cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trends in the Management of Male Urethral Stricture Disease in the Veteran Population

Objective To evaluate the relative use of urethral dilation, urethrotomy, and urethroplasty for male stricture disease in the Veterans Affairs (VA) population and examine trends over time in this cohort. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed using the VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure database to access the Corporate Data Warehouse. The current procedural terminology codes were used to define a cohort of all men who underwent procedures for urethral stricture disease between October 1999 and August 2013. Results A total of 92,448 procedures were performed: 50,875 urethral dilations (55.03%), 39,785 urethrotomies (43.03%), and 1788 urethroplasties (0.19%). Over the course of the study, there was a shift in the management of male stricture disease. The relative percentage of urethral dilations performed decreased in each quintile (71.27, 58.03, 45.61, 44.39, and 38.67). The relative percentage of urethrotomies increased in each quintile (27.89, 40.80, 52.18, 53.04, and 56.95) as did the relative percentage of urethroplasties performed (0.85, 1.17, 2.21, 2.57, and 4.38). A total of 80.4% of these urethroplasties were performed in locations with a residency program. Conclusion Although urethroplasty is still underused, there is a trend toward increased use of urethroplasty for male urethral stricture disease in the VA population. The majority of urethroplasties were performed at VA medical centers in locations with a residency program. We predict continued increases in utilization of urethroplasty for male urethral stricture disease as the number of fellowship-trained reconstructive urologists increases.
On the existence of a technical efficiency criterion

Abstract In this paper we discover the necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of the technical efficiency criterion of inputs usage in production, which ought to satisfy the requirements of homogeneity, strict monotonicity, and at all efficient points be equal to one. We propose, in addition, some new class of quasihomogeneous criteria of Russell-Fare-Lovell type.
Palaeoceanography: Seeing changes in a changing sea

The ratio of magnesium to calcium in sea water is thought to have influenced the skeletal mineralogy of certain marine calcifiers throughout the Phanerozoic eon. A fresh look at old data suggests that mass extinctions may have also played a role.
Integrable Models and Spin Algebras

We show how the entire KdV hierarchy as well as the recursion relation between the conserved quantities can be obtained from a spin-2 flow. The relationship between this approach and the zero curvature formulation of the KdV system based on the group SL(2, R) is clarified. We show that the Boussinesq equation can be derived as a flow of the spin-3 transformations. The Boussinesq hierarchy, as well as the relevant Lenard relation, is derived from a combined flow of the spin-2 and spin-3 transformations. We have also given an independent derivation of the Lenard relation for the Boussinesq equation starting from the third order Schrodinger equation.
Somatic hypermutation of an immunoglobulin transgene in K transgenic mice

Initial studies of somatically acquired mutations in immunoglobulin V regions from hybridomas and myelomas that are not derived from joining aberrations, suggested a controlled and specific hypermutation process1–9, because spontaneous mutation rates observed for other genes are extremely low10. Some evidence for the idea that mutations are introduced during V-gene rearrangement came from the clustering of mutations at the joining sites6,8, from the absence of mutations in unrearranged V genes4,5,11 and from the low level of mutations in only partially (D-J) rearranged nonproductive heavy-chain alleles12. Another model in which mutations accumulate with each cell division, rather than being introduced all at once8, was supported by the finding that immunoglobulin genes of hybridomas derived from a single mouse frequently had several mutations in common, and so might be derived from the same precursor cell whose daughters then accumulated additional mutations13–17. But the common mutations in some cases could be due to as yet unidentified related germline genes, or could represent the effect of antigen selection for certain amino acids. To try to detect hypermutation in the absence of V-gene rearrangement, we isolated B lymphocytes with endogenous heavy-chain gene mutations from transgenic mice carrying pre-rearranged K-transgenes. We found that these K-transgenes were also somatically mutated. This and other observations indicated that: (1) ongoing rearrangement is not required for mutation; (2) there are signals for hypermutation in the trans-genes; (3) the mutations are found only in the variable region, so the constant region may not be a target; (4) different transgene insertion sites are compatible with hypermutations and (5) more than one transgene is expressed in the same cell.
Adaptively Weighted L 2 -Minimization in Predictive Speech Coding

Current narrow-band speech coding algorithms (for transmission rates of 2400-4800 bits per second) typically excite linear filters with impulse trains to model voiced speech. The excitation function that would reproduce the speech exactly is the prediction residual; however, the usual selection of filter coefficients does not produce the most pulse-like prediction residuals. Thus other choices for filters offer an opportunity to improve the quality of narrow-band coding. The strategy of this paper is to minimize a dynamically weighted prediction error, to allow the largest values of the prediction residuals to be unconstrained and thus make the residuals more pulse-like. The idea was tested on voiced speech with over 300 predictive models, which contained quadratic and cubic terms as well as linear. Models with fewer than eight terms were not enhanced. The idea worked well with other models, particularly those with 8 to 11 terms.
The propagation upward of the shock wave from a strong explosion in the atmosphere

