cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Survey on Toxoplasma gondii infection among key populations in Wuxi City

OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection among key populations in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, so as to provide evidences for developing preventive and control interventions for T. gondii infection. METHODS A questionnaire was designed to conduct face-to-face interviews to HIV/AIDS carriers/patients, tumor patients, pregnant women and pet breeders. The blood samples were collected to test anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG antibodies by using ELISA method. RESULTS Totally 404 participants were investigated, and 38 were positive in testing T. gondii antibodies (9.4%), and among these, 37 (97.4%) were IgG positive and 1 (2.6%) was IgM positive. The multivariate logistic regression indicated that age, regularly contacting cats/dogs and being HIV positive were associated with the infection of T. gondii (OR=2.1, 2.6 and 2.3, all P < 0.05). Breeding pets, being HIV positive and being tumor patients were more likely to infect T. gondii than being pregnant (OR = 1.5, 8.1 and 2.8, all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The high infection rate of T. gondii is observed among key populations in Wuxi City, so that the effective measurements should be taken to enhance the intervention among key populations including immunocompromised people, pet breeders or people having bad dietary habits of eating raw food.
The American Pathology of Inequitable Access to Medical Care

What most defines access to health care in the United States may be its stark inequity. Daily headlines in top newspapers paint the highs and lows. Articles entitled: “We Mapped the Uninsured. You’ll notice a Pattern: They tend to live in the South, and they tend to be poor” and op-eds with titles like “Do Poor People Have a Right to Health Care?” and “What it’s Like to Be Black and Pregnant when you Know How Dangerous That Can Be” run side-by-side with headlines touting “The Operating Room of the Future,” and advances in gene therapy that promise cures to everything form vision loss to cancer, accompanied by high six-figure price tags. Americans’ claims that they have access to the best medical care in the world are correct. Equally true are the claims that the system is broken. This chapter maps out the complex picture of access to medical care in the United States and reflects on how variable access illustrates, among other things, an American ambivalence about health solidarity. This Chapter first considers health care financing as one critical element that defines access to medical care and describes the multifaceted U.S. health care financing structure, predominated by public insurance programs for select populations and regulated private insurance for others. Second, this Chapter describes how access is equally shaped by legal requirements that create treatment obligations for doctors or hospitals, regardless of how someone pays for care. There is no constitutional right to health in the U.S., but various layers of statutory and common law have created some guarantees. That said, despite efforts to increase access over the past decades, the United States is still extraordinary, as compared to peer nations, on the unevenness of access to medical care among its population.
Venous Thromboembolic Disease: DVT and PE

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary emboli (PE) are usually considered the same disease, namely, thromboembolic disease (TED), as a large proportion of patients with DVT have “asymptomatic” PE and about 40 % of patients with PE have “asymptomatic DVT”. Furthermore, in most instances the treatment is the same. TED is a common disorder that carries a high mortality rate. In a population based study performed in Canada, Tagalakis and colleagues reported an incidence of venous thromboembolism of 0.90 per 1,000 person-years; the 30-day and 1-year case-fatality rates were 10.6 % and 23.0 % respectively [1]. The 1-year survival rate was 47 % in patients with cancer, 93 % in patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism and 84 % in patients with venous thromboembolism secondary to a major risk factor. In this study 62 % of cases were associated with a major risk factor, with cancer, hospitalization, and surgery being the most common. In the International Cooperative Pulmonary Embolism Registry (ICOPER), all-cause mortality rate at 3 month was 17 % [2]. PE was considered to be the cause of death in 45 % of patients. Important prognostic factors associated with death from pulmonary embolism were age older than 70 years, cancer, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, systolic arterial hypotension, tachypnea, and right ventricular hypokinesis on echocardiography.
Real-Time Implementation of Smart Wireless Charging of On-Demand Shuttle Service for Demand Charge Mitigation

This paper presents a smart charge management strategy for an on-demand electric shuttle operating at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) campus and supported by an inductive charger at the vehicle's waiting spot. A new control algorithm has been proposed for mitigating the demand charges incurred from the wireless charger. It monitors the shuttle, wireless charger, renewable energy generation, and other loads and regulates charging behavior for demand charge mitigation. Within the control algorithm, an energy prediction is made to estimate the mobility needs of the vehicle and maintain uninterrupted service during operation while still minimizing peak demand. The proposed controller is designed and optimized using a Simulink model for the entire system. It is then implemented and tested in real time at the NREL campus using online cloud services. Two vehicle-use cases—charge-sustaining and charge-depletion operation—are tested under different campus power profiles and drive cycles to assess the controller's performance. The proposed controller showed a robust performance under different driving scenarios, with high correlation between simulation and experimental data. The results show that proper demand response can be achieved, with an average of 94% reduction of charging loads during peak demand events.
Length and Redundancy of Outpatient Progress Notes Across a Decade at an Academic Medical Center.

