Vitro or In Vivo Acetycholinesterase with Botulinum Toxin Type A

An attempt has been made to replicate an earlier finding that type A botulinum toxin can inhibit the in vitro activity of acetylcholinesterase. Two methods of enzyme assay were employed, but with neither technique were we able to reproduce the finding of in vitro enzyme inhibition. In fact, an examination of the data from the previous report leads us to question the possibility of the observations that were given. Furthermore, an investigation was carried out to determine if botulinum toxin can exert an inhibiting effect on acetylcholinesterase that is situated in the biological tissue. The answer again is negative. The experimental observations, coupled with several mathematical computations, do not support the notion that botulinum toxin is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor.
Synthesis and Crystal Structure of Sodium Arsenate Oxyhydroxide: Na4(AsO4)OH

Single crystals of Na4(AsO4)OH were grown using the hydroflux method and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Na4(AsO4)OH crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma with a = 8.9467(11) A, b = 7.3854(9) A, and c = 8.2395(10) A. The moisture sensitive material exhibits a three-dimensional crystal structure consisting of isolated AsO4 3− tetrahedra with the charge balance maintained by Na+ and OH−. The asymmetric unit consists of one arsenic atom, three sodium atoms, four oxygen atoms, and one hydroxyl hydrogen atom. Arsenic, sodium, and oxygen atoms, as well as the hydroxyl hydrogen, are located on mirror planes; sodium is located on an inversion center. The synthesis and crystal structure are reported for Na4(AsO4)OH
The adsorption of dissolved iron on marine aerosol particles in surface waters of the open ocean

Abstract The adsorption of dissolved iron in seawater onto marine aerosol particles, illite, and Chinese loess, using 59 Fe as a tracer, showed the following points. (1) The adsorption capacity of mineral aerosol particles for dissolved iron could be > 27 nmol mg −1 . Even if the dissolved iron, D(Fe), were ∼ 7 nmol kg −1 (∼ 14–100 times D(Fe) in the surface seawater of the North Pacific), the saturated adsorption capacity of the mineral aerosol particles would not be reached. (2) The concentration of suspended particles appears to be the prime variable controlling the adsorbed fraction of iron. Most dissolved iron may be adsorbed onto particles in the ocean surface microlayer, especially on the organic coating of the aerosol particles. This may explain why the dissolved iron concentration in the open ocean is much lower than the apparent “saturated” concentration of iron(III). (3) The adsorption capacity of mineral aerosols was over twice that of illite and Chinese loess. (4) Although adsorption is the predominant mechanism controlling D(Fe) in the open ocean, the addition of mineral aerosol particles to the open ocean would result in a net addition of dissolved atmospheric iron in seawater.
Finding regions of interest on toroidal meshes

Fusion promises to provide clean and safe energy, and a considerable amount of research effort is underway to turn this aspiration intoreality. This work focuses on a building block for analyzing data produced from the simulation of microturbulence in magnetic confinementfusion devices: the task of efficiently extracting regions of interest. Like many other simulations where a large amount of data are produced,the careful study of ``interesting'' parts of the data is critical to gain understanding. In this paper, we present an efficient approach forfinding these regions of interest. Our approach takes full advantage of the underlying mesh structure in magnetic coordinates to produce acompact representation of the mesh points inside the regions and an efficient connected component labeling algorithm for constructingregions from points. This approach scales linearly with the surface area of the regions of interest instead of the volume as shown with bothcomputational complexity analysis and experimental measurements. Furthermore, this new approach is 100s of times faster than a recentlypublished method based on Cartesian coordinates.
Selected articles from the 2012 IEEE international workshop on genomic signal processing and statistics (GENSIPS 2012)

Introduction The 2011 IEEE International Workshop on Genomic Signal Processing and Statistics (GENSIPS 2011) was organized in San Antonio, Texas from December 2-4th. GENSIPS’11 provided a forum for researchers in the signal processing community, other related computational experts, and biomedical scientists to exchange ideas and discuss signal processing challenges due to the high modality of disparate high-throughput data, high variability of the data acquisition, high dimensionality of data, and high complexity of genomics and proteomics systems. The theme of GENSIPS’11 was cancer and computational biology and GENSIPS featured prominent plenary speakers including Dr. John N. Weinstein from UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Stephen Wong from Methodist Hospital at Cornell University, Dr. David Nelson from Baylor College of Medicine and Dr. Chung-I Wu from the Beijing Institute of Genomics.
The minimal free resolution of a Borel ideal