A method is established for the calculation of the trajectories of shocks moving upward in the atmosphere, on the basis of the assumption that they are of the self-propagating type. The results of calculations for self-similar motions are given, and these are used to establish a propagation law based upon the concepts of the Chisnell, Chester and Whitham (CCW) approximation. This propagation law enters a characteristics law based upon that proposed by Whitham, but reformulated for the computation of axisymmetric shocks with varying density.An asymptotic self-preserving shock shape is investigated, and is computed for the case γ = 1·4. A parabolic approximation scheme suggested by the self-preserving solution is developed, in which the solution near the axis is reduced to the solution of a system of ordinary differential equations. Finally, the governing equation for the general case without axial symmetry (but without winds) is presented.
Predictors of Treatment Response for Depression and Inadequate Social Support – The ENRICHD Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective: To determine whether the ‘dose’ of treatment exposure, delivery of specific components of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), patient adherence and/or use of antidepressant
Child Development in Cultural Contexts: Implications of Cultural Psychology for Early Childhood Teacher Education

In this article we argue that early childhood educators, under the influence of last century’s grand universal theories of child development, have not been attentive enough to the centrality of culture in children’s development. We discuss how the exploration of contemporary developmental perspectives is critical to the field and illustrate cultural views of child development based on cultural psychology. The goal of cultural psychology is to study the co-creation of human beings and cultures by focusing on both mentalities and practices, on both culture and biology. Using this lens, we explore the implications that cultural psychology holds for early childhood educators.
Mathematical modeling in one dimension: an introduction via difference and differential equations

This book discusses a wide range of standard continuous and discrete time mathematical models referring to real-life phenomena and introduces basic techniques for solving and interpreting solutions...
Longitudinal roles of precollege contexts in low-income youths' postsecondary persistence.

Low-income youths enroll at postsecondary institutions less frequently, drop out more often, are less likely to return after dropping out, and are less likely to attain a postsecondary degree than their more affluent peers. It is therefore important to understand how low-income youths develop the capacity to persist in the postsecondary setting. This article explores how contextual supports contribute to lowincome (and predominantly racial/ethnic minority) youths’ educational expectancies and postsecondary persistence. The authors examined these questions by applying structural equation modeling to a longitudinal panel of youths surveyed 3 times over a 5-year period, while controlling for academic achievement, age, and gender. The obtained structural model suggests meditating “chains” by which parents and peers foster educational expectancies and postsecondary persistence over time. This article suggests that precollegiate contexts and expectancies clearly matter in explaining how low-income youths progress through intermediate checkpoints—postsecondary persistence—on the path to degree completion.
Success and failure of the Friedel-Anderson resonance model for magnetic impurities: 3d impurities on the surface of Au.

The magnetic character of 3d atoms on the surface of Au is investigated using the method of quantum interference (weak localization). We find that single atoms of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Co are magnetic on the surface of Au while single atoms of Sc and Ni are nonmagnetic. Single atoms of Ti are locally spin fluctuating. The magnetic dephasing due to the 3d impurities has two maxima, one for iron and a smaller one for chromium impurities and a minimum for manganese. This behavior can be qualitatively described within the Friedel-Anderson model although the experimental values are smaller by roughly a factor of 5 than our theoretical estimates within this model. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Teacher behaviour: a determinant of student self esteem.

Abstract This small scale piece of research was undertaken to establish whether there existed a relationship between teacher behaviour and the reported self esteem inventories of four students. Using a low inference category system for rating teacher behaviour the researcher's behaviour was observed and categorised by an independent rater. The students were asked to complete Coopersmith's (1967) modified self-esteem inventory both before and after each teaching session. Following the first teaching session, the remaining two, in terms of teacher behaviour, were experimentally manipulated. A repeated measures design was utilised, in order to reduce confounding variables in subjects. Results have been analysed using the ‘T’ test to calculate statistical significance between ‘Pre’ and ‘Post’ inventory scores of students. The paper clearly shows the need for the researcher to remain sensitive to experimental design when undertaking small scale research.
Comparison of angular resolved measurements of Auger emission from a clean nickel (100) surface with electron multiple scattering calculations

Abstract The angular dependence of Auger electrons emitted from a clean Ni (100) oriented single crystal surface has been measured using a small aperture retarding field analyzer. Angular distributions of the 62 eV M 2, 3 VV Auger electron emission show strong variations as a function of both polar and azimuthal angle. The experimental data are compared with calculated angular distributions obtained by ignoring the Auger transition itself and applying a multiple scattering formalism to the outgoing wave, assuming localized sources of atomic-like s, p, d, and f symmetry within the crystal. While this comparison demonstrates the importance of multiple scattering effects in the angular distribution, it also suggests that a quantitative understanding of the experimental data will only be achieved by a theory which includes Auger transition matrix elements as well as multiple scattering effects.
Distinct effects of cAMP and mitogenic signals on CREB-binding protein recruitment impart specificity to target gene activation via CREB

