cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Doing it right: how, not whether, to perform prostate-specific antigen screening.

It can be argued that in the absence of concise guidelines on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening, we are failing men and their physicians as they navigate the confusing and often contradictory information regarding prostate cancer screening. Few would claim such guidelines are readily available today. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against routine PSA screening [1], while other groups recommended shared decision-making for men expected to live for at least 10 yr [2]. The data informing these recommendations come from two large randomized trials intended to provide clarity on this important issue [3,4]. While the European trial demonstrated a 21% reduction in the risk of dying of prostate cancer at 13 yr of follow-up with PSA screening [4], the US trial identified no difference in mortality, although it suffered from high rates of contamination in the control arm [3]. Early data suggest that PSA screening rates have been dropping in the USA since the release of the USPSTF recommendations [5], despite the 47% decrease in prostate cancer mortality observed over the past decades that many argue is at due, at least in part, to screening efforts [6]. Other countries are also struggling to define a comprehensive set of recommendations around PSA screening, resulting in widespread adoption of ad hoc approaches [7]. This issue of European Urology contains an intriguing exploration by Godtman and colleagues [8] of how successful an ad hoc approach is relative to a structured screening program. Using long-term data from a population-based randomized trial from Goteborg, Sweden, the authors specifically compare the outcomes of PSA-detected prostate cancers in screened and control arms. They report
Hole intraband relaxation in strongly confined quantum dots: Revisiting the "phonon bottleneck" problem

We study hole intraband relaxation in strongly confined CdSe quantum dots. We observe a dramatic reduction in the hole energy-loss rate in the final stage of hole relaxation at the bottom of the valence band. This reduction occurs because of a significantly increased inter-level spacing near the band edge, and, in particular, because of a large energy gap separating the lowest (``emitting'') hole states from a dense quasi-continuum of higher lying states. A slowed population buildup of the lowest hole state indicates that the ``phonon bottleneck,'' which is bypassed in the conduction band due to Auger-type electron-hole interactions, still plays a significant role in hole relaxation.
The Arrest of Secretion Response in Yeast: Signaling from the Secretory Path to the Nucleus via Wsc Proteins and Pkc1p

The arrest of secretion response (ASR) in sec mutants reversibly inhibits nuclear import and relocates nuclear proteins to the cytoplasm. sec mutants also relocate nucleoporins; however, endocytic and Golgi-to-vacuole transport mutants do not cause relocation. The ASR requires Wsc membrane proteins that are trapped along the secretory path, rather than those which are at the plasma membrane. The activity of the downstream kinase, Pkc1p, is also required; however, the Pkc1p MAP kinase cascade is not. sec mutants initiate compensatory transcriptional changes distinct from those of the unfolded protein response.
Priorities in item recognition.

The Sternberg paradigm was used to examine item recognition in the experiments reported here. Functions relating reaction time to positive set size and relating reaction time to the serial position of positive targets were discussed within the context of Sternberg’s (1969) recognition model. The experiments were designed to test (a) the hypothesis that certain members of the positive set receive preferential processing and (b) the hypothesis that some members of the negative set are compared to the target in memory. The results of both experiments supported the first hypothesis, and the results of Experiment I supported the second hypothesis. Models generally consistent with these results were discussed.
Dysregulated Eating and Distress: Examining the Specific Role of Negative Urgency in a Clinical Sample

Many theories exist regarding dysregulated eating behaviors such as bingeing and purging. Recent research has provided consistent and compelling evidence supportive of theories that favor an emotion regulatory model (Smyth et al. J Consult Clin Psychol 75:629–638, 2007). Specifically, these theories posit that individuals engage in dysregulated eating behaviors in a maladaptive attempt to alleviate negative affect. Along these lines, several studies have reported that negative urgency, the tendency to act rashly in an attempt to immediately reduce feelings of negative affect (Whiteside and Lynam Pers Individ Dif 30:669–689, 2001), is a particularly important variable in this process (Anestis et al. Behav Res Ther 45:3018–3029, 2007; Fischer et al. Int J Eat Disord 33:406–411, 2003). In this study, we sought to expand upon prior research by testing the relationship between negative urgency and EDI-Bulimia in a clinical sample (N = 130) when controlling for an extensive list of relevant covariates, including additional components of impulsivity. Results supported our hypotheses. These findings indicate that the previously reported relationship between negative urgency and dysregulated eating behaviors remains significant in a clinical setting, even when controlling a more extensive list of impulsivity related variables than has been utilized in prior research. As such, this study has potentially important clinical implications.
Mortality and survival of cultured surface-ocean flagellates under simulated deep-sea conditions