Abstract We consider the Eliahou–Kervaire minimal free resolution of a 0 -Borel ideal and its applications.
Pricing for customers with probabilistic valuations as a continuous knapsack problem

In this paper, we examine the problem of choosing discriminatory prices for customers with probabilistic valuations and a seller with indistinguishable copies of a good. We show that under certain assumptions this problem can be reduced to the continuous knapsack problem (CKP). We present a new fast e-optimal algorithm for solving CKP instances with asymmetric concave reward functions. We also show that our algorithm can be extended beyond the CKP setting to handle pricing problems with overlapping goods (e.g.goods with common components or common resource requirements), rather than indistinguishable goods.We provide a framework for learning distributions over customer valuations from historical data that are accurate and compatible with our CKP algorithm, and we validate our techniques with experiments on pricing instances derived from the Trading Agent Competition in Supply Chain Management (TAC SCM). Our results confirm that our algorithm converges to an e-optimal solution more quickly in practice than an adaptation of a previously proposed greedy heuristic.
Persistent suppression of ethanol self-administration by brief social stress in rats and increased startle response as index of withdrawal

Excessive alcohol drinking is often linked to the experience of stress, but experimental approaches using animal models of alcohol self-administration have had widely varying outcomes. The objective was to determine how daily exposure to brief, predictable social stress would change alcohol self-administration in rats in a daily limited access protocol. Male Long-Evans rats had either access to a 10% ethanol solution for 15 min in the home cage setting (n=20) or were reinforced with 15% ethanol deliveries for every fifth lever press (n=10). Subsequently, all rats were subjected to brief social stress for five consecutive days. Social stress consisted of attacks by an opponent for 5 min followed by exposure to threats while in a protective cage for 30 min. In both the home cage drinking and operant conditioning groups, social stress exposure significantly decreased alcohol intake or rate of alcohol reinforcements, respectively. When alcohol intake was scheduled immediately before social stress (i.e., 24 h after the previous social stress episode), a decrease was observed with a delay of 1 or 2 days. When alcohol intake was scheduled 4 h after stress, no changes in intake or alcohol reinforcements were observed. Animals that consumed a low dose of ethanol displayed less defensive behavior during social stress compared to water-drinking animals, and showed an increased startle reflex at 8 and 56 h after discontinuation of daily ethanol access. The current experimental protocols of social defeat stress reveal a transient suppression rather than a facilitation of alcohol consumption.
Organic reactions catalyzed by crystalline aluminosilicatesI. Alkylation reactions

A number of crystalline aluminosilicates have been shown to be versatile catalysts for the alkylation of aromatics and for related reactions. Highly acidic faujasites, including rare-earth-exchanged X and Y, and hydrogen Y from thermal decomposition of ammonium Y showed broadest application, although calcium and sodium X faujasites showed activity under certain conditions. Simple monocyclic aromatic nuclei such as benzene, phenol, and thiophene, with a wide variety of alkylating agents, were used, for the most part, in this study. For the strongly acidic faujasites, operation in the liquid phase at temperatures of 150–230°C was generally required for efficient alkylation of simple aromatics with a variety of olefins, alcohols, and haloalkanes, and for transethylation. For dealkylation reactions, alkylations with paraffins, and toluene disproportionation, higher temperatures were required. With low molecular weight alkylating agents such as ethylene, high molar ratios of aromatic to olefin were necessary to prevent catalyst aging. In typical alkylations of substituted benzenes, ortho:para orientation of substituents was observed. With alkylating agents of three or more carbon atoms, the monoalkylate generally consisted of a mixture of isomeric arylalkanes. Similarly, 2-substitution predominated in the alkylation of thiophene. Under comparable conditions, highly acidic faujasites catalyzed alkylation at lower temperatures than silica-alumina catalysts, but at higher temperatures than Lewis acids such as aluminum chloride and boron trifluoride, or protonic acids such as sulfuric or hydrofluoric acids.
Granular-bed filtration assisted by filter-cake formation 5. Treating a liquid in a panel bed with pulseback renewal of liquid-entry granular-bed faces

