cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pleiotropic effects of statins: how important are they in the prevention of vascular disease?

(2003). Pleiotropic Effects of Statins: How Important Are They in the Prevention of Vascular Disease? Endothelium: Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 3-4.
A New Greenhouse Method to Assay Soybean Resistance to Brown Stem Rot

Greenhouse, growth chamber, and field experiments were conducted to develop a method to assess resistance of soybeans to Cadophora gregata (Phialophora gregata), causal agent of brown stem rot (BSR). In the new method, C. gregata is introduced at the base of the stems of 2-week-old soybeans, and the presence of the fungus is assessed in the tips of the stems 5 weeks later. To test the effectiveness of the method, two populations of soybeans and 10 checks were inoculated at the stem base and then assayed for fungal colonization of the stem tips, percentage of symptomatic leaflets, and percent internal stem length discolored. The lines also were planted in naturally infested fields to assess for percent internal stem length discolored, and were tested for the presence/absence of a BSR-resistant molecular marker. Greenhouse, field, and molecular marker data were compared. Linear regression analysis suggested that percentage of plants with colonized stem tips explained 41 to 64% of the variability (P < 0.0001) in percent stem length discolored in the field and 58 to 85% of the variability (P < 0.0001) in molecular marker data for BSR resistance. Percent stem length discolored assessed in the greenhouse had the lowest correlation with percent stem length discolored in the field and with the molecular marker. Of three incubation temperatures tested, 22°C was the most conducive for distinguishing resistant/susceptible soybeans using the colonization method.
Segment-Specific Effects of Cardiovascular Risk Factors on Carotid Artery Intima-Medial Thickness in Women at Midlife

Objective— We investigated associations between segment-specific carotid intima-medial thickness (IMT) and cardiovascular risk factors collected before menopause for insight into mechanisms of atherosclerosis development. Methods and Results— Participants were 453 healthy women (aged 46 to 58 years) enrolled in a dietary and physical activity randomized clinical trial. Ultrasound scan measures were taken ≈2.7 years after baseline in the common carotid artery (CCA), bifurcation (bulb), and internal carotid artery (ICA) segments. When scanned, 84% remained premenopausal. In linear regression models adjusted for age, menopausal status, and intervention group, measures independently (P<0.05) and positively associated were as follows: baseline weight (β=0.007 per 5 kg), systolic blood pressure (SBP; β=0.008 per 10 mm Hg), and age (β=0.02 per 5 years) with CCA IMT; smoking (β=0.08), weight (β=0.009), and SBP (β=0.02) with bulb IMT; and apoprotein B (β=0.01 per 0.1 g/L) with ICA IMT. Differential effects in a re...
Possible fossil H2O liquid-ice interfaces in the Martian crust

The extensive chaotic and fretted terrains in the equatorial regions of Mars are explained on the basis of the vertical distribution of H2O liquid and ice which once existed in the crust. This account assumes that below the permafrost containing water ice, there was a second zone in which liquid water resided for at least a time. Diagenetic alteration and cementation characterized the material in the subpermafrost zone; above, pristine fragmented material with various ice concentrations was found. Later, the ice-laden zone was stripped away by a number of erosional processes, exposing the former ice-liquid water interface.
Measurement of the anisotropy of the interaction between LiF and the inert gases

The asymmetry parameters $q$ in the Van der Waals potentials $V=\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{A}{\mathrm{R}}^{\ensuremath{-}6}(1+q{cos}^{2}\ensuremath{\Theta})$ describing the interaction between LiF and the various inert gases were determined. A polarized, velocity-filtered LiF beam in the $J=1$ state was scattered from inert gases contained within a scattering cell. The ratios of the total scattering cross sections for different states of LiF polarization relative to the beam direction were measured. From these data the asymmetry parameters were found to be 1.72\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.35, 1.05\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10, 1.01\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10, 1.12\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10, and 1.28\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.10 for He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe, respectively. These values, except for He, are in good agreement with calculations based on the pertinent electrical properties and excitation energies of the atoms and the molecule, insofar as they are known or may be estimated.
Treatment of Rape Victims

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be one of the debilitating and harmful effects of sexual assault. Although many forms of intervention exist for rape-related PTSD, only a few well-controlled studies have been conducted to systematically evaluate the treatment response of women who have been the victims of sexual assault. Overall, cognitive-behavioral interventions for rape-related PTSD, with single or multiple treatment components, have been found to result in a decrease or remission of posttrauma sequelae when compared to no treatment or wait-list control conditions. This article highlights the general methodological issues that are pertinent in the design of studies to evaluate the treatment outcome of rape-related PTSD. The wide range of psychological interventions for the treatment of postrape sequelae are reviewed and special attention is given to cognitive-behavioral interventions because these treatments have been subjected to more rigorous empirical examinations. Finally, suggestions are m...
Temporal–spatial parameters of the upper limb during a Reach & Grasp Cycle for children

