cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes: unusual presentations of cancer. A practical review.

Abstract Introduction Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are uncommon and imperfectly understood and, therefore, are frequently underdiagnosed. Methods We review the current literature on the clinical presentation, diagnosis, pathophysiology and treatment of PNS. Results PNS are a heterogeneous group of neurologic disorders caused by an immune response to an underlying malignancy. A 3-step diagnostic process is necessary to establish the diagnosis. We review the role of onconeural antibodies in the diagnosis and pathogenesis of PNS and describe recent advances in treatment, focusing on paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis, limbic encephalitis, paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration, opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome, subacute sensory neuronopathy and Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome Conclusion PNS often antedate the diagnosis of cancer, offering an opportunity for detecting cancer at an earlier and curable stage. Tests for paraneoplastic antibodies are often negative and do not rule out the diagnosis of a paraneoplastic syndrome. Certain clinical presentations should suggest a paraneoplastic syndrome, even in the absence of paraneoplastic antibodies, and prompt a thorough search for occult malignancy.
2H, 13C, and 15N kinetic isotope effects on the reaction of the ammonia-rescued K258A mutant of aspartate aminotransferase.

Deuterium isotope effects at C2 of aspartate and heavy atom isotope effects at C2, C3, and the amino group of aspartate were determined for the reaction of the lysine-258 to alanine mutant of Escherichia coli rescued withexogenous ammonia. We were able to calculate an 1 5 N intrinsic isotope effect of 1.034. The intrinsic 1 3 C isotope effect at C3 is 1.0060, and the 1 3 C isotope effect at C2 is 1.0016. These isotope effects reveal that collapse of the carbinolamine (or gem-diamine) to give the final product is the rate-determining step in this system. Furthermore, these results indicate that lysine-258 is critical to the catalysis of the final breakdown to give product, and in fact this step is more strongly affected by mutation of lysine-258 than the deprotonation of the external aldimine.
Kinetic analysis of cation exchange in birnessite using time-resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction

Abstract In this study, we applied time-resolved synchrotron X-ray diffraction (TRXRD) to develop kinetic models that test a proposed two-stage reaction pathway for cation exchange in birnessite. These represent the first rate equations calculated for cation exchange in layered manganates. Our previous work has shown that the substitution of K, Cs, and Ba for interlayer Na in synthetic triclinic birnessite induces measurable changes in unit-cell parameters. New kinetic modeling of this crystallographic data supports our previously postulated two-stage reaction pathway for cation exchange, and we can correlate the kinetic steps with changes in crystal structure. In addition, the initial rates of cation exchange, R (A3 min−1), were determined from changes in unit-cell volume to follow these rate laws: R = 1.75[ K + ( aq ) ]0.56, R = 41.1[ Cs + ( aq ) ]1.10, R = 1.15[ Ba 2 + ( aq ) ]0.50. Thus, the exchange rates for Na in triclinic birnessite decreased in the order: Cs ≫ K > Ba. These results are likely a function of hydration energy differences of the cations and the preference of the solution phase for the more readily hydrated cation.
Hypnotizability, the dissociative experiences scale, hgshs: A amnesia, and automatic writing: Is there an association?

Abstract Abstrad: The present study examined whether partiapank (N = 112) selected on the basis of high and low dissociative ability Oissoclative Experiences Scale [DESI; Bemstein & Putnam, 1986), high and low/simulating hypnotizability (Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptiiility, Form A [HGSHSA]; Shor & Orne, 1962), and past performance on the HGSHS:Aamnesia item differentially passed an automatic writing suggestion administered during a follow-up experiment. Results from a loghear analysis supported a single main effect for hypnotizability. Low hypnotizable, simulating participants were more than six times as likely to pass the automatic writing suggestion than high hypnotizable participants. Results found dissodation status and past performance on an ostensibly dissociative suggestion (i.e., amnesia) to be independent of passing the automatic writing suggestion. Findings are discussed in light of other research regarding the relation between the DES and hypnotizability.
Development of a biodegradable foam for use in negative pressure wound therapy.

Treatment of wounds using negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) uses a nondegradable polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) foam in the application of negative pressures typically for 1–3 days. The purpose of this study was to construct and test biodegradable poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) foam as a substitute for the PVA foam. Such a foam would be left within the wound until healing was achieved and form a biodegradable matrix into which tissue would grow. The use of such foam would obviate the need for any serial foam changes and a final foam removal, thus making patient care much easier and more economical. PCL foams were prepared by salt leaching and phase separation. Morphological and mechanical properties of the foams were characterized and compared to PVA foam. PCL and PVA foams were tested on the uncut surface of a pig liver maintained in a hydration chamber continuously replenished with saline under the conditions of negative pressure of 50 mm Hg for 72 h. The results demonstrated that PCL foam made from phase separation had the similar properties and function as the PVA foam. The results demonstrate that PCL foam is an appropriate substitute for currently used nondegradable PVA foam in NPWT applications. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2011.
Recruiting vulnerable populations for research: Revisiting the ethical issues