Abstract A “panel bed” of granular solid, held in place by louvers, can serve to filter “dirt” from a liquid (the filtration assisted by filter-cake formation) or to place the liquid in countercurrent contact with the solid. A sharp “reverse” pulse of liquid, at sufficient intensity and not too long duration, produces a body movement of the solid capable of causing it to spill in a substantially uniform amount from each liquid-entry face of the granular solid. The paper reports experiments elucidating the physical behavior of the granular solid during “pulseback” and casting light, as well, upon the behavior of a “sand” during puffback of a panel bed gas filter. In both puffback and pulseback, the quantity of spilled solid is a function of “active time” (time during which a reverse pressure gradient across the panel bed exceeds a value just capable of producing a spill). Puffback quickly achieves a maximum attainable spill rate (a function of louver geometry); accordingly, spill quantity is linear in active time. In pulseback, however, spill rate increases gradually, achieving at last a maximum attainable spill rate (whereupon spill quantity becomes linear in active time).
The impact of breast structure on lesion detection in breast tomosynthesis

Virtual clinical trials (VCT) can be carefully designed to inform, orient, or potentially replace clinical trials. The focus of this study was to demonstrate the capability of the sophisticated tools that can be used in the design, implementation, and performance analysis of VCTs, through characterization of the effect of background tissue density and heterogeneity on the detection of irregular masses in digital breast tomosynthesis. Twenty breast phantoms from the extended cardiactorso (XCAT) family, generated based on dedicated breast computed tomography of human subjects, were used to extract a total of 2173 volumes of interest (VOI) from simulated tomosynthesis images. Five different lesions, modeled after human subject tomosynthesis images, were embedded in the breasts, for a total of 6×2173 VOIs with and without lesions. Effects of background tissue density and heterogeneity on the detection of the lesions were studied by implementing a doubly composite hypothesis signal detection theory paradigm with location known exactly, lesion known exactly, and background known statistically. The results indicated that the detection performance as measured by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) deteriorated as density was increased, yielding findings consistent with clinical studies. The detection performance varied substantially across the twenty breasts. Furthermore, the log-likelihood ratio under H0 and H1 seemed to be affected by background tissue density and heterogeneity differently. Considering background tissue variability can change the outcomes of a VCT and is hence of crucial importance. The XCAT breast phantoms can address this concern by offering realistic modeling of background tissue variability based on a wide range of human subjects.
Using the WWW Test Pattern to check HTML client compliance

The World Wide Web Test Pattern is a Web site that was conceived as a general-purpose test bench so that users and developers can check for HTML compliance. While still under construction, it already includes a standard suite of tests for text, audio, graphics, meta-links, animations, forms and tables. The URL is http://www.uark.edu/∼wrg/. There is a tiled background to the WWW Test Pattern home page, which is rendered correctly by Netscape Version 1.2.b2 but not rendered at all by NCSA Mosaic Version 2.0.0b4. There can be gradations of compliance. Some of the tests are passive-the user merely loads the test document and views the result. Other tests require direct user involvement. Audio files provide a case in point because, unlike in-line image files, which are automatically displayed, audio files require an action on the user's part to be played. Most modern clients include user-configurable launch pads, so over time, the importance of the distinction between integrated and spawnable perusers will vanish. As it develops, the Web Test Pattern will attempt to include as rich a variety of media as there is on the Web, thereby enabling both users and developers to test for compliance with HTML levels.
The discovery of N-1 substituted 2-aminobenzimidazoles as zinc-dependent S. aureus biofilm inhibitors

A diverse 23-compound library of N-1 substituted 2-aminobenzimidazoles was synthesized via an efficient three-step process. This small library produced several non-toxic biofilm modulators of two strains of MRSA. Preliminary mechanistic studies reveal a zinc-dependent mode of action for these compounds.
Simple HPLC Method, with Fluorometric Detection, for Studying the Oral Absorption of Monomeric Catechins in a Small Animal Model