Abstract The vast majority of the marine environment consists of dark, cold, high-pressure environments into which microbes from the surface ocean are continuously transported by advection or by attachment to sinking particles. Little is known about how the low temperature and high pressure of the deep ocean affect the abundance and activity of surface organisms, in particular microbial eukaryotes. Cultures of two flagellate species, Cafeteria roenbergensis and Neobodo designis , both isolated from surface waters where they are considered cosmopolitan, were incubated in titanium chambers for one to two weeks under typical deep-sea temperature (2 °C) and pressure (50 MPa, representing 5000 m water depth). Samples were taken daily with minimal loss of pressure in the culture vessel, and flagellates were subsequently enumerated, along with prokaryotic prey when possible. The abundance of protists declined in all treatments, with a significantly greater rate of mortality under combined cold temperature and high pressure conditions than in the cold temperature-only conditions. However, 1.6 (SD = 3.8)% of C. roenbergensis and 10.0 (6.1)% of N. designis cells survived on average in the high pressure treatments, indicating that some fraction of sinking protists can survive transport to the deep ocean. In addition, after a period of acclimation, positive growth rates were measured in some cases, suggesting that surface-adapted flagellates cannot only survive under deep-sea conditions but are able to reproduce and potentially provide seed populations to cold, high-pressure environments.
Use of dodecyl-β-d-maltoside in the purification and stabilization of RNA polymerase from brome mosaic virus-infected barley

The activity and specificity of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (replicase) isolated from brome mosaic virus-infected barley was enhanced by extraction with the nonionic detergent dodecyl-β-d-maltoside. The enzyme was stable for at least 8 weeks when stored at −70°. A further 100-fold purification was obtained by centrifugation through sucrose in the presence of detergent. The polymerase activity was associated with the pellet fraction; the template dependence and specificity were similar to those of the enzyme before sucrose purification. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a 110-kd protein in the purified pellet fraction from infected leaves that was absent from a similar fraction from healthy leaves. The protein had an identical electrophoretic mobility to that of protein la, the product of brome mosaic virus RNA 1 translation in vitro, and the profile of its tryptic polypeptides was very similar to that of protein 1a. These results support data obtained by inoculation of protoplasts with separated BMV RNA components (Kiberstis, et al. (1981), Virology 112, 804–808) that are consistent with the notion that RNA 1 codes for the viral replicase, or a subunit thereof.
Application of New Precipitation and Reconstructed Streamflow Products to Streamflow Trend Attribution in Northern Eurasia

River runoff to the Arctic Ocean has increased over the last century, primarily during the winter and spring and primarily from the major Eurasian rivers. Some recent studies have suggested that the additional runoff is due to increased northward transport of atmospheric moisture (and associated increased precipitation), but other studies show inconsistencies in long-term runoff and precipitation trends, perhaps partly due to biases in the observational datasets. Through trend analysis of precipitation, temperature, and streamflow data, the authors investigate the extent to which Eurasian Arctic river discharge changes are attributable to precipitation and temperature changes as well as to reservoir construction and operation between the years of 1936 and 2000. Two new datasets are applied: a gridded precipitation product, in which the low-frequency variability is constrained to match that of long-term bias-corrected precipitation station data, and a reconstructed streamflow product, in which the effects of reservoirs have been minimized using a physically based reservoir model. It is found that reservoir operations have primarily affected streamflow seasonality, increasing winter discharge and decreasing summer discharge. To understand the influences of climate on streamflow changes, the authors hypothesize three cases that would cause precipitation trends to be inconsistent with streamflow trends: first, for the coldest basins in northeastern Siberia, streamflow should be sensitive to warming primarily as a result of the melting of excess ground ice, and for these basins positive streamflow trends may exceed precipitation trends in magnitude; second, evapotranspiration (ET) in the warmer regions of western Siberia and European Russia is sensitive to warming and increased precipitation, therefore observed precipitation trends may exceed streamflow trends; and third, streamflow from the central Siberian basins should respond to both effects. It is found that, in general, these hypotheses hold true. In the coldest basins, streamflow trends diverged from precipitation trends starting in the 1950s to 1960s, and this divergence accelerated thereafter. In the warmest basins, precipitation trends consistently exceeded streamflow trends, suggesting that increased precipitation contributed to increases in both ET and streamflow. In the central basins, permafrost degradation and ET effects appear to be contributing to long-term streamflow trends in varying degrees for each basin. The results herein suggest that the extent and state of the permafrost underlying a basin is a complicating factor in understanding long-term changes in Eurasian Arctic river discharge.
A Predictive Model for Variation in the Pitch Between Stamped Pilot Holes

This paper presents an analytical model for predicting the variation in the pitch distance between pilot holes stamped with a progressive die. The model is useful in designing diesets since it relates pitch variation to dieset parameters such as the quantity of pilot pins clearance in the stripper plate bearings, clearance about the punch, and clearance about the pilot pins. The efficacy of the predictive model is demonstrated with a sensitivity study of design parameters in an exemplary dieset used to stamp electrical contacts. Predictions from the model match previously measured variation within about twenty-four percent.
Overnight Truck Parking Along Tennessee's Interstate Highways and Rest Areas

