cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurement of Orthogonal Surface Gradients and Reconstruction of Surface Topography from Digital Gradient Sensing Method

Shape and surface topography evaluation from measured orthogonal slope/gradient data is of considerable engineering significance as many full-field optical sensors and interferometers readily output such a data accurately. This has applications ranging from metrology of optical and electronic elements, surface profile estimation, wave front and shape reconstruction, to name a few. In this context, a recently developed non-contact, full-field optical method called Digital Gradient Sensing (DGS) capable of measuring small angular deflections of light rays (~10−4 degree) is used to measure surface slopes of a silicon wafer subjected to mechanical deformations. A robust Higher-order Finite-difference-based Least-squares Integration (HFLI) scheme in the Southwell configuration is developed to reconstruct the surface topography. It involves solving a set of integration equations to compute the values of out-of-plane deflections based on least-squares approach.
Incorporation of Pyrazine and Bipyridine Linkers with High-Spin Fe(II) and Co(II) in a Metal-Organic Framework.

A series of isoreticular metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) of the formula M(BDC)(L) (M = Fe(II) or Co(II), BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylate, L = pyrazine (pyz) or 4,4′-bipyridine (bipy)) has been synthesized and characterized by N2 gas uptake measurements, single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, magnetometry, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and Mossbauer spectroscopy. These studies indicate the formation of a permanently porous solid with high-spin Fe(II) and Co(II) centers that are weakly coupled, consistent with first-principles density functional theory calculations. This family of materials represents unusual examples of paramagnetic metal centers coordinated by linkers capable of mediating magnetic or electronic coupling in a porous framework. While only weak interactions are observed, the rigid 3D framework of the MOF dramatically impacts the properties of these materials when compared with close structural analogues.
Nonlinear Controller Design by Uncovering Linear Dynamics Hidden by Input-Output Linearization

Abstract A great deal of research has addressed the problem of explicitly linearizing the input-output response of a nonlinear system via state feedback. However, this approach can often hide linear dynamics that could be useful for controller design. A controller design methodology is developed based on a coordinate transformation that uncovers the linear dynamics hidden by conventional input-output linearization. This methodology is illustrated via simulation of a CSTR example and it is shown that this controller performance is better than the performance of a standard input-output linearization approach.
The Impact of Academic Facility Type and Case Volume on Survival in Patients Undergoing Curative Radiation Therapy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Purpose Bladder-preserving curative radiation therapy (RT) has been established as an excellent treatment option for select patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, some clinicians have concerns that good outcomes are only achievable at high-volume facilities (HVFs) and academic centers (ACs), questioning successful reproducibility of curative RT at smaller centers. This study sought to determine whether treatment at ACs or HVFs was associated with better overall survival (OS) than treatment at nonacademic centers or lower-volume facilities. Methods and Materials We performed a retrospective cohort study of National Cancer Database patients (n=2763) with cT2 to cT4 N0 M0 transitional cell MIBC who received curative RT (60-70 Gy) with or without concurrent chemotherapy. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the instantaneous hazard of death as a function of univariate and multivariate patient characteristics and clinical measures. Results Univariate analysis showed that academic facility type was significantly associated with improved OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79-0.98; P =.02) whereas higher case volume was not associated with improved survival (HR, 0.97; 95% CI 0.92-1.01; P =.15). Multivariate analysis showed no differences in OS for treatment at ACs versus nonacademic centers (HR, 0.94; 95% CI 0.84-1.06; P =.31) or HVFs versus lower-volume facilities (HR, 0.99; 95% CI 0.94-1.04; P =.60). The 2-year OS rate was 54.5% (95% CI 52.5%-56.4%), and the 5-year OS rate was 28.9% (95% CI 27.0%-30.8%). Conclusions Although some providers are cautious about offering curative RT at all centers, this large hospital-based study suggests that facility type and volume are not significantly associated with OS for patients undergoing curative RT after we account for other clinically relevant risk factors. The results of this study demonstrate that curative RT in the treatment of MIBC may be considered for patients regardless of facility type or volume.
Messages from the voices within: regulation of signaling by proteins of the nuclear lamina

The nuclear lamina (NL) is a protein scaffold lining the nuclear envelope that consists of nuclear lamins and associated transmembrane proteins. It helps to organize the nuclear envelope, chromosomes, and the cytoplasmic cytoskeleton. The NL also has an important role in regulation of signaling, as highlighted by the wide range of human diseases caused by mutations in the genes for NL proteins with associated signaling defects. This review will consider diverse mechanisms for signaling regulation by the NL that have been uncovered recently, including interaction with signaling effectors, modulation of actin assembly and compositional alteration of the NL. Cells with discrete NL mutations often show disruption of multiple signaling pathways, however, and for the most part the mechanistic basis for these complex phenotypes remains to be elucidated.
Animal models of idiopathic scoliosis

