cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Pharmacist Approach to Wellness Maintenance in the Community Elderly

Wellness prevention in the elderly has similar goals as prevention in nonelderly adults, which is to improve lifestyles and habits to prevent disease (primary prevention) or the progression of disease (secondary prevention). Pharmacists who interact with the community elderly have a great opportunity of helping to keep our elderly healthy and preventing lifelong chronic problems that can contribute to a decrease in function of activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). This article focuses on the key prevention interventions that a pharmacist can target in helping to promote health maintenance.
Segmentation fusion for connectomics

We address the problem of automatic 3D segmentation of a stack of electron microscopy sections of brain tissue. Unlike previous efforts, where the reconstruction is usually done on a section-to-section basis, or by the agglomerative clustering of 2D segments, we leverage information from the entire volume to obtain a globally optimal 3D segmentation. To do this, we formulate the segmentation as the solution to a fusion problem. We first enumerate multiple possible 2D segmentations for each section in the stack, and a set of 3D links that may connect segments across consecutive sections. We then identify the fusion of segments and links that provide the most globally consistent segmentation of the stack. We show that this two-step approach of pre-enumeration and posterior fusion yields significant advantages and provides state-of-the-art reconstruction results. Finally, as part of this method, we also introduce a robust rotationally-invariant set of features that we use to learn and enumerate the above 2D segmentations. Our features outperform previous connectomic-specific descriptors without relying on a large set of heuristics or manually designed filter banks.
Kinetic Analysis of Arf GAP1 Indicates a Regulatory Role for Coatomer

Arf GAPs are a family of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of GTP bound to Arf. Arf GAP1 is one member of the family that has a critical role in membrane traffic at the Golgi apparatus. Two distinct models for the regulation of Arf GAP1 in membrane traffic have been proposed. In one model, Arf GAP1 functions in a ternary complex with coat proteins and is inhibited by cargo proteins. In another model, Arf GAP1 is recruited to a membrane surface that has defects created by the increased membrane curvature that accompanies transport vesicle formation. Here we have used kinetic and mutational analysis to test predictions of models of regulation of Arf GAP1. We found that Arf GAP1 has a similar affinity for Arf1·GTP as another Arf GAP, ASAP1, but the catalytic rate is ≈0.5% that of ASAP1. Coatomer stimulated Arf GAP1 activity; however, different from that predicted from the current model, coatomer affected the Km and not the kcat values. Effects of most mutations in Arf GAP1 paralleled those in ASAP1. Mutation of an arginine that aligned with an arginine presumed to be catalytic in ASAP1 abrogated activity. Peptide from the cytoplasmic tail of cargo proteins inhibited Arf GAP1; however, the unrelated Arf GAP ASAP1 was also inhibited. The curvature of the lipid bilayer had a small effect on activity of Arf GAP1 under the conditions of our experiments. We conclude that coatomer is an allosteric regulator of Arf GAP1. The relevance of the results to the two models of Arf GAP1-mediated regulation of Arf1 is discussed.
Relaxation of large molecules following ultrafast excitation

Intramolecular relaxation of large molecules following ultrafast excitation is determined by the temporal properties of the light pulse if the density of coherently excited zero-order states within the vibronic manifold is uniform. Consequently, longitudinal and transverse relaxations within the excited manifold appear to be instantaneous.
Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Labeling for Plug‐In Hybrid Vehicles from a Life Cycle Perspective

Summary Fuel economy has been an effective indicator of vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for conventional gasoline-powered vehicles due to the strong relationship between fuel economy and vehicle life cycle emissions. However, fuel economy is not as accurate an indicator of vehicle GHG emissions for plug-in hybrid (PHEVs) and pure battery electric vehicles (EVs). Current vehicle labeling efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation have been focused on providing energy and environmental information to consumers based on U.S. national average data. This article explores the effects of variations in regional grids and regional daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on the total vehicle life cycle energy and GHG emissions of electrified vehicles and compare these results with information reported on the label and on the EPA's fuel economy Web site. The model results suggest that only 25% of the life cycle emissions from a representative PHEV are reflected on current vehicle labeling. The results show great variation in total vehicle life cycle emissions due to regional grid differences, including an approximately 100 gram per mile life cycle GHG emissions difference between the lowest and highest electric grid regions and up to a 100% difference between the state-specific emission values within the same electric grid regions. Unexpectedly, for two regional grids the life cycle GHG emissions were higher in electric mode than in gasoline mode. We recommend that labels include stronger language on their deficiencies and provide ranges for GHG emissions from vehicle charging in regional electricity grids to better inform consumers.
Lung cancer patients’ CD4 + T cells are activated in vitro by MHC II cell-based vaccines despite the presence of myeloid-derived suppressor cells