Truck parking spaces in the public rest areas and pull-out areas along Tennessee's Interstate highways are filling up at night, and large trucks are parking along the shoulders of ramps to these areas. Trucks are also parking along regular interchange ramps and in some cases along through lanes. This is a potentially hazardous situation for travelers. A detailed survey was performed at public rest areas in Tennessee at night, covering all 7 days of the week, to learn about the occupancy characteristics of trucks. Availability of space in private truck stops near interchanges also was examined. This research presents the findings of these surveys in quantitative terms. Several truck drivers were interviewed and all neighboring states were contacted to learn more about why some drivers prefer to park along highways and what strategies are being used by other states to alleviate this problem. Findings related to these issues are presented in this research.
Relationships between motor cell ultrastructure and leaf movements in samanea saman

We examined the fine structure of motor cells in the secondary pulvinus of Samanea saman (Jacq.) Merrill, to aid in analyzing the cellular basis for K+ and Cl− driven, turgor regulated circadian leaflet movements. Pulvini that were (a) open (horizontal) in the light, (b) closed (vertical) in the dark, or (c) at an intermediate angle after 96-h incubation in H2O in darkness, were cut into cross sections, sub-divided into quadrants, and prepared for electron microscopy by standard methods. The walls of many cells are ridged, appearing scalloped in cross section, the plasmalemma following the wall contours. Plasmodesmata localized in pit fields are most numerous in the inner cortex of the extensor (abaxial), and least numerous in the outer cortex of the flexor (adaxial) (3.9 and 0.7, respectively, per μm2 wall area). Vacuole size, number of vacuoles per cell, and the condition of the electron dense precipitate within the vacuole also vary with cell location, multivacuolation being most pronounced in the outer cortex of the extensor. Chloroplasts are dimorphic: those in cells close to the vascular tissue are very large, circular in cross section, and contain huge starch deposits at all times, while those in the remainder of the cortex are smaller, usually oblong, and contain large starch deposits at the beginning of the dark period, but are devoid of starch at the beginning of the light period. However, both types of chloroplasts in excised pulvini incubated in H2O in darkness for 96 h still contain starch deposits, indicating that (1) light may promote starch degradation, or (2) starch degradation and resynthesis may be rhythmic.
Dislocation velocity in alpha titanium

Abstract The mobility of {1010}〈1120〉 edge dislocations in zone refined titanium single crystals was studied in bending at 77, 200 and 300°K by the etch pit technique. The usual determination of dislocation velocity as a function of stress could not be made because of the ease at which the grown-in dislocations moved. However, at stresses near the macro yield stress velocities of the order of 10−3–10−2 cm sec−1 were deduced from the rate of growth of slip lines. Arrays of dislocations parallel to the specimen axis were also observed. The present results are in accord with the earlier conclusions that the plastic deformation of α-titanium at low temperatures is governed by the motion of dislocations on first order prism planes and that the rate controlling mechanism is overcoming of interstitial solutes.
The Diurnal Interaction Between Convection and Peninsular-Scale Forcing Over South Florida

One of the outstanding problems in modern meterology is that of describing in detail the manner in which larger scales of motion interact with, influence and are influenced by successively smaller scales of motion. The present investigation is concerned with a study of the diurnal evolution of convection, the interaction between the peninsular-scale convergence and convection, and the role of the feedback produced by the cloud-scale downdrafts in the maintenance of the convection. Attention is given to the analysis, the diurnal cycle of the network area-averaged divergence, convective-scale divergence, convective mass transports, and the peninsular scale divergence. The links established in the investigation between the large scale (peninsular), the mesoscale (network), and the convective scale (cloud) are found to be of fundamental importance to the understanding of the initiation, maintenance, and decay of deep precipitating convection and to its theoretical parameterization.
Late posterior pelvic instability following chronic insufficiency fracture of the pubic rami.

Insufficiency fractures about the pelvis are usually a diagnosis of exclusion with rare clinical significance. The insidious onset and progression of groin or low back pain in patients can pose a diagnostic dilemma. Differential diagnosis of these symptoms includes: mechanical back pain, degenerative disc disease, muscle spasm, osteoarthritis or malignancy [5,15,17]. Insufficiency fractures usually occur in elderly, mainly female individuals during normal activities of daily living. Stress fractures usually occur in younger, competitive female athletes [1,3–5,7,8,12,14]. The common thread is lowered fatigue strength secondary to osteoporosis, osteomalacia or other disease states thus allowing lower loads (normal activities) or fewer loading cycles to result in osseous failure [6]. Recent literature suggests that prolonged anterior pelvic instability can lead to late posterior instability [1,9]. There are many case reports and small series in the literature regarding pubic rami stress fractures and insufficiency fractures of the sacrum [3–5,7,8,10,11,13–17]. None, however, describe pelvic instability resulting from a stress fracture mechanism. We report the case of a fracture dislocation of the sacroiliac joint following chronic bilateral anterior pubic rami stress fractures.
Exercise tames the wild side of the Myc network: a hypothesis