Structural deformity of the spine can present during embryonic development as well as during a range of postnatal growth and maturation in humans. The most common spine disorders observed in human are classified as idiopathic scoliosis (IS), with the majority of these presenting during adolescence. By definition there is a limited understanding of the underlying causes of these idiopathic disorders. Several animal models have been reported to display hallmarks and characteristic traits of IS ranging from pineal gland resection in chicken to surgically induced scoliosis in large animal models to more recent examples of heritable genetic models in mouse and zebrafish. Moreover, recent progress using human genomic studies coupled with genetically tractable models of IS using the mouse and zebrafish has begun to advance a more mechanistic understanding of the genetics and pathogenesis of this condition. In this chapter, we review the range of animal models for IS, highlighting the important findings from each model and addressing caveats for consideration. Studies using relevant animal models have tremendous potential to identify the mechanisms underlying IS and other diseases of the spine and offer an ethical and cost-effective platform for the development of novel therapeutics.
Fire and Water

Suppose there were two intelligent beings - let’s call them scientists - sitting on a planet orbiting Epsilon Eridani, a star just over 10 light years from Earth. They are writing a book about how life could evolve on other worlds. Their technology is a little more advanced than ours, but not by much. For example, they’ve developed powerful remote detection technologies that can gather a good bit of information on solar systems up to 12 light years away (while we can barely detect large planets in such a system, and only indirectly at that). Like us, though, they haven’t yet achieved the capacity for exploration by robotic probes of a world that distance from their home planet, so they don’t have any close-up high-resolution images of the worlds that far away.
Transition From Continuous Infusion Fentanyl to Hydromorphone in Critically Ill Patients

Background:The 2013 Society of Critical Care Medicine guidelines for the management of pain, agitation, and delirium in adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients recommend intravenous opioids as fir...
Nonprimate lentiviral vectors.

Advances in the nascent field of gene therapy have created a demand for gene transfer vehicles that are capable of safely and stably delivering genes to both dividing and nondividing cells. Retroviral vectors, by virtue of their ability to permanently integrate genes of interest into the target cell genome, have played a prominent role in much of the gene transfer research to date. However, their inability to transduce quiescent cells has rendered them largely ineffective for clinical applications. In contrast, adenoviral vectors are capable of infecting nondividing cells, but attempts to move these vectors into the clinic have been limited at times by their lack of stable expression and high immunogenicity. Lentiviral vectors offer a unique combination of the advantages of these two systems without many of the pitfalls. Lentiviruses can stably transduce both dividing and nondividing cells, and, unlike adenoviral vectors, are not immunogenic in vivo. The most established and tested lentiviral vectors are those based on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1). As a full-length virus, HIV is naturally optimized for production in and transduction of human cells and, as such, has proved an ideal candidate for development into a human gene transfer vector. Concern over the consequences of using vectors based on a pathogenic virus with such an optimized tropism for human cells has, however, limited the clinical applications of HIV vectors. For these reasons, vector development has begun to shift to other members of the lentivirus family that do not infect primates as part of their normal host range. In addition to the potential biosafety benefits, it is possible that some nonprimate lentiviral vectors will show an increased ability to infect some useful cell types relative to HIV-based vectors. As many of these viruses have not been well characterized biologically, an interesting cross-talk has developed where advances in lentiviral biology impact vector development and vice versa. The recent discovery of the central DNA flap in lentiviral genomes and its role in nuclear import of preintegration complexes, for example, may prove critical in bringing the efficiency of nonprimate lentiviral vectors up to the level of HIV vectors. As it appears that these nonprimate vectors might reach parity with their primate counterparts in terms of efficiency and tropism, it must now be considered whether they are truly safer for use in the clinic. This review will focus on those aspects of nonprimate lentiviral biology which make such vectors potentially useful in clinical settings.
Discordance of patient and provider perceptions of the meaning of verbal estimates of perioperative risk

Abstract Purpose To determine whether the use of semiquantitative, verbal (non-numerical) language to express levels of perioperative risk is a possible cause of poor communication between practitioners and patients. Methods Survey forms were distributed to patients who had just completed an outpatient preoperative clinic visit at a large academic medical center. Surveys were distributed from October 2015 through March 2016. Data collected included demographic characteristics, literacy and numeracy characteristics, patient recollection of level of risk discussion, and the effect of the discussion on patient desire to pursue surgery. Patients were asked to define, using percentages, commonly used verbal semiquantitative terms for levels of risk (low, medium/intermediate, and high). Results 212 patients completed surveys. Overall, 84% of patients noted that the actual level of risk was discussed in quantitative or semiquantitative terms; of these patients, 66% reported risk was described using words only. When asked to numerically define low, medium/intermediate, and high risk, patient estimates were markedly discordant, being typically higher, from the usual definitions for these terms as published in the medical literature and as used by medical practitioners. More than 55% of patients surveyed indicated that high risk would correspond to a >50% chance of adverse event, whereas clinicians generally define high risk as >5% chance of adverse event. Conclusion Semiquantitative terms used to define levels of perioperative risk may have very different meanings to patients and practitioners. To facilitate true informed consent, such terms should be avoided and more precise, numerical, quantitative estimates of risk should be used instead.
Interrater reliability of pediatric point-of-care lung ultrasound findings.