The successful recruitment of participants is essential to the research process. To increase the rate of subject participation, investigators have to rely on help from health care providers who often serve as gatekeepers to potential research study subjects. These well-meaning professionals may limit subject participation in a study involving vulnerable populations under the guise of protecting these individuals from harm. We describe some of the characteristics of vulnerable populations affecting their recruitment into research studies. We examine the ethical conflicts that occur when health care professionals control access to these subjects during recruitment for research studies. Finally, we discuss the implications for practice and research designed to protect the rights of vulnerable populations participating in research. We identify collaboration and dialogue between researchers, health care providers, and members of the potential subject populations as most important in recruiting sufficient numbers of subjects to ensure the scientific merit of the study.
Mortality patterns among electrical workers employed in the U.S. construction industry, 1982-1987.

Background Studies of electrical workers in the utility and manufacturing industries have reported excess site-specific cancer. No previous studies of electrical workers in the construction industry have been conducted. Methods Our study evaluated the mortality patterns of 31,068 U.S. members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers who primarily worked in the construction industry and died 1982–1987. Results Comparison to the U.S. population by using the NIOSH life table showed significantly elevated proportionate mortality for many causes. Excess mortality for leukemia (proportionate mortality ratio (PMR)=115) and brain tumors (PMR=136) is similar to reports of electrical workers with occupational exposure to electric and magnetic fields in the electric utility or manufacturing industry. Excess deaths due to melanoma skin cancer (PMR=123) are consistent with findings of other PCB-exposed workers. A significantly elevated PMR was observed for the diseases caused by asbestos: lung cancer (PMR=117), asbestosis (PMR=247), and malignant mesothelioma (PMR=356) and from fatal injuries, particularly electrocutions (PMR=1180). The findings of statistically significant excess deaths for prostate cancer (PMR=107), musculoskeletal disease (PMR=130), suicide (PMR=113), and disorders of the blood-forming organs (PMR=141) were unexpected. Conclusions Results suggest that more detailed investigations of occupational risk factors and evaluation of preventive practices are needed to prevent excess mortality in this hazardous occupation. Am. J. Ind. Med. 36:630–637, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Alopecia areata during etanercept therapy.

Purpose: To report a case of alopecia areata occurring during anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy. Methods: Observational case report. Results: The authors describe a 44-year-old man with ankylosing spondylitis who developed 6 months of patchy hair loss consistent with alopecia areata while undergoing treatment with etanercept. Conclusions: Although anti-TNF agents are expected to impede autoimmune-related processes such as alopecia areata, these drugs have been found to be causally related to the development of alopecia areata. Ophthalmologists who are increasing involved in using these biologic agents should be aware of possible side effects.
Attitude control for the Pluto Fast Flyby spacecraft

A conceptual attitude control subsystem design for the Pluto Fast Flyby spacecraft is described. Mass, cost, schedule and performance, approximately in that order, drove the mission, spacecraft, as well as the attitude control subsystem design. The paper discusses the key mission requirements impacting the attitude control subsystem design, as well as the important subsystem trades. The spacecraft is a three axis stabilized vehicle using cold gas jets for attitude control and hydrazine thrusters for trajectory correction maneuvers. Attitude determination relies heavily on a low mass star tracker capable of determining attitude by pointing anywhere in the celestial sphere. Tracking of planetary features with the star tracker may also be desirable. A small inertial reference unit and a sun sensor will accompany the tracker to complete the suite of components for attitude determination.
Management of restenosis after coronary intervention

Abstract Coronary restenosis has proven to be the “Achilles heel” of percutaneous coronary interventions, frequently leading to repeated procedures. The pathogenesis of restenosis can be divided into four phases: early elasic recoil (hours to days), mural thrombus formation (hours to days), neointimal proliferation and extracellular matrix formation (weeks), and chronic geometric arterial changes (months). Restenosis is device nonspecific except for intravascular stents, which can eliminate elastic recoil and prevent geometric vessel changes, leading to decreased restenosis. Of all antithrombotics tried so far, only an inhibitor of the platelet IIb/IIIa integrin, which may lead to early vessel wall passivation, has shown reduction of clinical restenosis. Trapidil (antiproliferative agent) and angiopeptin (somatostatin analog) have also resulted in improved restenosis rates. The field of local drug delivery is currently under investigation in association with radiation or molecular therapy. The current specific target of these approaches is the neointimal proliferation, especially because this is the most dominant mechanism of restenosis after stent placement. Evaluation of these novel methods is complex and interrelates the delivery system with the therapeutic agent administered. However, they provide the means for very specific and timely interruption of the pathogenetic process that may lead to better understanding and, ultimately, elimination of restenosis.
Understanding Nutritional Health in Older Adults: A Pilot Study