Background Advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains an incurable disease. Immunotherapies that activate patients’ T cells against resident tumor cells are being developed; however, these approaches may not be effective in NSCLC patients due to tumor-induced immune suppression. A major cause of immune suppression is myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC). Because of the strategic role of CD4+ T lymphocytes in the activation of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and immune memory, we are developing cell-based vaccines that activate tumor-specific CD4+ T cells in the presence of MDSC. The vaccines are NSCLC cell lines transfected with costimulatory (CD80) plus major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) genes that are syngeneic to the recipient. The absence of invariant chain promotes the presentation of endogenously synthesized tumor antigens, and the activation of MHC II-restricted, tumor-antigen-specific CD4+ T cells.
A closed-form approximation for post-flashover compartment fire temperatures

A method is developed, suitable for design purposes, which allows approximate post-flashover fire temperatures to be calculated without the use of computer codes. This method may be used for thermoplastic pool fires, wood crib fires, and other fires of known fuel release rate. Both ventilation-limited and fuel rate-limited fires are treated. Results typically agree to within 3% of exact computer code solutions.
Chronic Invasive Sinus Aspergillosis in Immunocompetent Hosts: A Geographic Comparison

To investigate potential differences in clinical presentation, histopathology, and outcomes of chronic invasive sinus aspergillosis (CISA) based on geographic region and species of Aspergillus isolated. A retrospective analysis of published cases of CISA with a comparison of North American and worldwide cases comprised a systematic search of the English language literature. Thirty-four articles were identified detailing 15 North American and 76 global cases of CISA with cranio-cerebral extension in clinically immunocompetent patients. North American patients with CISA were older, had a more rapidly progressive course, and appeared to have higher rates of treatment failure and mortality. Anatomic distribution and presenting symptoms were similar between the two groups. North American cases were mostly due to A. fumigatus, while A. flavus was the predominant pathogen worldwide. While granulomatous inflammation was a rare observation in North American cases, it was seen in the majority of cases worldwide. CISA due to A. fumigatus was encountered in older adults, was associated with a chronic inflammatory response, an accelerated clinical course, and a trend toward treatment failure and higher mortality. Patients with A. flavus were younger, demonstrated granulomatous inflammation, and pursued an indolent, clinically responsive course. Observed differences in clinical presentation, histopathology, and outcome might involve a complex interplay between the human host, Aspergillus species, and local climactic conditions.
Enhancement of Peptidoglutaminase Deamidation of Soy Protein by Heat Treatment and/or Proteolysis

The limited deamidating ability of B. circulans peptidoglutaminase towards soy protein was increased 27-fold by protein hydrolysis and altering soy protein conformation by moist heat. Adding disulfide bond reducing agents such as cysteine or sodium sulfite or salts such as NaCl or KC1 to the reaction mixture had little or no effect on deamidation. However, heat treatment at 100°C for 15 min, both before and after Alcalase proteolysis, rendered soy protein very susceptible to amide hydrolysis by peptidoglutaminase.
Transition from Irradiation-Induced Amorphization to Crystallization in Nanocrystalline Silicon Carbide

Response to irradiation of nanocrystalline 3C–SiC is studied using 2 MeV Au2+ ions at elevated temperatures and is compared to the behavior of its monocrystalline counterpart under the identical irradiation conditions. The irradiated samples are characterized using in-situ ion channeling, ex-situX-ray diffraction, and helium ion microscopy. Compared to monocrystalline 3C–SiC, a faster amorphization process in the nanocrystalline material (average grain size = 3.3 nm) is observed at 500 K. However, the nanograin grows with increasing ion fluence at 550 K and the grain size tends to saturate at high fluences. The striking contrast demonstrates a sharp transition from irradiation-induced interface-driven amorphization at 500 K to crystallization at 550 K. The results could potentially have a positive impact on nuclear fuel cladding and structural components of next-generation nuclear energy systems.
Optical absorption edge of GaTe

Abstract Optical absorption measurements have been made on single crystals of GaTe between 4·2°K and 300°K in the neighbourhood of the intrinsic absorption edge. The edge, which lies at 1·78 eV at 4·2°K and 1·65 eV at 300°K, has a temperature dependent shift of -4.8 × 10 −4 eV/°K and an additional strong line structure was found on the high energy side of the edge. This structure is strongly temperature dependent and appears to be associated with the degree of crystalline perfection of the samples.
A radio study of the mouse, G359.23 - 0.82

Abstract The recent detection of a young pulsar powering “the Mouse”, G359.23 − 0.82, as well as detailed imaging of surrounding nebular X-ray emission, have motivated us to investigate the structural details and polarization characteristics of the radio emission from this axisymmetric source with a supersonic bow shock. Using polarization data at 3.6 and 6 cm, we find that the magnetic field wraps around the bow-shock structure near the apex of the system, but downnstream runs parallel to the inferred direction of the pulsar’s motion. The rotation measure (RM) distribution of the Mouse also suggests that the low degree of polarization combined with a high RM ahead of the pulsar result from internal plasma within the bow-shock region. In addition, using sub-arcsecond radio image of the Mouse, we identify modulations in the brightness distribution of the Mouse that may be associated with the unshocked pulsar wind behind the pulsar. Lastly, we discuss the relationship between the Mouse and its neighboring shell-type supernova remnant G359.1 − 0.5 and argue that these two sources could potentially have the same origin.
Latinos and the American Pie: Can Latinos Achieve Economic Parity?