Abstract Objective We sought to assess interrater reliability (IRR) of lung point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) findings among pediatric patients with suspected pneumonia. Methods A convenience sample of patients between the ages of 6 months and 18 years with a clinical suspicion of pneumonia had a lung ultrasound performed by a POCUS-credentialed emergency medicine physician with subsequent expert review. Each lung zone was assessed as either normal or abnormal, and specific ultrasound findings were recorded. IRR was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and kappa statistics. Results Seventy-one patients, with a total of 852 lung zones imaged, were included. The sonographer assessment of normal versus abnormal, across each of the zones, demonstrated moderate agreement with ICC 0.46 (95% CI: 0.41, 0.52) and kappa 0.56. Right-sided zones demonstrated moderate agreement [0.43 (CI 0.35, 0.51)] while left-sided zones, specifically left-sided anterior zones, showed only fair agreement [0.36 (0.28, 0.44)]. IRR varied between specific findings: ICC for B-lines 0.52 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.57), pleural effusion 0.40 (0.34, 0.45), consolidation 0.39 (0.33, 0.44), subpleural consolidation 0.31 (0.25, 0.37), and pleural line irregularity 0.16 (0.10, 0.23). A composite indicator of typical pneumonia findings (consolidation, B-lines, and pleural effusion) demonstrated moderate [ICC 0.52 (0.46, 0.57)] reliability. Conclusions We found moderate interrater reliability of lung POCUS findings for the assessment of pediatric patients with suspected pneumonia. B-lines had the highest reliability. Further assessment of lung POCUS is necessary to guide proper training and optimal scanning techniques to ensure adequate reliability of ultrasound findings in the assessment of pediatric pneumonia.
Who Belongs? How Status Influences the Experience of Gemeinschaft:

Belonging is a central human aspiration, one that has drawn attention from sociologists and social psychologists alike. Who is likely to realize this aspiration? This paper addresses that question ...
The De Martonne aridity index in Calabria (Southern Italy)

ABSTRACTIn this paper, the annual rainfall and temperature values, measured in the period 1951-2016 in a region of southern Italy (Calabria), have been spatially interpolated using deterministic an...
Single-Site Laparoscopic Comprehensive Staging Of Early Ovarian Cancer

Study Objective To review the single-site laparoscopic staging procedure in a series of patients with early ovarian cancer and compare results with the literature. Design A prospective single-center study. Setting A hospital in China. Patients or Participants A total of 21 patients with apparent early stage ovarian cancer from January 2017 through March 2019. The histologic tumor types were epithelial tumors (18 patients) and dysgerminoma (2 patients). All the epithelial tumors were invasive (13 serous and 8 mucinous). Interventions Single-site laparoscopic comprehensive staging was performed in all patients according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics guidelines. Measurements and Main Results Fifteen patients had previous adnexal surgery and diagnosis and surgical staging were performed in only 6 patients during the same surgery. The patients’ median age was 32.8 years (range 26–57). Four (19%) patients desired to maintain fertility and a conservative approach was performed for this group. Single-site laparoscopic staging was completed in 20 (95%) patients. In 1 case, a conversion to laparoscopic was necessary as the para-aortic lymphadenectomy was completed because of a vessel injury that was repaired without difficulty. The median operative timewas 265 minutes (range 210–320) for radical surgery and 218 minutes (range 120–240) for the conservative approach. The mean hospital stay was 3 days. Of the 21 total patients, 6 (28.6%) were upstaged. The median follow-up was 24.7 months (range 1–27), with a disease-free survival of 100% and an overall survival of 100%. No recurrence was observed. Conclusion A comprehensive surgical staging procedure is clearly indicated in cases of early ovarian cancer and oncologic guidelines should be respected. The Single-site laparoscopic approach could be a valid alternative to laparoscopic or laparotomy.
Parasitism modifies the direct effects of warming on a hemiparasite and its host