Abstract The objective of this study was to characterize normal temporal–spatial patterns during the Reach & Grasp Cycle and to identify upper limb motor deficits in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The Reach & Grasp Cycle encompasses six sequential tasks: reach, grasp cylinder, transport to self (T1), transport back to table (T2), release cylinder, and return to initial position. Three-dimensional motion data were recorded from 25 typically developing children (11 males, 14 females; ages 5–18 years) and 12 children with hemiplegic CP (2 males, 10 females; ages 5–17 years). Within-day and between-day coefficients of variation for the control group ranged from 0 to 0.19, indicating good repeatability of all parameters. The mean duration of the Cycle for children with CP was nearly twice as long as controls, 9.5 ± 4.3 s versus 5.1 ± 1.2 s (U = 37.0, P = .002), partly due to prolonged grasp and release durations. Peak hand velocity occurred at approximately 40% of each phase and was greater during the transport (T1, T2) than non-transport phases (reach, return) in controls (P
Positive emotions speed recovery from the cardiovascular sequelae of negative emotions.

Two studies tested the hypothesis that certain positive emotions speed recovery from the cardiovascular sequelae of negative emotions. In Study 1, 60 subjects (Ss) viewed an initial fear-eliciting film, and were randomly assigned to view a secondary film that elicited: (a) contentment; (b) amusement; (c) neutrality; or (d) sadness. Compared to Ss who viewed the neutral and sad secondary films, those who viewed the positive films exhibited more rapid returns to pre-film levels of cardiovascular activation. In Study 2, 72 Ss viewed a film known to elicit sadness. Fifty Ss spontaneously smiled at least once while viewing this film. Compared to Ss who did not smile, those who smiled exhibited more rapid returns to pre-film levels of cardiovascular activation. We discuss these findings in terms of emotion theory and possible health-promoting functions of positive emotions.
Expression of the glucocorticoid receptor and K-ras genes in urethan-induced mouse lung tumors and transformed cell lines.

Glucocorticoids influence cell proliferation and differentiation in the lung. We examined the expression of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) gene in urethan-induced mouse lung tumors and transformed lung cell lines to determine whether any altered responsiveness to these steroids is involved in the neoplastic development of some lung tumors. We find that a GR mRNA of similar size and amount is expressed in both normal lung and urethan-induced lung tumors. The K-ras gene is activated in urethan-induced lung adenomas and transformed lung cell lines. Both alveolar and papillary lung adenomas express slightly elevated levels of K-ras mRNA and similar levels ofH-ras mRNA, but variable levels of c-myc mRNA. GR and K-ras mRNAs are concurrently expressed in a cyclic manner during the proliferation of nontransformed C10 and transformed A5 lung cell lines. Treatment of the C10 cells with dexamethasone (Dex) results in the inhibition of cell proliferation and the down-regulation of both the GR and K-ras mRNA. Dex tr...
Effects of pesticides on pecan aphid predators Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera : Chrysopidae), Hippodamia convergens, Cycloneda sanguinea (L.)., Olla v-nigrum (Coleoptera : Coccinellidae), and Aphelinus perpallidus (Hymenoptera : Encyrtidae)

The pecan aphid predators, Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister) (egg, larva, and adult); adult Hippodamia convergens (Guerin-Meneville); Cycloneda sanguinea (L.); OUa v-nigrum (Say); and pupae of the parasite, Aphelinus perpauidus Gahan, were tested in the laboratory for mortality to registered commercial pesticides. Concentration-response lines were estimated for C. rufilabris larvae and adults. Only the half and full concentrations (recommended on label for pecan) were tested on the other species. Fungicides and acaricides caused 70% mortality to C. sanguinea . Phosalone, lindane, fiuvalinate, endosulfan, and azinphos-methyl were not toxic to A. perpallidus . Results from this study provide information about the selectivity of pesticides for integration of biological and chemical controls for pecan aphids.
Improved Source-Channel Models for Chinese Word Segmentation

This paper presents a Chinese word segmentation system that uses improved source-channel models of Chinese sentence generation. Chinese words are defined as one of the following four types: lexicon words, morphologically derived words, factoids, and named entities. Our system provides a unified approach to the four fundamental features of word-level Chinese language processing: (1) word segmentation, (2) morphological analysis, (3) factoid detection, and (4) named entity recognition. The performance of the system is evaluated on a manually annotated test set, and is also compared with several state-of-the-art systems, taking into account the fact that the definition of Chinese words often varies from system to system.
Air Pollution and Very Low Birth Weight Infants: A Target Population?