Abstract A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method, with fluorometric detection, was developed for studying the oral absorption and ensuing plasma pharmacokinetics of (+)‐catechin and (−)‐epicatechin in a small animal model. A plasma sample was first incubated with buffered β‐glucuronidase plus sulfatase to release the catechins from their conjugated forms, and next deproteinized with methanol‐perchloric acid (3+2) mixture containing an internal standard ((+)‐catechin for the assay of (−)‐epicatechin and the latter for the assay of the former). Analyses were carried out on a Microsorb‐MV C18 column, with methanol‐water‐formic acid (15∶84∶1) flowing at 1 mL/min, and a fluorometric detector set at an excitation wavelength of 280 nm and an emission wavelength of 310 nm. (+)‐Catechin and (−)‐epicatechin eluted at 6.7 min and 13.8 min, respectively. Detector responses were linearly related to concentrations of catechin compound in the range 5–160 nM (r2 ≥0.993). The limits of detection were 0.75 ...
Huntington disease: linkage analysis with age-of-onset corrections.

Eleven extended pedigrees segregating autosomal dominant Huntington disease (HD) were analyzed for linkage with 15 gene markers. A straight-line age correction (STLN), fitted roughly to published age-of-onset data but excluding the oldest and youngest ages, was used. The results failed to confirm a positive lod score reported by Brackenridge et al [1978] between HD and haptoglobin (Hp); our lod scores, taken alone, would rule out this linkage. No lod score in our study exceeded 0.40. Three informative markers, adenosine deaminase (ADA), Hp, and MNSs, were used to compare results obtained by employing different age corrections during lod score calculation. In addition to STLN, a least-squares line (LSQR) and a cumulative normal curve (CUMN) were used. CUMN was assumed to be the most accurate, since it fitted the data most closely. For comparison, two methods involving no age correction were also examined: one in which all unaffected persons were uniformly assigned a 50% penetrance (NONE) and one in which all younger at-risk persons were removed from the analysis (REMV). NONE and REMV distorted lod scores, in some cases strikingly. More importantly, they also sometimes biased the estimate of the recombination fraction. In contrast, STLN and LSQR gave results generally very similar to those found using CUMN. Thus, it was concluded that the exact shape of the age correction used is not critical to linkage analyses, but that failure to use any correction may lead to unacceptable results.
Nestin-positive progenitor cells derived from adult human pancreatic islets of Langerhans contain side population (SP) cells defined by expression of the ABCG2 (BCRP1) ATP-binding cassette transporter.

The disease diabetes mellitus arises as a consequence of a failure of the beta-cells in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas to produce insulin in the amounts required to meet the needs of the body. Whole pancreas or islet transplants in patients with severe diabetes effectively restore insulin production. A lack of availability of donor pancreata requires the development of alternative sources of islets such as the ex vivo culture and differentiation of stem/progenitor cells. Earlier we discovered multipotential progenitor cells in islets isolated from adult human pancreata that express the neural stem cell marker nestin: nestin-positive islet-derived progenitor cells (NIPs). Recently it was shown that the exclusion of the Hoechst 33342 dye, which defines the pluripotential side population (SP) of hematopoietic stem cells, is mediated by the ATP-binding cassette transporter, ABCG2. Here we report that the human islet-derived NIPs contain a substantial subpopulation of SP cells that co-express ABCG2, MDR1, and nestin. Thus NIPs may be a potential source of adult pluripotential stem/progenitor cells useful for the production of islet tissue for transplantation into diabetic subjects.
The Tropical Semiannual Oscillations in Temperature and Ozone as Observed by the MLS

The first two years of Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) temperature and ozone data are used to examine the tropical upper-stratospheric semiannual oscillation (SAO). Time series analysis revealed that the strongest amplitudes of the SAO occurred near the equator at 2 mb for temperature and 5 mb for ozone, consistent with previous observations. The first cycle of each calendar year was observed to have a much higher amplitude than the second cycle except for the warm phase in late 1991. Interannual variability in the strength of the SAO, such as the much stronger warm phase of late 1991 as compared to late 1992, was significant and could be partly attributed to the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) in zonal wind.
Nutrient- and density-dependent effects in a producer-consumer model

