cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
After This I'm Dead

I'm slicing carrots. A Wednesday in June, 6:00 p.m. It is perfect summer, sultry summer. At 6:00 I can see the sun still bright on the grass. Jay is reading the Times after a day at the lab, and waiting for dinner. Tim and Sheila are playing in the sprinklers in the back yard, and near them I can see Ann, the baby, tast ing a dahlia. I watch and slice. Now Tim picks up the hand nozzle and sprays Sheila to make her scream. She is seven, he blasts her flat chest with the fine cold spray, and she screams no! no! loving it. Giddy with delight she runs a few feet, stops and turns her belly toward him again, a dare. Tim is nine, he says matter-of-factly you're asking for it Sheila, aims at her navel. She shrieks like a magpie and Tim shouts I know you want me to! Now I open a beer for Jay, get a glass from the cupboard and take him the beer and the glass. It will not be dark tonight until nearly 9:00. I'll get more ice, and after dinner we'll play volleyball with the children. I can feel the eve ning, that rich, thick expanse of time, waiting for us. I can feel how easily we're going to sink into it, down toward dark and sleep.
Uterine artery pseudoaneurysm haemorrhage requiring semi-urgent caesarean section: a multidisciplinary approach.

A uterine artery pseudoaneurysm in a pregnancy is a potentially life-threatening condition. A haemorrhage from a uterine artery pseudoaneurysm complicating a pregnancy is described in this review. ...
Spline Curves and Surfaces for Data Modeling

We provide a brief introduction to spline functions. In modeling data, splines are associated with the notion of smoothness. They really are the analog to the draftsman’s wooden spline. They are useful for curve and surface interpolation or approximation.
The Role of Vitamin C in Tumor Therapy (Human)

About thirty years ago, I started administering large doses of vitamin C to post-operative patients. Its primary aim was to improve the healing of surgical wounds. During that time, I recognized that vitamin C supplemented patients very rarely suffered from post-operative and post-transfused hepatitis. This finding is from observations made on many post-operative patients especially in Kyushu district.
Long Term Care for Aging Populations

This article is reproduced from the previous edition, volume 4, pp. 114–126, © 2008, Elsevier Inc.
The Mechanical Art of Rhetoric in an Ordinary Sixteenth Century German Formulary

The title pages of multiple editions of the most popular German language notarial treatise from the sixteenth century, Rhetoric und Teutsch Formular, feature woodcuts depicting an array of writing utensils, sometimes complemented with a writing notary and some further tools. Those pictures bare striking similarity to the imagery used to illustrate the booming genre of practical guidebooks for artisans of various sorts. As such they bring to the fore a peculiarly materialist understanding of legal work and offer thus a welcome counterpoint to most jurisprudence. In some title pages, the composition of writing utensils is supplemented with emblematic tools of both mechanical and liberal arts thus pointing to notarial art as carrying elements of both and standing between the two. Those illustrations also match the vision of the book which in its theoretical section defines the notarial art as consisting in saving transactions and agreements from the feebleness of human memory and oblivion by giving them endurance by way of diligent writing. Overall, the book and its title page illustrations thus emphasise what is becoming the central contribution of the craft of law to the development of capitalist modernity: fixing agreements in potent writing. Understanding notarial art as the artisanship of document fabrication, those images also show the transformative power of writing.
Emerging face of E-tailing: Online food delivery

The growth of the internet has created a significant impact on the lives of people for customers convenience is something which customers look forward to. With the internet, there are new ways of satisfying them with relative technologies and for marketers, it is about selling the products throughout the year without geographical and temporal boundaries and to understand customer’s perception on how they use online services such as food delivery and on understanding why they don’t do so. The online food delivery business has seen a rapid growth, growing at 15% every quarter in 2017. The growth has resulted in the number of orders on a daily basis clocking an average of 400,000 during the September quarter. The Fast food Industry is expected to reach to US$27.57 billion by 2020 which is set for an exponential growth as we can see the market is expected to grow at CAGR of 18% by 2020. This study attempts to take a look at the online food delivery ecosystem with a focus on its drivers and analyses the factors that are driving the growth of this business, especially in Bangalore City.
A Smartphone-Only Pulse Transit Time Monitor Based on Cardio-Mechanical and Photoplethysmography Modalities