We propose that the well-documented therapeutic actions of repeated physical activities over human lifespan are mediated by the rapidly turning over proto-oncogenic Myc (myelocytomatosis) network o...
Electron distributions during the solar electron burst of 22 March 2002

[1] A compilation of various spacecraft measurements made over the last 30 years suggests that the pitch angle distribution (PAD) width of a solar electron burst may have a complex energy signature. To date, no study has considered the PAD width over a broad energy range during a single solar electron burst. Here we use Wind 3DP data to examine the energy dependence of the PAD width between 100 eV to 100 keV during the solar electron burst of 22 March 2002. We find that the PAD width during this event varied nonmonotonically with energy, with a minimum in the width-energy profiles often being observed between 10 and 20 keV. In addition, we find time periods during and after the burst when the PAD width-energy profile had a distinct maximum or protuberance below 10 keV. The times at which the protuberance appeared were coincident with Type III radio events. This suggests that the protuberance in the width-energy profiles may be a manifestation of electron scattering by the electron/electron instability, as previously predicted by simulations.
Support vector machines in remote sensing: A review

A wide range of methods for analysis of airborne- and satellite-derived imagery continues to be proposed and assessed. In this paper, we review remote sensing implementations of support vector machines (SVMs), a promising machine learning methodology. This review is timely due to the exponentially increasing number of works published in recent years. SVMs are particularly appealing in the remote sensing field due to their ability to generalize well even with limited training samples, a common limitation for remote sensing applications. However, they also suffer from parameter assignment issues that can significantly affect obtained results. A summary of empirical results is provided for various applications of over one hundred published works (as of April, 2010). It is our hope that this survey will provide guidelines for future applications of SVMs and possible areas of algorithm enhancement.
In vitro toxicity and activity of Dakin's solution, mafenide acetate, and amphotericin B on filamentous fungi and human cells.

Abstract : Objectives: Posttraumatic invasive fungal infections threaten critically injured combat related injuries and require a combination of extensive surgery and systemic antifungal therapy, along with topical antimicro bials used adjunctively to control the infection. We evaluated the in vitro activity of topical agents in varying combinations and concentrations against molds from patients that were responsible for wound invasive fungal infections and the topical agents toxicity to human cells. Methods: Mafenide acetate solutions (2.5%, 5%, and 7.5%), amphotericin B solutions (2 mg/mL, 2 mg/mL, and 20 mg/mL), SMAT (5% mafenide acetate in combination with 2 mg/mL, 2 mg/mL, and 20 mg/mL amphotericin B), and Dakin s solutions (buffered sodium hypochlorite) (0.5%, 0.25%, and 0.125% and 10 fold serial dilutions of 0.25% 0.00000025%) were evaluated for antifungal activity against 4 molds using a time kill assay using standard conidial suspensions of 5 104 colony forming units per milliliter. To assess cellular toxicity, confluent monolayers of human keratinocytes, dermal fibroblasts, and osteoblasts were exposed to these topical agents. Based upon efficacy and toxicity ratios, an additional 10 molds were screened with selected concentrations of the topical agents for antifungal activity and toxicity. Results: All the topical agents seemed to have a dose dependent killing with only mafenide acetate showing time killing associated with prolonged contact. There was overall evidence of dose dependent cytotoxicity of the various topical agents against the various cell lines tested, but there did not seem to be increased cell death with continued exposure to the agents over time. Dakin s solution exhibited dose dependent toxicity and efficacy with 0.00025% appearing to optimize those parameters. Conclusions: Mafenide acetate and amphotericin B did not seem to persistently meet the toxicity and efficacy balance as consistently as Dakin s solution.
Harnessing the Potential of Technology to Support the Academic Success of Diverse Students.

Campuses can use technology to implement universal design in instruction and learning, with benefits for all students.
Computation of Orientational Filters For Real-Time Computer Vision Problems II: Multi-resolution Image Decomposition

Abstract Orientational filters have been used frequently for computer vision problems. Despite their strength in various vision problems, their use has been limited in real-time applications since they are computationally intensive. A previous paper presented separable approximation as a way to implement a real-time orientational filter operation with a small amount of hardware. This paper extends the result of the previous paper to a multi-resolution decomposition.
Negotiating place, space and borders: The New Sanctuary Movement

This article examines immigration and immigrant rights through the activities of the New Sanctuary Movement (NSM). The NSM, which is led by religious activists, responds to the contradiction between the basic principles of freedom that have theoretically grounded the American political system and the practices that have allowed for the current measures taken against immigrants. This article employs narratives from NSM supporters, stories from undocumented individuals in sanctuary, and scholarly work to illustrate how the NSM works as a channel for mobilization and articulation of demands of supportive religious and political activists who seek comprehensive immigration reform, as well as providing sanctuary places for undocumented immigrants faced with deportation. The NSM in Ventura County, Los Angeles County and San Francisco, California, are used as case studies to conclude that the NSM has been effective in creating and taking advantage of political opportunities to improve public policies and immigrants’ ability to negotiate local, state and national political structures.
Increased activity of a new chlorofluoroquinolone, BAY y 3118, compared with activities of ciprofloxacin, sparfloxacin, and other antimicrobial agents against anaerobic bacteria.

