cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aspiration of the hip joint before revision total hip arthroplasty. Clinical and laboratory factors influencing attainment of a positive culture.

The value of routine aspiration of the hip joint before revision of a hip arthroplasty remains controversial. We reviewed the results of such aspirations in an attempt to determine clinical or laboratory factors that could help the surgeon to identify hips that are infected and that should be aspirated preoperatively. One hundred and fifty consecutive revision total hip arthroplasties were performed by one of us. Preoperative aspiration was not performed or data were excluded for eight hips; no fluid was obtained from one of these hips (0.7 per cent of the 150). Of the remaining 142 hips, 128 had preoperative aspiration once and fourteen, twice. Twenty-one (15 per cent) of the 142 hips were infected, as demonstrated by the intraoperative culture. The intraoperative culture for two of these hips, however, was considered to be false-positive. The initial aspiration was considered to be positive only if an organism grew on the solid medium or if grossly purulent fluid was obtained. The initial aspiration was positive for nineteen hips; on culture of specimens from one hip, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron grew in the liquid medium only; and purulent fluid was obtained from one hip but no organisms grew on culture. Fourteen aspirations were repeated for various reasons, most commonly to confirm the presence of an unusual organism. The repeat aspiration did not change the diagnosis for these hips. When the two hips with a false-positive intraoperative culture were excluded, preoperative aspiration had a sensitivity of 92 per cent, a specificity of 97 per cent, and an accuracy of 96 per cent. Seventeen of the nineteen truly infected hips were associated with an abnormally elevated erythrocyte-sedimentation rate (mean, 80.8 millimeters per hour). However, fifty-eight (50 per cent) of the 116 hips that were not infected, and for which the results were available, also had an abnormally elevated erythrocyte-sedimentation rate (mean, 32.0 millimeters per hour). This difference was significant (p = 0.001, Fisher exact test). The peripheral leukocyte count was not helpful in predicting infection. Hips in which the implants had been in situ for more than five years were less likely to be infected (p = 0.008, Fisher exact test) than those in which the implants had been in situ for five years or less. None of the infected hips in which the implants had been in situ for more than five years were associated with a normal erythrocyte-sedimentation rate. In this study, preoperative aspiration of the hip joint had an excellent sensitivity and specificity with regard to the prediction of infection. On the basis of our findings, we now favor a selective approach to aspiration, as determined by the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the amount of time that the implant has been in situ.
Vigilance, Workload, and Boredom: Two Competing Models:

Two models that seek to explain the high workload associated with vigilance tasks are the direct-cost and indirect-cost views. The former attributes the elevated workload to the high information-pr...
Fe(III) stimulates 3‐methylindole and 4‐methylphenol production in swine lagoon enrichments and Clostridium scatologenes ATCC 25775

Aims: To determine the effects of anaerobic electron acceptors on 3-methylindole (3-MI) and 4-methylphenol (4-MP) production in swine lagoon enrichments and Clostridium scatologenes ATCC 25775. Methods and Results: Swine lagoon sediment was incubated anaerobically in tryptone-yeast extract medium with (10 mmol l−1) Na2SO4, KNO3, dimethyl sulfoxide or Fe(III). With Fe(III), 3-MI and 4-MP levels increased significantly to 138 ± 15·8 and 187 ± 14·0 μmol l−1, respectively. Clostridium scatologenes cultured in brain–heart infusion medium amended with (10 mmol l−1) Na2SO4, KNO3, MnO2 or Fe(III), resulted in only Fe(III) significantly increasing 3-MI (1308 μmol l−1) and 4-MP (367 μmol l−1) levels. In semi-defined medium, Fe(III) alone and Fe(III) + l-tryptophan (1 mmol l−1) resulted in a 1·85-fold and 15·6-fold increase in 3-MI levels over l-tryptophan alone, respectively. Fe(III) alone and Fe(III) + l-tyrosine (1 mmol l−1) caused a 4·4-fold and 22·9-fold increase in 4-MP levels over tyrosine alone, respectively. Fe(III) did not increase growth of Cl. scatologenes. Conclusions: Fe(III) increases 3-MI and 4-MP in swine lagoon enrichments and Cl. scatologenes broth cultures. Significance and Impact of the Study: Previous studies suggest Fe(III) addition to swine lagoons could remediate malodorous volatile fatty acids; however, here data suggest Fe(III) could increase malodorous indolic and phenolic levels.
Activation of Syk by Protein Kinase C-δ Regulates Thrombin-induced Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 Expression in Endothelial Cells via Tyrosine Phosphorylation of RelA/p65