Ser-133 phosphorylation of the cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) is sufficient to induce cellular gene expression in response to cAMP, but additional promoter-bound factors are required for target gene activation by CREB in response to mitogen/stress signals. To compare the relative effects of different signals on recruitment of the coactivator CREB-binding protein (CBP) to CREB in living cells, we developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay. cAMP promoted the interaction of CREB with CBP in a phosphorylation-dependent manner by FRET analysis, but mitogen/stress signals were far less effective in stimulating complex formation even though they induced comparable levels of Ser-133 phosphorylation. cAMP and non-cAMP stimuli were comparably active in promoting this interaction in the cytosol; the formation of CREB x CBP complexes in response to non-cAMP signals was specifically inhibited in the nucleus. Non-cAMP signals had no effect on intrinsic CREB- or CBP-binding activities by Far Western blot assay, thereby supporting the presence of a distinct CREB x CBP antagonist. Our studies indicate that the relative effects of cAMP and mitogen/stress signals on CREB x CBP complex formation impart selectivity to gene activation through CREB phosphorylated at Ser-133.
Projections from the superior colliculus and the neocortex to the pulvinar nucleus in Galago

We have studied the projections from the superior colliculus and the neocortex to the pulvinar nucleus in Galago senegalensis by using the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Injections of various parts of the pulvinar complex, both the inferior and superior divisions, both the tectorecipient zone and the nontectorecipient zone as defined by Glendenning et. al. ('75), produce labeled cells in the lower tier of stratum griseum superficiale. The distribution of labeled cells in the superior colliculus varies with the locus of the injection, indicating a retinotopic projection system from the entire superior colliculus to all sectors of the pulvinar complex. These experiments also provide an opportunity to study the distribution and laminar origin of neurons giving rise to cortical descending projections. The entire visual cortex projects onto the pulvinar complex. The cells or origin can be divided into two populations--one located in layer V and the other in layer VI. In seven of the nine cases reported, the layer V population is restricted entirely or mainly to the striate area. In the two exceptional cases, the layer V population is located in the adjacent extrastriate cortex, areas 18 and 19. The difference in the layer of origin of the cortical descending fibers reflects a difference in the layer of termination of the reciprocal ascending projection. These findings identify the entire visual field as primary visual cortex. The importance of this conclusion is underscored by the fact that the visual field comprises as much as one-half of the whole neocortex.
Workload in queues having priorities assigned according to service time

System designers often implement priority queueing disciplines in order to improve overall system performance; however, improvement is often gained at the expense of lower priority cystomers. Shortest Processing Time is an example of a priority discipline wherein lower priority customers may suffer very long waiting times when compared to their waiting times under a democratic service discipline. In what follows, we shall investigate a queueing system where customers are divided into a finitie number of priority classes according to their service times.
Effect of dislocation source length on yield strength of nanostructured metallic multilayer thin films

Abstract There is great interest in metallic multilayer thin films with the layer thickness on the order of nanometers due to their high hardness and strength. The yield strength deviates from Hall–Petch and Orowan predictions with layer thickness as the controlling factor, and other factors are in need to explain this phenomenon. In this work, the effect of dislocation source length on yield strength of multilayer system in the nanoscale regime is investigated using a three dimensional cellular automaton dislocation model. Different initial dislocation source lengths are assumed in the model for the metallic multilayer thin films with different layer thicknesses. The multilayer system studied here is composed of alternating A and B components with FCC structure, cube-on-cube orientation relationship, and the same layer thickness. The results show that the initial dislocation source length can provide an explanation for the above deviations.
Use of Bellwether Samples to Enhance Pre-Election Poll Predictions: Science and Art

In this article, the authors document a new pre-election polling method that combines traditional probability sampling in statewide polls with sampling of bellwether districts. Against the backdrop of the 2008 presidential primary in New Hampshire, the authors explain how the Suffolk University/WHDH predictions, using additional bellwether tests, were closer than most other polls in correctly calling the Democratic primary race. Thus, the contributions in this article are twofold. The authors offer information that provides advances to the field of opinion research by describing the nature of electoral bellwether districts, a topic of recurring interest to public opinion scholars and practitioners. Second, they describe a process for selecting electoral bellwether districts. The authors explore the validity of their ideas by comparing pre-election poll data with bellwether tests to election outcomes for additional races in the state primaries and general election. They offer conclusions about the value an...
Using reinforcement-based methods to enhance membership recruitment in a volunteer organization.