This article critically reviews trends in Latino economic and social inequality to clarify why Latinos appear to have benefited less from economic recovery than either Whites or Blacks. Existing studies provide clues but little conclusive evidence about the mechanisms undergirding the erosion of Latinos' relative economic standing because of (a) the stagnation of Latino research in a highly static and descriptive mode; (b) the inability of researchers to sort structural and individual mechanisms driving trends in inequality; and (c) a continued reliance on national or regional averages to portray changes in socioeconomic well-being of an evermore heterogeneous population. "Firstgeneration" studies were valuable in generating hypotheses about whether, how, and why the processes of stratification differ among Latinos. Using examples about labor market dynamics, the author illustrates opportunities for developing a "second generation" research agenda geared to refining hypotheses and formulating explanations...
Retail Grocery Store Marketing Strategies and Obesity: An Integrative Review

Context: In-store food marketing can influence food-purchasing behaviors and warrants increased attention given the dramatic rise in obesity. Descriptive and experimental studies of key marketing components have been conducted by consumer scientists, marketing researchers, and public health experts. This review synthesizes research and publications from industry and academic sources and provides direction for developing and evaluating promising interventions. Evidence acquisition: Literature sources for the review were English-language articles pub- lished from 1995 to 2010, identified from multidisciplinary search indexes, backward searches of cited articles, review articles, industry reports, and online sources. Only articles that focused on physical grocery stores and food products were included. Data collection occurred in 2010 and 2011. Evidence synthesis: Articles were classified in the categories of product, price, placement, and promotion and divided into controlled laboratory experiments, observation, and field experiments; 125 primary peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. Narrative synthesis methods were used. Key findings were synthesized by category of focus and study design. Evidence synthesis was completed in 2011. Conclusions: Findings suggest several strategies for in-store marketing to promote healthful eating by increasing availability, affordability, prominence, and promotion of healthful foods and/or restricting or de-marketing unhealthy foods. Key results of research in controlled laboratory studies should be adapted and tested in real-world in-store settings. Industry meth- ods for assessing consumer behavior, such as electronic sales data and individually linked sales information from loyalty card holders, can help public health researchers increase the scientific rigor of field studies. (Am J Prev Med 2012;42(5):503-512) © 2012 American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Critical assessment of the emission spectra of various photosystem II core complexes

We evaluate low-temperature (low-T) emission spectra of photosystem II core complexes (PSII-cc) previously reported in the literature, which are compared with emission spectra of PSII-cc obtained in this work from spinach and for dissolved PSII crystals from Thermosynechococcus (T.) elongatus. This new spectral dataset is used to interpret data published on membrane PSII (PSII-m) fragments from spinach and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, as well as PSII-cc from T. vulcanus and intentionally damaged PSII-cc from spinach. This study offers new insight into the assignment of emission spectra reported on PSII-cc from different organisms. Previously reported spectra are also compared with data obtained at different saturation levels of the lowest energy state(s) of spinach and T. elongatus PSII-cc via hole burning in order to provide more insight into emission from bleached and/or photodamaged complexes. We show that typical low-T emission spectra of PSII-cc (with closed RCs), in addition to the 695 nm fluorescence band assigned to the intact CP47 complex (Reppert et al. J Phys Chem B 114:11884–11898, 2010), can be contributed to by several emission bands, depending on sample quality. Possible contributions include (i) a band near 690–691 nm that is largely reversible upon temperature annealing, proving that the band originates from CP47 with a bleached low-energy state near 693 nm (Neupane et al. J Am Chem Soc 132:4214–4229, 2010; Reppert et al. J Phys Chem B 114:11884–11898, 2010); (ii) CP43 emission at 683.3 nm (not at 685 nm, i.e., the F685 band, as reported in the literature) (Dang et al. J Phys Chem B 112:9921–9933, 2008; Reppert et al. J Phys Chem B 112:9934–9947, 2008); (iii) trap emission from destabilized CP47 complexes near 691 nm (FT1) and 685 nm (FT2) (Neupane et al. J Am Chem Soc 132:4214–4229, 2010); and (iv) emission from the RC pigments near 686–687 nm. We suggest that recently reported emission of single PSII-cc complexes from T. elongatus may not represent intact complexes, while those obtained for T. elongatus presented in this work most likely represent intact PSII-cc, since they are nearly indistinguishable from emission spectra obtained for various PSII-m fragments.
Analysis of buckling by computer algebra

Abstract In this paper, a combined analytical-numerical tool is presented for the evaluation of the buckling force of columns with abrupt changes in geometric and material properties. The iterative initial parameter method developed by Snitko is computerized, and the symbolic (REDUCE) program is included. Several examples are solved, and the results are compared with existing data.
Circulating leptin levels during ovulation induction: relation to adiposity and ovarian morphology.