Importance There is widespread concern that clinical notes have grown longer and less informative over the past decade. Addressing these concerns requires a better understanding of the magnitude, scope, and potential causes of increased note length and redundancy. Objective To measure changes between 2009 and 2018 in the length and redundancy of outpatient progress notes across multiple medical specialties and investigate how these measures associate with author experience and method of note entry. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study was conducted at Oregon Health & Science University, a large academic medical center. Participants included clinicians and staff who wrote outpatient progress notes between 2009 and 2018 for a random sample of 200 000 patients. Statistical analysis was performed from March to August 2020. Exposures Use of a comprehensive electronic health record to document patient care. Main Outcomes and Measures Note length, note redundancy (ie, the proportion of text identical to the patient’s last note), and percentage of templated, copied, or directly typed note text. Results A total of 2 704 800 notes written by 6228 primary authors across 46 specialties were included in this study. Median note length increased 60.1% (99% CI, 46.7%-75.2%) from a median of 401 words (interquartile range [IQR], 225-660 words) in 2009 to 642 words (IQR, 399-1007 words) in 2018. Median note redundancy increased 10.9 percentage points (99% CI, 7.5-14.3 percentage points) from 47.9% in 2009 to 58.8% in 2018. Notes written in 2018 had a mean value of just 29.4% (99% CI, 28.2%-30.7%) directly typed text with the remaining 70.6% of text being templated or copied. Mixed-effect linear models found that notes with higher proportions of templated or copied text were significantly longer and more redundant (eg, in the 2-year model, each 1% increase in the proportion of copied or templated note text was associated with 1.5% [95% CI, 1.5%-1.5%] and 1.6% [95% CI, 1.6%-1.6%] increases in note length, respectively). Residents and fellows also wrote significantly (26.3% [95% CI, 25.8%-26.7%]) longer notes than more senior authors, as did more recent hires (1.8% for each year later [95% CI, 1.3%-2.4%]). Conclusions and Relevance In this study, outpatient progress notes grew longer and more redundant over time, potentially limiting their use in patient care. Interventions aimed at reducing outpatient progress note length and redundancy may need to simultaneously address multiple factors such as note template design and training for both new and established clinicians.
Effects of initial foot position on postural responses to lateral standing surface perturbations in younger and older adults.

Abstract Background An age-related decline in standing balance control in the medio-lateral direction is associated with increased risk of falls. A potential approach to improve postural stability is to change initial foot position (IFP). Research questions In response to a lateral surface perturbation, how are lower extremity muscle activation levels different and what are the effects of different IFPs on muscle activation patterns and postural stability in younger versus older adults? Methods Ten younger and ten older healthy adults participated in this study. Three IFPs were tested [Reference (REF): feet were placed parallel, shoulder-width apart; Toes-out with heels together (TOHT): heels together with toes pointing outward; Modified Semi-Tandem (M-ST): the heel of the anterior foot was placed by the big toe of the posterior foot]. Unexpected lateral translations of the standing surface were applied. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of the lower extremity muscles, standard deviation (SD) of the body’s CoM acceleration (SD of CoMAccel), and center of pressure (CoP) sway area were compared across IFPs and age. Results Activation levels of the muscles serving the ankle and gluteus medius were greater than for the knee joint muscles and gluteus maximus in the loaded leg across all IFPs in both groups. TOHT showed greater EMG peak amplitude of the soleus and fibularis longus compared to REF, and had smaller SD of CoMAccel and CoP sway area than M-ST. Compared to younger adults, older adults demonstrated lower EMG peak amplitude and delayed peak timing of the fibularis longus and greater SD of CoMAccel and CoP sway area in all IFPs during balance recovery. Significance During standing balance recovery, ankle muscles and gluteus medius are important active responders to unexpected lateral surface perturbations and a toes-out IFP could be a viable option to enhance ankle muscle activation that diminishes with age to improve postural stability.
Models of Feminism: Tunisia’s Opportunity to Overcome the Secular/Islamist Binary

As Tunisians publicly debate the roles of Islam, democracy and feminism in the post-revolutionary period, an opportunity has arisen for the historically fractured women’s movement to overcome the religious/secular “binary” that has crippled both Tunisian politics and the women’s movement for nearly six decades. For religious women, particularly those who are not members of their nation’s privileged elite, religion provides a vehicle for emerging from civil society and achieving political voice. The electoral showing of the Islamist Ennahdha party brought religious women into the constitutional debates and, therefore, into public conflict with secular women activists. While occasionally acrimonious, nonetheless, the public airing of mutual suspicions and grievances under the rubric of “Transitional Justice” is ripe with possibilities for reconciliation between the religious and secular factions of Tunisia’s women’s rights movement and perhaps society at large.
Correlating preoperative imaging with intraoperative fluoroscopy in iliosacral screw placement