A total of 435 clinical isolates of anaerobes were tested with a broth microdilution method to determine the activity of BAY y 3118 compared with those of other agents against anaerobic bacteria. All strains of Bacteroides capillosus, Prevotella spp., Porphyromonas spp., Fusobacterium spp., Clostridium spp., Eubacterium spp., Peptostreptococcus spp., and Veillonella parvula were susceptible (MICs of or = 4 micrograms/ml) of BAY y 3118. Only imipenem and metronidazole were active against all anaerobes. Overall, BAY y 3118 was more active than ciprofloxacin, sparfloxacin, piperacillin, cefotaxime, and clindamycin against the test isolates.
Comment on "Attitudes of European physicians, nurses, patients, and families regarding end-of-life decisions: the ETHICATT study" by Sprung et al.

Sir, We read with interest the paper by Sprung et al. on attitudes of European physicians, nurses, patients, and families regarding end-of-life decisions [1]. The study compares preferences for end-of-life decisions between the above-mentioned groups from six European countries with different societal backgrounds. We agree with the authors that it is remarkable that one-third to half of the respondent groups wanted active euthanasia for pain, both when they would be diagnosed with a terminal illness and when they would be permanently unconscious; however, we question the interpretation of the answers for the second scenario, as in the questionnaire, active euthanasia was defined as the hastening of death at the patient's explicit request. In our opinion, this scenario is theoretical, since an unconscious patient cannot explicitly request euthanasia. In such a situation, alleviation of pain, without the intention of hastening death, is a much more plausible scenario. In all participating countries, the law does not allow hastening of death without the patient's explicit request. In addition, the numbers probably represent an underestimation of the respondents' desire for euthanasia, as studies have shown that pain is not the only reason for a euthanasia request [2, 3]. In these studies, euthanasia requests were typically related to patients' sense of suffering without improvement and loss of dignity. Rietjens et al. showed that in 36% of the patients that received euthanasia, pain was the main reason for their request [2]. Regrettably, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was only presented for value of life vs quality of life, and the desire to go into the ICU. Especially for the euthanasia scenario, it would be interesting to compare countries, as it is known that marked differences between countries exist [4, 5].
How risky is the debt in highly leveraged transactions

Abstract This paper estimates the systematic risk of the debt in public leveraged recapitalizations. We calculate this risk as a function of the difference in systematic equity risk before and after the recapitalization. The increase in equity risk is surprisingly small after a recapitalization, ranging from 37% to 57%, depending on the estimation method. If total company risk is unchanged, the implied systematic risk of the post-recapitalization debt in twelve transactions averages 0.65. Alternatively, if the entire market-adjusted premium in the leveraged recapitalization represents a reduction in fixed costs, the implied systematic risk of this debt averages 0.40.
Comparison of pituitary-thyroid function in patients with endstage renal disease and in age- and sex-matched controls.

Comparison of pituitary-thyroid function in patients with end-stage renal disease and in age- and sex-matched controls. The response to i.v. bolus thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) of 14 dialysis patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) was compared to the response of 14 age- and sex-matched renal clinic patients (controls) with normal renal function (serum creatinine concentrations Comparaison de la fonction hypophyso-thyroidienne chez les malades en insuffisance renale terminale et chez des controles de meme âge et sexe. La reponse a l'injection d'un embol de TRH a 14 malades en dialyse atteints d'insuffisance renale terminale (ESRD) a ete comparee a la response obtenue chez 14 malades de memes âge et sexe dont la fonction renale etait normale (concentration serique de creatinine
Dynamics of non-relativistic Chern-Simons solitons

Abstract The dynamics of non-relativistic Chern-Simons solitons is studied. We find that at low energies solitons move freely in the classical limit. However, there is a quantum mechanical statistical interaction among well-separated solitons. The spin-statistics relation is also confirmed.
Brain osmoregulation during extreme and moderate dehydration in a rat model of severe DKA