Protein kinase C-δ (PKC-δ) plays a pivotal role in mediating thrombin-induced NF-κB activation and ICAM-1 expression in endothelial cells. However, the downstream mechanisms mediating its function are unclear. In this study, we show that PKC-δ-mediated activation of protein-tyrosine kinase Syk plays an important role in thrombin signaling of NF-κB activation and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression in endothelial cells. Stimulation of human vascular endothelial cells with thrombin resulted in a time-dependent phosphorylation of Syk on tyrosine 525 and 526, an indication of Syk activation. Inhibition of PKC-δ by pharmacological and genetic approaches prevented Syk activation by thrombin. These results place Syk downstream of PKC-δ in transmitting thrombin-activated signaling in endothelial cells. Consistent with this, thrombin-induced NF-κB activity and ICAM-1 expression were prevented by the expression of a kinase-defective mutant or RNA interference knockdown of Syk. Similarly, inhibiting Syk also impaired NF-κB activity and ICAM-1 expression induced by a constitutively active mutant of PKC-δ. Analysis of the NF-κB pathway showed that Syk contributes to thrombin-induced NF-κB activation by controlling its transactivation potential and that this response is associated with tyrosine phosphorylation of RelA/p65. Thus, these data unveil a novel pathway in which Syk signals downstream of PKC-δ to mediate thrombininduced ICAM-1 expression in endothelial cells by increasing transcriptional capacity of NF-κB via a mechanism that relies on tyrosine phosphorylation of RelA/p65.
High field (4.7T) magnetic resonance imaging of feline hip joints

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive technique widely used to investigate degenerative joint disease (DJD). In this study, we obtained magnetic resonance images of feline hip joints, using a high magnetic field MRI unit (4.7 tesla) with proton density (PD)-weighted and T2-weighted fast spin-echo (FSE). PD-weighted FSE provided detailed anatomical images of feline hip joints with superb depiction of subchondral bones of the femoral head and acetabulum. Articular cartilage (AC) was also visualized with PD-weighted and T2-weighted FSE; however, mild AC lesions noted on gross examination were not detectable with these sequences.
Patterns of phosphorus, nitrogen and δ15N along a peat development gradient in a coastal mire, Panama

Differentiation of limiting nutrients within small spatial scales has been observed in coastal mangrove forests, but research on other tropical peatlands suggests it is a more widespread phenomenon. In the Changuinola mire of coastal Panama, oligotrophy was hypothesized to increase along a gradient of peat development (peat doming). Nutrient and carbon concentration of leaf tissue, soil, and soil porewater were characterised over a successive sequence of plant communities along the gradient. Soil phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) concentrations decreased from 1200 μg P g -1 and 2 7 mg N g -1 to 377 μg P g -1 and 22 mg N g -1 within 2.7 km into the mire interior. These changes coincided with an increase in soil and average leaf N:P molar ratios from 52-128 and 24-41, respectively. Soil P was strongly related to leaf P and soil N:P to foliar N:P. There was a wide range in δ 15 N values for canopy (4.0 to -9.4‰), Campnospermapanamense (4.0 to -7.8‰) and understorey (4.8 to -3.1‰) species. Foliar δ 15 N values of canopy species were strongly related to soil N:P, soil P and leaf P. The depleted foliar δ 15 N values appeared to be an effect of both the N atmospheric source and P limitation. Here, P limitation is likely associated with ombrotrophic conditions that developed as hydrologic inputs became dominated by precipitation.
Expression of plasmolipin in the developing rat brain.

Plasmolipin is an hydrophobic plasma membrane proteolipid present in both kidney and brain. The protein consists of two subunits of 17–18.5 kD, which together form K+ selective voltage-dependent channels. In this report, we define the embryonic and postnatal expression of plasmolipin in the developing rat brain. Plasmolipin was found to be essentially restricted to the postnatal period increasing eight-fold between the first to fourth week after birth. A fetal plasmolipin immunoreactive protein (FPIP) was identified in embryonic brain and also during the early postnatal development of the cerebellum. The expression of FPIP was biphasic with an initial transient increase between E15-E20 followed by a decrease in its levels. FPIP was not detected in the developed rat CNS. FPIP was found in a variety of dividing and immature cells including cultured astrdcytes and embryonic neurons, neuroblastoma cells, and rat thymus. In contrast, plasmolipin was restricted to oligodendrocytes of the neural cells tested and to renal tubular epithelial cells.
Synthesis and polymerization of an alkene‐substituted norbornylene

Bicyclo[2.2.1]-hept-2-ene-5-butylene was synthesized in 20% yield by reacting equimolar amounts of cyclopentadiene and 1,5-hexadiene at 190°C. for 16 hr. The same product was obtained by forming the Diels-Alder adduct of cyclopentadiene and allylchloride (60% yield), making this adduct react with magnesium to form the Grignard reagent (99% yield), and then coupling the Grignard reagent with allylbromide (46% yield). The monomer was polymerized at 25°C. by means of a LiAl(decyl)4-TiCl catalyst. Infrared analysis of the polymer indicates that the monomer polymerizes as a substituted norbornylene and as a cycloalkane-substituted alpha-olefin. The polymer is soluble in benzene and softens at 150°C.
A histologic analysis of three-dimensional versus two-dimensional tissue expansion in the porcine model.