Percutaneous iliosacral screw placement can successfully stabilize unstable posterior pelvic ring injuries. Intraoperative fluoroscopic imaging is a vital component needed in safely placing iliosacral screws. Obtaining and appropriately interpreting fluoroscopic views can be challenging in certain clinical scenarios. We report on a series of patients to demonstrate how preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging can be used to anticipate the appropriate intraoperative inlet and outlet fluoroscopic views. 24 patients were retrospectively identified with unstable pelvic ring injuries requiring operative fixation using percutaneous iliosacral screws. Utilizing the sagittal reconstructions of the preoperative CT scans, anticipated inlet and outlet angle measurements were calculated. The operative reports were reviewed to determine the angles used intraoperatively. Postoperative CT scans were reviewed for repeat measurements and to determine the location and safety of each screw. Preoperative CT scans showed an average inlet of 20.5° (7°–37°) and an average outlet of 42.8° (30°–59°). Intraoperative views showed an average inlet of 24.9° (12°–38°) and an average outlet of 42.4° (29°–52°). Postoperative CT scans showed an average inlet of 19.4° (8°–31°) and an average outlet of 43.2° (31°–56°). The average difference from preoperative to intraoperative was 4.4° (−21° to 5°) for the inlet and 0.45° (−9° to 7°) for the outlet. The average difference between the preoperative and postoperative CT was 2.04° (0°–6°) for the inlet and 2.54° (0°–7°) for the outlet. There is significant anatomic variation of the posterior pelvic ring. The preoperative CT sagittal reconstruction images allow for appropriate preoperative planning for anticipated intraoperative fluoroscopic inlet and outlet views within 5°. Having knowledge of the desired intraoperative views preoperatively prepares the surgeon, aids in efficiently obtaining correct intraoperative views, and ultimately assists in safe iliosacral screw placement. IV, Retrospective case series.
Enhanced melanin fluorescence by stepwise three-photon excitation.

The fluorescence of eumelanin (from Sepia officinalis and black human hair) was activated and enhanced by almost three orders of magnitude by exposure to near-infrared radiation. No activation or enhanced emission was observed when the samples were heated up to 100� C. The near-infrared irradiation caused obvious changes to the eumelanin and could be seen by fluorescence and bright field imaging. The area of enhanced emission appeared to originate from a region with changes in the morphology of the eumelanin’s granule and increased with exposure time. At least two different components with enhanced fluorescence were activated and could be distinguished by their excitation properties. One component could be excited efficiently with wavelengths in the visible region and exhibited linear absorption dependence with respect to the laser power level. The second component could be excited efficiently using near-infrared wavelengths by a nonlinear process and exhibited a third-order dependence on the excitation. The third-order dependence is explained by a step-wise excited-state absorption process since the same third-order dependence was present when either continuous wave or femtosecond pulsed laser, with similar average-power levels, was used.
Spectrally efficient modulation

Spectrally efficient modulation, involving the maximization of the transmitted data rate through a specified bandwidth, may aid in alleviating the problem of spectral congestion in the electromagnetic spectrum. Attention is given to pulse-shaping and nonbinary modulation, and particularly to combined amplitude- and phase-modulation. Theoretical performance limits, such as Shannon's bound, are used to assess the effectiveness of the systems described. Consideration is also allotted to spectrally efficient modulation for terrestrial microwave systems, required to provide 1000 voice channels in the 4- and 6-GHz band.
Cause of Death in Older Men After the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer

OBJECTIVES: To compare survival and cause of death in men aged 65 and older diagnosed with prostate cancer and with survival and cause of death in a noncancer control population. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort from a population-based tumor registry linked to Medicare claims data. SETTING: Eleven regions of the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Tumor Registry. PARTICIPANTS: Men aged 65 to 84 (N=208,601) diagnosed with prostate cancer from 1988 through 2002 formed the basis for different analytical cohorts. MEASUREMENTS: Survival as a function of stage and tumor grade (low, Gleason grade<7; moderate, grade=7; and high, grade=8–10) was compared with survival in men without any cancer using Cox proportional hazards regression. Cause of death according to stage and tumor grade were compared using chi-square statistics. RESULTS: Men with early-stage prostate cancer and with low- to moderate-grade tumors (59.1% of the entire sample) experienced a survival not substantially worse than men without prostate cancer. In those men, cardiovascular disease and other cancers were the leading causes of death. CONCLUSION: The excellent survival of older men with early-stage, low- to moderate-grade prostate cancer, along with the patterns of causes of death, implies that this population would be well served by an ongoing focus on screening and prevention of cardiovascular disease and other cancers.
Clinic dosing of beta blockers in chronic heart failure.