Climate change is affecting interactions among species, including host-parasite interactions. The effects of warming are of particular interest for interactions in which parasite and host physiology are intertwined, such as those between parasitic plants and their hosts. However, little is known about how warming will affect plant parasitic interactions, hindering our ability to predict how host and parasite species will respond to climate change. Here, we test how warming affects aboveground and belowground biomass of a hemiparasitic species (Castilleja sulphurea) and its host (Bouteloua gracilis), asking whether the effects of warming depend on the interaction between these species. We also measured how warming affected the number of haustorial connections between parasite and host. We grew each species alone and together under ambient and warmed conditions. Hosts produced more belowground biomass under warming. However, host biomass was reduced when plants were grown with a hemiparasite. Thus, parasitism negated the benefit of warming on belowground growth of the host. Host resource allocation to roots versus shoots also changed in response to both interaction with the parasite and warming, with hosts producing more root biomass relative to shoot biomass when grown with a parasite and when warmed. As expected, hemiparasite biomass was greater when grown with a host. Warmed parasites had lower root:shoot ratios but only when grown with a host. Under elevated temperatures, hemiparasite aboveground biomass was marginally greater, and plants produced significantly more haustoria. These findings indicate that warming can influence biomass production, both by modifying the interaction between host plants and hemiparasites and by affecting the growth of each species directly. To predict how species will be affected, it is important to understand not only the direct effects of warming but also the indirect effects that are mediated by species interactions. Ultimately, understanding how climate change will affect species interactions is key to understanding how it will affect individual species.
Pandemic performance: Women leaders in the Covid-19 crisis

Media outlets have reported that women leaders around the globe are managing the COVID-19 crisis better than their male counterparts, responding faster and communicating better about pandemic policies. In this article, we examine empirical data on the timing of policy responses from the Coronavirus Government Response Tracker to determine whether and how countries led by women reacted differently to the pandemic. Exploring the relationship between the gender of leaders and legislators and the timing of stay-at-home orders, school closures, and coordinated public information campaigns, we find no statistical evidence supporting popular claims in the media. However, we find some evidence that the level of gender equality in legislatures is related to school closures, a policy with clear gendered consequences. These conclusions are an important first step in understanding the potentially gendered nature of the crisis response and identifying new avenues for research.
Student evaluations of transitioned-online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all of American higher education transitioned to online during Spring, 2020 A nationwide sample of 482 undergraduates were asked to identify a course that transitioned online and to evaluate dimensions of the course, in addition to completing various pedagogically relevant measures The transition was overall evaluated negatively, specifically that the courses became less enjoyable, less interesting, decreased in learning value, facilitated less attention and effort, and incorporating less cultural content after transitioning online On positive note, courses were perceived as becoming more flexible to students needs after transitioning online Evaluations of courses transitioning to online were consistently predicted by online self-efficacy, emotional well-being, computer anxiety, online student engagement, and student perceptions of instructor confidence with transitioning online Implications for continued mass online instruction, as well as general lessons for online instruction, are discussed (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)
The substance of procedures

In Democracy without Shortcuts, Cristina Lafont identifies proceduralist or ‘deep pluralist’ conceptions of democracy alongside epistemic and lottocratic approaches as shortcuts that avoid the more...
Increasing the Number of Black Otolaryngologists

Otolaryngology continues to have one of the lowest percentages of black physicians of any surgical specialty, a number than has not improved in recent years. The history of exclusion of black students in medical education as well as ongoing bias affecting examination scores, clerkship grades and evaluations, and honors society acceptance of black students may factor into the disproportionately low number of black otolaryngology residents. In order to increase the number of black physicians in otolaryngology, intentional steps must be taken to actively recruit, mentor, and train black physicians specializing in otolaryngology.
Gastric Cancer in Alaska Native and American Indian People Living in Alaska, 1990-2017.

INTRODUCTION Alaska Native (AN) people experience a high burden of gastric cancer compared with other US Native and non-Native populations. Previous reports have suggested that gastric cancer in AN people occurs at a younger age and is a more aggressive pathologic type. We evaluated all cases of gastric cancer in AN people from 1990 to 2017 and compared the epidemiologic and pathologic characteristics with the gastric cancers that occurred in the same time in the US white (USW) population. METHODS Cancer data were collected by the Alaska Native Tumor Registry and National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Comparisons were performed looking at the age and sex distribution of the affected AN and USW people, as well as the cancer characteristics, including the location, stage, and pathology. RESULTS The age distribution was significantly different between AN and USW patients (P < 0.001), with a greater proportion of AN people diagnosed younger than 40 years (11% vs 3%, P < 0.0001) and 40-59 years (37% vs 20%, P < 0.0001). In addition, a greater proportion of AN people were diagnosed with distant stage cancer (AN: 48% and USW: 35%, P < 0.0001). The age-adjusted rate of gastric cancer in the AN population was significantly higher than the USW population (20.8 vs 6.7 per 100,000 persons, P < 0.0001). Although there has been a significant decrease in the gastric cancer incidence rate in the USW population, no significant change in incidence was seen in the AN population. DISCUSSION This study highlights the disproportionate burden of gastric cancer in the AN population. Further work is needed to address and understand this disparity.
Linear Systems of Equations and Generalized Inverses of Matrices