The present study employed reinforcement-based methods to induce existing members to recruit new members to join a chamber of commerce. Three interventions took place during June and July of 3 successive years. The investigators trained chamber leaders to use reinforcement methods (e.g., contingent tokens) to reinforce recruitment and dues collections. All three interventions produced substantial increases in their targets.
Suppression of the voltage-gated K+ current of human megakaryocytes by thrombin and prostacyclin.

We examined the effects of platelet activators and inhibitors of platelet function on the voltage-gated delayed rectifier K+ current of human megakaryocytes. We found that both the activators such as thrombin, the thrombin receptor peptide (TRP42–47) and ADP and the inhibitors such as prostacyclin suppressed the delayed rectifier current through two different mechanisms. The cAMP dependent protein kinase (A-kinase) inhibitor IP20 blocked the suppression of the delayed rectifier current by prostacyclin and failed to block the suppression by thrombin, TRP42–47 and ADP. The effects of IP20 suggest that the action of prostacyclin is mediated by A-kinase and the action of the three activators is not mediated by A-kinase. Pertussis toxin (PTX) an inhibitor of the inhibitory GTP-binding proteins (Gi) blocked the suppression of the delayed rectifier current by thrombin, TRP42–47 and ADP and failed to block the suppression by prostacyclin. The effects of PTX suggests that the action of the three activators is mediated by Gi or some other PTX-sensitive GTP-binding protein. We speculate that thrombin and other platelet activators that activate Gi may be suppressing the delayed rectifier current via a direct interaction of Gi or a subunit of it with the delayed rectifier potassium channel itself.
A note on the parallel processing of single-featured forms

Single-featured forms (vertical and horizontal lines) were presented to Ss both successively and simultaneously, the same form being presented one, two, or four times. Hit rates (HRs)for both simultaneous and successive presentations of two and four forms exceed the single-form HR. The HR for four successively presented forms (1F4) exceeds the four simultaneous form (4F) HR. The HR increases in the simultaneous conditions were not found in a previous study using single-featured forms. The discrepant results of the two studies indicate that energy level of stimulus presentation and confusability among forms affect the magnitude of HR increase in the simultaneous conditions. The finding of a greater 1F4 HR than 4F agreed with previous findings, indicating that with single-featured stimulus forms, Ss do not process simultaneous displays in parallel.
A new approach to the analysis of shells, plates and membranes with finite deflections

Abstract This paper presents a new perturbation method of analysis applicable to a class of geometrically non-linear problems of shells, plates, and membranes with translationally restrained edges. The perturbation parameter is a linear function of Poisson's ratio. The convergence of successive perturbations (i.e., approximations) is independent of the magnitudes of deflections. The method also offers a rational explanation of the efficacy of Berger's approximate equations, thus placing Berger's method on a firmer foundation while at the same time weakening his hypothesis of vanishing second membrane strain invariant in the strain energy integral. Several solutions and results are obtained for the purposes of illustration and discussion. Whenever possible, calculated values are compared with results obtained by other means.
International light water nuclear fuel fabrication supply: Are fabrication services assured?

Abstract This paper examines the cost structure of fabricating light water reactor (LWR) fuel with low-enriched uranium (LEU, with less than 5% enrichment). The LWR–LEU fuel industry is decades old, and (except for the high entry cost of designing and licensing a fuel fabrication facility and its fuel), labor and additional fabrication lines can be added at Nth-of-a-Kind cost to the maximum capacity allowed by a site license. The industry appears to be competitive: nuclear fuel fabrication capacity is assured with many competitors and reasonable prices. However, nuclear fuel assurance has become an important issue for nations now to considering new nuclear power plants. To provide this assurance many proposals equate “nuclear fuel banks” (which would require fuel for specific reactors) with “LEU banks” (where LEU could be blended into nuclear fuel with the proper enrichment) with local fuel fabrication. The policy issues (which are presented, but not answered in this paper) become (1) whether the construction of new nuclear fuel fabrication facilities in new nuclear power nations could lead to the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and (2) whether nuclear fuel quality can be guaranteed under current industry arrangements, given that fuel failure at one reactor can lead to forced shutdowns at many others.
Effectiveness and competitiveness of spontaneous antibiotic-resistant mutants of Rhizobium leguminosarum and Rhizobium japonicum

Abstract Thirteen doubly-marked antibiotic-resistant isolates of Rhizobium leguminosarum and three resistant isolates of R. japonicum were developed and tested for effectiveness of N2-fixation and competitiveness. Ninety-three percent of the mutants isolated were less competitive in nodule-forming ability, than their parents. However, only 38% of the R. leguminosarum isolates were reduced in N2-fixation effectiveness when compared to their parents. Doubling times of the R. leguminosarum mutants increased when compared to their parents. No correlation was found between nodulation competitiveness and doubling time of the mutants. R. leguminosarum mutants in the nodules were evaluated using a new procedure, which facilitates the handling of large numbers of nodules.
Analytical Characterization of the Electrospray Ion Source in the Nanoflow Regime