Beta blockers improve survival and reduce morbidity of patients with chronic heart failure. Stringent dosing guidelines calling for a 1-hour observation period after initiation or up-titration of beta-blocker therapy might limit the use of beta blockers and increase the expense involved. This study was conducted to determine the usefulness of this observation period. Data were collected from 130 in-clinic postdosing observation periods for 34 stable chronic heart failure patients started on carvedilol. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 0.22±0.09, and the mean functional class was 2.5±0.6. No patient had greater than first-degree heart block. Carvedilol was started at 3.125 or 6.25 mg b.i.d., and the dose was doubled every 1-3 weeks. All patients were observed for 1-2 hours after initiation or dosage increase, and blood pressure and heart rate were measured hourly. The maximal daily dose was 50±31 mg. In none of the observation periods was there a decrease in the dose of beta blockers administered in the clinic. The predosing mean blood pressure was 110±15/71±10 mm Hg, and the mean heart rate was 78±13 bpm; the 1-hour postdosing mean blood pressure was 101±14/67±10 mm Hg (p is less than 0.001), and the heart rate was 78±13 bpm. The dose was decreased in six patients and medication was discontinued in three, all consequent to symptoms reported several days after dosage increase. Beta blockers can be safely initiated and up-titrated at home in properly selected and evaluated stable patients with chronic heart failure and severe left ventricular dysfunction resulting in mild or moderate impairment of functional capacity. (c)2001 by CHF, Inc.
Infrared Laser Read-out Of A TLD Plate For High Dose Radioactive Field Quantitative Imaging

A fully automated scanning infrared laser reader for extracting digital dosimetric information from a thermoluminescent (TL) plate has been developed. A CO;! laser makes it possible to thermally stimulate relaxation in highly localized regions of a TL plate with a surface area large in comparison to the beam diameter. Assembly of the discrete information provides an image or map of ionizing radiation dose. The dynamic range of most TL materials makes the detector useful for therapeutic as well as diagnostic exposure levels. Experimental radiotherapy beam depth doses measured at 75% and 50% tumor dose depths were accurate to within 10% of those measured with ionization chambers within a water bath phantom.
Red-light-emitting laser diodes operating CW at room temperature

Heterojunction laser diodes of AlGaAs have been prepared with threshold current densities substantially below those previously achieved at room temperature in the 7200-8000-A spectral range. These devices operate continuously with simple oxide-isolated stripe contacts to 7400 A, which extends CW operation into the visible (red) portion of the spectrum.
New guaianolides from Berlandiera Pumila and B. Texana, and the X-ray crystal structure of pumilin

The isolation and structure determination of two new guaianolides, pumilin and its 2,3-epoxide, from Berlandiera pumila and B. texana are reported. The structure of pumilin was determined from nmr and mass spectral data, and from an X-ray single crystal study; the structure of the epoxide was found by comparison of nmr spectra. Pumilin is shown to be a Δ1(10)-cis-guaianolide with a cyclopentenone ring attached to C1 and C5, and an α-methylene-γ-lactone ring trans-fused to C6 and C7. The absolute configuration was inferred from spectral considerations and knowledge of previous structural determinations. The cd spectrum of pumilin exhibits a negative Cotton effect, and the lactone chromophore has left-handed chirality. The cyclo-heptene ring is in the chair configuration, with the lactone a half-chair and the cyclopentenone essentially planar. Crystals are orthorhombic, a = 7.065, b = 13.652, c = 19.586 A, space group P212121, Z = 4, and the final R value is 3.9%. The crystal structure is strengthened by an O···O hydrogen bond linking the molecules into infinite chains.
SAM: A comprehensive mechanism for accessing embedded sensors in modern SoCs

With technology scaling, the number of sensors integrated into modern system-on-chip (SoC) designs has increased greatly over the past several years. These sensors must be accessed for a number of reasons (test, configuration, calibration, etc.). This paper proposes a novel sensor access mechanism (SAM) to address sensor access in various modes, including manufacturing test mode, functional mode, built-in self-test (BIST) mode, silicon validation mode, and calibration mode. Moreover, SAM standardizes the testing and measurement of embedded sensors by providing easy and effective access to sensors distributed across the SoC. Further, SAM does not introduce a new pin, making it JTAG compatible and practice-oriented for easy industrial adoption. Various simulation results, collected by integrating SAM into several benchmarks demonstrate its high performance and low overhead.
Posttranscriptional regulation of prolactin (PRL) gene expression in PRL-deficient pituitary tumor cells.

Rat pituitary acidophils consist of somatotropes (GH+/PRL-), lactotropes (GH-/PRL+), and lactosomatotropes (GH+/PRL+). Studies have indicated interconversion of these cell types in response to changing hormonal status. Representative tumor cell lines have been obtained for each acidophil cell type, and some display spontaneous interconversions. We examined whether the switch from GH3 cells (GH+/PRL+) to GH3LP and GC cells (both GH+/PRL-) involves repression of PRL gene expression at a transcriptional vs. posttranscriptional level. PRL mRNA is undetectable or barely detectable in GH3LP and GC cells. In contrast, nuclear extracts from these cells transcribe the PRL promoter in vitro, and their Pit-1 mRNA levels are comparable to those in GH3 cells. Nuclear run-on transcription assays demonstrated that the PRL gene is transcribed in GH3LP and GC cells at a rate of about 60% of that observed in GH3 cells. No evidence was obtained for a block to transcriptional elongation or for transcription in the antisense ...
Before We Were Us, We Were Them: Curating Controversy.