This paper reports a system for monitoring pulse transit time (PTT). Using an Android smartphone and a customized sensing circuit, the system collects seismo-cardiogram (SCG), gyro-cardiogram (GCG), and photoplethysmogram (PPG) recordings. There is no need for any other external stand-alone systems. The SCG and GCG signals are recorded with the inertial sensors of the smartphone, while the PPG signal is recorded using a sensing circuit connected to the audio jack of the phone. The sensing circuit is battery-less, powered by the audio output of the smartphone using an energy harvester that converts audio tones into DC power. PPG waveforms are sampled via the microphone channel. A signal processing framework is developed and the system is experimentally verified on twenty healthy subjects at rest. The PTT is measured as the time difference between the aortic valve (AO) opening points in SCG or GCG and the fiducial points in PPG. The root-mean-square errors between the results from a stand-alone sensor system and the proposed system report 3.9 ms from SCG-based results and 3.4 ms from GCG-based results. The detection rates report more than 97.92% from both SCG and GCG results. This performance is comparable with stand-alone sensor nodes at a much lower cost.
Infrastructure privatization analysis: A public-private duopoly game

Abstract Infrastructure privatization leads to the coexistence of public and private sectors in one system. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by elaborating a public-private duopoly game to address three critical questions arising from the privatization. First, how will the privatization shape the quality and pricing decisions by both the public and private sectors? Second, to what extent should the infrastructure or service be privatized and how much should the royalty payment be? Third, how will the efficiency of private sector affect the privatization arrangement? The results suggest that with increasing capacity allocated to the private sector, the private sector charges a higher price and maintains a higher level of quality, while the public sector chooses a higher price but a lower level of quality. The optimal capacity released to the private sector is a function of its efficiency, and the royalty payment increases sharply as the private sector gains more capacity. The analyses reveal the coupled effects of capacity allocation and private efficiency on the quality and pricing decisions, as well as the royalty payments and private profits. A set of capacity-efficiency frontiers are found, beyond which the public-private duopoly performs better than the non-privatization.
Utility Based Justification of Advanced Manufacturing Technology

Abstract The concept of utility refers to the rational behavior of a decision maker when faced with making a choice under uncertainty. The overall utility of a manufacturing technology is measured in terms of both quantitative and qualitative factors. The vast body of literature available on utility theory has led to recent interest in its application to the justification of manufacturing technology. This chapter presents an approach to the justification of advanced manufacturing technology based on utility models. The approach fits an empirical utility function to each factor to be included in a multiattribute justification analysis. The specific utility values (weights) that are obtained from the utility functions are then used in an integrated evaluation of technology alternatives.
Outcomes after Endovascular Stent Placement for Long-Segment Superficial Femoral Artery Lesions.