To determine if osmoprotective molecules accumulate in the brain during severe DKA with extreme (DKA-E) and moderate (DKA-M) dehydration, Fischer 344 rats (250-350g) were given STZ 45 mg/kg (i.p.) and allowed food and water ad lib. DKA-M received NaCl 77 mmol/L 60 ml/kg (i.p.) q 4 hrs. on day 2. All rats were anesthetized and sacrificed at 48 hrs. Half of each brain was used to measure water content (BWC) and half to measure Na+, K+, and organic osmoles by HPLC. Just prior to expiration, values for mean concentration of serum glucose (mmol/L) percent weight loss and median blood pH for DKA-E were 33.4, 19%, 6.98; for DKA-M, 16.8, 7.5% and 6.84, respectively. Means +/- SEM were compared by Student's t-test. Percent BWC was 76.3, 77.3 and 77.6 in DKA-E, DKA-M and normal controls, respectively (NS). Brain Na+ and K+ were increased in DKA-M compared to controls (p < .05) but not significantly different in DKA-E compared to controls. Of organic osmoles measured (umol/g wet weight) taurine was significantly increased (p < .01) in DKA-E and DKA-M (8.04 +/- .39 and 9.73 +/- .78, respectively) as compared to controls (5.92 +/- .35) as was myoinositol in DKA-E compared to controls (9.96 +/- .39 vs. 8.87 +/- .28) (p < .05) and urea in DKA-E as compared to controls (14.24 +/- 3.9 vs. 4.14 +/- .52) (p < .01). DKA-M were not significantly different for brain myoinositol or urea as compared to control animals. There was no significant difference in brain glutamine between either study group and controls. Preservation of brain water despite systemic dehydration can be partly explained by increased brain concentrations of osmoprotective molecules. Such adaption in the clinical setting of DKA warrants a cautious repair of dehydration and hyperosmolality.
(+)-3,11-Dioxo-5α-androstanecarboxylic acid: catemeric hydrogen bonding in a steroidal diketo acid

The title compound, C20H28O4, aggregates catemerically, with hydrogen-bonding links from each carboxylic acid group to the 3-oxo group in the A ring of a mol­ecule translationally related in both the a and the b directions [O⋯O = 2.7537 (18) A and O—H⋯O = 162°]. The 11-oxo group in the C ring is not involved in the hydrogen bonding. A single inter­molecular C—H⋯O close contact connects the carboxyl C=O group to a methyl group on an adjacent mol­ecule.
Cooperative Binding Properties of Restriction Endonuclease EcoRII with DNA Recognition Sites

Abstract EcoRII is a member of the expanding group of type IIe restriction endonucleases that share the distinguishing feature of requiring cooperativity between two recognition sites in their substrate DNA. To determine the stoichiometry of the active DNA-enzyme complex and the mode of cooperative interaction, we have investigated the dependence ofEcoRII cleavage on the concentration of EcoRII dimers. Maximal restriction was observed at dimer/site ratios of 0.25 and 0.5. The molecular weight of the DNA-enzyme complex eluted from a gel filtration column also corresponds to a dimeric enzyme structure bound to two substrate sites. We conclude that oneEcoRII dimer is sufficient to interact cooperatively with two DNA recognition sites. A Lac repressor “barrier” bound between two normally reactive EcoRII sites did not inhibit restriction endonuclease activity, indicating that cooperativity between EcoRII sites is achieved by bending or looping of the intervening DNA stretch. Comparative cleavage of linear substrates with differently spaced interacting sites revealed an inverse correlation between cleavage rate and site distance. At the optimal distance of one helical turn, EcoRII cleavage is independent of the orientation of the recognition sequence in the DNA double strand.
Confidence in the police in Latin America

Abstract The study of confidence in the police in Latin America is rare, partially for lack of interest and partially for lack of reliable data. Social, economic, and political instability in those countries also contributes to the problem. Relying on data from the World Values Surveys 1995–1997, the current research proposed a theory of the police in transitional societies and reported the results of analyses of confidence in the police in nine countries of Latin America. The levels of confidence in the police in the nine Latin American nations were compared with that of the U.S. The inclusion of a heterogeneous set of control variables in the multivariate analysis yielded several consistent predictors of confidence in the police. Similar to the findings in the U.S., confidence in the police in Latin America was part of the broader attitude complex. Different from the findings in the U.S., confidence in the police was positively related to one's employment status and religiosity, and negatively to income.
Local Versus Systemically Mediated Effects of Estrogen on Normal Mammary Epithelial Cell Deoxyribonucleic Acid Synthesis

While it has been shown that estrogen promotes mammary gland growth in vivo, it has not been demonstrated if estrogen acts locally in the mammary gland to produce a mitogenic effect in the epithelial cells or if the mitogenic effect is mediated systemically. The purpose of this study was to distinguish between local vs. systemically mediated modes of estrogen action in normal mammary glands of both immature 5-week-old and sexually mature 10-week-old mice. Elvax 40P, noninflammatory, easily manipulated implant material, was combined with 17 beta-estradiol and placed either directly into the mammary gland to elicit a localized effect or implanted sc to produce a systemic effect. The effect of estrogen on epithelial cell proliferation was assessed by its effect on mammary gland morphology from whole mount examinations and on DNA synthesis by DNA histoautoradiography. The effects of implant location and estrogen dose on mammary and uterine progesterone receptor (PgR) concentrations were also analyzed. The results indicate that estrogen can act locally to stimulate increased epithelial DNA synthesis and an increase in end-bud size in the immature mammary gland. By contrast, no localized effect of estrogen could be demonstrated in the mature mammary gland; it appears that increased epithelial DNA synthesis and ductal side-branching are systematically mediated effects of estrogen. On the other hand, in the case of PgR regulation, estrogen can act locally to increase receptor concentration in the adult gland. In contrast, in the immature mammary gland only low levels of PgR were detectable, and they could not be increased by any method of estrogen treatment. Thus, these results demonstrate that estrogen can act either locally or systemically to produce mitogenic effects on mammary epithelium. However, the age and/or developmental stage of the target tissue are important factors that determine the hormonal responsiveness of normal tissue and which mode (local vs. systemic) of estrogen action will be operative.
PROBLEMS RELATED TO TECHNIQUES FOR ASSESSING ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT AND DETERMINING INTERVENTION STYLE