AbstractPrompted by the passage of Alabama House Bill 56,1 organized the museum studies course I taught for Auburn University at Montgomery in the 2013 spring semester around an exhibition on immigration. The course offered the opportunity to engage students, faculty, and the community in discussion of an important, timely, and controversial topic. Collaborating with an upper-level communications course and funded by a School of Liberal Arts Community Outreach Grant, the class designed and curated “Before We Were Us, We Were Them: Immigration and Alabama,” which was exhibited on campus to coincide with AUM's Diversity Week, 22–26 April 2013. This article outlines the successes and failures of the project, including issues associated with teaching and presenting a controversial topic, working within a limited budget to curate historical objects, collaborating with others, and engaging the community.
Approximate electron removal energies in density-functional theory from post-hoc correction of local-spin-density eigenvalues.

Methode de calcul de corrections aux valeurs propres de l'approximation de densite de spin locale permettant d'obtenir une meilleure approximation des potentiels d'ionisation, en accord acceptable avec les valeurs calculees au moyen des corrections d'autointeraction. R1sultats numeriques (potentiels d'ionisation des atomes a Z compris entre 1 et 36 et niveaux occupes de Li, C, Ar et Ti)
Structural relations of planes of liquid inclusions in the crystalline rocks of the Washington (D.C.) area

Planes of liquid inclusions are common in the quartz of igneous and metamorphic rocks. The planes have a high degree of preferred orientation, and it is believed that they represent fractures in the quartz grains that have been filled with intergranular liquid which subsequently changed to individual inclusions by differential solution and deposition of silica. The planes of inclusions commonly extend through several quartz grains of different orientation with no deflection at the grain boundaries, indicating that there is little or no crystallographic control of their orientation.
Nitrogen fertility in semiarid dryland wheat production is challenging for beginning organic farmers

Organic farming systems use green and animal manures to supply nitrogen (N) to their fields for crop production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of green manure and composted cattle manure on the subsequent winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) crop in a semiarid environment. Dry pea (Pisum sativum L.) was seeded in early April and terminated at first flower in late June. Composted cattle manure was applied at 0, 11.2 or 22.5 Mg ha−1 just prior to pea termination. Winter wheat was planted in mid September following the green manure or tilled summer fallow. No positive wheat response to green manure or composted cattle manure was observed in any of the 3 years of the study. In 2 of the 3 years, wheat yields and grain test weight were reduced following green manure. Green manure reduced grain yields compared with summer fallow by 220 and 1190 kg ha−1 in 2009 and 2010, respectively. This may partially be explained by 40 and 47 mm less soil water at wheat planting following peas compared with tilled summer fallow in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Also, in 2008 and 2009, soil nitrate level averaged 45 kg ha−1 higher for black fallow compared with green manure fallow when no compost was added. Organic growers in the semiarid Central Great Plains will be challenged to supply N fertility to their winter wheat crop in a rapid and consistent manner as a result of the inherently variable precipitation. Growers may need to allow several years to pass before seeing the benefits of fertility practices in their winter wheat cropping systems.
Effects of increased ICAM-1 on reperfusion injury and chronic graft vascular disease.

Abstract Background . The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of increased donor cardiac intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1) expression on both reperfusion injury and chronic graft vascular disease after transplantation. Methods . Hearts were harvested from donor rats before and after pretreatment with lipopolysaccharide at −24 hours, underwent 45 minutes of cold ischemia, and were transplanted into ACI recipients with or without anti–ICAM-1 monoclonal antibody treatment. Grafts were procured early for analysis of ICAM-1 expression and reperfusion injury or the recipients were treated with cyclosporin A (to allow long-term graft acceptance) for postoperative days 0 through 9 with procurement on postoperative day 90 to histologically score for chronic graft vascular disease. Results . Lipopolysaccharide-pretreated PVG heart grafts showed increased ICAM-1 expression by Northern blot and immunohistochemical analysis leading to increased reperfusion injury as assessed by neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase), cardiac edema (percentage wet weight), and histologic injury (percentage area of contraction band necrosis), which was reversed by recipient treatment with anti–ICAM-1 monoclonal antibody. After administration of cyclosporin A, 5 mg/kg for 10 days, lipopolysaccharide-treated grafts had significantly worse chronic graft vascular disease scores (2.56 ± 0.57 versus 1.84 ± 0.75; p U test). Conclusions . The induction donor inflammatory state before harvest leading to increased cardiac ICAM-1 expression promotes reperfusion injury and chronic graft vascular disease after transplantation in this rodent heterotopic heart model.
Traitor tracing for prerecorded and recordable media

In this paper we are focusing on the use of a traitor tracing scheme for distribution models that are based on prerecorded or recordable physical media. When a pirated copy of the protected content is observed, the traitor tracing scheme allows the identification of at least one of the real subscribers who participated in the construction of the pirated copy. We show how we systematically assign the variations to users. We explore under what circumstances traitor tracing technology is applicable for media based distribution and then focus on two challenges specifically related to this form of distribution: We demonstrate a way to encode the variations on the disc that is mostly hidden from the attackers and also remarkably compatible with the existing DVD standard. We also present an efficient key management scheme to significantly reduce the requirement for non-volatile key storage on low-cost CE devices.
Short-chain 3-hydroxy-2-methylacyl-CoA dehydrogenase from rat liver: purification and characterization of a novel enzyme of isoleucine metabolism.