Background Endovascular intervention is commonly pursued as first-line management of symptomatic, long-segment superficial femoral artery (SFA) disease. The relative effectiveness and comparative long-term outcomes among bare metal stents (BMS), covered stents (CS), and drug-eluting stents (DES) for long-segment SFA lesions remain uncertain. Methods A retrospective cohort study identified patients with symptomatic SFA lesions measuring at least 15 cm in length who successfully received an endovascular stent (BMS, CS, or DES). The outcomes were patency, patient presentation upon stent occlusion, amputation-free survival (AFS), and all-cause mortality. Proportional hazards regressions and a multinomial logistic regression model were used to control for significant confounders. Results A total of 226 procedures were analyzed (BMS: 95 [42%]; CS: 74 [33%]; DES: 57 [25%]). There were no significant differences among the 3 stent types with respect to age, prevalence of either diabetes or end-stage renal disease, or smoking history. The median length of the SFA lesion varied across the cohorts (BMS: 28 cm [interquartile range, IQR 20–30]; CS: 26 cm [IQR 20–30]; DES: 20 cm [IQR 16–25]; P = 0.002). The unadjusted primary patency of BMS at 12, 24, and 48 month following index stent placement was 57%, 47%, and 44%, respectively. This is compared to 62%, 49%, and 42% for CS, and 81%, 66%, and 53% for DES, respectively (log-rank P = 0.044). In adjusted models, however, there were no significant differences in primary patency among the stent types. Compared to CS however, DES was associated with improved primary-assisted patency (hazard ratio [HR] for patency loss: 0.35, P = 0.008) and secondary patency (HR: 0.32, P = 0.011). Across the entire follow-up period, stent occlusions occurred in 38 (40%) BMS cases, 42 (57%) CS, and 11 (19%) DES (P Conclusions For long-segment SFA lesions, DES is associated with improved primary-assisted and secondary patency over long-term follow-up. In the event of stent occlusion, CS is associated with an increased risk of ALI.
Mitochondrial localization of Dictyostelium discoideum dUTPase mediated by its N-terminus

The nuclear and mitochondrial genomes of Dictyostelium discoideum, a unicellular eukaryote, have relatively high A+T-contents of 77.5% and 72.65%, respectively. To begin to investigate how the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway fulfills the demand for dTTP, we determined the catalytic properties and structure of the key enzyme deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) that hydrolyzes dUTP to dUMP, the precursor of dTTP. The annotated genome of D. discoideum identifies a gene encoding a polypeptide containing the five conserved motifs of homotrimeric dUTPases. Recombinant proteins, comprised of either full-length or core polypeptides with all conserved motifs but lacking residues 1-37 of the N-terminus, were active dUTPases. Crystallographic analyses of the core enzyme indicated that the C-termini, normally flexible, were constrained by interactions with the shortened N-termini that arose from the loss of residues 1-37. This allowed greater access of dUTP to active sites, resulting in enhanced catalytic parameters. A tagged protein comprised of the N-terminal forty amino acids of dUTPase fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP) was expressed in D. discoideum cells. Supporting a prediction of mitochondrial targeting information within the N-terminus, localization and subcellular fractionation studies showed GFP to be in mitochondria. N-terminal sequencing of immunoprecipitated GFP revealed the loss of the dUTPase sequence upon import into the organelle.
Does Bail Reform Increase Crime? An Empirical Assessment of the Public Safety Implications of Bail Reform in Cook County, Illinois

Recently bail reform issues have been in the news across the country, as concerns about fair treatment of defendants and possible public safety risks from expanding pretrial release have collided. These issues involve important empirical questions, including whether releasing more defendants before trial leads to additional crimes. An opportunity to investigate this public safety issue has developed in Chicago, our nation’s third largest city. There, the Office of the Chief Judge of the Cook County Courts adopted new bail reform measures in September 2017 and reviewed them empirically in May 2019. Cook County’s Bail Reform Study concluded that the new procedures had released many more defendants before trial without any concomitant increase in crime. This article disputes the Study’s conclusions. This article explains that, contrary to the Study’s assertions, the new changes to pretrial release procedures appear to have led to a substantial increase in crimes committed by pretrial releasees in Cook County. Properly measured and estimated, after more generous release procedures were put in place, the number of released defendants charged with committing new crimes increased by 45%. And, more concerning, the number of pretrial releasees charged with committing new violent crimes increased by an estimated 33%. In addition, as reported by the Chicago Tribune, the Study’s data appears to undercount the number of releasees charged with new violent crimes; and a substantial number of aggravated domestic violence prosecutions prosecutors dropped after the changes, presumably because batterers were able to more frequently obtain release and intimidate their victims into not pursuing charges. These public safety concerns call into question whether the bail “reform” measures implemented in Cook County were cost-beneficial. And because Cook County’s procedures are state-of-the-art and track those being implemented in many parts of the country, Cook County’s experience suggests that other jurisdictions may similarly be suffering increases in crime due to bail reform.
Adaptive learning in two-player Stackelberg games with continuous action sets