Objective: Recently, a two-dimensional Silastic Dacron stretching skin device has been developed for scalp reduction surgery. Attached subgaleally, this device stretches skin over time, while avoiding the visible volumetric distention that is typical of three-dimensional tissue expanders. Unlike three-dimensional expanders, the histological changes observed with a two-dimensional stretching device have not been described in the literature. The present study compares the histological effects of two-dimensional and three-dimensional skin tissue expansion in the porcine model. Study Design: A university Institutional Review Board-approved study in which 16 domestic piglets were used. The 16 piglets were divided evenly into four cohorts as follows: 1, 1-week control cohort; 2, 1-week experimental cohort; 3, 4-week control cohort; and 4, 4-week experimental cohort. Methods: Tissue expanders (three-dimensional) and Dacron Silastic tissue stretchers (two-dimensional) were surgically inserted into the lateral skin of 16 domestic pigs. Animals were killed at either 1 or 4 weeks based on group assignment. Light microscopic ocular micrometry and stereological point counting were used to determine the depth of the epidermis, dermis, and subdermal adipose tissue layer; width of the panniculus muscle; diameter of sweat gland follicles; percentage ratio of dermal collagen, blood vessels, and tissue space; and epidermal mitotic index in 100 specimens. One-way ANOVA was used to evaluate statistical differences. Results: Both tissue expanders yielded increased values compared with control subjects, with respect to epidermal, dermal, and fat widths and blood vessel counts, whereas adnexal structures in the panniculus muscle width were unaltered. Conclusions: Although statistically the two types of expansion produced histologically similar changes, the degree of change varied according to the type of expander that was used and the duration of tissue expansion. Most notably, three-dimensional expansion produced more tissue gain per unit area expanded at both the 1-week and the 4-week time intervals, and early (1-week) two-dimensional tissue expansion stimulated a greater angiogenic response than three-dimensional expansion. These findings will assist the surgeon in understanding the physical changes that occur with these two forms of tissue expansion, as well as the potential clinical advantages and shortcomings of each method.
Revisiting the myth of Cisco IOS diversity: recent advances in reliable shellcode design

Purpose – IOS firmware diversity, the unintended consequence of a complex firmware compilation process, has historically made reliable exploitation of Cisco routers difficult. With approximately 300,000 unique IOS images in existence, a new class of version‐agnostic shellcode is needed in order to make the large‐scale exploitation of Cisco IOS possible. The purpose of this paper is to show that such attacks are now feasible by demonstrating two different reliable shellcodes that will operate correctly over many Cisco hardware platforms and all known IOS versions.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines prior work in the area of Cisco IOS rootkits and constructs a novel IOS version‐agnostic rootkit called the interrupt‐hijack rootkit.Findings – As the experimental results show, the techniques proposed in this paper can reliably inject command and control capabilities into arbitrary IOS images in a version‐agnostic manner.Originality/value – The authors believe that the technique presented in this p...
Measurement of aerosol size distributions for nitrate and major ionic species

Abstract Nitrate particle size distributions were determined at the Nitrogen Species Methods Comparison Study at Claremont, CA during September 1985 with the Berner nine stage cascade impactor. Particle bounce was minimized by an inert fluorocarbon grease substrate. Interference from nitric acid was eliminated with a vertical acid gas denuder designed to prevent large particle loss. Samples were taken with and without the grease or denuder to test the techniques. Volatile nitrate loss was less than 10%, based on comparisons with fine nitrate from parallel filter samplers. Aerosol size distributions for the major ionic species were determined under varying atmospheric conditions and good ion balances achieved. Nitrate was bimodal during both day and night-time periods. Fine mode nitrate was associated with ammonium while coarse mode nitrate was associated with both ammonium and sodium. Extensive evidence including size distributions, temporal associations and species balances is given for the reaction of nitric acid and sea salt to produce hydrochloric acid and coarse mode nitrate. Sulfate was primarily in two submicrometer modes. Strong acid was associated with the smaller sulfate mode.
Analysis of the musculoskeletal loading of the thumb during pipetting – A pilot study

Previous epidemiological studies indicate that the use of thumb-push mechanical pipettes is associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the hand. The goal of the current study was to analyze the loading in the muscle–tendon units in the thumb during pipetting. The hand is modeled as a multi-body linkage system and includes four fingers (index, long, ring, and little finger), a thumb, and a palm segment. Since the current study is focused on the thumb, the model includes only nine muscles attached to the thumb via tendons. The time-histories of joint angles and push force at the pipette plunger during pipetting were determined experimentally and used as model input; whereas forces in the muscle–tendon units in the thumb were calculated via an inverse dynamic approach combined with an optimization procedure. Results indicate that all nine muscles have force outputs during pipetting, and the maximal force was in the abductor pollicis brevis (APB). The ratio of the mean peak muscle force to the mean peak push force during the dispensing cycle was approximately 2.3, which is comparable to values observed in grasping tasks in the literature. The analysis method and results in the current study provide a mechanistic understanding of MSD risk factors associated with pipetting, and may be useful in guiding ergonomic designs for manual pipettes.
QoS support of real-time multimedia traffic in wireless IP networks