A detailed characterization of a conventional low-flow electrospray ionization (ESI) source for mass spectrometry (MS) using solution compositions typical of reversed-phase liquid chromatography is reported. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the pulsating regime consistently provided better ESI-MS performance than the cone-jet regime for the interface and experimental conditions studied. This observation is supported by additional measurements showing that a conventional heated capillary interface affords more efficient sampling and transmission for the charged aerosol generated by a pulsating electrospray. The pulsating electrospray provided relatively constant MS signal intensities over a wide range of voltages, while the signal decreased slightly with increasing voltage for the cone-jet electrospray. The MS signal also decreased with increasing emitter−interface distance for both pulsating and cone-jet electrosprays due to the expansion of the charged aerosol plume. At flow rates below 100 nL/min, the M...
Multimedia event recounting with concept based representation

Multimedia event detection has drawn a lot of attention in recent years. Given a recognized event, in this paper, we conduct a pilot study of the multimedia event recounting problem, which answers the question why this video is recognized as this event, i.e. what evidences this decision is made on. In order to provide a semantic recounting of the multimedia event, we adopt a concept-based event representation for learning a discriminative event model. Then, we present a recounting approach that exactly recovers the contribution of semantic evidence to the event classification decision. This approach can be applied on any additive discriminative classifiers. The promising result is shown on the MED11 dataset that contains 15 events in thousands of YouTube like videos.
The CSL vision system

This is a summary of a paper by the same title published as AI Tech Note 5, Coordinated Science Laboratory. The longer report contains detailed results of the tests described herein.
Efficacy of olanzapine in the treatment of psychosis in dementia with lewy bodies.

Objective: This study sought to determine whether patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and psychosis responded to treatment with olanzapine. Methods: Thi
Bacteriophage lambda gpNu1 and Escherichia coli IHF proteins cooperatively bind and bend viral DNA: implications for the assembly of a genome-packaging motor.

Terminase enzymes are common to both prokaryotic and eukaryotic double-stranded DNA viruses and are responsible for packaging viral DNA into the confines of an empty procapsid shell. In all known cases, the holoenzymes are heteroligomers composed of a large subunit that possesses the catalytic activities required for genome packaging and a small subunit that is responsible for specific recognition of viral DNA. In bacteriophage lambda, the DNA recognition protein is gpNu1. The gpNu1 subunit interacts with multiple recognition elements within cos, the packaging initiation site in viral DNA, to site-specifically assemble the packaging machinery. Motor assembly is modulated by the Escherichia coli integration host factor protein (IHF), which binds to a consensus sequence also located within cos. On the basis of a variety of biochemical data and the recently solved NMR structure of the DNA binding domain of gpNu1, we proposed a novel DNA binding mode that predicts significant bending of duplex DNA by gpNu1 (d...
Trimeric Hantavirus Nucleocapsid Protein Binds Specifically to the Viral RNA Panhandle

Hantaviruses are tripartite negative-sense RNA viruses and members of the Bunyaviridae family. The nucleocapsid (N) protein is encoded by the smallest of the three genome segments (S). N protein is the principal structural component of the viral capsid and is central to the hantavirus replication cycle. We examined intermolecular N-protein interaction and RNA binding by using bacterially expressed Sin Nombre virus N protein. N assembles into di- and trimeric forms. The mono- and dimeric forms exist transiently and assemble into a trimeric form. In contrast, the trimer is highly stable and does not efficiently disassemble into the mono- and dimeric forms. The purified N-protein trimer is able to discriminate between viral and nonviral RNA molecules and, interestingly, recognizes and binds with high affinity the panhandle structure composed of the 3' and 5' ends of the genomic RNA. In contrast, the mono- and dimeric forms of N bind RNA to form a complex that is semispecific and salt sensitive. We suggest that trimerization of N protein is a molecular switch to generate a protein complex that can discriminate between viral and nonviral RNA molecules during the early steps of the encapsidation process.
A coupled central-tensor effective nucleon-nucleon interaction potential

A non-central two-part tensor force is coupled to a two-part central force in a variational calculation for an investigation of the enhancements of the central force predictions wrought by the tensor terms. As the tensor force vanishes for spherically symmetric nucleides, the complete parameter sets can thus be utilized to study only the non-spherical shapes of certain nucleides. The seven nucleides consequently analyzed are8Be,12C,20Ne,24Mg,28Si,32S, and36Ar, all being 4-n doubly even in character. The fundamental nuclear quantities computed for each nucleide include binding energies, quadrupole moments, monopole moments, rootmean-square radii, shape parameters, andNilsson deformation constants. Comparison of the predictions of the central force and coupled central-tensor forces is stressed throughout the paper.
Protamine sulfate as an effective alternative to polybrene in retroviral-mediated gene-transfer: implications for human gene therapy