OBJECTIVE. The goal was to examine systematically the association between maternal exposure to particulate matter of <10 μm and very low birth weight (<1500 g) delivery for evidence of an effect on duration of gestation and/or intrauterine growth restriction. METHODS. This case-control study took place between April 1, 1986, and March 30, 1988, in Georgia Health Care District 9 and included 128 mothers of very low birth weight infants, all of whom were preterm and were classified as either small for gestational age or appropriate for gestational age, and 197 mothers of term, appropriate-for-gestational-age infants weighing ≥2500 g. Maternal exposure to particulate matter of <10 μm was estimated with 2 exposure measures, namely, a county-level measure based on residence in a county with an industrial point source and an environmental transport model based on the geographic location of the birth home. RESULTS. Considering preterm/appropriate-for-gestational-age infants as cases and term/appropriate-for-gestational-age infants as controls, adjusted odds ratios for maternal exposure to particulate matter of <10 μm were statistically significant (adjusted odds ratio for county-level model: 4.31; adjusted odds ratio for environmental transport model: 3.68). Although elevated, no statistically significant association was found between maternal exposure and preterm/appropriate-for-gestational-age delivery when compared to preterm/small-for-gestational-age delivery. CONCLUSIONS. There are increased odds of maternal exposure to ambient particulate matter of <10 μm for very low birth weight preterm/appropriate-for-gestational-age delivery, compared with term/appropriate-for-gestational-age delivery, which suggests that the observed association between maternal exposure to air pollution and low infant birth weight (particularly <1500 g) is at least partially attributable to an effect on duration of gestation.
Postharvest Resistance in Hard Spring and Winter Wheat Varieties of the Northern Great Plains to the Lesser Grain Borer (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varietal resistance to the lesser grain borer, Rhyzopertha dominica (F), was evaluated in hard spring and winter wheat produced 1997, 1998 (Bozeman, Montana). We tested the hypothesis that six Montana-grown spring wheat varieties, 'Ernest', 'Scholar', 'Hi-Line', 'McNeal', 'Newana', and 'Amidon', were equally and strongly resistant to R. dominica at low moisture contents (9-10%). Mortality/Feeding damage occurred in all varieties. In most assays, Ernest had significantly greater feeding damage from R. dominica than other varieties, usually not significantly different from the susceptible control. Mean adult mortality was significantly greater in McNeal (93%) and Hi-Line (92%) than in Ernest (34%) and Montana-grown, soft white spring wheat (Penawawa), the susceptible control (36%). In 9 wk, twice as many adult progeny were produced on Ernest than on McNeal, Hi-Line, or Scholar. We also compared three Montana-grown winter wheat varieties for resistance to R. dominica attack at low moisture contents (9-10%). Significantly more mortality after 6 wk was associated with all winter wheat varieties than the susceptible control. In 'Nuwest', 'Rocky', and 'Vanguard', significantly fewer progeny were produced than in the susceptible control; these varieties appeared more resistant. 'Tiber' and 'Neeley', in contrast, appeared more susceptible than other winter wheat varieties evaluated. Susceptibility decreased significantly with a 1.2% decrease in moisture content. Percentage of total protein was positively correlated with percentage of sound kernels and negatively with total progeny (r2 = -0.69). Kernel hardness was positively correlated with percentage of sound kernels, but negatively correlated with total progeny (r2 = -0.87) and dry weight loss.
Hormonally regulated programmed cell death in barley aleurone cells

Cell death was studied in barley (cv Himalaya) aleurone cells treated with abscisic acid and gibberellin. Aleurone protoplasts incubated in abscisic acid remained viable in culture for at least 3 weeks, but exposure to gibberellin initiated a series of events that resulted in death. Between 4 and 8 days after incubation in gibberellin, >70% of all protoplasts died. Death, which occurred after cells became highly vacuolated, was manifest by an abrupt loss of plasma membrane integrity followed by rapid shrinkage of the cell corpse. Hydrolysis of DNA began before death and occurred as protoplasts ceased production of α-amylase. DNA degradation did not result in the accumulation of discrete low molecular weight fragments. DNA degradation and cell death were prevented by LY83583, an inhibitor of gibberellin signaling in barley aleurone. We conclude that cell death in aleurone cells is hormonally regulated and is the final step of a developmental program that promotes successful seedling establishment.
Medicare reform's impact on long-term care.

In late June of last year, both the House and the Senate passed the most meaningful Medicare reform legislation since Medicare’s inception in 1965. As luck would have it, this occurred just days before I joined Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a Health Policy Scholar. This role provided me not only a front row seat, but a place on the playing field as CMS works to operationalized the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). It is this perspective of MMA with attention to its impact on long-term care (LTC) residents and providers that I analyze here. To start, there will be two major points of impact felt by LTC as a result of MMA: pharmaceutical access and the expanded role of managed care. Pharmaceutical access became a major issue for LTC when, in the concluding hours of this legislation, the pharmacy benefit was moved from Medicaid to Medicare significantly affecting the dually eligible beneficiary. “Dually eligible” refers to those Medicare beneficiaries who have full Medicaid benefits, including fairly unlimited pharmaceutical access. As a result, the vast majority of LTC residents will be forced from the Medicaid pharmacy benefit to the new Medicare Part D pharmacy benefit, which starts in 2006. This program will be offered through private risk-taking prescription drug plans (PDP) that can either operate within fee-for-service Medicare or as part of a Medicare managed care program. It is important to realize that LTC to the federal government is very different than what most of us involved in senior care think; LTC is only nursing facilities and not assisted living or other nonnursing home settings. As a result, all of these nonnursing home settings are instead considered in the same manner as any communitydwelling senior with no special consideration given despite their increased needs. The second point of impact will be felt by the addition of specialized Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Medicare Advantage is the new term for all Medicare managed care programs, which all include managed Medicare plans such as Medicare Choice organizations as well as Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO). New types of MA plans now available as a result of MMA are specialized MA plans. Specialized MA plans offer the opportunity to expand managed care into nursing homes in a way not previously available. This is the result of allowing managed care plans to focus solely on institutionalized seniors within a particular facility rather than having to serve the entire population in a large geographic region.
Grid cell mechanisms and function: Contributions of entorhinal persistent spiking and phase resetting