A pilot study of adults ages 65 and older admitted to an acute care setting was conducted to compare nutritional risk as measured by hospital dieticians with two Nutrition Screening Initiative tools, the DETERMINE Your Nutritional Health Checklist and the Level I Screen, and to elicit from patients their own perceptions of nutritional health. Ten community-living older adults were interviewed. Although all 10 were at nutritional risk as measured by both hospital assessment and nutritional risk screening tools, none of these patients believed themselves to be at risk. One conclusion of this pilot is that interventions and education need to be tailored to the perceptions of targeted individuals.
Neuropeptide Y immunoreActive axons in the corpus callosum of the cat during postnatal development

Many immunocytochemical studies have identified different types of neurotransmitters localized in the corpus callosum (CC) axons in the adult mammal. Few studies have looked at the development of different neurochemically identified CC systems. Previous studies on the development of cat CC axons have indicated that a large number of transitory CC axons project to the cortex during early postnatal development. The present study focuses on the development of one neurochemically identified group of CC axons in the cat, labeled with an antibody against neuropeptide Y (NPY), to determine if this group participates in transitory CC axonal growth. Cats at specified ages from birth to adulthood were studied with a routine method of immunocytochemistry for antiserum to NPY. NPY-immunoreactive (ir) CC axons were detected at all stages examined, from newborn to adult; the peak density occurred during postnatal weeks (PNW) 3-4. During PNW 1-2, the density of NPY-ir CC axons increased gradually; some NPY-ir axons at this age had growth cones located within the CC bundle between the cerebral hemispheres. The density of the NPY-ir CC axons decreased gradually during PNW 5-7, and from PNW 8 to maturity only a few NPY-ir CC axons were observed. These results indicate that at least two types of NPY-ir CC axons (i.e., transitory and permanent) exist during development, and that most of these axons are eliminated or only express NPY-ir for a short period during development. The results also indicate that neurochemical subsets of CC axons participate in the extensive transitory growth observed by means of the membrane tracer DiI but they may follow unique developmental timetables.
Variations in carbon dioxide concentration over an agricultural field

Abstract Carbon dioxide concentration of the air over an agricultural field was monitored from July to December 1962 and from January to June 1964 using an infrared CO2 analyzer. Supporting micrometeorological data, including windspeed, incident shortwave radiation (0.30-3.0 μm), net radiation, air temperature, and soil temperature were taken during part of the monitoring program. The CO2 concentration showed much larger amplitudes of annual cycles than have been observed over oceans, polar regions, or at high altitudes. The computed average annual daytime CO2 concentration near the earth's surface was 312 p.p.m. Diurnal cycles in concentration during the summer months usually showed ranges in excess of 100 p.p.m. During July, August, and September 1962, the daytime average CO2 concentration at the top of the vegetation (Zea mays L.) was about 291 p.p.m. In the diurnal cycle of CO2 concentration the daytime average CO2 concentration was very steady over an individual day, usually with little or no change during the day after the nocturnal build-up had been dispersed or consumed. Incident shortwave radiation flux density had a relatively small effect on CO2 concentration during daylight hours. Nighttime CO2 build-up was directly proportional to mean temperature and to soil-air temperature difference, and was inversely proportional to wind speed. After harvest of the 1962 crop, the diurnal cycle was altered, with gradual draw-down of CO2 occurring throughout the daylight period. After snow cover, diurnal variations became small, the typical maximum range being 22 p.p.m.
Detecting points of change in time series

Abstract A performance comparison study of six time-series change detection procedures via forecast-monitoring simulation is presented. Four of the procedures are due to Brown [1], Page [2], Box and Tiao [3] and Gardner [4]. The other two sequential detection schemes are developed in this paper; the first is based on Bagshaw and Johnson [5], while the second employs a moving-block estimator of innovations autocovariance. Eighty synthetic time series were generated, using an autoregressive model, an integrated-moving average model and a time-regression model having step changes in the parameters. The statistics being employed are based upon cumulative sum (cusum), squared cusum and discounted cusum of the innovations from the corresponding forecasting models. Results of this study indicate that the procedures which employ squared cusum and nondiscounted cusum of innovations yield smaller rates of false detection. The two best change-detection statistics of this study appear to possess good potential for industrial and business forecast monitoring applications.
THE DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF DEREGULATION ON SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND BANKS

The passage of the Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 was a legislative response to the plight of the thrift industry. The Act broadened the asset/liability powers of thrifts and granted regulators emergency authority to aid failing institutions. In this paper we analyze the effect of the Act on the market returns of large S&Ls and banks using a two-factor estimating procedure. Single-factor models of depository institutions' returns produce biased estimates and confound the Act's interpretation. Explicit treatment of the event/risk interaction is necessary to avoid ambiguities in the interpretation of the Act's effect on the returns of depository institutions. It is difficult to use capital market data to pinpoint the effect of information flows on complex regulatory changes.
The pressure induced metamagnetic transition in Au2Mn and the pressure depen- dence of the ferromagnetic Curie temperature