Supporting real-time multimedia applications over the packet wireless network poses a huge challenge due to the stringent QoS requirements and the time-varying and location-varying characteristics of the wireless channel. In this paper, we study a downlink packet scheduling algorithm designed to support real-time applications with hard deadlines over the wireless network. The scheduling depends on the channel characteristics as well as the deadline of each packet. A hybrid TDMA/CDMA physical layer is used to assess the channel condition and to support the target BER of different users. RTP packet headers are used to calculate the deadline of each packet. A modified form of EDF is used to schedule packets in order of urgency and channel condition. Our results indicate that by jointly considering the channel information and the application-level information, a significant performance gain can be achieved. In addition, a more fair service is achieved even though channel conditions of different users vary greatly due to propagation losses and fading effects of the wireless channel.
The crystal structure of 2-fluoro-1-( p -methoxyphenyl)-1-penten-3-yne, a fluorinated vinylacetylene prepared via Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons condensation

Abstract Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons condensation of (α-fluoropropargyl) phosphonate ester 3 and p -anisaldehyde provides a new method for the synthesis of monofluoro-conjugated enynes. Spontaneous crystallization of 4 yielded the Zisomer of 2-fiuoro-1-( p -methoxyphenyl)-1-penten- 3-yne. A comparison of bond angles and distances between 4 and vinylacetylene showed shorter bond distances along the enyne system in 4 .
Intermittency and inertial particle entrainment at a turbulent interface: the effect of the large-scale eddies

We present measurements of mean and conditional number densities, radial distribution functions (r.d.f.s), velocities and accelerations of sub-Kolmogorov-scale water droplets entraining at a shearless turbulence–turbulence interface (TTI) and a turbulence–non-turbulence interface (TNI). We thus look at statistics of an inhomogeneous inertial particle field in both homogeneous and inhomogeneous turbulence. As in a previous communication (Gerashchenko, Good & Warhaft J. Fluid Mech., vol. 818, 2011, pp. 293–303), an active grid produces high-Reynolds number turbulence on either one or both sides of a splitter plate in a wind tunnel. Sprays seed droplets on one side of the splitter plate, while screens dampen turbulence in the adjacent flow for the TNI. Gravitational and inertial effects are isolated by turning of the apparatus with respect to gravity. We parameterize the droplets under homogeneous conditions, where it is demonstrated that both the sweeping and loitering effects on the droplet settling velocities are present. In the inhomogeneous conditions, we show that the droplets are entrained in bulk, resulting in large-scale clusters and preserving the droplet-ambient conditions of the seeded side of the flows.
The friction and wear of various hard-face claddings for deep-hole drilling

Hard-face claddings are used for banding drill shafts that rotate against well casings while lubricated by drilling mud. This tribosystem should have the lowest friction possible in order to minimize drilling power requirements, and the lowest total system wear to maximize component life. Blocks representing a variety of hard-face claddings were slid against rotating rings of AISI 4140 casing material and lubricated by simulated drilling mud that consisted of a slurry of silica sand, clay, and water. The cladding specimens included currently used alloys and several candidate compositions. There was an excellent correlation between the friction coefficient and the wear, by weight loss, of both the cladding and the casing alloys. There was also a good direct correlation between the wear of the cladding and the wear of the casing. Claddings with finer grain sizes and finer, more uniformly distributed hard carbides had higher hardness and produced lower wear on both the cladding and the casing counter-face. The complex mechanisms involved with three-body wear and friction in interfaces lubricated by slurries present a challenge for further study.
Examining impacts of technostress on the professional salesperson's behavioural performance

This paper examines the concept of technostress in the professional sales area and shows it to be a possible reason for low technology-enabled behavioural performance of professionals in the sales function. Integrating literature from sales, technostress and social cognitive theory, we examine relationships between technostress creators, role stress, technology-enabled innovation and technology-enabled performance. We hypothesize that technostress adversely affects the technology-enabled performance of the salesperson through two distinct paths, one by increasing role stress and two, by decreasing technology-enabled innovation. We further examine the role of factors that mitigate these adverse effects. We find that organizational technostress-inhibiting mechanisms negatively moderate the positive relationship between technostress creators and role stress, and technology self-efficacy dampens the negative association of technostress and technology-enabled innovation. We also find that technology-enabled in...
Living Narrative: Creating lives in everyday storytelling

Elinor Ochs & Lisa Capps, Living narrative: Creating lives in everyday storytelling. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001. Pp. xii, 352. Pb. $20.50.Imagine a book on conversational narrative that draws from the fields of linguistics, psychology, literary theory, and anthropology. Now, imagine this book as compelling as a favorite novel and as convincing as a well-designed research report. The nexus of these fields and the artful marriage of these vastly varying genres can be found in the profoundly interdisciplinary and genuinely collaborative book Living narrative. In this volume, Elinor Ochs, a linguistic anthropologist, and Lisa Capps, a developmental psychologist, speak both to those who come to narrative with literary concerns, and to those discourse-analytic minded social scientists who understand spoken, personal narrative as a means to link linguistic phenomena to development of culture and society. Through the course of the book, the authors illustrate how these literary and social concerns need not be dichotomous. Living narrative instills a simultaneous appreciation for the aesthetic and the political aspects of everyday conversational narrative.
The Weaknesses of Full-Text Searching.