Abstract Objective: To assess serum leptin levels based on body habitus and ovarian morphology during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation. Design: Prospective analysis. Setting: University IVF program. Patient(s): Women undergoing IVF-ET were divided into two groups, obese ovulatory women (n = 6; mean (±SD) body mass index, 30.1 ± 0.6 kg/m 2 ) and lean ovulatory women (n = 20); mean (± SD) body mass index 22.0 ± 0.2 kg/m 2 ). Lean women were categorized further according to whether they had polycystic-appearing ovaries (n = 8) or normal-appearing ovaries (n = 12). Intervention(s): Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and IVF. Main Outcome Measure(s): Serum estradiol, testosterone, and leptin. Result(s): Mean (± SD) leptin levels were significantly higher before and after GnRH agonist down-regulation in obese women (41.7 ± 5.2 pg/mL and 36.1 ± 5.8 pg/mL, respectively) compared with lean women (8.4 ± 1.0 pg/mL and 6.9 ± 1.1 pg/mL, respectively). Mean (± SD) leptin levels increased significantly in both groups (54.5 ± 5.1 pg/mL and 11.7 ± 1.2 pg/mL, respectively), and the mean (±SD) percentage increase was similar (55% ± 18% and 54.8% ± 17%, respectively). Mean (±SD) leptin levels were similar in women with polycystic-appearing and normal-appearing ovaries before controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, but increased significantly in women with polycystic-appearing ovaries afterward (14.7 ± 1.8 pg/mL and 9.3 ± 1.0 pg/mL, respectively). Conclusion(s): Significant increases in leptin levels occur during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, suggesting that leptin plays a role in follicular growth and maturation. The exaggerated response in women with polycystic-appearing ovaries reflects either a greater number of recruited follicles or a predisposition of adipocytes to leptin production.
The National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Background, recent enhancements and future plans

Abstract The National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS) Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program is responsible for the management of the online Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB). HSDB, a part of NLM’s Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET®), is a file of chemical/substance information with one record for each specific chemical or substance, or for a category of chemicals or substances. Like the rest of TOXNET’s databases and other resources, HSDB is available online at no cost to global users. HSDB has approximately 5600 chemicals and substances, with a focus on toxicology information and also on human exposure, industrial hygiene, emergency handling procedures, environmental fate, regulatory requirements, and related areas of likely interest to HSDB users. All data are from a core set of books, government documents, technical reports, selected primary journal literature, and other online sources of information, with a goal of linking the HSDB content to as much publicly available information as possible. HSDB’s content is peer-reviewed by the Scientific Review Panel, a group of experts in the areas covering the scope of HSDB content. Recent enhancements include the addition of chemical structures to HSDB records, the addition of new subfields such as age groups for human data, more occupational exposure standards, and the addition of information on numerous nanomaterials. Examples of future plans include providing more exposure-related information, e.g., uses of a chemical or substance in consumer products; the addition of information summaries aimed towards consumers and other members of the public wanting to learn about a chemical or substance; more visual content such as diagrams (images) of the pathways of metabolism of a substance; and enhanced search features and navigation.
Congenital heart disease, heritable cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy.

P ROFOUND CHANGES in the population of women with heart disease and pregnancy occurred in the Western world during the 20th century as the incidence of rheumatic heart disease decreased and the recognition of congenital heart disease increased. A new population at risk resulted from the increased survival of women with congenital heart disease. Recognition of this new population resulted from more precise diagnoses and the use of surgical and medical therapy. Increased awareness of the wide range of heritable cardiovascular disease resulted primarily from phenotypic family studies; however, modern diagnostic and genetic techniques give promise for more objective methods of diagnosis and for genetic counseling. Advances in obstetrics and anesthesia have decreased the direct risks of pregnancy in these patient groups and widened the range of clinical experiences. Prospective fetal studies demonstrated higher incidence figures for congenital cardiac defects in the offspring of parents with congenital heart disease than previously appreciated. Limited understanding of the pathogenesis of most congenital and heritable cardiovascular defects has stimulated extensive research in cardiac morphogenesis and embryogenesis. The incorporation of developing genetic, biochemical, and molecular techniques into the diagnostic evaluation and long-term study of these overlapping patient groups and their offspring give promise of further understanding of normal and abnormal embryogenesis and of placing genetic counseling on a firm, scientific basis.
A comparison of T4 and T7 dermatomal levels of analgesia for caesarean section using the lumbar epidural technique