Abstract The polycation protamine sulfate was compared to polybrene, the usual agent employed, for its ability to increase the efficiency of retroviral infection. The murine retroviral vector SAX, which contains the neoR gene and the human adenosine deaminase (ADA) cDNA, was used as a marker of cell infection. SAX viral supernate was titered on NIH 3T3 cells in varying concentrations of polycation. The highest infection efficiency for protamine was seen at 5 μg/ml and was 7-fold greater than infections performed in the absence of polycation. Infection efficiency using protamine averaged 92% ±11 (SEM) of the highest efficiency obtained with polybrene. Total ADA activity attained when human-ADA deficient T cells were exposed to SAX supernate in the presence of protamine was 83% of that attained with polybrene. The infection rate of mouse bone marrow early progenitor cells (CFU-S) was similar with each polycation. In summary, for supernate infections, concentrations of 5–10 μg/ml of protamine provided essentially the same infection efficiency as polybrene with low toxicity on a range of cell types. Since protamine is approved for human use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration it provides an effective alternative to polybrene when developing human gene therapy protocols.
In vitro activity of GAR-936 against Chlamydia pneumoniae and Chlamydia trachomatis.

Abstract We evaluated the in vitro activity of GAR-936, a novel glycylcycline antibiotic, against ten isolates of Chlamydia pneumoniae and five strains of C. trachomatis . Susceptibility testing was done in HEp-2 cells. The MIC 90 s and MBC 90 s of GAR-936, doxycycline, ofloxacin and clarithromycin against C. pneumoniae were 0.125, 0.25, 0.25 and 0.06 mg/l, respectively. The MICs and MBCs of GAR-936, doxycycline, ofloxacin and clarithromycin against C. trachomatis were 0.03–0.125, 0.25, 0.25–0.5 and 0.06 mg/l, respectively. GAR-936 had excellent activity against both chlamydial species and may have a potential role in the treatment of human chlamydial infection.
Neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood: Tourette's syndrome as a model

Neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood include conditions such as autism, pervasive developmental disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Tourette's syndrome (TS) of chronic, multiple, motor and vocal tics is a model neuropsychiatric disorder with a childhood onset and long-term, and sometimes life-long, course. Symptoms and signs change during the course of maturation, and include obsessions, compulsions, attentional difficulties and psychological responses to the disability. These clinical features reflect the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. The localization and cloning of the genetic substrate will allow for detailed study of the pathways from molecular vulnerability to clinical syndrome.
Passivation of Metallic Stents After Arterial Gene Transfer of phVEGF165Inhibits Thrombus Formation and Intimal Thickening

Objectives. This study sought to test the hypothesis that direct gene transfer of an endothelial cell mitogen could passivate metallic stents by accelerating endothelialization of the prosthesis. Background. Thrombosis and restenosis comprise the principal clinical manifestations of compromised biocompatibility of endovascular stents. Previous studies have demonstrated that endothelial recovery at sites of balloon injury is a critical determinant of consequent intimal thickening and mural thrombus. We therefore investigated the potential for an endothelial cell mitogen delivered as plasmid DNA to optimize stent biocompatibility. Methods. Naked plasmid DNA encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)/vascular permeability factor (VPF) (phVEGF165) was delivered locally using a hydrogel-coated balloon angioplasty catheter to 16 rabbit iliac arteries in which metallic stents had been placed at the site of balloon injury; the contralateral iliac artery of each rabbit was balloon injured and stented but not transfected. Results. Stent endothelialization was accelerated by phVEGF165gene transfer (87.38 ± 5.06% vs. 33.13 ± 9.73% [mean ± SEM] of the planimetered stent surface in the treated vs. contralateral limb, p = 0.005). This was associated with a significant reduction in mural thrombus (3.7 ± 2.4% vs. 32.7 ± 9.7%, p = 0.01) at day 7 and intimal thickening (maximal intimal area 0.61 ± 0.09 vs. 1.44 ± 0.12 mm2, p < 0.0001) at day 28. No benefit was observed from pCMV-luciferase in 14 similarly instrumented control rabbits. Conclusions. These findings indicate that arterial gene transfer of naked plasmid DNA encoding for an endothelial cell mitogen may successfully passivate endovascular stents by accelerating stent endothelialization, thereby reducing in-stent thombus and obstruction due to intimal thickening. (J Am Coll Cardiol 1997;29:1371–9)
Medicolegal Corner: When minimally invasive thoracic surgery leads to paraplegia.