Consider the linear system of equations $$Ax = b,$$ (63) where A is m x n and b is an m-element vector. The meaning of (63), as a system of equations, is that we seek an n-element vector x satisfying (63). If m = n and if A is nonsingular there exists the unique solution $$x* = {{A}^{{ - 1}}}b.$$ (64)
Membrane Deenergization by Colicin K Affects Fluorescence of Exogenously Added but Not Biosynthetically Esterified Parinaric Acid Probes in Escherichia coli

Fluorescence of the conjugated polyene fatty acid, parinaric acid (PnA), was studied in membranes of Escherichia coli during deenergization by colicin K. The free fatty acid and biosynthetically esterified forms of cis-PnA (9,11,13,15-cis,trans,trans,cis-octadecatetraenoic acid), both of which are sensitive to E. coli lipid-phase transitions, were compared. When free cis-PnA was added exogenously to respiring bacteria, dissipation of the energized state of the membrane resulted in a dramatic increase in cis-PnA fluorescence; all-trans-PnA was much less sensitive. Neither spectral shifts nor a change in cis-PnA fluorescence polarization were observed. Analysis of the PnA content of extracellular fractions of deenergized and control cells revealed a difference in probe distribution: the membranes of energy-poisoned E. coli bound about 77% of exogenously added cis-PnA, whereas membranes of actively respiring controls bound only about 44%. No fluorescence enhancement was observed in cells centrifuged to remove unbound cis-PnA before colicin treatment. When cis-PnA was biosynthetically esterified to phospholipids of an unsaturated fatty acid auxotroph of E. coli, the fluorescence did not change during membrane deenergization. In double-probe experiments, membrane deenergization resulted in fluorescence enhancement of exogenously added N-phenyl-1-naphthylamine, without change in esterified PnA fluorescence. We conclude that deenergization of E. coli membranes leads to increased binding and fluorescence of exogenously added PnA and cannot be detected from within the inner and outer membranes by PnA esterified in vivo.
A resonant interpretation of gross structure in 12C + 12C and16O + 16O inelastic scattering☆

Abstract A barrier-top-resonance model calculation is found adequate to describe the gross structure behavior thus far observed in 12 C + 12 C and 16 O + 16 O inelastic scattering excitation functions.
Comparative efficacy of alemtuzumab and established treatment in the management of multiple sclerosis

Alemtuzumab is the newest disease-modifying therapy approved for the treatment of relapsing multiple sclerosis. Alemtuzumab is an anti-CD52 targeted antibody that causes lysis of T and B lymphocytes, monocytes, natural killer cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. Following its administration, a prolonged T-cell lymphopenia results with emergence of a reconstituted immune system that differs in its composition from that pretreatment. In clinical trials, alemtuzumab has shown impressive efficacy with regard to clinical and radiological outcomes in relapsing multiple sclerosis, along with sustained long-term beneficial effects, and it is attractive for its once-yearly administration. Despite this, the occurrence of serious secondary autoimmune disorders, infections, and a potential risk of malignancy necessitates a careful evaluation of risks versus benefits for an individual patient prior to its use. The requirement of patient commitment to the intense mandatory monitoring program is also a factor to be considered when incorporating alemtuzumab into the treatment regimen.
Impact of Cognitive Function on MMPI-2 Validity in Neurologically Impaired Patients

The Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised (WMS-R), Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R), and Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Invcntory-2 (MMPI-2) were completed by 88 outpatients at a neuropsychology clinic who had diagnoses of central nervous system dysfunction. Extent of IQ, memory, or attention impairment were associated with elevations on MMPI-2 validity scales. Magnitude of estimated IQ loss separated valid from invalid profile groups more clearly than did obtained Full Scale IQ. Nonresponsivity to item content is probable when the patient scores below 70 on the WMS-R Memory or Attention/Concentration indexes, or earns a WAIS-R IQ that falls 20 points or more below expected premorbid level. These effects appear to be relatively independent of the patient's measured reading or intellectual levels. The MMPI-2 appears to provide valid information about the emotional status of patients with moderate and mild neurocognitive impairment.
Structuring Iterators to Encourage Reuse

The concept of iterators was well developed by Liskov and Guttag, using CLU, and Shaw, Wulf, and London, using Alphard. The use of iterators in Ada has been limited somewhat by a restricted view of iterators presented through the Booch components. This paper explores the construction and use of iterators in Ada where the construction of iterators is based upon the earlier works using CLU and Alphard.
Detection and identification of phytopathogenic Xanthomonas strains by amplification of DNA sequences related to the hrp genes of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria

Three pairs of oligonucleotide primers specific for different regions of the hrp gene (hypersensitive reaction and pathogenicity) cluster of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria were designed and tested for amplification of DNA isolated from a large number of different bacteria. DNA sequences related to the hrp genes were successfully amplified from X. fragariae and from 28 pathovars of X. campestris. No DNA amplification occurred with genomic DNA from phytopathogenic strains of X. campestris pv. secalis, X. campestris pv. translucens, and X. albilineans or from nonpathogenic opportunistic xanthomonads and phytopathogenic strains of the genera Acidovorax, Agrobacterium, Clavibacter, Erwinia, Pseudomonas, and Xylella. The DNA from those bacteria also failed to hybridize to hrp-specific fragments in Southern blot analysis. DNA fragments amplified with a particular primer pair were of identical size from each of the different phytopathogenic xanthomonads. However, restriction analysis of these fragments by using frequently cutting endonucleases revealed variation in the pattern for these hrp-related fragments amplified from the different Xanthomonas strains. The restriction patterns generated for the different fragments allowed distinction of the strains representing a pathovar or species of phytopathogenic xanthomonads. We believe that DNA amplification with hrp-specific oligonucleotide primers is a highly sensitive and specific method that can be applied for detection and identification of phytopathogenic xanthomonads. Images
Developments in Bioremediation of Soils and Sediments Polluted with Metals and Radionuclides: 2. Field Research on Bioremediation of Metals and Radionuclides

Bioremediation of metals and radionuclides has had many field tests, demonstrations, and full-scale implementations in recent years. Field research in this area has occurred for many different metals and radionuclides using a wide array of strategies. These strategies can be generally characterized in six major categories: biotransformation, bioaccumulation/bisorption, biodegradation of chelators, volatilization, treatment trains, and natural attenuation. For all field applications there are a number of critical biogeochemical issues that most be addressed for the successful field application. Monitoring and characterization parameters that are enabling to bioremediation of metals and radionuclides are presented here. For each of the strategies a case study is presented to demonstrate a field application that uses this strategy.
Heated laminarizing gas flow in a square duct

Abstract Experiments in a vertical, rounded-corner square duct are reported for heating rates which cause significant property variation in helium and nitrogen. New data are presented for adiabatic wall friction in laminar, transitional and turbulent flow and for heated flows in the low Reynolds number, turbulent range. The validity of an existing correlation for variable properties turbulent flow is extended down to Re i = 4000. In laminar flow, effects on local heat transfer parameters are slight but local friction factors vary strongly as the wall-to-bulk temperature ratio varies. Data concentrated in the range 3000 Re i 4 are examined to determine heating rates which cause premature laminarization as the Reynolds number decreases axially along the tube. Laminarization criteria based on inlet conditions correspond to values of the “critical” acceleration parameter observed for two-dimensional, accelerated, external flows. Local heat transfer measurements show a wall shear stress parameter provides a better indication of incipient laminarization along the duct than the acceleration parameter.
Motives, Strategic Approach, Objectives & Focal Areas in e-Gov-Induced Change

In its early catalogue and transaction phases, E-Government (e-Gov) has been quite successful, although some critics say that it mainly reaped the harvest of relatively low hanging fruits by making paper-based information accessible over the Web, and also by Web-enabling some existing transaction processes. The subsequent horizontal and vertical integration phases of e-Gov, those critics hold, present a greater challenge and require more technological sophistication and organizational effort. Business processes may need streamlining, change, and even replacement in order to become more citizen-centric and also increase government internal effectiveness and efficiency (IEE). This exploratory study finds that strategies and objectives for reaching the integration phase vary with focal areas and motives. However, e-Gov, it is found, is a main driver of business process change in the public sector. Many practices and lessons learned from private sector reengineering apply in the government context.
Assessment, Authorization and Access to Medicaid Managed Mental Health Care

Examined were effects on access of managed care assessment and authorization processes in California’s 57 county mental health plans. Primary data on managed care implementation were collected from surveys of county plan administrators; secondary data were from Medicaid claims and enrollment files. Using multivariate fixed effects regression, we found that following implementation of managed care, greater access occurred in county plans where assessments and treatment were performed by the same clinician, and where service authorizations were made more rapidly. Lower access occurred in county plans where treating clinicians authorized services themselves. Results confirm the significant effects of managed care processes on outcomes and highlight the importance of system capacity.
The accuracy and role of cross-sectional imaging in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

Greater than 250,000 appendectomies are performed in the United States annually for presumed acute appendicitis. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis was typically based on history, physical examination, and laboratory findings. More recently, CT imaging is being used routinely by emergency room physicians involved with the evaluation of patients with possible appendicitis. Surgeons, however, have resisted the routine use of CT scans in these patients, suggesting that clinical acumen was sufficient and that cost-analysis would support the claim that CT scanning is grossly overused. Early studies could not document that negative appendectomy rates (approximately 15%) were falling as the frequency of routine CT scans increased. Because rates of negative appendectomy and appendiceal perforation are believed to be inversely proportional, high negative appendectomy rates have been tolerated over the years to avoid the higher morbidity and mortality associated with perforation. Whereas the use of advanced imaging (CT or ultrasound [US]) in patient groups at high risk for error in diagnosis (fertile women, obese patients, and the extremes of age) [1] is supported by most surgeons, the indiscriminant use of CT scanning in virtually all patients is still being criticized. More recent evidence, however, has demonstrated that cross-sectional imaging, especially CT, is a useful adjunct in the evaluation of nearly all patients with suspected acute appendicitis [2‐6]. Over the last several years, negative appendectomy rates have declined in the United States. Most patients with possible appendicitis should undergo cross-sectional imaging before exploration. This article reviews the role of cross-sectional imaging in patients with suspected appendicitis, specifically addressing accuracy, indications, and cost implications.
An Analysis of Advertisements: A Lens for Viewing the Social Exclusion of Women in Police Imagery