We compared analgesia to the T4 dermatomal level with analgesia to the T7 level with and without prophylactic intramuscular administration of ephedrine 25 mg to determine the adequacy and side effects of such analgesia for caesarean section. Unmedicated patients were prehydrated (727 ± 303 ml of saline solution) and kept in a left lateral tilt position. Sufficient three per cent chloroprocaine was given to obtain analgesia to the T7 (T6-T8) dermatomal level (455 ± 128 mg) or to the T4 (T3-T5) dermatomal level (758 ± 168 mg). Patients who received analgesia to the higher level required less narcotic than those who received analgesia to the lower level (21 per cent versus 48 per cent) (p < 0.05). The incidence of hypotension in patients with analgesia at the T4 level was 21 per cent for those receiving ephedrine and 64 per cent for those who did not receive ephedrine (p < 0.05). Intramuscular administration of ephedrine 25 mg was not associated with increased plasma levels of norepinephrine, epinephrine or dopamine. There was no difference in Apgar score, behavioural test scores, neonatal acid-base status or oxygenation in children of mothers in the different groups. We conclude that a T4 dermatomal level of analgesia, combined with intramuscular administration of ephedrine 25 mg, provides more maternal comfort than a T7 level of analgesia does, with or without ephedrine, and is without significant maternal or foetal side effects.
Time-frequency measurement of moving objects using a 29.5GHz dual interferometric-Doppler radar

The first measurements of moving objects in the time-frequency domain using a novel 29.5 GHz radar are presented. The new dual-mode radar architecture measures both the radial and angular velocities of moving objects using an interferometric mode and a traditional Doppler mode. The interferometric mode provides a direct measure of the angular velocity in a manner that is mathematically similar to the measurement of radial velocity using the Doppler mode. Time-frequency plots are shown of a person carrying a corner reflector moving at different trajectories. It is shown that as the radial motion decreases, the angular motion increases, thereby providing a direct two-dimensional measurement of the motion of moving objects regardless of the trajectory.
Intravenous γ-glutamyl-tyrosine elevates brain tyrosine but not catecholamine concentrations in normal rats

A number of clinical situations may benefit from intravenous supplements of tyrosine (Tyr). In total parenteral nutrition (TPN), the supply of Tyr is limited by its poor solubility. In both rats and infants maintained on pediatric TPN, plasma Tyr levels are approximately 30% of normal, and in rat brains Tyr concentrations are similarly reduced. We reported previously that supplementing a TPN solution with the soluble peptide, γ-glutamyl-Tyr [Glu(Tyr)], normalizes plasma Tyr and doubles brain Tyr in rats. To assess more fully the behavior of intravenous Glu(Tyr) in vivo, 20 mmol/L Glu(Tyr) was infused into the inferior vena cava of rats at rates increased every 2 hours over an 8-hour period (300 to 450 μmol Glu(Tyr)/kg body weight/h). The surgical procedure for catheterization is described. At the maximum rate of infusion, plasma Tyr and Glu(Tyr) concentrations reached mean plateau values of 326 and 252 μmol/L, respectively. Brain Tyr concentrations were 71 and 264 nmol/g wet weight in control rats infused with heparinized saline (SAL group) and rats infused with Glu(Tyr) (PEP group) respectively. No differences were found in concentrations of norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), or homovanillic acid (HVA) in prefrontal cortex (PFC), striatum (STR), or remaining brain (RB) tissue in PEP and SAL rats. We did not detect undegraded Glu(Tyr) in the brain, and less than 0.5% of infused Glu(Tyr) appeared in the urine.
Effect of ammonia level and time of exposure to ammonia on nutritional and preservatory characteristics of dry and high-moisture coastal Bermuda grass hay

Abstract Dry and high moisture (HM) coastal bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon L.) hay were treated with 0, 2 or 4% anhydrous ammonia (NH3), dry matter basis, for 1, 3 or 6 weeks (T). Ammoniation increased pH in both dry and HM hay and increased lactic acid concentration in HM hay. Ammoniation did not affect bacterial counts in dry or HM hay. Fungal counts decreased linearly in dry hay as NH3 level increased. Crude protein equivalent (CPE) was increased by 13.1 and 19.4% in dry hay and by 17.1 and 25.1% in HM hay with 2 and 4% NH3 treatments, respectively. Maximum concentrations of CPE in both dry and HM hay occurred after 3 weeks of exposure to NH3. Hemicellulose concentration decreased linearly as NH3 level increased in HM hay. In vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) increased linearly with NH3 level in both dry and HM hay. Maximum values for IVDMD occurred at 3 weeks T in both moisture levels of hay. Under the conditions of this study, 3 weeks of exposure to NH3 appeared adequate for the NH3 to react with the forage. Responses to NH3 level varied among parameters.
Cost effectiveness calculations for the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculous meningitis.