A patient with mild cervical myelopathy due to multilevel ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) initially underwent a cervical C3-T1 laminectomy with C2-T2 fusion utilizing lateral mass screws. The patient's new postoperative right upper extremity paresis largely resolved within several postoperative months. However, approximately 6 months later, the patient developed increased paraparesis attributed to thoracic OPLL and Ossification of the yellow ligament (OYL) at the T2-T5 and T10-T11 levels. The patient underwent simultaneous minimally invasive (MIS) unilateral MetRx approaches to both regions. Postoperatively, the patient was paraplegic and never recovered function. Multiple mistakes led to permanent paraplegia due to MIS MetRx decompressions for T2-T5 and T10-11 OPLL/OYL in this patient. First, both thoracic procedures should have been performed “open” utilizing a full laminectomy rather than MIS; adequate visualization would have likely averted inadvertent cord injury, and the resultant CSF leak. Second, the surgeon should have used an operating microscope. Third, the operation should have been monitored with somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP), motor evoked potentials (MEP), and EMG (electromyography). Fourth, preoperatively the patient should have received a 1-gram dose of Solumedrol for cord “protection”. Fifth, applying Gelfoam as part of the CSF leak repair is contraindicated (e.g. due to swelling in confined spaces- see insert). Sixth, if the patient had not stopped Excedrin prior to the surgery, the surgery should have been delayed to avoid the increased perioperative risk of bleeding/hematoma.
Subspaces and quotients of Banach spaces with shrinking unconditional bases

The main result is that a separable Banach space with the weak* unconditional tree property is isomorphic to a subspace as well as a quotient of a Banach space with a shrinking unconditional basis. A consequence of this is that a Banach space is isomorphic to a subspace of a space with a shrinking unconditional basis if and only if it is isomorphic to a quotient of a space with a shrinking unconditional basis, which solves a problem dating to the 1970s. The proof of the main result also yields that a uniformly convex space with the unconditional tree property is isomorphic to a subspace as well as a quotient of a uniformly convex space with an unconditional finite dimensional decomposition.
Self-consistent electronic structure and chemisorption bonding of oxygen on Al(111) surfaces

The self-consistent linearized augmented plane wave method for treating the electronic structure of thin films has been applied to the study of the chemisorption of oxygen on the Al(111) surface. The thin film (slab) consists of an Al(111) five-layer film with a (1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1) oxygen overlayer on each side. Results presented include the work function, energy bands along high-symmetry directions, layered projected density of states, self-consistent total charge density, and charge density of some O-induced chemisorption states. The calculated location and dispersion of the O $2p$ bands along $\overline{T}$ agrees quite well with polarized angle-resolved-photoemission measurements. The results suggest that the model system with the extended x-ray absorption fine-structure distance between oxygen and metal surface equal to 0.70 \AA{} is quite good for describing the unique oxygen chemisorption phase existing on the Al(111) surface.
Pathological comparison of radiofrequency and microwave ablation in combination with transarterial chemoembolization in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Pathological comparison of radiofrequency and microwave ablation in combination with transarterial chemoembolization in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma R. Vasnani, M. Ginsburg, T. Doshi, A. Kozlov, J. Hart, H. Te, T. VanHa; Radiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL; University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL; Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL; Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Interactive effects of prey and p,p'-DDE on burrowing owl population dynamics.

We used population models to explore the effects of the organochlorine contaminant p,p′-DDE and fluctuations in vole availability on the population dynamics of Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia). Previous work indicated an interaction between low biomass of voles in the diet and moderate levels of p,p′-DDE in Burrowing Owl eggs that led to reproductive impairment. We constructed periodic and stochastic matrix models that incorporated three vole population states observed in the field: average, peak, and crash years. We modeled varying frequencies of vole crash years and a range of impairment of owl demographic rates in vole crash years. Vole availability had a greater impact on owl population growth rate than did reproductive impairment if vole populations peaked and crashed frequently. However, this difference disappeared as the frequency of vole crash years declined to once per decade. Fecundity, the demographic rate most affected by p,p′-DDE, had less impact on population growth rate than adult or juvenile survival. A life table response experiment of time-invariant matrices for average, peak, and crash vole conditions showed that low population growth under vole crash conditions was due to low adult and juvenile survival rates, whereas the extremely high population growth under vole peak conditions was due to increased fecundity. Our results suggest that even simple models can provide useful insights into complex ecological interactions. This is particularly valuable when temporal or spatial scales preclude manipulative experimental work in the field or laboratory.
Creating genetically modified pigs by using nuclear transfer

Nuclear transfer (NT) is a procedure by which genetically identical individuals can be created. The technology of pig somatic NT, including in vitro maturation of oocytes, isolation and treatment of donor cells, artificial activation of reconstructed oocytes, embryo culture and embryo transfer, has been intensively studied in recent years, resulting in birth of cloned pigs in many labs. While it provides an efficient method for producing transgenic pigs, more importantly, it is the only way to produce gene-targeted pigs. So far pig cloning has been successfully used to produce transgenic pigs expressing the green fluorescence protein, expand transgenic pig groups and create gene targeted pigs which are deficient of alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase. The production of pigs with genetic modification by NT is now in the transition from investigation to practical use. Although the efficiency of somatic cell NT in pig, when measured as development to term as a proportion of oocytes used, is not high, it is anticipated that the ability of making specific modifications to the swine genome will result in this technology having a large impact not only on medicine but also on agriculture.
Quantification of alginate by aggregation induced by calcium ions and fluorescent polycations.