Short-chain L-3-hydroxy-2-methylacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SC-HMAD), a soluble mitochondrial enzyme, was purified 6000-fold from rat Liver in 6% yield by a six-step purification procedure. The purified enzyme was homogenous as judged by gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The molecular mass of this protein was estimated to be 28 kDa under denaturing conditions. Under nondenaturing conditions, the enzyme behaved on Sephacryl S-200 like serum albumin with a molecular mass of 66 kDa. Thus, SC-HMAD seems to be a dimer composed of two, most likely identical 28-kDa subunits. Immunoblotting with antibodies to pig heart L-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HAD) (EC 1.1.1.35) revealed that SC-HMAD and HAD are immunologically unrelated proteins. SC-HMAD, but not HAD, catalyzes the NAD+-dependent dehydrogenation of L-3-hydroxy-2-methybutyryl-CoA, a metabolite of isoleucine, to 2-methylacetoacetyl-CoA. Relative activities with 3-hydroxy-2-methylacyl-CoA thioesters having acyl chains with 4, 5, 10, and 16 carbon atoms are 88, 100, 16, and 0%, respectively. Unbranched 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA thioesters are also substrates of SC-HMAD, although poorer ones as evidenced by apparent Km values of 5 and 19 μM for L-3-hydroxy-2-methylbutyryl-CoA and L-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA, respectively. Maximal velocities observed with these two substrates were similar. It is concluded that SC-HMAD catalyzes the second dehydrogenation step during the β-oxidation of the isoleucine metabolite 2-methylbutyryl-CoA. This enzyme may also be involved in the β-oxidation of natural and xenobiotic branched chain carboxylic acids.
The mechanism of accumulation of high levels of vanadium by ascidians from seawater: biophysical approaches to a remarkable phenomenon.

Abstract High levels of vanadium were found by mere chance in the blood cells of an ascidian (tunicates, known as sea squirts) by the German chemist M. Henze in 1911 (1). Subsequently, many investigators revealed that ascidians are the only organisms in the animal kingdom able to accumulate vanadium at high concentrations. We reexamined the vanadium content of several tissues from 20 ascidian species, employing the extremely sensitive method of neutron-activation analysis for the quantification of this metal. The highest concentration of 350 mM vanadium was found in the blood cells of A. gemmata belonging to the suborder Phlebobranchia. Ascidian blood cells have been classified morphologically as being 9 to 11 types. Morula cells, one type of vacuolated cell, have been thought to be the so-called vanadocytes that might be involved in the accumulation of vanadium. Our combination techniques of cell fractionation and neutron-activation analysis revealed that signet ring cells, another type of vacuolated cell, are the true vanadocytes rather than the morula cells. Recently, we generated a monoclonal antibody which reacted with the signet ring cells. On the other hand, the oxidation state of vanadium in the blood cells has been a subject of controversy. ESR measurements of the oxidation state in the fractionated blood cells revealed that the vanadocytes contained vanadium, 97.6% of which was in the +3 oxidation state with the rest being in the +4 oxidation state. Applying ESR spectrometry to the measurement of pH values, we confirmed that the vanadocytes in A. gemmata had a low pH value of 2.42 while these cells contained the highest level of vanadium, 347.2 mM. Furthermore, Raman spectrometry demonstrated the coexistence of sulfate and vanadium in the blood cells of A. gemmata in the ratio of 1.5:1. We tried to shed some light on the basic question of the time at which the accumulation of vanadium commences during embryogenesis using neutron-activation analysis. We found that amounts of vanadium per individual increase dramatically two weeks after fertilization, and by two months the amount accumulated in larvae is about 600, 000 times greater than that in the unfertilized eggs of A. gemmata. A vanadocyte-specific antigen, recognized by a monoclonal antibody specific to the signet ring cells, first appeared in the body wall coinciding with the significant accumulation of vanadium. One and a half months after metamorphosis, the signet ring cells appeared for the first time and were specifically recognized by this antibody. These results mean that the accumulation of vanadium coincides with the differentiation of the vanadocytes during the development of ascidians. The function of the high levels of vanadium in ascidian blood cells remains, however, to be explained.
An Unnoted Hemolytic Streptococcus Associated with Milk Products