This study illustrates how cost-effectiveness calculations provide help in decisions involving a choice between introduction of a new diagnostic procedure or a new therapy for a particular clinical problem. This type of problem is critical for areas where financial resources are limiting. Our analysis is centered on the value of diagnosis and treatment in tuberculous meningitis (Tbm) and, because of its importance to developing countries, our epidemiologic data were derived from India. When financial costs are ignored, the introduction of second line therapy (e.g., Rifampin) leads to more cures than does the introduction of even a perfect diagnostic test. However, diagnostic tests (e.g., the Bromide partition test or possibly radioassays) markedly improve case finding and to some extent increase cure rates. All affects vary markedly with the prevalence of tuberculous meningitis in the population under study. For example, net financial savings would occur were a perfect nuclear test available and conventional therapy used at a prevalence of Tbm of 30% whereas there would be a net loss if the prevalence rose to 80%. This study underscores the need for detailed studies on the radiobromide partition test and for the development of new diagnostic tests, perhaps a radioimmunoassay of either the acid fast bacillus or of an antibody to it.
Biogenesis of the Vaccinia Virus Membrane: Genetic and Ultrastructural Analysis of the Contributions of the A14 and A17 Proteins

Vaccinia virus membrane biogenesis requires the A14 and A17 proteins. We show here that both proteins can associate with membranes co- but not posttranslationally, and we perform a structure function analysis of A14 and A17 using inducible recombinants. In the absence of A14, electron-dense virosomes and distinct clusters of small vesicles accumulate; in the absence of A17, small vesicles form a corona around the virosomes. When the proteins are induced at 12 h postinfection (hpi), crescents appear at the periphery of the electron-dense virosomes, with the accumulated vesicles likely contributing to their formation. A variety of mutant alleles of A14 and A17 were tested for their ability to support virion assembly. For A14, biologically important motifs within the N-terminal or central loop region affected crescent maturation and the immature virion (IV)→mature virion (MV) transition. For A17, truncation or mutation of the N terminus of A17 engendered a phenotype consistent with the N terminus of A17 recruiting the D13 scaffold protein to nascent membranes. When N-terminal processing was abrogated, virions attempted to undergo the IV-to-MV transition without removing the D13 scaffold and were therefore noninfectious and structurally aberrant. Finally, we show that A17 is phosphorylated exclusively within the C-terminal tail and that this region is a direct substrate of the viral F10 kinase. In vivo, the biological competency of A17 was reduced by mutations that prevented its serine-threonine phosphorylation and restored by phosphomimetic substitutions. Precleavage of the C terminus or abrogation of its phosphorylation diminished the IV→MV maturation; a block to cleavage spared virion maturation but compromised the yield of infectious virus.
Vaccine immunity against fungal infections.

Only a handful of the many fungal species on our planet cause infections in humans. Despite many medical advances, invasive fungal infections have skyrocketed in recent years and pose a growing health problem in both immune-competent and -deficient hosts. Recent strides in our understanding of fungal immunity have raised the prospect that vaccines against fungi can be developed that are effective, safe and able to elicit lasting immunity even in immune deficient individuals. We discuss progress in vaccine development and understanding mechanisms of protection against fungi including in patients with impaired CD4+ T-cell immunity.
Characteristics of evanescent polarization imaging

A technique for obtaining native (uncrossed illumination/image polarizations) and induced (crossed illumination/image polarization) using a significant amount of evanescent energy is described for a solid immersion lens (SIL) microscope. Characteristics of native and induced polarization images for different object structures and materials are studied in detail. Experiments are conducted with a NA = 1.48 at λ = 550 nm microscope. Near-field images are simulated and analyzed with an RCWT approach. Contrast curve versus object spatial frequency calculations are compared with experimental measurements. Dependencies of contrast versus source polarization angles and air gap for native and induced polarization image profiles are evaluated. By using the relationship between induced polarization and topographical structure, an induced polarization image of an alternating phase shift mask (PSM) is converted into a topographical image, which shows very good agreement with atomic force microscope (AFM) measurement. ...
Comparative historical research and rational choice theory: The case of transitions to democracy

The "third wave" of democratization in this century, which rolled first through Southern Europe in the 1970s, then Latin America, and finally Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s, has brought about a revision of three fundamental theoretical premises on which social scientists have based conventional explanations of political regime change.' First, conventional thinking has been preoccupied with identifying structural "preconditions" of democratization, such as economic development, property rights, class configurations, cultural patterns, and state institutions. More recent approaches focus instead on the process of political interaction and bargaining between stalwarts of an existing non-democratic regime, reform elites, and outside democratic challengers. One guiding hypothesis of revisionist thinking is that the process of transition is a better predictor of eventual regime outcomes than structural preconditions that precede the advent of liberalization.2 Second, whereas conventional thinking insists on the importance of democratic norms and orientations as preconditions of democratization, novel approaches argue that popular democratic commitments are the result, not the prerequisite of democratization.3 Democracy is the contingent outcome of conflicts that depends on actors' initial resources, not their values.4 The key factor allowing democracies to emerge and stabilize is not legitimacy, but the absence of alternatives to democracy that significant political actors view as feasible and preferable.5
Analysis of platinum in biological materials by flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry

Abstract The application of flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry to the quantitation of platinum in body fluids and tissues is described. The method was used on samples obtained from humans and beagles treated with the anticancer drug cis-dichlorodiammine platinum. It can be used to detect platinum concentrations in biological tissues and fluids down to ∼30 ppb. The results obtained by this method were compared with those obtained by neutron activation analysis and were found to be lower in all cases.
Sports Hernia in National Hockey League Players Does Surgery Affect Performance

Background:Athletic pubalgia is a complex injury that results in loss of play in competitive athletes, especially hockey players. The number of reported sports hernias has been increasing, and the importance of their management is vital. There are no studies reporting whether athletes can return to play at preinjury levels.Purpose:The focus of this study was to evaluate the productivity of professional hockey players before an established athletic pubalgia diagnosis contrasted with the productivity after sports hernia repair.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Professional National Hockey League (NHL) players who were reported to have a sports hernia and who underwent surgery from 2001 to 2008 were identified. Statistics were gathered on the players’ previous 2 full seasons and compared with the statistics 2 full seasons after surgery. Data concerning games played, goals, average time on ice, time of productivity, and assists were gathered. Players were divided into 3 groups: group A i...
Functional analysis of two regulatory regions of the human Na+-dependent vitamin C transporter 2, SLC23A2, in human vascular smooth muscle cells

Abstract Uptake of vitamin C occurs through the Na+-dependent vitamin C transporters (SVCT1 and 2), the products of two separate genes. In cultured human vascular smooth muscle cells (hVSMC), we found expression of only the hSVCT2 transcript and identified an additional 5′-UTR transcript variant that we termed exon 1b, in addition to the previously described exon 1a. We cloned and tested the promoter functionality of the two genomic regions of the hSVCT2 upstream of these alternative first exons in hVSMC. Both demonstrated activity, and deletion constructs demonstrated that the minimal promoter regions were within ∼100 bp relative to their adjacent exons.
Prospective randomized clinical trial of laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy versus total abdominal hysterectomy

Abstract Objective: We compared operative time, length of hospital stay, postoperative recovery, return to work, and costs for women undergoing laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy or abdominal hysterectomy. Study Design: A prospective randomized clinical trial of laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (n = 24) versus abdominal hysterectomy (n = 24) was carried out in a tertiary care setting. The main outcome variables were operative time, length of hospital stay, and return to work. Secondary outcomes were postoperative pain and return to normal activity as determined by weekly visual analog scales and daily diary. Hospital costs were calculated. Results: The laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy group had longer operative times (median and quartiles, laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy 180 [139, 225] minutes vs abdominal hysterectomy 130 [97, 155] minutes), lower requirements for postoperative intravenous analgesia (patient-controlled analgesia pump, median and quartiles: laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy 22.1 [15.9, 23.5] hours, abdominal hysterectomy 36.7 [26.2, 45.0] hours), shorter length of hospital stay (median and quartiles, laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy 1.5 [1.0, 2.3] days, abdominal hysterectomy 2.5 [1.5, 2.5] days), and quicker return to work (Kaplan-Meier analysis, P = .03). Both procedures had similar hospital costs ( P = .21). Conclusion: Laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy appears to allow patients a more rapid postoperative recovery and an earlier return to work with hospital costs similar to those of abdominal hysterectomy. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;180:955-62.)
Realizing XML Driven Algorithm Visualization

In this paper we describe work in progress on JHAVE-II, a new generation of the client-server based algorithm visualization system JHAVE. We believe this to be the first algorithm visualization system to be totally XML driven. We describe the XML scripting language visualization authors can use with JHAVE-II to define the sequence of graphical snapshots, integrated pop-up questions, synchronized pseudocode, and supplemental information that comprise a particular algorithm visualization. JHAVE-II then uses these scripts to render visualizations and support student exploration of algorithms.
NMR spectra of some peri-hydroxy quinones: Observation and interpretation of long-range HH couplings

Abstract Nuclear magnetic resonance spectra have been obtained and analyzed for a series of peri-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinones. Of particular interest in this series is the occurrence of a five-bond long-range coupling between the hydroxyl proton and the ring system. Theoretical calculations assuming that the hydroxyl proton is hydrogen bonded to the adjacent carbonyl group are shown to account reasonably well for the observed trend.
Resuscitation induced pulmonary apoptosis and ICAM-1 expression are attenuated by the use of ketone Ringer’s solution in rats

Methods: Anesthetized Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to a bleed of 27ml/kg over 10 minutes. Over the next 75 minutes of shock, another 8ml/kg of blood was withdrawn at a steady rate. Following randomization, resuscitation fluids were infused over 45 minutes during which a simultaneous bleed of 8ml/kg was performed. The animals were sacrificed one hour later. Western blot technique was used for the determination of pro-apoptotic protein (bax), anti-apoptotic protein (bcl-2), apoptotic fragments of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and the expression of ICAM-1. Lung sections were also subjected to immunostaining.
Digital Video Watermarking using Singular Value Decomposition and 2D Principal Component Analysis