This paper provides a theoretical critique of the deficiencies of full-text searching in academic library databases. Because full-text searching relies on matching words in a search query with words in online resources, it is an inefficient method of finding information in a database. This matching fails to retrieve synonyms, and it also retrieves unwanted homonyms. Numerous other problems also make full-text searching an ineffective information retrieval tool. Academic libraries purchase and subscribe to numerous proprietary databases, many of which rely on full-text searching for access and discovery. An understanding of the weaknesses of full-text searching is needed to evaluate the search and discovery capabilities of academic library databases.
Replication inhibition and miscoding properties of DNA templates containing a site-specific cis-thymine glycol or urea residue.

Oligodeoxynucleotides modified site-specifically with cis-thymine glycol or urea residue, two ionizing radiation/oxidation damages, were used as templates in primer extension reactions catalyzed by 3' --> 5' exonuclease-deficient Klenow fragment, human DNA polymerase beta, AMV reverse transcriptase, and a modified T7 DNA polymerase (Sequenase). Both lesions blocked DNA replication one nucleotide before and opposite the lesion site, but a significant fraction of full-length product was obtained after prolonged incubation. Hill plot analysis of the results on both thymine glycol- and urea- containing templates by 3' --> 5' exonuclease-deficient Klenow fragment for incorporation of either dATP or dGTP gave linear plots with Hill coefficients much less than 1. This suggests that the dNTP concentration influences the termination of DNA synthesis at multiple steps of the catalytic process. The specificity of nucleotide incorporation opposite these lesions and chain extension by the same polymerase was determined by a steady-state kinetic analysis. The kinetic studies established that the rate of nucleotide incorporation and chain extension was highest with deoxyadenosine opposite both these lesions. However, the efficiency of forming a G.T pair relative to an A.T pair for the control at a level of 1/10(9) was enhanced to approximately 1/160 for thymine glycol and 1/20 for urea, although the former lesion was more bypassable than the latter lesion. On the basis of these in vitro results, we conclude that both these DNA damages are impediments of DNA synthesis and that a urea residue, in particular, has the potential to miscode.
Circular dichroism of cytochrome oxidase, cytochrome b566, and cytochrome c in beef heart mitochondrial membrane fragments

Abstract 1. Circular dichroism spectra of the cytochromes in membrane fragments derived from sonicated beef heart mitochondria have been obtained in the wavelength region 400–480 nm in which the major absorbance maxima of the heme prosthetic groups are found. 2. 2. Cytochrome oxidase in the mitochondrial membrane fragments has a band of positive ellipticity at 426 nm in the oxidized form and a pronounced band of positive ellipticity at 445 nm in the reduced form. The reduced- minus -oxidized difference molar ellipticity at 445 nm, Δ [ θ ] 445 is 3.0·10 5 degree·cm −2 ·dmole −1 heme a for membrane-bound oxidase compared to 1.6·10 5 degree·cm −2 ·dmole −1 heme a for the purified oxidase. The membrane-bound oxidase in the reduced form also appears to have a band of negative ellipticity at 426 nm not found in the purified oxidase. 3. 3. When reduced with succinate in the presence of cyanide and oxygen, cytochrome oxidase in the membrane fragments has a positive band at 442 nm very similar to that observed with the purified oxidase. 4. 4. Cytochrome c , which has a positive band at 426 nm in the purified form when reduced, appears to have a negative band at this wavelength in the mito-chondrial membrane fragments which contributes to the pronounced negative band at 426 nm observed in the membrane fragments reduced with succinate in anaerobiosis. There is no evidence for a contribution to the CD spectra of the membrane fragments from cytochrome c 1 or from cytochrome b 561 in either the oxidized or the reduced form. 5. 5. Cytochrome b 566 in the mitochondrial membrane fragments has no detectable CD spectrum in the oxidized form, but has a small positive band at 427 nm and a small negative band at 436 nm in the reduced form. The same CD spectrum is observed with cytochrome b 566 reduced with succinate in the presence of antimycin A or 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline- N -oxide. The same increase in positive ellipticity is observed at 427 nm in the mitochondrial membrane fragments, treated with oligomycin to restore energy coupling, when cytochrome b 566 is reduced with succinate in the energized membrane, as is observed in the inhibitor-treated membrane fragments. The absence of a pronounced conformational change in cytochrome b 566 on energization, as revealed by its CD spectrum, favors the concept that its reduction by succinate in the energized state is due to reversed electron transport rather than an intrinsic shift in the cytochrome's midpoint redox potential.
A hotspot for transition mutations in the rIIB gene of bacteriophage T4. I. The extent of the hotspot.