We study a two-player Stackelberg game in which the follower’s strategy depends on a parameter vector that is unknown to the leader. An adaptive learning algorithm is designed to simultaneously estimate the unknown parameter and minimize the leader’s cost, based on adaptive control techniques and hysteresis switching. The algorithm guarantees that the leader’s cost predicted using the parameter estimate becomes indistinguishable from its actual cost in finite time, up to a preselected, arbitrarily small error threshold, and that the first-order necessary condition for optimality holds asymptotically for the predicted cost. If an additional persistent excitation condition holds, then the parameter estimation error can also be bounded by a preselected, arbitrarily small threshold in finite time. The algorithm and convergence results are illustrated via a simple simulation example in the domain of network security.
Pacing Failure, Ventricular Tachycardia, and Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Shocks

A 24-year-old woman with complex congenital heart disease, depressed systemic ventricular function, and congestive heart failure previously received an InSync II Marquis™ 7289 CRT-D utilizing a Medtronic Sprint Fidelis 6949 right ventricular defibrillation lead, 4193 left ventricular lead, and a Novus 5076 right atrial lead. While in hospital on telemetry, she develops recurrent episodes of pacing failure, ventricular arrhythmias, and shocks. Diagnosis and problem solving are discussed.
How African American women experience hypervisibility in Japan and South Korea

African American women visiting certain foreign countries become involuntary spectacles because of their hypervisibility. Their encounters with citizens of those countries signals their status as ‘...
Binocular Interference vs Diplopia in Patients With Epiretinal Membrane

Importance Patients with epiretinal membrane (ERM) sometimes close 1 eye for improved vision, but associations have not been rigorously studied. Objective To evaluate associations with monocular eye closure in patients with ERM, and to report binocular interference (closing 1 eye to improve visual quality). Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective medical record review of an adult strabismus clinic at a tertiary referral center. Patients with ERM referred from retina clinicians between June 2010 and October 2019 who completed the Adult Strabismus (AS)–20 questionnaire, including the question: “I cover or close one eye to see things better.” Two groups were identified: (1) patients reporting eye closure sometimes or more, and (2) patients reporting no eye closure (as control patients). Main Outcomes and Measures Frequencies of (1) central-peripheral rivalry (CPR)–type diplopia (dragged fovea diplopia); (2) binocular interference (monocular eye closure but no diplopia or strabismus); and (3) other, associated with monocular eye closure. Visual acuity, metamorphopsia, aniseikonia, and AS-20 quality of life domain scores (self-perception, interactions, reading function, and general function) compared between binocular interference, CPR-type diplopia, and control patients. Results A total of 124 patients with ERM (58 of 124 were women [47%]; mean [SD] age, 70 [9] years) reported monocular eye closure. Associations were binocular interference in 36 (29%; 95% CI, 21%-38%), CPR-type diplopia in 34 (27%; 95% CI, 20%-36%), and other (primarily strabismus) in 54 (44%). Compared with control patients with ERM (n = 11), patients with ERM and binocular interference had worse quality of life on AS-20 reading function (95 vs 62; mean difference, 22 points; 95% CI, 7-27 points;P = .007) and general function (89 vs 68; mean difference, 23 points; 95% CI, 13-34 points;P = .01) domains. Compared with CPR-type diplopia, patients with binocular interference had poorer worst-eye visual acuity (median 0.50 vs 0.30 logMAR [20/63 vs 20/40]; mean difference, 0.13 logMAR; 95% CI, 0.00-0.25 logMAR [20/20 to 20/35];P = .03), and a larger interocular difference (0.46 vs 0.19 logMAR [20/58 vs 20/30]; mean difference, 0.15 logMAR; 95% CI, 0.03-0.28 logMAR [20/21 to 20/38];P = .004). Conclusions and Relevance Study findings suggest that binocular interference, manifesting as monocular eye closure (without diplopia or strabismus), is a distinct entity affecting quality of life in patients with epiretinal membrane.
The Economic Impact of Employing Disabled Persons: Macro and Micro Perspectives