The present study was designed to analyze gender stereotypes in U.S. print advertisements of police officers in a professional police magazine (n = 680). A decade (1996–2006) of advertisements was examined using E. Goffman's (1979) framework for content/frame analysis. The results suggest that women (n = 99) are numerically underrepresented and socially excluded from the imagery of crime-fighting; rather, they are portrayed as being in lower ranks, stereotypically as caretakers and nurturers. The implications for women police, the citizens they serve, and the administrators who hire them are critical, as advertisements function as a feedback loop whereby notions of what a female officer is are represented, digested, and recreated.
Racial/ethnic and educational differences in the estimated odds of recent nitrite use among adult household residents in the United States: an illustration of matching and conditional logistic regression.

This article compares estimates of the relative odds of nitrite use obtained from weighted unconditional logistic regression with estimates obtained from conditional logistic regression after post-stratification and matching of cases with controls by neighborhood of residence. We illustrate these methods by comparing the odds associated with nitrite use among adults of four racial/ethnic groups, with and without a high school education. We used aggregated data from the 1994-B through 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). Difference between the methods and implications for analysis and inference are discussed. [Translations are provided in the International Abstracts Section of this issue.]
Penicillium peritonitis in a patient receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

We describe herein a case of peritonitis caused by Penicillium species in a patient receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). This is the first reported case of Penicillium peritonitis complicating CAPD. It is also unusual because Penicillium typically is considered a contaminant and only rarely is it considered a human pathogen.
Cytology of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration versus conventional transbronchial needle aspiration.

BACKGROUND: Conventional endoscopic transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) is a common procedure used to obtain samples for diagnosing and staging lung lesions. Recently, endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has been developed and increasingly used by clinicians. Clinical data suggest that EBUS-TBNA has higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional TBNA in staging lung cancers. In this study, the authors have investigated the cytological features and compared the diagnostic yield of these procedures in lung cancer patients. METHODS: A computer search of the cytopathology archives at The Johns Hopkins Hospital revealed 188 EBUS-TBNA cases (308 lymph nodes; 47 lung lesions) and 74 TBNA cases (106 lymph nodes; 44 lung lesions) over a 28-month period. All cytological material was correlated with available corresponding surgical material. RESULTS: The most frequently sampled lymph nodes were stations 4R and 7 in both TBNA and EBUS-TBNA; in addition, the EBUS-TBNA showed a wide range of lymph node sampling. EBUS-TBNA had a significantly lower nondiagnostic rate (8.7%) compared with TBNA (28.3%, P .05), and the sensitivity and specificity were 78.9% and 100% in the TBNA group; and 89.5% and 100% in the EBUS-TBNA group. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicated that EBUS-FNA cytology is an optimal modality for diagnosing and staging in lung cancer patients, in comparison to conventional TBNA. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Model-predictive control of linear multivariable systems having time delays and right-half-plane zeros

Abstract The design of high performance model-predictive controllers for multivariable systems having both time delays and right-half-plane (RHP) zeros is a challenge. For multivariable systems, G ( s ), having time delays in each element, time delay compensation methods are known. However, even after time delay compensation the system can still have an infinite number of RHP zeros arising from the determinant of G ( s ). These RHP zeros are the roots of exponential polynomials, |G| = ∑ n j =1 p j ( s ) e −γ j s / q ( s ), where p j ( s ), q ( s ) are polynomials. Even more challenging problems arise when the original problem has exponential polynomials in each element of G ( s ) rather than a single delay term. In this paper, model-predictive controller design methods are presented for this class of problems which allow either decoupled control systems or control systems which dump all the undesirable dynamics onto a single output. Perhaps the most striking result is that the effects of RHP zeros can be removed completely if the problem is nonsquare with one more input than output. Examples are provided to illustrate the design procedures and resulting control system performance.
Ordering of the excited-state atomic energy levels and fine-structure inversion in atomic and ionic spectra