For quantification of polysaccharides, including heparins and alginates, the commonly used carbazole assay involves hydrolysis of the polysaccharide to form a mixture of UV-active dye conjugate products. Here, we describe two efficient detection and quantification methods that make use of the negative charges of the alginate polymer and do not involve degradation of the targeted polysaccharide. The first method utilizes calcium ions to induce formation of hydrogel-like aggregates with alginate polymer; the aggregates can be quantified readily by staining with a crystal violet dye. This method does not require purification of alginate from the culture medium and can measure the large amount of alginate that is produced by a mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa culture. The second method employs polycations tethering a fluorescent dye to form suspension aggregates with the alginate polyanion. Encasing the fluorescent dye in the aggregates provides an increased scattering intensity with a sensitivity comparable to that of the conventional carbazole assay. Both approaches provide efficient methods for monitoring alginate production by mucoid P. aeruginosa.
Predictive validity of DSM-IV oppositional defiant and conduct disorders in clinically referred preschoolers

Background: Diagnostic validity of oppositional defiant and conduct disorders (ODD and CD) for preschoolers has been questioned based on concerns regarding the ability to differentiate normative, transient disruptive behavior from clinical symptoms. Data on concurrent validity have accumulated, but predictive validity is limited. Predictive validity is critical to refuting the hypothesis that diagnosing ODD and CD in young children leads to pathologizing normal behavior. ODD and CD have emerged as gateway disorders to many forms of adult psychopathology. Establishing how early we can identify symptoms and disorders that herald poor prognosis is one of the most important goals for research on etiology and prevention. Methods: Subjects were 3‐5-year-old consecutive referrals to a child psychiatry clinic (n = 123) and demographically matched children from a pediatric clinic (n = 100). A diagnostic interview was used to assess DSM-IV ODD and CD in a prospective follow-up design from preschool to school age. Stability of ODD and CD diagnoses and level of impairment were tested as a function of preschool diagnosis. Results: Over 80% of preschoolers diagnosed with ODD and approximately 60% of preschoolers diagnosed with CD met criteria for the same disorder during follow-up. Impairment over time varied significantly as a function of stability of diagnosis across three years. Conclusions: These results provide the first evidence of the predictive validity of DSM-IV ODD and CD in clinically referred preschool children. The findings challenge the assumption that symptoms of disruptive behavior disorders that occur during the preschool period tend to be transient. Keywords: Preschool, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, impairment, predictive validity. Abbreviations: DSM-IV: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th Edition; ODD: oppositional defiant disorder; CD: conduct disorder.
Conformation of oligodeoxynucleotides associated with anionic liposomes

There has been significant progress in the development of antisense therapeutics for a wide range of medicinal applications. Further improvement will require better understanding of cellular internalization, intracellular distribution mechanisms and interactions of oligodeoxynucleotides with cellular organelles. In many of these processes interactions of oligodeoxynucleotides with lipid assemblies may have a significant influence on their function. Divalent cations have been shown to assist cellular internalization of certain oligodeoxynucleotides and to affect their conformation. In this work we have investigated conformational changes of phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotides upon divalent cation-mediated interaction with 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylglycerol (DPPG) liposomes. For the sequences investigated here the native conformation underwent significant change in the presence of anionic DPPG liposomes only when divalent cations were present. This change is sequence-specific, ion-selective and distinct from previously reported changes in oligodeoxynucleotide structure due to divalent cations alone. The conformation of one oligodeoxynucleotide in the presence of calcium and DPPG yields circular dichroism spectra which suggest C-DNA but which also have characteristics unlike any previously reported spectra of liposome-associated DNA structure. The data suggest the possibility of a unique conformation of liposome-associated ODNs and reflect a surprisingly strong tendency of single-stranded DNA to retain a characteristic conformation even when adsorbed to a surface. This conformation may be related to cellular uptake, transport of oligodeoxynucleotides in cells and/or function.
FACTORS INFLUENCING VICARIOUS LEARNING MECHANISM EFFECTIVENESS WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS

As organizations become larger it becomes increasingly difficult to share lessons-learned across their disconnected units allowing individuals to learn vicariously from each other's experiences. This lesson-learned information is often unsolicited by the recipient group or individual and required an individual or group to react to the information to yield benefits for the organization. Data was collected using 39 interviews and 582 survey responses that proved the effects of information usefulness, related human intermediary activities, and an individual's perceived discretion have on the review and subsequent adoption of unsolicited lessons-learned information.