Organization Development, as widely practiced in schools, is characterised by a diagnosis of organizational problems that is carried out collaboratively by facilitator and client. The design of the Organization Development intervention is presumably based upon this diagnosis. Since Organization Development is a planned, sustained effort to change the organization's culture in significant ways one might expect the diagnostic procedures to utilise systematic techniques for assessing organization culture. Further, these diagnostic techniques should reflect a conceptually unambiguous understanding of the nature of organizational culture and its elements. An enquiry of 83 American Organization Development consultants with experience as facilitators in public schools indicated that only seven reported using one or more of the recognised assessment techniques for which there are published data concerning factor structure, reliability and validity. Others reported utilising various combinations of interviews and paper‐and‐pencil techniques developed for local use. The authors discuss the implications of their findings in terms of Organization Development technology through scientific efforts.
Rapid purification of an active recombinant His-tagged 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase from Pseudomonas putida OU83.

2,3-Dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase (2,3-DBPD) is an extradiol-type dioxygenase that catalyzes the aromatic ring fission of 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl, the third step in the biphenyl degradation pathway. The nucleotide sequence of the Pseudomonas putida OU83 gene bphC, which encodes 2,3-DBPD, was cloned into a plasmid pQE31. The His-tagged 2,3-DBPD produced by a recombinant Escherichia coli strain, SG13009(pREP4)(pAKC1), and purified with a Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid resin affinity column using the His-bind Qiagen system. The His-tagged 2,3-DBPD construction, carrying a single 6×His tail on the N-terminal of the polypeptide, was active. SDS-PAGE analysis of the purified active 2,3-DBPD gave a single band of 34 kDa; this is in agreement with the size of the bphC coding region. The Km for 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl was 14.5±2 μM. The enzyme activity was enhanced by ferrous ion but inhibited by ferric ion. The enzyme activity was inhibited by thiol-blocking reagents and heavy metals HgCl2, CuSO4, NiSO4, and CdCl2. The yield was much higher and the time required to purify recombinant 2,3-DBPD from clone pAKC1 was faster than by the conventional chromatography procedures.
Merger system optimization in BNL's high current R&D ERL

A super-conducting RF R&D energy recovery linac (ERL) is under construction at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). This ERL will be used as a test facility to study issues relevant to high-current, high-brightness beams. One of the goals is to demonstrate an electron beam with high charge per bunch (˜ 5 nC) and extremely low normalized emittance (˜ 5 mm-mrad) at an energy of 20 MeV. In contrast with operational high-brightness linear electron accelerators, all presently operating ERLs have order of magnitude larger emittances for the same charge per bunch. One reason for this emittance growth is that the merger system mixes transverse and longitudinal degrees of freedom, and consequently violates emittance compensation conditions. A merger system based on zigzag scheme resolves this problem. In this paper we discuss performance of the present design of the BNL R&D ERL injector with a zigzag merger.
Mobile multimedia platforms

With the explosion in mobile telecommunications and increasing competition, mobile telephone service providers and vehicle makers are looking to develop new types of services for vehicle users. So far the services have included information about traffic conditions and support in case of breakdowns. In future digital broadcast and third generation telecommunication systems will be used to deliver interactive multimedia services into the vehicle. This paper looks at platform requirements for supporting the delivery of the new multimedia services. It considers the role of operating systems and networks in determining the flexibility and costs of the system.
Mupirocin Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus Causing Recurrent Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in Children

Staphylococcus aureus resistance to mupirocin is often caused by acquisition of a novel isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase encoded on the plasmid gene mupA. We tested S. aureus isolates from children at Texas Children's Hospital with recurrent skin and soft tissue infections for mupirocin resistance and mupA. Of 136 isolates, 20 were resistant to mupirocin (14.7%). Fifteen isolates (11%) carried mupA, and the gene was more common in methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (21.4%) than methicillin-resistant S. aureus (8.3%; P = 0.03). Seven of 20 mupirocin-resistant isolates displayed clindamycin resistance.
Quasi-two-dimensional dipolar scattering

We study two-body dipolar scattering with one dimension of confinement. We include the effects of confinement by expanding this degree of freedom in harmonic oscillator states. We then study the properties of the resulting multichannel system. We study the adiabatic curves as a function of $D/l$, the ratio of the dipolar and confinement length scales. There is no dipolar barrier for this system when $D/ll0.34$. We also study the WKB tunneling probability as a function of $D/l$ and scattering energy. This can be used to estimate the character of the scattering.
The Role of Flame Shape and Burner Configuration in Emission Analysis