We have previously demonstrated that the sequence 5′TGGCAA 3′ located at codons 32–33 of the rIIB gene of bacteriophage T4 is a hotspot for transition mutations (Nelson et al. 1981). Here I report the properties of the same TGGCAA sequence introduced into the gene at codons 11–12. The sequence is highly mutable in both locations, suggesting that its high mutability is due to features of the TGGCAA itself and is not dependent on the immediate juxtaposition of additional external sequences. Within this sequence, at either location, only the transition at the central G:C pair frequently arises spontaneously or by 2-aminopurine or ethylmethane sulfonate mutagenesis. However, the 3′ G:C pair, in addition, is highly mutable after nitrous acid or hydroxylamine treatment. This suggests that, within the TGGCAA sequence, there are two hotspots which are targeted by different mutagens.
Theory of membranes

Abstract Two different descriptions of membrane dynamics are proposed. One is given by a lagrangian L ∝√( ∂ μ φ ) 2 with single scalar field φ ( x ). The other is described by four-component scalar fields in the three-dimensional background gravitational field with cosmological term. Classical solutions and methods for evaluating the N -point function of membrane scattering are studied in these models. A functional equation satisfied by a variable describing membrane excitation is studied in gauge theories. The equation gives that of a quantized membrane theory under an assumption of abelian-like monopole condensation.
Factors Affecting Physician Participation in Nursing Home Care

Physicians generally consider nursing home practice a low priority compared with other aspects of their practices. In order to encourage more enthusiastic physician involvement, negative influences needed to be identified so that corrective ideas can be formulated. Negative factors include low reimbursement, frequent office interruptions, excessive paperwork, and a sense of loss of authority. The problem of quality physician involvement must be viewed from new perspectives. An increase in reimbursement is only part of the solution. Other measures that enhance the professional image and responsibility will increase physician participation more than laws and regulations, which increase physician time commitment without increasing reimbursement. Laws and regulations, through misperception, misinterpretation, and misapplication, can have unintended adverse results. Only creative solutions addressing identified negative factors will cut through the Gordian knot, which prevents enthusiastic and quality medical care for all NH residents.
Pungent spices, ground red pepper, and synthetic capsaicin as onion fly ovipositional deterrents.

In laboratory choice experiments, the spices dill, paprika, black pepper, chili powder, ginger, and red pepper deterredDelia antiqua oviposition by 88–100%. Dose-response choice tests demonstrated that 1 mg of ground cayenne pepper (GCP) placed within 1 cm of artificial onion foliage reduced oviposition by 78%. A synthetic analog of capsaicin, the principal flavor ingredient of red peppers, deterred oviposition by 95% when present at 320 ppm in the top centimeter of sand (the ovipositional substrate). However, in no-choice conditions 10 mg GCP was not an effective deterrent. Sevana Bird Repellent and Agrigard Insect Repellent both use red pepper as a principal ingredient; at recommended field rates, neither of these materials was an effective ovipositional deterrent either in laboratory or field. Capsaicin-based materials do not appear to be candidates for onion maggot control via behavioral modification.
Effect of glucagon on gastric secretion in the rat with pyloric occlusion

Summary The effect of glucagon alone and in combination with vagotomy, Dibenzyline and histamine was studied in the pylorus-ligated rat. Glucagon inhibits gastric acid secretion in this experimental preparation and this inhibitory effect is additive to that noted following truncal vagotomy. Dibenzyline was very effective in inhibiting acid secretion in the pylorus-ligated rat and no additive effect of glucagon was noted.
Neuron-associated astroglial cells express β- andα1-adrenergic receptors in vitro

Abstract In vivo, astroglial cells are closely interrelated with neurons. The present studies were undertaken to determine if certain astroglial properties are influenced when maintained in a heterogenous cellular environment. Astrocytes and neurons were co-cultured from hippocampal tissue and the parameters examined included astroglial morphology and expression of β- andα1-adrenergic receptors (AR). Astroglial cells exhibit an extremely elongated morphology when growing in direct contact with neurons. Astroglia growing under the same culture conditions, but not in direct contact with neurons, exhibited a polygonal morphology. One hundred percent of the elongated astroglia expressed the β-AR with an average density of 1320 binding sites/1000 μm2. In contrast, only 40–50% of these elongated astroglia expressedα1-ARs. Our results indicate that astroglia, maintained in the presence of neurons, continue to express β- and alpha1-ARs. These results suggest that under in vivo conditions, where astroglia normally exist in close contact with neurons, astrocytes may express surface receptors which enable them to sense neuronal activity and to selectively respond to such activity. The elongated astroglia described here may exhibit morphological features more reminiscent to that which exists in vivo.
Mössbauer study of different magnetic properties between opposite interfaces of Fe(100)/Ag(100) multilayers

Abstract A series of Fe x (100)/Ag 40 (100) multilayers with x = 3, 6 and 9 monolayers (ML) were grown by MBE. Their crystallinity was verified by in situ RHEED. Their magnetic properties as well as their structural properties were analyzed by 57 Fe Mossbauer spectroscopy. The 3 ML film showed two Mossbauer components with parameters very different from those of bulk Fe. The 6 and 9 ML films exhibited 3 components, the additional one with very bulk-like parameters (and growing in intensity with Fe thickness). These results have led us to assign the two other components to the two interface regions, Fe/Ag and Ag/Fe. To confirm the assignment and distinguish the two interfaces, we grew three more 9 ML films, placing 2 ML 57 Fe in the bulk and at each interface, with the remaining 7 ML 50 Fe. The Mossbauer hyperfine parameters of these sites were distinguished in a way consistent with the above assignment. In addition, we also investigated the temperature dependence of the magnetic hyperfine field for the three Fe sites. We conclude that the differing tetragonal distortions in the two interface regions are responsible for the appearance of the two interface sites.
On the action of permutations on distances between values of rational functions mod p