For an employee, a physical or mental impairment can result in attrition from the workplace, causing economic loss and a change to employment/career goals: employers incur costs of developing others to replace the attritional worker or experiencing workplace accommodation cost from retaining the employee. In either case, disability can have a significant economic impact on work organizations. People with disabilities have low rates of participation in the labour force, incurring unemployed rates of 13 per cent or higher. When in work, their talents are frequently mismatched with the job specifications, deeming them overqualified. Underemployment is another economic impact indicator that has opportunity costs for the employee and employer. Employees experience financial loss because of not being fully remunerated for their talents, and the skill mismatching inhibits work organizations from maximizing profitability. This chapter focuses on economic impact of disability from macro (work organizations) and micro (individual with a disability) perspectives.
Antimicrobial effects of nitric oxide in murine models of Klebsiella pneumonia.

Abstract Rationale Inhalation of nitric oxide (NO) exerts selective pulmonary vasodilation. Nitric oxide also has an antimicrobial effect on a broad spectrum of pathogenic viruses, bacteria and fungi. Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of inhaled NO on bacterial burden and disease outcome in a murine model of Klebsiella pneumonia. Methods Mice were infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae and inhaled either air alone, air mixed with constant levels of NO (at 80, 160, or 200 parts per million (ppm)) or air intermittently mixed with high dose NO (300 ppm). Forty-eight hours after airway inoculation, the number of viable bacteria in lung, spleen and blood was determined. The extent of infiltration of the lungs by inflammatory cells and the level of myeloperoxidase activity in the lungs were measured. Atomic force microscopy was used to investigate a possible mechanism by which nitric oxide exerts a bactericidal effect. Measurements and main results Compared to control animals infected with K. pneumoniae and breathed air alone, intermittent breathing of NO (300 ppm) reduced viable bacterial counts in lung and spleen tissue. Inhaled NO reduced infection-induced lung inflammation and improved overall survival of mice. NO destroyed the cell wall of K. pneumoniae and killed multiple-drug resistant K. pneumoniae in-vitro. Conclusions Intermittent administration of high dose NO may be an effective approach to the treatment of pneumonia caused by K. pneumoniae.
Nonlinearity, Writing, and Creative Process

This chapter shows how understanding the operation of nonlinearity in language and creative process yields tools for analyzing the power of literary writing in particular and for enhancing that power in student writers. The chapter begins by considering the relationship between the linearity of language and nonlinearity of meaning, goes on to examine fundamental nonlinearities of the creative process in several media, and concludes by considering in more detail how Jane Austen’s most famous “shapely” sentence (the one that begins Pride and Prejudice) engages nonlinear cognitive and metacognitive processes in ways that—following Virginia Woolf’s assessment of women’s fiction in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—constitute an event in human neuro-history.
Approach to Sedation and Analgesia in COVID-19 Patients on Venovenous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Objective:To describe clinically pertinent challenges of managing sedation in COVID-19 patients on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) and describe considerations for enhanced ...
Assessment of mechanical and biocompatible performance of ultra-large nitinol endovascular devices fabricated via a low-energy laser joining process

Nitinol is an excellent candidate material for developing various self-expanding endovascular devices due to its unique properties such as superelasticity, biocompatibility and shape memory effect....
A group of Pythagorean triples using the inradius