This article presents a model of grid cell firing based on the intrinsic persistent firing shown experimentally in neurons of entorhinal cortex. In this model, the mechanism of persistent firing allows individual neurons to hold a stable baseline firing frequency. Depolarizing input from speed-modulated head direction cells transiently shifts the frequency of firing from baseline, resulting in a shift in spiking phase in proportion to the integral of velocity. The convergence of input from different persistent firing neurons causes spiking in a grid cell only when the persistent firing neurons are within similar phase ranges. This model effectively simulates the two-dimensional firing of grid cells in open field environments, as well as the properties of theta phase precession. This model provides an alternate implementation of oscillatory interference models. The persistent firing could also interact on a circuit level with rhythmic inhibition and neurons showing membrane potential oscillations to code position with spiking phase. These mechanisms could operate in parallel with computation of position from visual angle and distance of stimuli. In addition to simulating two-dimensional grid patterns, models of phase interference can account for context-dependent firing in other tasks. In network simulations of entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, and postsubiculum, the reset of phase effectively replicates context-dependent firing by entorhinal and hippocampal neurons during performance of a continuous spatial alternation task, a delayed spatial alternation task with running in a wheel during the delay period (Pastalkova et al., Science, 2008), and a hairpin maze task.
Differentiation in Organizations: Replication and Cumulation

Replications of the path analysis recently reported by Mileti et al. using data from a sample of department stores and a heterogeneous sample of organizations fail to support the findings of these authors or to confirm their extension and alteration of Blau's theory of differentiation within formal organizations. Blau's theory received strong support in this reanalysis and pooled estimates obtained from samples of very different kinds of organizations provide cumulative evidence that extends the theoretical and empirical generality of
Use of Negative Air Ionization for Reducing Microbial Contamination on Stainless Steel Surfaces

SUMMARY Microbiological concerns in food plant sanitation that relies heavily on physical and chemical methods for removing and killing bacteria could be reduced by the use of non-chemical intervention methods. This initial work on the effects of electrostatic space charge on biofilms shows promise as a viable intervention option for reducing bacterial contamination on surfaces. Natural bacterial populations from a poultry processing facility were collected, allowed to multiply and form biofilms, and assessed for susceptibility to negative air ionization. A small chamber with an electrostatic space charge system was used to treat the mixed bacterial populations that were grown on stainless steel coupons (1 × 4 cm). The object of the system was to transfer a strong negative electrostatic charge to bacteria that were attached to coupons at the base of the chamber. The system effectively decreased the survival levels of bacteria on the stainless steel, with a reduction efficiency of 99.8%. All of the swab samples taken from coupons were culture positive for bacteria, and the bacterial counts from the ionized surfaces were significantly less than for the non-ionized surfaces (P < 0.01). These results demonstrate the potential efficacy of negative air ionization against bacterial contamination on surfaces in the poultry processing environment.
Processing Studies on Pure Oxide Bodies

The results of some studies on the effect of (1) ball-milling time, (2) granulating by “slugging,” and (3) dry pressing of pure oxide ceramic bodies are presented. When the compressive strength of specimens of single-component bodies was plotted against ball-milling time (in revolutions), minima in the curves were found between 30,000 and 50,000 revolutions. For a multicomponent body of the porcelain type and one of the oxide porcelain type, when the same data were plotted, maxima in the curves were found between 30,000 and 40,000 revolutions. Granulating by slugging provided 30% greater compressive strength, 1.5% less shrinkage, and 1% less absorption in the specimens as compared with specimens formed from ungranulated material. High-pressure forming, preferably by hydrostatic pressure, was desirable; however, there appeared to be an optimum pressure for the physical properties of each material.
Right aortic arch with ruptured aneurysm of anomalous left subclavian artery

Abstract An aneurysm in the anomalous left subclavian artery developed in an elderly woman with a right aortic arch and an aberrant left subclavian artery (left ligamentum arteriosum connected to the left common carotid artery). The aneurysm gradually enlarged, eventually rupturing with exsanguination. A progressive increase in the size of this aneurysm was associated with symptoms and anatomic findings consistent with the subclavian “steal” syndrome.
Ion formation in millisecond pulsed glow discharge plasmas