Abstract The APM-FM transition in Au2Mn has been induced at zero field by the application of hydrostatic pressure. The transition pressure is independent of temperature. The ferromagnetic Curie temperature increases linearly with a slope of 3.0±0.3°Ckbar-1 between 18 and 24kbar.
Hydrodynamic properties of porcine bestrophin-1 in Triton X-100

Abstract Bestrophin-1 (Best-1) is an integral membrane protein, defects in which cause Best vitelliform macular dystrophy. Best-1 is proposed to function as a Cl− channel and/or a regulator of Ca++ channels. A tetrameric (or pentameric) stoichiometry has been reported for recombinant best-1. Using a combination of gel exclusion chromatography and velocity sedimentation we examined the quaternary structure of native best-1 and found that it migrates as a single species with a Stokes radius of 7.3 nm, sedimentation coefficient (S20,w) of 4.9, and partial specific volume (ν) of 0.80 ml/g. The mass of the protein–detergent complex is calculated to be 206 kDa, with the protein component estimated to be ∼138 kDa. Given a monomeric mass of 68 kDa, we conclude that native best-1 solubilized with Triton X-100 is a homodimer. The differences between this observation and a prior report were examined by comparing recombinant best-1 with tissue derived best-1 using gel exclusion chromatography. Much of the recombinant best-1 eluted in the column void (Vo) fraction, unlike that extracted from RPE cells. We conclude that the minimal functional unit of best-1 is dimeric. This stoichiometry differs from that previously measured for recombinant best-1, suggesting that further studies are necessary to determine the stoichiometry of functional best-1 in RPE membranes.
Species DiflFerences in Mast Cells of the Thyroid Gland1

Mast cells in the thyroid gland of different mammalian species were compared with respect to endogenous 5–hydroxytryptamine (5– HT) content, ability to store 5–HT synthesized from its administered exogenous precursor, 5– hydroxytryptophan (5–HTP), ability to take up and store exogenous 5–HT, and the ultrastructure of the specific granules. Mast cells in the thyroid glands of mice and rats showed formaldehydeinduced fluorescence attributable to S–HT. These cells were also labeled radioautographically after injection of tritiated S–HTP or 5–HT in mice. The specific granules in mice and rats had a homogeneous, electron—dense inner matrix when viewed in the electron microscope. In contrast, mast cells of bats and dogs showed no formaldehyde—induced fluorescence attributable to 5–HT. These cells, in bats, did not become labeled radioautographically after injection of either tritiated 5–HTP or 5–HT. The specific granules of thyroid mast cells in bats and dogs had a heterogeneous, lamellar inner matrix when view...
Magnetic properties of single crystal GdNi2B2C

Abstract Single crystals of GdNi 2 B 2 C have been grown out of Ni 2 B flux at high temperatures. Temperature and field dependent magnetization measurements on these crystals show that in low fields (1 kG) there are two phase transitions: at 20 K there is a paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic phase transition and at 14 K there is another transition which we infer to be a spin reorientation transition. The lower temperature transition manifests itself clearly in the anisotropic magnetization data, but is effectively averaged out in measurements of a powdered sample as well as in the polycrystalline average of the anisotropic magnetization data. Both of these transitions are also conspicuous in the temperature dependent electrical resistivity. GdB 2 C 2 single crystals were also grown out of Ni 2 B flux. This compound has an antiferromagnetic phase transition at 47 K and is very likely an impurity phase responsible for the earlier, spurious, report of a 45 K phase transition in GdNi 2 B 2 C.
Challenges of biological sample preparation for SIMS imaging of elements and molecules at subcellular resolution

Abstract Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) based imaging techniques capable of subcellular resolution characterization of elements and molecules are becoming valuable tools in many areas of biology and medicine. Due to high vacuum requirements of SIMS, the live cells cannot be analyzed directly in the instrument. The sample preparation, therefore, plays a critical role in preserving the native chemical composition for SIMS analysis. This work focuses on the evaluation of frozen-hydrated and frozen freeze-dried sample preparations for SIMS studies of cultured cells with a CAMECA IMS-3f dynamic SIMS ion microscope instrument capable of producing SIMS images with a spatial resolution of 500 nm. The sandwich freeze-fracture method was used for fracturing the cells. The complimentary fracture planes in the plasma membrane were characterized by field-emission secondary electron microscopy (FESEM) in the frozen-hydrated state. The cells fractured at the dorsal surface were used for SIMS analysis. The frozen-hydrated SIMS analysis of individual cells under dynamic primary ion beam (O 2 + ) revealed local secondary ion signal enhancements correlated with the water image signals of 19 (H 3 O) + . A preferential removal of water from the frozen cell matrix in the Z -axis was also observed. These complications render the frozen-hydrated sample type less desirable for subcellular dynamic SIMS studies. The freeze-drying of frozen-hydrated cells, either inside the instrument or externally in a freeze-drier, allowed SIMS imaging of subcellular chemical composition. Morphological evaluations of fractured freeze-dried cells with SEM and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) revealed well-preserved mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, and stress fibers. SIMS analysis of fractured freeze-dried cells revealed well-preserved chemical composition of even the most highly diffusible ions like K + and Na + in physiologically relevant concentrations. The high K-low Na signature in individual cells provided a rule-of-thumb criterion for the validation of sample preparation. The fractured freeze-dried cells allowed 3-D SIMS imaging and localization of 13 C 1 5 N labeled molecules and therapeutic drugs containing an elemental tag. Examples are shown to demonstrate that both diffusible elements and molecules are prone to artifact-induced relocation at subcellular scale if the sample preparation is compromised. The sample preparation is problem dependent and may vary widely between the diverse sample types of biological systems and the type of instrument used for SIMS analysis. The sample preparation, however, must be validated so that SIMS can be applied with confidence in biology and medicine.
Parents' perceptions of a school-based prevention education program.