Abstract For the finite field F p one may consider the distance between r 1 ( n ) and r 2 ( n ) , where r 1 , r 2 are rational functions in F p ( x ) . We study the effect to such distances by applying all possible permutations to the elements.
ER: elastic RESET for low power and long endurance MLC based phase change memory

Phase Change Memory (PCM) has recently emerged as a promising nonvolatile memory technology. To effectively increase memory capacity and reduce per bit fabrication cost, multi-level cell (MLC) PCM stores more than one bit per cell by differentiating multiple intermediate resistance levels. However, MLC PCM suffers from significantly shortened endurance due to its large RESET current that initiates the cell state. In this paper, we propose elastic RESET (ER) to construct non-2n-state MLC PCM, e.g., 3-state MLC PCM instead of 4-state one for 2-bit MLC. We then adopt data compression and propose fraction encoding to store compressed data using non-2n-state MLC. By reducing RESET energy, ER significantly reduces write power and prolongs PCM lifetime. On average, we observed 17% RESET power reduction and 32x endurance improvement for 2-bit MLC.
Literature-Searching Strategies of Integrative Research Reviewers: A First Survey

A survey was conducted of 57 authors of recently published integrative research reviews in psychology and education. The survey concerned (a) the authors' background, (b) literature coverage goals,...
Recrystallization and texture

is, I hope, appropriate in a paper reviewing recent advances in the field of recrystallization at a meeting celebrating the contributions and achievements of a distinguished scientist to start with a few personal comments. My first contact with Robert Cahn was in my final year of graduate research at Oxford when he visited the Department of Metallurgy, then headed by Professor William Hume-Rothery. Robert Cahn was not the first person outside the department with whom I was able to discuss my research, but he was able to offer to me what I subsequently saw him offer to many other scientists: (i) real enthusiasm for new ideas, (ii) innovative suggestions for new experiments and (iii) very strong encouragement to a young investigator. He followed this by providing real help in that he obtained for me, from the publishers of a major conference on recrystallization, (I) the prepublication set of the conference papers that I critically needed for my doctorate thesis. (2’ Three years later he encouraged me to apply for, and he subsequently appointed me to, a lectureship at Sussex University where he was establishing the first undergraduate and graduate programme in Materials Science in the U.K. The opportunity this allowed, to be in at the start of an exciting if short-lived experience of founding a new subject in a new university, was perhaps the most stimulating teaching experience in my life. Robert Cahn and I wrote, in 1983, an accounV3’ of the brief history of Materials Science at Sussex University from when it was founded in 1965 to its closure in 1982/3. There is no need here to say more about that experience other than to quote the following from the introduction: “Creating and building up a group which achieved a worldwide reputation was deeply rewarding for all of us, in spite of the emotional stresses of the final period”. In the early years at Sussex while Robert Cahn was continuing his interest in recrystallization with two excellent research students, Dr Manu Bhatiac4) and Dr Edmund0 Chojnowski,‘5) and producing several scholarly reviews of the topic,‘“9’ I was following
TOR in the immune system

The target of rapamycin (TOR) is a crucial intracellular regulator of the immune system. Recent studies have suggested that immunosuppression by TOR inhibition may be mediated by modulating differentiation of both effector and regulatory CD4 T cell subsets. However, it was paradoxically shown that inhibiting TOR signaling has immunostimulatory effects on the generation of long-lived memory CD8 T cells. Beneficial effects of TOR inhibition have also been observed with dendritic cells and hematopoietic stem cells. This immune modulation may contribute to lifespan extension seen in mice with mTOR inhibition. Here, we review recent findings on TOR modulation of innate and adaptive immune responses, and discuss potential applications of regulating TOR to provide longer and healthier immunity.
Dynamics of GABAA receptor binding in the ventromedial hypothalamus during postnatal development in the rat

In vitro quantitative autoradiography of [3H]muscimol binding was used to examine the developmental pattern of GABA(A) receptor expression in the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMN) of Long-Evans rats. Peak levels of [3H]muscimol binding were observed in the VMN on postnatal day 14 (PN14), binding levels were significantly lower in the VMN at earlier (PN0 and PN7) and later (PN70) ages. The developmental pattern of [3H]muscimol binding observed in the VMN differed from that seen in the hippocampus where binding was found to increase progressively from PN0 to PN14 and was maintained at high levels in adulthood. Although the profile of GABA(A) receptor expression in the developing VMN undergoes considerable modification during the critical period for sexual differentiation, no significant differences in [3H]muscimol binding were observed between male and female animals at any developmental age.
Dissipation of Overpressure into Ambient Mudrocks During Geological Carbon Dioxide Storage