Ion intensity profiles, for both discharge gas (40Ar2+, 40Ar+, 40Ar+2) and sputtered species (63Cu+), have been measured for a series of parameters including sampling distance, pulse power, discharge gas pressure, pulse width, and duty cycle in a millisecond pulsed direct current (dc) glow discharge plasma using time-gated detection with a time-of-flight (ToF) mass spectrometer. Throughout these experiments constant power was maintained for comparative profile measurements. Intensity profiles for both discharge gas and sputtered material were constructed using the intensity values from a compilation of over 100 mass spectra. Ion signals from analytically important (sputtered) species differed in their response to changes in sampling distance, discharge gas pressure, pulse width, and duty cycle than those of discharge gas species. These intensity profiles provide insight into the effects of discharge conditions on the time-dependent behavior of different ions in the plasma. In addition to using time-gated acquisition, it is possible to further influence ion formation within the plasma through the careful selection of these plasma parameters; in doing so, one can maximize sputtered ion signals while suppressing ion signals from discharge gas species. In this research, we conduct a comparative investigation of ion signal temporal profiles through the variation of discharge parameters to better refine the method and to gain a better understanding of the processes taking place in the discharge.
Gender Differences in Views About Cognitive Health and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Among Rural Older Adults

Purpose: Research suggests that men and women often differ in knowledge and beliefs about causes and treatments of a variety of diseases. This study examines gender differences in views about cognitive health and behaviors that have been associated with its maintenance, focusing on older adults living in rural areas. Design and Methods: We conducted 6 focus groups in rural West Virginia. Participants included 37 women and 30 men, aged 55 years and older. Results: Men and women held similar views of cognitive decline, as well as largely similar views about causes of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, women were more concerned about developing AD than were men. Gender differences were also noted with respect to healthy lifestyle beliefs, including diet, leisure-time physical activity, and strategies to maintain cognitive health. Implications: Findings illustrate the importance of considering gender with respect to health beliefs, health behaviors, and health promotion, and emphasize the need to develop interventions designed for specific populations. Results highlight a critical need to translate research findings to the community.
Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor effects on lymphocytes and immunoglobulin concentrations in periparturient cows.

Abstract Immunomodulatory effects of recombinant bovine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor were evaluated in periparturient dairy cows. Eleven of 21 cows were experimentally infected with Staphylococcus aureus in one mammary quarter prior to the study. Cows were assigned to four groups in a randomized complete block design to evaluate the effects of recombinant bovine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (5μg/kg of body weight or placebo injected subcutaneously once daily beginning 14 d prepartum through 10 d postpartum) on infected and uninfected cows during the periparturient period. Blood lymphocytes were isolated and evaluated from 5 wk before expected parturition through 7 wk postpartum. Lymphocyte function was evaluated using a blastogenesis assay, a mitochondrial methylthiazoltetrazolium cleavage activity assay, and an in vitro assay of IgM production. Serum concentrations of IgM, IgG 1 , conglutinin, and hemolytic complement were also determined. Injections of cows with recombinant bovine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor resulted in enhanced lymphocyte blastogenesis and mitochondrial methylthiazoltetrazolium cleavage activity in unstimulated cultures, higher serum IgM, and increased in vitro IgM production by B lymphocytes. These data provide support for the use of recombinant bovine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor to alleviate immunosuppression in periparturient cows.
BIODEGRADATION OF MONOAROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN AQUIFER COLUMNS AMENDED WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE AND NITRATE

The ability of indigenous microorganisms to degrade benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) in laboratory scale flow-through aquifer columns was tested separately with hydrogen peroxide (1 l0 rag/l) and nitrate (330 mg/l as NOi') amendments to air-saturated influent nutrient solution. The continuous removal of individual components from all columns relative to the sterile controls provided evidence for biodegradation. In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, the indigeneous microorgan- isms degraded benzene and toluene (>95%), meta- plus para-xyleue (80%) and ortho-xylene (70%). Nitrate addition resulted in 90% removal of toluene and 25% removal of ortho-xylene. However, benzene, ethylbenzene, meta. and para-xylene concentrations were not significantly reduced after 42 days of operation. Following this experiment, low dissolved oxygen ( 90%), and more than 25% of the benzene, 40% of the ethylbenzene, 50% of the meta- plus para-xylenes and 60% of the ortho-xylene were removed after several months of operation.
Antagonism of glycerol trinitrate activity by an inhibitor of glutathione S-transferase.