Summary A hemolytic streptococcus which is believed to represent a new species is described. This organism differs from the pathogenic species of hemolytic streptococci in its higher maximum temperature of growth, a lower minimum temperature of growth, a higher thermal death point, and a more acid limiting pH of growth. It also differs from the human types in the hydrolysis of sodium hippurate and its failure to ferment sucrose. Streptococcus hemothermophilus (n. sp.) is suggested as a name.
Novel Percutaneous Cardiac Assist Devices The Science of and Indications for Hemodynamic Support

Progress made in cardiovascular treatment over the past several decades has been impressive. Combined invasive and pharmacological treatment strategies have improved clinical outcome in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), as well as in those treated for acute myocardial infarction and decompensated heart failure. In the case of acute myocardial infarction, dramatic reductions in the progression to cardiogenic shock and the rates of reinfarction and mortality have been seen.1,–,3 In particular, in-hospital survival has improved by as much as 10 absolute percentage points, and cardiogenic shock after myocardial infarction has been cut in half.3,4 In addition, primary prevention strategies such as pharmacotherapy and aggressive risk factor modification have made significant headway in reducing the incidence of a first coronary event.4 Thus, not only do fewer patients present with acute myocardial infarction, but associated mortality has declined. The improved survival after myocardial infarction, however, has resulted in more patients living with systolic dysfunction and associated congestive heart failure.5 Heart failure, indeed, is now the major cardiovascular disease that drives hospital admissions and produces significant patient morbidity.6 This is not to say that progress has not been made in the realm of congestive heart failure, however. Both invasive (implantable devices and revascularization) and pharmacological (β-blockers and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system antagonists) therapies have improved outcome, including quality of life, heart failure symptoms, ventricular function, and survival.7,–,10 Finally, PCI outcomes have seen dramatic improvements since the initial angioplasties performed in the late 1970s. In particular, the development of bare metal stents and, more recently, drug-coated stents, modern angioplasty balloon catheters and equipment, and safer while more effective antiplatelet therapy has improved procedural success and reduced mortality.11 Indeed, patients with higher degrees of multivessel disease, as well as concomitant …
Presence in brain of a mitogenic agent promoting proliferation of myoblasts in low density culture.

NORMAL animal cells in tissue culture proliferate very slowly, or not at all, when their density is less than 20 cells mm−2 (ref. 1). This property of density-dependent cell proliferation has long been a major obstacle to establishing clonal cultures. Conditioned media4 or feeder layers2,3 have been used to promote proliferation of single cells in culture. We have reported the presence, in bovine pituitary and brain, of a mitogenic factor, fibroblast growth factor (FGF), that can control the rate of growth of animal cells in vitro5. We report here that the proliferation of myoblasts seeded at low densities can be greatly accelerated by low concentrations of brain or pituitary crude extracts. This myoblast growth factor (MGF) is distict from FGF.
Mechanical properties of injection‐molded short‐fiber thermoplastic composites. Part 1: The elastic moduli and strengths of glass‐filled poly(butylene terephthalate)

The effects of processing and part geometry on the local mechanical properties of injection-molded, 30 wt% short-fiber-reinforced filled poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT) are characterized by mechanical tests on specimens cut from rectangular plaques of different thicknesses injection molded at several different processing conditions. Stiffness data from tensile tests at 12.7-mm intervals on 12.7-mm-wide strips cut from injection-molded plaques—both along the flow and cross-flow directions—and flexural tests on these strips show consistency of plaque-to-plaque local properties. Also, in addition to the well-known anisotropic properties caused by flow-induced fiber orientation, injection-molded short fiber composites exhibit in-plane and through-thickness nonhomogeneity—as indicated by in-plane property variations, by differences between tensile and flexural properties, and by the flexural strength being significantly higher than the tensile strength. The sensitivity of these mechanical properties to process conditions and plaque geometry have also been determined: the flow-direction tensile modulus increases with fill time, the differences between flow and cross-flow properties decrease with increasing thickness, and both the flow and cross-flow flexural moduli decrease with increasing plaque thickness. While the flexural modulus is comparable to the tensile modulus, the flexural strength is significantly higher than the tensile strength. POLYM. COMPOS., 26:428–447, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers
"Retrofilling"-A Technique to Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

Mineral oil-filled transformers containing 500 ppm PCBs or greater are classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as PCB transformers. As such, these transformers are not allowed by EPA regulations to be rebuilt or internally serviced. By lowering the contamination level of PCBs below 500 ppm, the useful service life of these transformers may be extended since they would be reclassified as PCB-contaminated or non-PCB transformers, and internal servicing would be allowed. One means for accomplishing this reduction is retrofilling. The results of this study have been tabulated and guidelines have been specified to determine the suitability of a transformer to be retrofilled. This study reflects the effectiveness of retrofilling transformers to achieve reclassification
Real-time inflectional processing by children with specific language impairment: effects of phonetic substance.