There are few studies of parents' views about prevention education in general, or about specific prevention education activities. Yet, their perceptions are important because families are a primary socialization source, and because parents' opinions can either reinforce or countermand the message of prevention education programs. This article is an analysis of parents' views of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program based on a statewide survey of adults from rural, suburban, and urban communities who had a child participate in the program within the past year. Parent involvement and knowledge of D.A.R.E. was high. Generally, parents were very positive about D.A.R.E., especially when they viewed the D.A.R.E. officer as an effective educator. This article suggests that much more research on parents' views and support of prevention education program needs to be conducted, especially within the context of how their perceptions may mediate the influence of the prevention effort on young people's attitudes and behaviors about substance use.
Graphical representation of design optimization processes

Abstract A graphical method for characterizing iterative engineering design optimization processes in a qualitative way is presented. The graphical construction, sometimes referred to as a plot of the ‘basins of attraction’, is a summary of how the design optimization process proceeds from many different starting points or initial designs. The method provides a global view of iterative design optimization processes—a window through which a wide range of behviour may be observed. It reveals the existence of extreme sensitivity to initial conditions that can be present in iterative processes. It provides a basis with which to compare and contrast dissimilar design processes, revealing similarities between methods that are not normally considered to be closely related; or conversely, revealing substantial differences between similar processes, such as Newton and quasi-Newton methods. An optimized example of a simple frame structure is used to demonstrate the method.
A semiautomated objective technique for applying the proximal isovelocity surface area method to quantitate mitral regurgitation: Clinical studies with the digital flow map.

Abstract Background Clinical application of the color Doppler proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method to quantify mitral regurgitation (MR) has been limited by the often inaccurate assumption that isovelocity surfaces are hemispheric. This study applied an objective method for selecting the region where the hemispheric geometry holds best on the basis of mathematic analysis of results at different distances from the orifice. We aimed to demonstrate this approach can be applied accurately in the clinical setting and can be semiautomated to promote routine use by extracting velocities from the digital Doppler output and then performing all the calculations automatically. Methods In 75 patients with isolated MR, centerline velocities (V r ) at each distance (r) from the orifice in the proximal flow field were extracted digitally. The automated analysis calculated peak MR flow rates as 2πr 2 V r and plotted these against their respective velocities. The optimal value for peak flow rate was obtained mathematically at the site where the slope of this curve was minimal (least inaccuracy). This value was combined with continuous wave Doppler data to provide regurgitant stroke volume (RSV) and orifice area (ROA), which were compared with quantitative Doppler in 75 patients and angiography in 42. Results RSV and ROA by this optimized, semiautomated PISA method correlated and agreed well with values from quantitative Doppler ( y = 0.9 x + 1.9, r = 0.90, standard error of the estimate [SEE] = 8.1 mL, mean difference = –0.7 ± 8.5 mL for RSV; y = 0.9 x + 0.02, r = 0.90, SEE = 0.048 cm 2 , mean difference = –0.005 ± 0.1 cm 2 for ROA) and correlated well with angiography (ρ = 0.90 for both RSV and ROA). Conclusions This objective PISA method for quantifying MR is accurate in the clinical setting and has been semiautomated by use of analysis of digital velocity data to provide a rapid and practical technique suitable to facilitate more extensive application in routine practice. (Am Heart J 2001;141:653-60.)
The role of tacit and explicit knowledge in the workplace

Knowledge plays a key role in the information revolution. Major challenges are to select the “right” information from numerous sources and transform it into useful knowledge. Tacit knowledge based on common sense, and explicit knowledge based on academic accomplishment are both underutilized. Ways knowledge‐enabled organizations acquire, measure, teach, share and apply knowledge are discussed and illustrated. Methods to balance the use tacit and explicit knowledge at work and practical, proven ways to improve the understanding and use of knowledge are presented. Organizations must begin to create worker‐centered environments to encourage the open sharing and use of all forms of knowledge.
A Quantitative Study of Biological Form

The technique of analytical photogrammetry has been applied to the problem of precisely specifying some of the spatial features of the growing mouse. In particular, the surface area and volume have been determined, and contour maps prepared. It is shown that the variations in weight, surface area, and volume are well represented by third-order polynomials.
Lily cofactor-independent phosphoglycerate mutase: purification, partial sequencing, and immunolocalization