Abstract The in vitro spasmolytic activity of glycerol trinitrate was measured on the KCl-contraction of aorta strips from the rabbit. In the presence of sulphobromophthalein, a known inhibitor of glutathione S-transferase, the dose-activity curve for the nitrate was displaced to the right. Much smaller displacements were obtained with the control spasmolytic substances—papaverine and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine. It was confirmed that sulphobromophthalein inhibits glutathione S-transferase activity in aorta homogenates. Aorta extracts did not detectably catalyze the reaction between glutathione and sulphobromophthalein and the glutathione level was not decreased by treating the intact aorta with sulphobromophthalein. It is concluded that sulphobromophthalein acts as a specific antagonist of the spasmolytic activity of glycerol trinitrate, probably as a result of its inhibition of glutathione 5-transferase. It thus seems probable that glutathione and glutathione S-transferase are involved in the pharmacological activation of the organic nitrates.
Ultrafast Pump−Probe Studies of Excited-State Charge-Transfer Dynamics in Blue Copper Proteins

We report the results of ultrafast pump−probe measurements on three blue copper proteins: spinach plastocyanin, poplar plastocyanin, and human ceruloplasmin. Electronic population dynamics and vibrational coherences involving d → d transitions of the blue copper active site are observed using both wavelength-integrated and wavelength-resolved detection. Depending on the protein and the method of detection, the pump-induced bleaches of the electronic ground state decay with time constants of 230−300 fs. The pump−probe signals are modulated by oscillations that correspond to vibrational coherences induced by the ultrashort pulses. The frequencies of some of these oscillations can be matched with modes observed in resonance Raman studies of these proteins. For spinach plastocyanin and ceruloplasmin, wavelength-resolved signals reveal a previously unreported vibration at ∼500 cm-1 whose decay dynamics are consistent with the excited-state lifetime. The origin of this mode is argued to result from Duschinsky ...
Analysis of Herpes Zoster Events Among Bortezomib-Treated Patients in the Phase III APEX Study

Purpose The aim of this subset analysis was to determine if bortezomib treatment is associated with increased incidence of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) reactivation in patients with relapsed multiple myeloma (MM). Patients and Methods Incidence of herpes zoster was evaluated in 663 patients with relapsed MM from the phase III APEX trial comparing single-agent bortezomib with high-dose dexamethasone. Results Bortezomib was associated with a significantly higher incidence of herpes zoster compared with dexamethasone treatment (13%, 42 of 331 v 5%, 15 of 332; P = .0002). Most herpes zoster infections were grade 1/2; incidences of grade 3/4 events (1.8% v 1.5%) and infections considered serious adverse events (1.5% v 0.9%) were similar between treatment arms, and no herpes zoster–related deaths occurred. Neither the time to onset of the herpes event nor the patients’ absolute lymphocyte counts at baseline differed significantly between arms. VZV reactivation was the only herpes viral event noted to be signifi...
Conversation Clock: Visualizing audio patterns in co-located groups

Aural conversation is ephemeral by nature. The interaction history of conversation fades as the present moment demands the attention of participants. In this paper, we explore the nature of group interaction by augmenting aural conversation with a persistent visualization of audio input. This visualization, conversation clock, displays individual contribution via audio input and provides a corresponding social mirror over the course of interaction. This paper describes the implementation of conversation clock, provides observations on an initial pilot study, and outlines the future progression of this research
Benchmarking: Comparing Discounted Business Rates among Lodging Companies

Yield management systems focus on the appropriate amount and depth of rate categories to maximize revenue for lodging properties. However, it is the interaction between reservationists and consumers that determines the room price. This study identified and compared different levels of discounting among various lodging companies. The findings should assist managers in benchmarking the current discounting practices in lodging companies.
Capitalising on Analyst Earnings Estimates and Recommendations During Different Market Volatility Regime Periods in Europe

Examining market-adjusted cumulative abnormal returns following European analyst earnings estimate and recommendation announcements, I find that both factors are significant when considered unconditionally and conditional on each other. When examining the strength of these factors during different market regime periods, however, I find that when the market or stock volatility for a given month is unusually high or dispersion between the market and stock volatilities is unusually low, the significance of both the EPS estimate and recommendation factors decrease or are non-existent. In addition, the least favorable quintile of securities - as measured by change in the earnings or recommendation factor - no longer exhibits the least favorable market-adjusted cumulative abnormal return. Since volatility is somewhat persistent, modifying analyst factor models based on recent market environments increases potential portfolio returns.
Dosing Evaluation of Continuous Intravenous Fentanyl Infusions in Overweight Children: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to assess the appropriateness of weight-based dosing of continuous intravenous infusion of fentanyl in overweight/obese versus normal-weight children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). METHODS This retrospective, pilot study included 5- to 12-year-old children admitted to the PICU over a 2-year period who received continuous intravenous infusion fentanyl for ≥ 4 days. The overweight/obese group included children with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 85th percentile, while the control group included children with BMI < 85th percentile. The primary objective was to compare the number of fentanyl continuous intravenous infusion dosage changes required per day to achieve adequate sedation between groups. Secondarily, opioid withdrawal symptoms following the discontinuation of fentanyl and concomitant sedative/analgesic regimens were analyzed between groups. Student t tests and chi-square analyses were performed as appropriate, with an a priori al...
Gas Chromatography as Applied to Nuclear Technology—I