A simple derivation can show that the effect of flame shape, multiple flames, and multi-pass optical systems should be the same for flame emission intensity as for atomic absorption response. Experimental evidence confirms the prediction and shows that the steps used to increase atomic absorption response are directly applicable to emission measurements. Increased emission intensities reduce noise levels and lower detection limits by lowering the required electrical gain and by permitting the use of narrower spectrometer slits. The improvement in detection limits from the use of narrow slits depends on the background structure in the vicinity of the line. Three cases are considered in detail.
Microbial biohydrogenation of oleic acid to trans isomers in vitro

Ruminant products are significant sources of dietary trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids, including various conjugated linoleic acid isomers, have been shown to act as metabolic modifiers of lipid metabolism. Trans fatty acids originate from biohydrogenation of dietary unsaturated fatty acids by gut microbes; however, the exact synthetic pathways are unclear. It was our goal to examine the biohydrogenation pathway for oleic acid, where oleic acid is hydrogenated directly to stearic acid. Our objective in this study was to trace the time course of appearance of 13C in labeled oleic acid to determine if trans monoenes are formed from the 13C-labeled oleic acid or if the 13C appears only in stearic acid as described in reviews of earlier work. Enrichments were calculated from the mass abundance of 13C in major fatty acid fragments and expressed as a percentage of total carbon isotopomers. Significant 13C enrichment was found in stearic acid, oleic acid, trans-6, trans-7, and in all trans C18:1 in positions 9-16. We concluded that the biohydrogenation of oleic acid by mixed ruminal microbes involves the formation of several positional isomers of trans monoenes rather than only direct biohydrogenation to form stearic acid as previously described.
ConvexSmooth: A simultaneous convex fitting and smoothing algorithm for convex optimization problems

Convex optimization problems are very popular in the VLSI design society due to their guaranteed convergence to a global optimal point. Table data is often fitted into analytical forms like posynomials to make them convex. However, fitting the look-up tables into posynomial forms with minimum error itself may not be a convex optimization problem and hence excessive fitting errors may be introduced. In recent literature numerically convex tables have been proposed. These tables are created optimally by minimizing the perturbation of data to make them numerically convex. But since these tables are numerical, it is extremely important to make the table data smooth, and yet preserve its convexity. Smoothness will ensure that the convex optimizer behaves in a predictable way and converges quickly to the global optimal point. In this paper, we propose to simultaneously create optimal numerically convex look-up tables and guarantee smoothness in the data. We show that numerically "convexifying" and "smoothing" the table data with minimum perturbation can be formulated as a convex semidefinite optimization problem and hence optimality can be reached in polynomial time. We present our convexifying and smoothing results on industrial cell libraries. ConvexSmooth shows 14/spl times/ reduction in fitting error over a well-developed posynomial fitting algorithm.
Signal analysis of rhythmical discharge in cardiac preganglionic fibers and of heart rate variability

A signal processing technique is proposed for the extraction of short-term variability rhythms from the discharge of cardiac sympathetic fibers. In decerebrated and artificially ventilated cats the impulse activity of cardiac preganglionic fibers was recorded in a closed chest preparation together with ECG, arterial pressure, and respiration. The neural signal was fed into an analog spike counter, obtaining a stepwise count signal. Beat-by-beat variability series were extracted; the spike-count signal is sampled once per cardiac cycle convolving with a FIR low-pass filter. The presence of low-frequency and high-frequency rhythms was demonstrated by parametric spectral and cross-spectral analyses. >
Individuals with medial knee osteoarthritis show neuromuscular adaptation when perturbed during walking despite functional and structural impairments.

Neuromuscular control relies on sensory feedback that influences responses to changing external demands, and the normal response is for movement and muscle activation patterns to adapt to repeated ...
Deep brain hypothermia by means of high-flow biventricular cooling

Abstract A simple technique of rapidly inducing profound reductions in brain temperature in rhesus monkeys, utilizing bilateral ventricular perfusion with ice-cold saline, is presented. The expected dramatic reductions in cardiac rate and arterial pressure along with the development of an isoelectric state as the brain enters the deep hypothermic state are documented. Careful neurological follow-up has demonstrated full recovery in all animals.
A 3-D Traffic Animation System with Storm Surge Response

This paper presents a 3D traffic animation system that provides features of vehicle interaction and storm surge response to emulate realistic scenarios in a hurricane affected area. The proposed system constructs road objects based on a series of line segments. Vehicles on the roads are animated by keeping them coherent with the direction of the road segment and adjusting their speeds with respect to one another. The vehicle speed is controlled based upon a collision-circumventing policy and they automatically respond to flood water caused by a storm surge. The system can automatically plant lamp posts along the roads, which also respond to surge flooding. An implementation conducted with the 3D scenes on a couple of south Florida's surge-susceptible areas demonstrates the system's excellence in animating real traffic scenes and impacts of storm surge on coastal regions.