Pythagorean triples are triples of integers (a, b, c) satisfying the equation a2 + b2 = c2. For the purpose of this paper, we will take a, b and c to be positive, unless otherwise stated. Then, of course, it follows that a triple represents the lengths of sides of a right triangle. Also, for the purpose of this paper, we will consider the triples (a, b, c) and (b, a, c) to be distinct, even though they represent the same right triangle. A primitive Pythagorean triple is one for which a, b and c are relatively prime.
Do Christian Counselors Show More Empathy Toward Christian Clients Than Secular Clients? An Examination of the Relations Between Counselors’ Empathy and Counselor–Client Similarity in Christian Commitment:

This study investigated the association between counselors’ Christian beliefs and their counseling. One hundred fifty-eight participants, including 13 counselors and 145 counselors-in-training who ...
A Comprehensive Annotation of the Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) T Cell Receptor Alpha/Delta, Beta, and Gamma Loci

The complete germline repertoires of the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, T cell receptor (TR) loci, TRAD, TRB, and TRG were obtained by analyzing genomic data from PacBio sequencing. The catfish TRB locus spans 214 kb, and contains 112 TRBV genes, a single TRBD gene, 31 TRBJ genes and two TRBC genes. In contrast, the TRAD locus is very large, at 1,285 kb. It consists of four TRDD genes, one TRDJ gene followed by the exons for TRDC, 125 TRAJ genes and the exons encoding the TRAC. Downstream of the TRAC, are 140 TRADV genes, and all of them are in the opposite transcriptional orientation. The catfish TRGC locus spans 151 kb and consists of four diverse V-J-C cassettes. Altogether, this locus contains 15 TRGV genes and 10 TRGJ genes. To place our data into context, we also analyzed the zebrafish TR germline gene repertoires. Overall, our findings demonstrated that catfish possesses a more restricted repertoire compared to the zebrafish. For example, the 140 TRADV genes in catfish form eight subgroups based on members sharing 75% nucleotide identity. However, the 149 TRAD genes in zebrafish form 53 subgroups. This difference in subgroup numbers between catfish and zebrafish is best explained by expansions of catfish TRADV subgroups, which likely occurred through multiple, relatively recent gene duplications. Similarly, 112 catfish TRBV genes form 30 subgroups, while the 51 zebrafish TRBV genes are placed into 36 subgroups. Notably, several catfish and zebrafish TRB subgroups share ancestor nodes. In addition, the complete catfish TR gene annotation was used to compile a TR gene segment database, which was applied in clonotype analysis of an available gynogenetic channel catfish transcriptome. Combined, the TR annotation and clonotype analysis suggested that the expressed TRA, TRB, and TRD repertoires were generated by different mechanisms. The diversity of the TRB repertoire depends on the number of TRBV subgroups and TRBJ genes, while TRA diversity relies on the many different TRAJ genes, which appear to be only minimally trimmed. In contrast, TRD diversity relies on nucleotide additions and the utilization of up to four TRDD segments.
Pediatric musculoskeletal pathologies: are there differences in triage of diagnoses and preferences for communication between radiology and orthopedics?

OBJECTIVE To define the clinical importance of various pediatric musculoskeletal diagnoses, determine preferred communication methods based on the acuity level of findings, and investigate differences between specialties utilizing the Delphi methodology. METHODS Radiologists, orthopedic surgeons, and sports-medicine pediatricians at a tertiary children's hospital were surveyed (n = 79) twice using REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture). Surveys were conducted anonymously and at least 1 year apart, first eliciting all potentially non-routine findings and various communication methods (round 1), and later categorizing the acuity (emergent, urgent, or non-urgent) of different diagnosis categories and selecting the preferred communication method (verbal, written electronic messages, and report) and timeframe (round 2). Chi-square, Fisher's exact, and Kruskal-Wallis H tests were used to compare variables between specialties. RESULTS Round 1 produced 267 entries for non-routine findings (grouped into 19 diagnoses) and 71 for communication methods (grouped into 3 categories). Round 2 found no significant difference in the acuity assignments for the 19 predetermined diagnoses (p = 0.66) between the 3 specialties; however, there was reduced agreement for the top urgent diagnoses within and between specialties. Most pediatricians preferred written electronic messages. The preferred communication timeframe for urgent diagnoses was significantly different (< 2 h for pediatricians, < 4 h for radiologists, and < 8 h for surgeons; p = 0.003) between specialties whereas no difference was found for emergent (p = 1) and non-urgent diagnoses (p = 0.80). CONCLUSION Acuity assignment for the 19 pediatric-specific musculoskeletal diagnoses was not significantly different between specialties, but the preferred communication timeframe for urgent diagnoses was significantly different, ranging between 2 and 8 h.
Chapter 25. Polyamine Metabolism - Recent Developments and Implications for the Design of New Chemotherapeutic Agents