Gas chromatography was used to identify and to determine volatile products from the Homogeneous Reactor Test and from the processing of nuclear fuels and wastes. A gas Chromatograph was constructed...
A GPU-Based MIS Aggregation Strategy: Algorithms, Comparisons, and Applications within AMG

The algebraic multigrid (AMG) method is often used as a preconditioner in Krylov subspace solvers such as the conjugate gradient method. An AMG preconditioner hierarchically aggregates the degrees of freedom during the coarsening phase in order to efficiently account for lower-frequency errors. Each degree of freedom in the coarser level corresponds to one of the aggregates in the finer level. The aggregation in each level in the hierarchy has a significant impact on the effectiveness of AMG as a preconditioner. The aggregation can be formulated as a partitioning problem on the graph induced from the matrix representation of a linear system. We present a GPU implementation of a "bottom-up" partitioning scheme based on maximal independent sets (MIS). We also present some novel topology-informed metrics that measure the quality of a partition. To test our implementation and the metrics, we use an existing AMG preconditioned conjugate gradient (PCG-AMG) solver and show that our metrics are correlated with the time and the number of iterations needed for the linear system to converge to a solution. For comparable coarsening ratios, we show that the MIS-based aggregation methods outperform Metis-based "top-down" aggregation method for the PCG-AMG method. Our results also indicate that MIS-based aggregation methods provide aggregates that are evaluated more favorably by our metrics than the aggregates provided by the Metis-based method.
Legal Briefs: Catastrophic Outcome of Malpositioned Umbilical Venous Catheter

A 265/7 weeks’, 985-g male infant was born to a 26-year-old mother with an unremarkable pregnancy until spontaneous rupture of membranes occurred 17 days before delivery. She had a bicornuate uterus, and her cervical culture result was positive for group B Streptococcus . The mother was admitted for monitoring of possible preterm labor and treatment of infection. Several biophysical profiles were performed, and results were consistently 10/10. After a course of antenatal corticosteroids and several days of penicillin, the mother developed uterine contractions for which she received magnesium sulfate and intravenous hydration. She was afebrile and had no uterine tenderness. The contractions stopped until the following morning when a complete blood cell count was performed. It was remarkable for an elevated white blood cell (WBC) count of 19,900/μL (19.9 × 109/L) with 33% bands. The contractions began again the next day, and the magnesium dose was increased. The fetal heart rate (HR) remained normal. The obstetrician retained by the plaintiff pointed out that delivery should have occurred at that time because the leukocytosis and contractions resistant to tocolysis signaled a strong probability of occult chorioamnionitis. The treating obstetrician said that he did not know the results of the elevated WBC until the following morning at 7 am, to which the plaintiff obstetrician retorted that he should have known within hours when the result became available and acted on that data. The following morning, even after the results of the WBC count were acknowledged, plans for delivery were still not made. The treating perinatologist stated in his deposition that delivery should have been undertaken the day before, and when he was contacted that following morning, he recommended to the treating obstetrician that delivery should be undertaken immediately because the mother might have occult chorioamnionitis. The …
Codling Moth: Effects of Chilling on Longevity and Mating of Adults

Immobilization of the codling moth, Laspeyresia pomonella (L.), during treatment or necessary holding periods has become a routine procedure at the Yakima laboratory. Prior to 1966, immobilization of these insects, mass-reared and sterilized by gamma irradiation for subsequent release, was achieved by CO2. However, White et al. (1970) showed some deleterious effects using CO2 and none from chilling alone to adult longevity or mating. However, in their tests they used 20-min exposures (approximate time required for sterilization). We now need to use considerably longer periods of immobilization (to 24 hr) for our present and planned holding procedures. The present test was conducted to determine whether chilling for as much as 24 hr damaged the moths.
Histotypic cell aggregation in the presence of cytochalasin B.

A study was made of the effects of cytochalasin B on ( a ) specific sorting of reaggregating cells; ( b ) redistribution of cell types after treatment of preformed aggregates; and ( c ) the ability of aggregates of one cell type to incorporate and sort cells of another type. Freshly disaggregated neural retina and heart cells were cultured on a gyratory shaker at 70 rev/min and the aggregates formed analysed for sorting of cell types. Cytochalasin B disrupted the sorting of forming aggregates at concentrations of 1 µg/ml and greater. The distribution of cell types in aggregates that were treated with cytochalasin after 24 h of culture was more random than the control. Untreated cultures of retinal aggregates and heart cell suspension resulted in pure retinal and pure heart aggregates, but with more than 50 % mixed and sorted aggregates. Cytochalasin B treatment resulted in fewer mixed aggregates and a higher proportion of pure retina and pure heart aggregates.
Computerized Tomography in the Preoperative Staging for Pulmonary Metastases in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma

Computerized tomography (CT) is the state of the art technology for pulmonary staging of many extrathoracic malignancies. From 1976 to 1990, 120 of 330 patients with renal cell carcinoma treated at our hospital underwent chest radiography and chest CT. These patients were reviewed to evaluate the role of CT in examining the chest for staging of renal cell carcinoma. Median followup was 24 months. Agreement between the 2 imaging modalities was found in 105 patients. The results of chest radiography and chest CT were normal in 82 and abnormal in 23 patients. Of the 15 patients with disagreement between the 2 studies 13 had normal chest radiography with abnormal chest CT and 2 had abnormal chest radiography with normal chest CT. The 13 patients with normal chest radiography and abnormal CT were further divided into 2 groups: 8 patients with small borderline lesions seen on CT only and 5 patients with evidence of advanced, bulky disease outside the chest at presentation. A substantial agreement, more than chance alone, between chest radiography and CT existed (p < 0.0001). Followup records and survival data have shown no significant impact as a result of the disagreement between the 2 imaging modalities on the treatment decision or ultimate outcome. Based on this information, we believe that in patients with a relatively small tumor (stage T1) a normal chest radiograph suffices for pulmonary staging. The indications for additional chest CT would include solitary nodule on chest radiograph before salvage resection of metastasis, chest symptoms suggestive of endobronchial metastasis or extensive regional disease.
Evaluation of methanol extraction for determination of bacitracin in feeds

Five laboratories evaluated methanol extraction for the determination of zinc and methylene disalicylate (MD) bacitracn in swine and poultry feeds at 100 g/ton and 2 premixes labeled 50 g/lb (MD bacitracin) and 40 g/lb (zinc bacitracin). Bacitracin activity was determined on each of 2 days with 2 dilutions on each day. No significant difference was found between dilutions within a day or between days for each sample. The kind of bacitracin or type of feed did not significantly affect results.
Solvation thermodynamic mapping of molecular surfaces in AmberTools: GIST

The expulsion of water from surfaces upon molecular recognition and nonspecific association makes a major contribution to the free energy changes of these processes. In order to facilitate the characterization of water structure and thermodynamics on surfaces, we have incorporated Grid Inhomogeneous Solvation Theory (GIST) into the CPPTRAJ toolset of AmberTools. GIST is a grid-based implementation of Inhomogeneous Fluid Solvation Theory, which analyzes the output from molecular dynamics simulations to map out solvation thermodynamic and structural properties on a high-resolution, three-dimensional grid. The CPPTRAJ implementation, called GIST-cpptraj, has a simple, easy-to-use command line interface, and is open source and freely distributed. We have also developed a set of open-source tools, called GISTPP, which facilitate the analysis of GIST output grids. Tutorials for both GIST-cpptraj and GISTPP can be found at ambermd.org. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The mentally retarded offender in the criminal justice system

The problem of the mentally retarded offender begins at the first encounter with the criminal justice system and continues through the correctional system. A recent survey compared attitudus of police and mental health professional. Police (78%) felt that disturbed person (including mentally retarded offenders) should be handcuffed when being transported. In contrast, mental health professionals (84%) felt no individual should be handcuffed. The mentally retarded offenders, once incarcerated, are a group that is confronted with problems beyond those usually associated with prison life. The authors examine the complex issued stemming from the special conditions of the MRO and suggest recommendations for developing rational attitudes and policies within the criminal justice system.
Relationship Between Life History and Behavioral Ecology

Animal behavior, in its broadest sense, encompasses the study of all observable muscular activity (or the absence thereof) and related phenomena in response to ongoing changes in an animal’s external or internal environment. Behavior is also associated with an animal’s ability to detect objects and events, to assess and react to incoming stimuli, so that it can respond in an appropriate way. The subjects of animal behavior include orientation, communication and signal detection, habitat selection, closed (instinct) vs. open (learning) behavioral programs, genes and behavior, neural correlates behavior, the ontogney and evolution of behavior, social behavior, as well as behaviors associated with maintenance, foraging, mate selection, courtship, and reproduction.
Murine Follicular Dendritic Cells: Accessory Activities In Vitro

Follicular dendritic cells (FDC) are accessory cells found in association with B lymphocytes in the follicles of stimulated secondary lymphoid tissues. Accessory cells are known to collaborate with lymphocytes and enable them to carry out their essential functions. FDC present antigen (Ag) to B cells and facilitate B cell functions; they may be thought of as B cell-associated accessory cells. In contrast, other dendritic cells, including Langerhans cells, interdigitating cells, and veiled cells, interact primarily with T lymphocytes. These dendritic accessory cells, collectively referred to as dendritic cells (DC) in vitro, present antigen to T cells and may be thought of as T cell-associated accessory cells (TEW et al. 1992a). Data supporting the accessory activities of most accessory cells, such as DC and macrophages, have been collected using in vitro experimentation. In contrast, most of the data available on FDC has been collected using in vivo models. We have reviewed these in vivo data on murine FDC in a number of recent articles.