A cofactor-independent phosphoglycerate mutase (PGAM-i) was isolated to homogeneity from monocotyledonous Lilium longiflorum Thunb. Two-dimensional (2D) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis resolved three PGAM-i forms. This enzyme was originally identified by cross-reactivity to antibodies affinity-purified from 2D gels using human vitronectin (VN). Antibody produced against a denatured protein spot from a 2D gel did not recognize VN protein, but partial protein and DNA sequencing showed similarity of the former protein to maize PGAM-i. Immunoblots from roots, styles, leaves, and anthers showed the presence of PGAM-i in all tissues examined; it was isolated predominantly from the soluble cell fraction, with some present in the insoluble cell fraction. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated its localization in the cytoplasm and plastids in root cells near the apical meristem. In addition, immunogold labeling detected signals from the nucleus. The immunohistochemical localization of the enzyme in the nucleus, as well as in the cytosol and plastids, indicates that lily PGAM-i might have multiple functions in the cell.
On Homogenization of Non-Divergence Form Partial Difference Equations

In this paper a method for proving homogenization of divergence form elliptic equations is extended to the non-divergence case. A new proof of homogenization is given when the coefficients in the equation are assumed to be stationary and ergodic. A rate of convergence theorem in homogenization is also obtained, under the assumption that the coefficients are i.i.d. and the elliptic equation can be solved by a convergent perturbation series.
Evaluation of smartphone sound measurement applications

This study reports on the accuracy of smartphone sound measurement applications (apps) and whether they can be appropriately employed for occupational noise measurements. A representative sample of smartphones and tablets on various platforms were acquired, more than 130 iOS apps were evaluated but only 10 apps met our selection criteria. Only 4 out of 62 Android apps were tested. The results showed two apps with mean differences of 0.07 dB (unweighted) and −0.52 dB (A-weighted) from the reference values. Two other apps had mean differences within ±2 dB. The study suggests that certain apps may be appropriate for use in occupational noise measurements.
Succination of proteins in diabetes

Cysteine is arguably the most reactive amino acid in protein. A wide range of cysteine derivatives is formed in vivo, resulting from oxidation, nitrosation, alkylation and acylation reactions. This review describes succination of proteins, an irreversible chemical modification of cysteine by the Krebs cycle intermediate, fumarate, yielding S-(2-succinyl)cysteine (2SC). Intracellular fumarate concentration and succination of proteins are increased by hyperpolarization of the inner mitochondrial membrane and develop in concert with mitochondrial and oxidative stress in diabetes. Increased succination of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase explains the loss in specific activity of this enzyme in muscle of streptozotocin-diabetic rats and increased succination of adiponectin may explain the decreased secretion of adiponectin from adipose tissue in type 2 diabetes. In addition to GAPDH and adiponectin, other succinated proteins identified in adipocytes include cytoskeletal proteins (tubulin, actin) and chaperone proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. Succination of adipocyte protein in vitro is inhibited by uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation and by inhibitors of ER stress. 2SC serves as a biomarker of mitochondrial stress and recent studies suggest that succination is the mechanistic link between mitochondrial and ER stress in diabetes.
Rethinking race and attrition in nursing programs: a hermeneutic inquiry.

This heremeneutic study examined the lived experience of four self-identified African-American students enrolled in predominantly white baccalaureate nursing programs. An understanding of the following concerns was sought: (1) Does being black matter in an educational program that is predominantly white? (2) Does being black in a predominantly white nursing program hinder a student's ability or desire to continue toward his or her educational goal? These concerns were guided by the major research question: What is the meaning of being black in a predominantly white nursing program? Critical hermeneutic inquiry, as explicated by Jurgen Habermas, was used as the philosophical framework. Audiotaped interviews were transcribed and subsequently analyzed by a team of researchers. Three constitutive patterns emerged from the analysis of the texts: Being Different/Being the Same, Student As Teacher: Toward a Surrogate Pedagogy, and Resoluteness: I'll See You at Graduation. Findings suggest that empirical research concerning the attrition of blacks from predominantly white nursing programs must include a description of what it means to be black or different in these settings.
Experiments with Safe µARTMAP: Effect of the network parameters on the network performance