Abstract A class of models of a nutrient-producer-consumer community is studied analytically and numerically. The analytical study focuses upon the role of total system nutrient and consumer density dependence in governing system behavior and especially, on the persistence and extinction of the population. The numerical study demonstrates that the relationship between consumer density dependence, total system nutrient, and dynamic system behavior can be complicated. Features of the model system include behavior determined solely by total system nutrient, behavior where the relationship between total system nutrient and density dependence governs system dynamics, and behavior where nutrient enrichment or deplation cannot modify ultimate system structure. A conclusion, robust for the model consumer density dependent formulation, indicates that, in the case of ample total nutrient, persistence of the community is independent of consumer density dependence.
Malignancies diagnosed in pregnancy

Abstract The diagnosis of cancer is estimated to be associated with one in 1,000 pregnancies. Conversely, 0.8% of cancers are diagnosed in pregnant women. The lesions are more likely to present with advanced disease possibly as a result of greater difficulty in establishing diagnosis due to physiologic changes and symptoms of pregnancy, a hormonal milieu supportive of malignancy or immunosuppression. When compared stage for stage, the malignancies diagnosed in pregnancy are associated with the same prognosis as those identified in matched controls. The most common site diagnosed is cervix, followed by breast, skin (melanoma), lymph, ovary, colo/rectum, and thyroid. Presenting symptoms and evaluation are discussed. Treatment of these lesions has to be individualized based on the extent of the patient's disease, the gestational age of the fetus, and a consensus regarding the desire and advisability of continuing the gestation. Administration of chemotherapy during the first trimester may result in an increased risk of congenital anomalies depending on the type of agent and the timing in relationship to organogenesis. Chemotherapy is relatively safe following the completion of the process; more common side-effects have included growth retardation, postnatal developmental delay, and bone marrow suppression, with no detection of untoward effects in the majority of children. Fertility preservation following chemotherapy is related to the overall toxicity of the selected regimen and the age of the patient, with younger women experiencing a lower rate of ovarian failure. Radiation therapy is teratogenic, and its effect increases exponentially with doses above 0.1 Gy (=10 rads). Tumoricidal doses delivered to the pelvis will result in a spontaneous abortion. Other sites may be irradiated if the fetus can be effectively protected with shielding, which becomes more difficult as the pregnancy advances. Fertility should be unaffected if the ovaries are not in the irradiated field; fractionated doses in excess of 1,500 cGy or a single dose greater than 700 cGy will lead to ovarian failure. In conclusion, malignancies are rarely diagnosed in pregnancy, but present in more advanced stages of disease. The survival is comparable to matched controls. Treatment is highly individualized but can often be delivered safely during pregnancy. Awareness of the more common types of cancers presenting in pregnancy, their symptoms and diagnositic evaluation, as well as familiarity with possible treatments will allow the clinician caring for pregnant women to aid in earlier diagnosis and expedite referral for counseling and treatment.
Acute inhalation exposure to cyclohexane and schedule-controlled operant performance in rats: comparison to d-amphetamine and chlorpromazine.

Adult male rats pressed a lever on a multiple fixed ratio-fixed interval (FR20-FI120 sec) schedule of food presentation, and after attaining a stable baseline subjects received an acute inhalation exposure to cyclohexane vapor (0 ppm, 500 ppm, 2000 ppm, or 7000 ppm) for 6 hr. During the operant session that began 30 min after termination of exposure, FR running rate for the 7000 ppm group decreased 11% relative to performance on the previous day. FR post-reinforcement pause duration and the rate and pattern of FI performance were unaffected. Cyclohexane exposures of 500 or 2000 ppm had no detectable effects. No enduring effects of cyclohexane occurred up to 2 weeks after exposure. An independent set of rats, trained under nominally identical conditions, received various doses (i.p.) of d-amphetamine (AMPH) or chlorpromazine (CPZ) at 1–2 week intervals. Effective doses of AMPH decreased FR running rate, decreased FR post-reinforcement pause duration and increased FI rate of response. AMPH also decreased th...
Symmetry-breaking bifurcations in one-dimensional excitable media.