In this study, we examined the processing of low-phonetic- substance inflections (e.g., third-person-singular -s, past-tense -ed) versus a higher-phonetic-substance inflection (e.g., present-progre...
Kinetic Assessment of Breast Tumors Using High Spatial Resolution Signal Enhancement Ratio (SER) Imaging

The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between an empirical contrast kinetic parameter, the signal enhancement ratio (SER), for three-timepoint, high spatial resolution contrast-enhanced (CE) MRI, and a commonly analyzed pharmacokinetic parameter, kep, using dynamic high temporal resolution CE-MRI. Computer simulation was performed to investigate: 1) the relationship between the SER and the contrast agent concentration ratio (CACR) of two postcontrast timepoints (tp1 and tp2); 2) the relationship between the CACR and the redistribution rate constant (kep) based on a two-compartment pharmacokinetic model; and 3) the sensitivity of the relationship between the SER and kep to native tissue T1 relaxation time, T10, and to errors in an assumed vascular input function. The relationship between SER and kep was verified experimentally using a mouse model of breast cancer. The results showed that a monotonic mathematical relationship between SER and kep could be established if the acquisition parameters and the two postinjection timepoints of SER, tp1, tp2, were appropriately chosen. The in vivo study demonstrated a close correlation between SER and kep on a pixel-by-pixel basis (Spearman rank correlation coefficient=0.87+/-0.03). The SER is easy to calculate and may have a unique role in breast tissue characterization.
A new poecilostomatoid copepod (Erebonasteridae) from deep-sea cold seeps at the West Florida Escarpment

A new species of poecilostomatoid copepod, Erebonaster spinulosus (Erebonasteridae), is described on the basis of a single female from a depth of 3 266 m at cold seeps near the base of the West Florida Escarpment in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Among its distinctive features are: the large body highly ornamented with setules and spinules, the rostrum with small median teeth and lateral setules, the claw of the second maxilla with a prominent knob on the concave margin, the maxilliped ornamented with setules and its claw bearing a digitiform process near the seta, the third segment of the exopod of leg 4 with the formula II,I,4, and the highly ornamented leg 5 having on the free segment a very long seta 9 times the length of the segment. The genus Erebonaster now contains two species, the previously described Erebonaster protentipes found in 2000 m at the Guaymas Basin, Gulf of California, and the new Erebonaster spinulosus.
Two-dimensional direction-based interpolation with local centered moments

Abstract Interpolation is generally needed to visualize medical images from a limited number of sliced tomographic images such as CT. In this paper, a novel gray-scale image interpolation method, for interpolating two-dimensional images accurately and efficiently, called direction-based interpolation, is investigated. In this method, the digital image is considered a sampling of the underlying continuous function, which is also called the image field. If the image is interpolated along the isovalue curves in the image field, instead of along the coordinate axes, both the edges and the internal structures of the objects in the image are well preserved. Initially, the isovalue direction at each point is calculated from the local centered moments of the image. A specific type of image, called the direction image, is composed from the isovalue directions. Then, the direction image is interpolated into a high-resolution direction image. The isovalue curve through any point in the image field is determined from the high-resolution direction image using a path-finding technique. A high-resolution gray-scale image with satisfactory object structure is then generated by interpolating the original image linearly along the isovalue curves. Experiments on a set of CT images show that this method not only preserves the shapes of complicated structures but also has an efficient computation. The comparison between the digitally reconstructed radiographs generated from the interpolated result using the direction-based interpolation method, the traditional linear interpolation method, and the traditional cubic spline interpolation method shows the promise of the proposed method in radiation treatment planning.
Good mothers, bad mothers, and the nature of resistance to herbivory in Solidago altissima.

Evidence of poor correspondence between an insect herbivore’s oviposition preferences and the performance of its offspring has generally been attributed either to maladaptive behavior of the insect mother or inadequate measurement by the researcher. In contrast, we hypothesize that many cases of “bad mothers” in herbivores may be a byproduct of the hierarchical way natural selection works on resistance in host plants. Epistatic selection on the components of resistance (i.e., antixenosis and antibiosis) may generate negative genetic correlations between the resistance components, which could counteract the efforts of herbivores to oviposit on the best hosts for the performance of their offspring. In common garden and greenhouse experiments, we measured aspects of antixenosis and antibiosis resistance in 26 genets of tall goldenrod, Solidago altissima, against two common herbivores: the gall-inducing fly Eurosta solidaginis and the spittlebug Philaenus spumarius. Goldenrod antixenosis and antibiosis were positively correlated against E. solidaginis and negatively correlated against P. spumarius. Analogously, population-wide preference–performance correlations were positive for the gall flies and negative for the spittlebugs. Several natural history differences between the two insects could make gall flies better mothers, including better synchrony of the phenologies of the flies and the host plant, the much narrower host range of the gall flies than the spittlebugs, and the more sedentary lifestyle of the gall fly larvae than the spittlebug nymphs. If these results are typical in nature, then negative genetic correlations in antixenosis and antibiosis in plants may often result in zero or negative population-wide correlations between preference and performance in herbivores, and thus may be an important reason why herbivorous insects often appear to be bad mothers.