The k-ordering properties of the spectra of atoms and ions consisting of single valence electron outside a core of closed shells (k = n + l) have been introduced and discussed extensively in three previous papers, together with the constant l sequences within each group of levels having the same value of k (k bands). Here we have extended the discussion of the k ordering by a closer consideration of the three spectra: Ga I, Rb I, and Sr I. Thus it has been found that 119 additional atomic enegy levels exhibit perfect k ordering, and the resulting total number of levels included among the 42 spectra considered becomes 1274. A correlation has been shown to exist between the occurrence of inverted fine structure and the limiting angular momentum l/sub 1/ for k ordering, and the limiting ionicity delta/sub 1/. We have discussed the probable existence of a basic symmetry characterized by the quantum number k, which is partially broken by the ''l-dependent interaction,'' giving rise to a multiplet of levels with different l values, so that l < or approx. = l/sub 1/, and n = k-l (semi-fine structure). The overwhelming evidence (1274 levels) in favor of perfect kmore » ordering for l < or approx. = l/sub 1/ and delta < or approx. = delta/sub 1/ can probably be used in future analyses of atomic and ionic spectra, in order to assist in the assignment of n and/or l values to the observed energy levels E/sub n/l.« less
Terminal Schwann Cells Participate in the Competition Underlying Neuromuscular Synapse Elimination

The competitive processes that result in elimination/pruning of developing synapses are incompletely understood. Serial electron microscopy was used to image postnatal mouse neuromuscular junctions where elimination is well studied and events at every synaptic contact can be examined. Glial or Schwann cells (SCs) are shown to have two activities during elimination: their processes separate nerve terminals from each other and from the muscle fiber; they contact the plaque of acetylcholine receptors, apposing this surface as closely as the nerve, limiting the area where synaptic transmission occurs. SCs phagocytose nerve terminals contacting the muscle fiber. This phagocytosis involves all axons; SCs are not selecting the winner but rather driving turnover. Previous modeling of stochastic turnover and reoccupation of nerve contacts shows that single innervation of synaptic sites can result. Thus, our study shows roles of SCs in neuromuscular development beyond the previous demonstration of consumption of synaptic inputs after their elimination.
Glucocorticoid-stimulated protein degradation in lymphocytes: quantitation by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Abstract A semiquantitative method was employed to study the effect of glucocorticoids on molecular weight-dependent protein degradation in rat splenic lymphocytes in vitro . Cell proteins were pulse-labeled with [ 3 H]leucine, followed by incubation of the cells in medium containing 5 m M leucine, with or without hormone. Molecular weight distribution of radiolabeled proteins from whole cells was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Dexamethasone, which increases the fractional protein degradative rate in splenic lymphocytes, stimulates breakdown of larger proteins proportionally more than smaller proteins. This phenomenon is manifested by a shift of the distribution of [ 3 H]leucine-labeled proteins from dexamethasone-treated cells across the gel, causing a graded reduction in counts per minute at the high-molecular-weight (top) region of the gel and a compensatory increase of counts per minute at the gel bottom. Both the direction and degree of this shift may be quantified by mathematical analysis of the radioactivity profiles, comparing hormone-treated proteins to those from control cells. This method is considerably more sensitive than measuring protein degradation by following loss of radioactivity from acid-precipitable protein. When measured in this way, 1 μ m dexamethasone increases lymphocyte proteolysis beginning 3–4 h after steroid addition. This initial stimulation continues between 4 and 7 h of hormone treatment and is followed by a secondary enhancement of degradation, which peaks after 10 h and is maintained for up to 20 h of steroid exposure. The glucocorticoid stimulation of proteolysis is specific for active glucocorticoids and depends on the hormone concentration employed (half-maximal at a dexamethasone concentration of 5–8 n m ). This hormonal effect is demonstrable when either [ 3 H]leucine or [ 3 H]phenylalanine is used to label cell proteins, by using protein electrophoresis on gels containing 8 or 12% acrylamide. The significance of these findings is considered in relation to the mechanism of glucocorticoid-stimulated protein degradation in lymphocytes and to steroid-induced lymphocytolysis.
Adolescents' Reports of Communication With Their Parents About Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Birth Control: 1988, 1995, and 2002

Abstract Purpose We examine trends in adolescents' reports of discussion with parents about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and birth control methods from 1988 to 2002. Methods Data from the 1988 and 1995 National Survey of Adolescent Males, and the 1988, 1995, and 2002 National Survey of Family Growth were analyzed to evaluate changes in discussions of female adolescents with parents about birth control methods and STDs, and changes in male adolescent discussions with parents about birth control methods. The sample includes never married males and females aged 15–17 years. Results In 2002, fewer female adolescents reported discussion with a parent about STD or birth control methods than in 1995. The share of female adolescents in 2002 reporting no discussion of either topic with their parents increased by almost half compared to 1995. Patterns across time in male adolescents' discussions of birth control methods with their parents appear stable. Conclusions The recent decline in female adolescent reports of parent-communication about birth control and STDs, and the increase in female adolescent reports of no discussion of either topic suggest that public health officials, educators, and clinicians should invigorate their efforts to encourage parents to talk with their children about STDs and birth control.