A two-species reaction-diffusion model is used to study bifurcations in one-dimensional excitable media. Numerical continuation is used to compute branches of traveling waves and periodic steady states, and linear stability analysis is used to determine bifurcations of these solutions. It is shown that the sequence of symmetry-breaking bifurcations which lead from the homogeneous excitable state to stable traveling waves can be understood in terms of an O(2)-symmetric normal form.
Perceptions of Marijuana and its Effects: A Comparison of Users and Nonusers*

A sample of 100 marijuana users and 77 nonusers were surveyed with respect to their perceptions of various factors related to the use of marijuana and its effects. Marijuana users and nonusers were not found to differ in terms of demographic variables, perceptions of sources influential in the decision to use marijuana, and perceived reasons for the use of marijuana. Users and nonusers were found to differ with regard to types of drugs used other than marijuana, perception of sources potentially influential in the users' decision to discontinue using marijuana, and perception of effects experienced by marijuana intoxicated persons. Nonusers were thus found to be generally cognizant of factors associated with the use of marijuana but relatively naive concerning the major effects of a marijuana high as perceived by nonusers.
Characterization of left ventricular chamber distortion: Alterations in cavity shape and orientation in mitral stenosis

Distortion of the left ventricular (LV) chamber silhouette was identified in 28 patients with mitral stenosis (MS) by disparity between normally identical chamber volumes calculated independently from the frontal (AP) and lateral (LAT) views of biplane cineangiograms (AP end diastolic volume 157.8 +/- 10.0 ml, LAT end diastolic volume 115.6 +/- 7.2 ml, p less than .001). Similar systematic disparity was observed in estimates of end systolic volume in these views. While no directional difference in ejection fraction was found, identical (+/- 10%) AP and LAT measurements were obtained in only 36% of patients, indicating poor reproducibility of the estimate of LV function between single radiographic views. A technique was also devised for determining the spatial orientation of the LV long axis (mid mitral valve to apex) from biplane cineangiograms; this axis was shown to intercept the frontal plane at an angle of 50.9 +/- 2.4 degrees in 12 subjects with normal LV anatomy and 36.1 +/- 4.5 degrees in seven patients with MS, indicating that the long axis was rotated posteriorly toward alignment with the frontal plane in the latter group. The presence and magnitude of LV chamber distortion was clearly related to the degree of angiographically estimated right ventricular dilatation. Implications of these observations, particularly with reference to the estimation of single plane LV volume characteristics in patients with MS, are discussed.
Performance congruence and value congruence impact on sales force annual sales

The separate and joint impact of performance congruence (similarity between salespeople and their sales managers) and value congruence on annual sales are investigated in a field study. Two hundred thirty-nine salespeople and their sales managers from several industries participated in the study. A significant association was found for separate and joint associations between performance congruence and value congruence and annual sales. More specifically, the more similar salespeople and their sales managers are regarding performance congruence measures, “identifying new prospects” and “setting up an initial appointment” and personal values, “warm relationships with others,” and “sense of belonging,” the higher annual sales.
3D wave-equation interferometric migration of VSP multiples

For VSP data, interferometric migration of free-surface multiples has two significant advantages over standard VSP migration: 1). a significantly larger imaging area than that of conventional migration of VSP primaries, and 2). less sensitivity to velocity and static errors than conventional migration of VSP multiples. In this report we validate these claims by applying wave-equation interferometric migration to 3D VSP data. Results show that interferometric migration can produce an image volume that is comparable to that of a small 3D surface seismic survey around the well, but at a much reduced processing and acquisition cost. This may suggest that 3D interferometric migration of VSP multiples can be a cost effective 4D monitoring tool for some oil fields.
Corporate perspective of the role of the occupational health nurse

One hundred and twenty-three Ohio employers were surveyed about expectations for occupational health nurse performance of 20 current and desired future activities. Employers identified activities that (a) the nurse was currently performing, or (b) would be desired in the future, or (c) were not appropriate for the nurse. Findings showed occupational health nurses are counseling employees, treating illness and injury, evaluating safe return to work, and tracking workers' compensation cases. Activities most desired in the future are analyses of trends in health programs and study of cost-effective health program alternatives. Activities most frequently selected require skills of evaluation, budgeting, and cost-benefit analysis. Most occupational health nurses have not had the opportunity to learn skills of fiscal management; therefore meeting employer expectations will require new education.