Fuzzy ARTMAP (FAM) is currently considered to be one of the premier neural network architectures in solving classification problems. One of the limitations of Fuzzy ARTMAP that has been extensively reported in the literature is the category proliferation problem. That is, Fuzzy ARTMAP has the tendency of increasing its network size, as it is confronted with more and more data, especially if the data are of the noisy and/or overlapping nature. To remedy this problem a number of researchers have designed modifications to the training phase of Fuzzy ARTMAP that had the beneficial effect of reducing this category proliferation. One of these modified Fuzzy ARTMAP architectures was the one proposed by Gomez-Sanchez, and his colleagues, referred to as Safe @mARTMAP. In this paper we present reasonable analytical arguments that demonstrate of how we should choose the range of some of the Safe @mARTMAP network parameters. Through a combination of these analytical arguments and experimentation we were able to identify good default parameter values for some of the Safe @mARTMAP network parameters. This feat would allow one to save computations when a good performing Safe @mARTMAP network is needed to be identified for a new classification problem. Furthermore, we performed an exhaustive experimentation to find the best Safe @mARTMAP network for a variety of problems (simulated and real problems), and we compared it with other best performing ART networks, including other ART networks that claim to resolve the category proliferation problem in Fuzzy ARTMAP. These experimental results allow one to make appropriate statements regarding the pair-wise comparison of a number of ART networks (including Safe @mARTMAP).
Flesh and blood: A proposed supplement to Merleau-Ponty

In the Phenomenology of Perception Merleau-Ponty identifies the corps propre or lived body, not a purified consciousness, as the seat of all human relation to the world. Prior to the reflective turn, we grasp the world via a bodily sensorimotor intentionality, pragmatic, ambiguous and pre-thetic in nature. The primacy of embodiment and the primacy of perception that Merleau-Ponty advances are usually understood as one and the same thesis. Yet, I would contend that this identification of the body primarily with its perceptual faculty signals a limitation in Merleau-Ponty's project. Admit? tedly, perception is understood by him in the widest possible fashion; it is inextricably linked with the "I can" of voluntary movement, the pervasive atmosphere of sexuality, the expressiveness of language. Yet such functions hardly exhaust the breadth and depths of the human body. Beneath the surface body, perceiving and perceived, acting and acted upon, lies an anonymous visceral dimension which this paper will address. My sensorimotor being-in-the-world rests upon a set of vegetative functions hidden from myself no less than others. Within me proceed circulatory, digestive and respiratory pathways which resist the apprehen? sion and control of the conscious "I" and yet, like Descartes' God, sustain the "I" at every moment. Moreover, I discover this viscerality not only within my spatiofunctional depths but in the depths of my past. The perceptual subject is a later thing, arising out of a fetal state of impersonal circulatory and metabolic exchanges. Nightly, in deep sleep, I slip back into this existence, abandoning my sensorimotor sheath. By referring only in passing to the visceral functions, pre-natality, sleep, Merleau-Ponty, in the Phenomenology of Perception, never fully articulates the impersonal horizons that in all directions outrun the body-as-perceiver. In the working notes collected in The Visible and the Invisible he criticizes this earlier work, "due to the fact that in part I retained the philosophy of 'consciousness'" (1968:183).1 He is now seeking to escape more thoroughly the limits of an analysis based on intentionality and
Discovering patterns for prognostics: a case study in prognostics of train wheels

Data-driven prognostic for system health management represents an emerging and challenging application of data mining. The objective is to develop data-driven prognostic models to predict the likelihood of a component failure and estimate the remaining useful lifetime. Many models developed using techniques from data mining and machine learning can detect the precursors of a failure but sometimes fail to precisely predict time to failure. This paper attempts to address this problem by proposing a novel approach to find reliable patterns for prognostics. A reliable pattern can predict state transitions from current situation to upcoming failures and therefore help better estimate the time to failure. Using techniques from data mining and time-series analysis, we developed a KDD methodology for discovering reliable patterns from multi-stream time-series databases. The techniques have been applied to a real-world application: train prognostics. This paper reports the developed methodology along with preliminary results obtained on prognostics of wheel failures on train.
Comparative sequence analysis of the icm/dot genes in Legionella

The icm/dot genes in Legionella pneumophila are essential for the ability of the bacteria to survive within macrophages in lung infections such as Legionnaires' disease, or amoebae in nature. The 22 genes of the complex, thought to encode a transport apparatus for transfer of effector molecules into the host cell cytoplasm, are located in two chromosomal loci. We demonstrate that these genes are present in all the L. pneumophila strains examined herein, but display a wide range of sequence variation among the different strains, none of which are clearly associated with virulence potential. The strains fall within seven phylogenetic groups, but discrepancies among the gene trees indicate a complicated evolutionary history for the icm/dot loci, with perhaps two independent gene acquisition events and subsequent genomic rearrangements. Significant findings include a probable t-SNARE domain in IcmG that may indicate a direct role for this putative inner membrane protein in altering the host's membrane fusion machinery, a potential functional domain in the central hydrophobic portion of IcmK that may allow it to participate in forming the pore of the secretion complex, and strict conservation of the amino acid physicochemical characteristics in the IcmP region corresponding to the trbA domain that could play a role in molecular transfer.
Processing nonlinear multipoint constraints in the finite element method

This paper reviews and evaluates two methods for processing nonlinear constraints. Both are based on the Lagrange multiplier technique. However, one of them, the constraint forces method, is often more efficient than the commonly used method of elimination. The two methods are evaluated by applying them to an example problem and comparing corresponding solution times. Guidelines are given for selecting the more efficient method for a given constraint problem.
Language, myths and rhetoric