Geological carbon dioxide (CO2) storage in deep geological formations can only lead to significant reductions in anthropogenic CO2 emissions if large amounts of CO2 can be stored. Estimates of the storage capacity are therefore essential to the evaluation of individual storage sites as well as the feasibility of the technology as a whole. One important limitation on the storage capacity is the lateral extent of the pressure perturbation, the radius of review of the storage project. We show that pressure dissipation into ambient mudrocks retards lateral pressure propagation significantly and therefore increases the storage capacity. For a three-layer model of an aquifer surrounded by thick mudrocks the far-field pressure is well approximated by a single-phase model. Through dimensional analysis and numerical simulations we show that the lateral pressure propagation follows a power-law that depends on a single parameter M ~ log10(RkRSRl 2 ), where Rk and RS are the ratios of mudrock to reservoir permeability and storativity and Rl is the aspect ratio of the confined pressure plume. Both the coefficient and the exponent of the power-law are sigmoid decreasing functions of M. The M-values of typical geological storage sites are in the region where the power-law is changing rapidly. The combinations of large uncertainty in mudrock properties and the sigmoid shape lead to wide and strongly skewed probability distributions for the predicted radius of review. Therefore, the determination of the mudrock properties is an important component of the site characterization, if pressure dissipation has the potential significantly increase storage capacity. After injection the pressure will continue to diffuse and the radius of review may continue to increase, which will emphasize the significance of monitoring post-injection overpressure to secure the stability of the storage formation.
Interaction of arginine vasopressin and angiotensin II on Ca2+ in vascular smooth muscle cells

The non-osmotic release of arginine vasopressin (AVP) is associated with the concomitant activation of the renin-angiotensin and sympathetic nervous systems. In vivo studies suggest that a positive interaction may occur between AVP and angiotensin II (Ang II), and other Ca2+ mobilizing hormones. In the present study, the cellular mechanisms of this interaction between AVP and Ang II in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) were examined. These results support the existence of a positive interaction between AVP and Ang II on Ca2+ mobilization in VSMC. In fact, the challenge of VSMC with combined AVP and Ang II, in a range from 5 x 10(-11) to 10(-8) M, enhanced cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and 45Ca2+ efflux in a more than additive manner. This potentiation, which was not dependent of the presence of extracellular calcium, correlated with an increased VSMC shape change. Moreover, the combination of subthreshold doses of AVP and Ang II (5 x 10(-11) M), which do not release Ca2+ alone, evoked a Ca2+ mobilizing response. A subthreshold dose of Ang II also shifted to the left the concentration-response curve of the AVP-mediated 45Ca2+ efflux. Since there were no changes in receptor binding of either hormone by the other hormone and the interaction of the two hormones on the production of inositol phosphatides was additive, the AVP and AII positive interaction on Ca2+ mobilization on VSMC may occur at the level of the intracellular Ca2(+)-releasing mechanism itself. Such an interaction can occur at hormone concentrations below the Ca2+ release threshold and may explain an increased functional response to the combination of pressor hormones compared to that of each hormone alone.
Treatment-resistant pain and distress during pediatric burn-dressing changes

Recent research has suggested some efficacy for the use of hypnosis in the control of pain and distress in a pediatric population undergoing painful medical procedures. Here, we study a sample (N=23) of pediatric subjects undergoing burn-dressing changes and receiving either an imagery-based or control (social-support) treatment. Subjects' levels of distress were assessed with the Observational Scale of Behavioral Distress. Results indicated that distress behaviors in this population can be measured reliably using this scale. However, no support was found for the main hypothesis that imagery treatment would be superior to control treatment in the alleviation of distress, nor were these treatments effective in comparison to baseline conditions. We discuss the formidable problem that burn and dressing-change pain presents, as well as the reasons why this treatment attempt might have failed to have the predicted effects. We also discuss important developmental considerations regarding the adequate assessment of pain and distress.
Pathogenesis of mouse scrapie: Effect of route of inoculation on infectivity titres and dose-response curves

Abstract The relative efficiencies of different routes of inoculation were determined by the comparison of operational estimates of infectivity titre in standard scrapie inocula. The variation in titre between routes was up to 4 −log 10 LD 50 units. The intracerebral route was the most efficient, followed by the intravenous, intraperitoneal and subcutaneous routes. The relationship between the dose of agent and length of incubation period was studied for these routes of inoculation. When the dose of agent was corrected for the efficiency of infection by each route, similar dose-response relationships were found for all 3 peripheral routes of inoculation, suggesting that the mode of pathogenesis may be similar in each case. The dose-response relationships for intracerebrally injected scrapie were similar to those obtained with peripheral routes at low effective doses, but differed at higher doses. The concentration of agent in brain in the clinical stage of scrapie was always the same irrespective of the dose of agent and route of inoculation that had been used to infect mice. This finding indicates that clinical scrapie develops when a certain threshold concentration of agent is achieved in brain. It is concluded that the main differences in the pathogenesis of scrapie following different routes of inoculation occur in the early agent-host interactions which determine the efficiency of infection.