In this paper, we present a new digital video watermarking technique using singular value decomposition (SVD) and two-dimensional principal component analysis (2DPCA). The SVD is used to utilized in the spatial domain while the 2DPCA is employed for embedding in the time domain. We demonstrate that the framework based on the combined use of SVD and 2DPCA well-suited to multichannel video with an arbitrary number of signal channels. Our preliminary research results indicate that the proposed method yields watermarked video with little or no perceptible distortion.
Order out of chaos: Mandume ya Ndemufayo and oral history

Oral historical sources from northern Namibia offer powerful new insights into the history of the Kwanyama under their last king, Mandume ya Ndemufayo. Namibian nationalists see Mandume as a great historical hero of resistance. After defending Oukwanyama against Portuguese invasion in 1915, he was forced into a ‘protection’ agreement with South African officials administering southern Ovamboland. He met his death in battle against a military expedition despatched by Pretoria in February 1917. This article is not concerned with Mandume's resistance to colonisation between 1915 and 1917. The period of internal reform under Mandume between 1911 and 1915 is as extraordinary in its own way, and deeply suggestive of the crises facing the Kwanyama kingship prior to colonialism. It also reveals something of the longue duree of the history of this area of Ovamboland. On the eve of colonial occupation, against a backdrop of increasingly frequent drought and scarcity, plus incorporation into the mercantile and minin...
Accounting for behavioural response to capture when estimating population size from hair snare studies with missing data

Summary Hair snares have become an established method for obtaining mark-recapture data for population size estimation of Ursids and have recently been used to study other species including other carnivores, small mammals and ungulates. However, bias due to a behavioural response to capture in the presence of missing data has only recently been recognized and no statistical methodology exists to accommodate it. In a hair snare mark-recapture experiment, data can be missing if animals encounter a hair snare without leaving a hair sample, poor-quality samples are not genotyped, a fraction of all samples collected are genotyped due to cost considerations (subsampling) and/or not all genotyped hair samples provide an individual identification. These are all common features of hair snare mark-recapture experiments. Here, we present methodology that accounts for a behavioural response to capture in the presence of missing data from (i) subsampling and (ii) failure of hair samples to produce an individual identification. Four subprocesses are modelled–animal capture, hair deposition, researcher subsampling and DNA amplification with key parameters estimated from functions of the number of hair samples left by individuals at traps. We assess the properties of this methodology (bias and interval coverage) via simulation and then apply this methodology to a previously published data set. Our methodology removes bias and provides nominal interval coverage of population size for the simulation scenarios considered. In the example data set, we find that removing 75% of the hair samples leads to a 40% lower estimate of population size. Our methodology corrects about half of this bias and we identify a second source of bias that has not previously been reported associated with differential trap visitation rates among individuals within trapping occasions. Our methodology will allow researchers to reliably estimate the size of a closed population in the presence of a behavioural response to capture and missing data for a subset of missing data scenarios. It also provides a framework for understanding this generally unrecognized problem and for further extension to handle other missing data scenarios.
Learning Rate and Retention in Retarded Readers

The relationship between rate of learning and long-term retention was studied in 46 children with severe reading disability who were receiving individual tutoring in reading. The majority of individual learning curves showed a characteristic pattern of initial acceleration followed by gradual deceleration. There was very little change in rank order after the sixth lesson at each level of difficulty. The majority of these children showed learning curves qualitatively similar to normal children. Rank order correlations between learning rate and three measures of retention ranged between .54 to .94. Since individual differences in retention have been shown to be a function of degree of learning, these results suggest that learning rate could be used as a basis for determining degree of original learning.
Expressive and safe static reflection with MorphJ

Recently, language extensions have been proposed for Java and C# to support pattern-based reflective declaration. These extensions introduce a disciplined form of meta-programming and aspect-oriented programming to mainstream languages: They allow members of a class (i.e., fields and methods) to be declared by statically iterating over and pattern-matching on members of other classes. Such techniques, however, have been unable to safely express simple, but common, idioms such as declaring getter and setter methods for fields.In this paper, we present a mechanism that addresses the lack of expressiveness in past work without sacrificing safety. Our technique is based on the idea of nested patterns that elaborate the outer-most pattern with blocking or enabling conditions. We implemented this mechanism in a language, MorphJ. We demonstrate the expressiveness of MorphJ with real-world applications. In particular, the MorphJ reimplementation of DSTM2, a software transactional memory library, reduces 1,107 lines of Java reflection and bytecode engineering library calls to just 374 lines of MorphJ code. At the same time, the MorphJ solution is both high level and safer, as MorphJ can separately type check generic classes and catch errors early. We present and formalize the MorphJ type system, and offer a type-checking algorithm.