T he language used to discuss public issues and public officials acquires its distinctive function from the fears and the hopes govemment arouses in us. Governments deal with many issues that cause deep anxiety for large numbers of people; inevitably, a great deal of uncertainty and controversy surrounds what the problems are, what causes them and what can be done to cope with them. In this setting of anxiety and ambiguity, linguistic cues evoke prestructured beliefs regarding the nature and the causes of public problems. Because these beliefs are based upon social cues, rather than rigorous analysis, they are likely to be simplistic and distorted, i.e., myths that help us cope with widely shared anxieties, but typically fail to analyze problems adequately and rarely solve them. Developments in the news do not change such beliefs, but are interpreted so as to be consistent with prior beliefs. Each individual holds in his mind a set of alternative and often conflicting cognitive structures regarding political issues. The everyday language of government evokes such structures, usually in subtle ways.
Arterial–Ventricular Coupling with Aging and Disease

Age is the dominant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Understanding the coupling between the left ventricle (LV) and arterial system, termed arterial-ventricular coupling (EA/ELV), provides important mechanistic insights into the complex cardiovascular system and its changes with aging in the absence and presence of disease. EA/ELV can be indexed by the ratio of effective arterial elastance (EA; a measure of the net arterial load exerted on the left ventricle) to left ventricular end-systolic elastance (ELV; a load-independent measure of left ventricular chamber performance). At rest, in healthy individuals, EA/ELV is maintained within a narrow range, which allows the cardiovascular system to optimize energetic efficiency at the expense of mechanical efficacy. The age-associated alterations to arterial structure and function, including diameter, wall thickness, wall stiffness, and endothelial dysfunction, contribute to a gradual increase in resting EA with age. Remarkably there is a corresponding increase in resting ELV with age due to alterations to LV remodeling (loss in myocyte number, increased collagen) and function. During dynamic exercise there is an acute mismatch between the arterial and ventricular systems due to a disproportionate increase in ELV (approximately 200%) compared to EA (approximately 40%), to ensure that sufficient cardiac performance is achieved to meet the increased energetic requirements of the body. As a result EA/ELV decreases from an average of 0.58 to 0.34, and 0.52 to 0.27 in men and women, respectively. However, with advancing age the reduction in EA/ELV to acute maximal exercise is blunted, due to a blunted ELV. In this review, we provide an overview of the concept of EA/ELV, and examine the effects of age in the absence and presence of disease on EA/ELV and its functional consequences, and potential therapeutic interventions.
Minimally Invasive Approaches for the Management of “Difficult” Colonic Polyps

Traditionally, patients with colonic polyps not amenable to endoscopic removal require open colectomy for management. We evaluated our experience with minimally invasive approaches including endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR), laparoscopic-assisted endoscopic polypectomy (LAEP), and laparoscopic-assisted colectomy (LAC). Patients referred for surgery for colonic polyps were selected for one of three minimally invasive modalities. A total of 123 patients were referred for resection of “difficult” polyps. Thirty underwent EMR, 25 underwent LAEP, and 68 underwent LAC. Of those selected to undergo EMR or LAEP, 76.4% were successfully managed without colon resection. The remaining 23.6% underwent LAC. Nine complications were encountered, including two requiring reoperative intervention. Of the 123 patients, three were found to have malignant disease on final pathology. Surgical resection can be avoided in a significant number of patients with “difficult” polyps referred for surgery by performing EMR and LAEP. In those who require surgery, minimally invasive resection can be achieved.
Shame and Religion as Factors in the Rehabilitation of Serious Offenders

SUMMARY In a qualitative study of twenty adult ex-offenders, all having served lengthy sentences for serious crimes, the authors found that religiosity and strong expressions of shame played a prominent role in their ability to live productive lives after the prison experience. Those who have reintegrated into the community were compared with individuals who either committed new crimes or violated the conditions of their parole.
Effects of chlordiazepoxide on odor-induced risk assessment behaviors in mice

The effects of treatment with three chlordiazepoxide (CDP) doses (2.0, 8.0, and 12.0 mg/kg) on risk assessment behaviors evoked by a novel odor were investigated. Both the frequency and duration of flatback approaches and stretch attends were strongly suppressed at the highest CDP dose. It is suggested that CDP alters normal olfactory function only at doses that attenuate offensive attack, but that CDP-induced reductions in defensive behaviors, seen at lower doses, are probably not importantly mediated by disrupted olfaction.
Effective kinematic viscosity of turbulence in superfluid 4He

Abstract Using superfluid helium II for the study of grid turbulence has many advantages. He II has the lowest kinematic viscosity of any known substance, enabling large Reynolds numbers to be achieved in a relatively small apparatus. In addition, the resolution of second sound attenuation measurements provides insights into the decay of turbulence behind a grid. From measurements of this decay, we report preliminary experimental observations pertaining to the effective kinematic viscosity of superfluid turbulence. We also provide a better interpretation of the relation between second sound attenuation measurements and vorticity.