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the biosynthesis of the three major polyamines and their subsequent acetylation, oxidation, and conjugation. On the biosynthesis of polyamines, the formation of putrescine can cause decarboxylation of ornithine or from arginine via decarboxylation to agmatine and subsequent hydrolytic (or phosphorylic) cleavage of the guanidino moiety. The putrescine-forming reaction catalyzed by ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), an enzyme with an extremely short half-life, induced by stimuli. Recent data on Physarum polycephalum indicate that an endogenous ODC inhibitor, the so-called “ODC-antizyme”, may be a polyamine-dependent protein kinase. Regulation of ODC apparently involves a kinase-phosphorylase system similar to the regulatory systems previously associated with cyclic adenosine monophosphate (c-AMP) dependent protein kinases. Detail discussion on these systems done with the help of structural diagrams and schemes. Next discussed is the biochemical reactions of the polyamines. N1-acetylspermidine is readily formed by the action of an ace- tyltransferase on spermidine and that N1-acetylspermidine is readily converted to putrescine and β-acetamidopropionaldehyde by a liver polyamine oxidase. It is argued that despite the fact that only a small portion of cellular polyamines are acetylated the major route of oxidative metabolism of the polyamines may be via the acetylated derivatives. A second type of acylated polyamine is found in the protein-bound components. In contrast to the variety of inhibitors now available for studying polyamine biosynthesis, there are a few inhibitors described that are useful for studying the reactions that utilize the polyamines, such as acetylation, oxidative cleavage, and glutaminase-catalyzed protein binding. Results from investigations in many laboratories support the hypothesis that the polyamines, which are cationic at physiological pH, are closely associated with the synthesis and function of anionic nucleic acids. The use of inhibitors of polyamine metabolism as therapeutic agents is a relatively young field of research.
Evaluating A University Extension Conservation Program

(1970). Evaluating A University Extension Conservation Program. Environmental Education: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 43-46.
17-Year-Old Boy with Renal Failure and the Highest Reported Creatinine in Pediatric Literature

The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is on the rise and constitutes a major health burden across the world. Clinical presentations in early CKD are usually subtle. Awareness of the risk factors for CKD is important for early diagnosis and treatment to slow the progression of disease. We present a case report of a 17-year-old African American male who presented in a life threatening hypertensive emergency with renal failure and the highest reported serum creatinine in a pediatric patient. A brief discussion on CKD criteria, complications, and potential red flags for screening strategies is provided.
Root-infecting fungi associated with a decline of longleaf pine in the southeastern United States

A 35-year-old longleaf pine stand exhibited trees in various stages of decline. A study was conducted to determine root-infecting fungi and other abnormalities associated with varying degrees of crown symptoms. A four-class crown symptom rating system was devised according to ascending symptom severity. Leptographium procerum and L. terebrantis were significantly associated with increasing crown symptom severity. Heterobasidion annosum was also isolated in higher frequency as crown symptoms increased. Also, evidence of insects on roots increased as did amount of resinosis observed. Edaphic and silvicultural factors may interact with these pathogens and insects to pose a pathological limitation on longer-term management objectives. Further research is needed to determine relationships among various edaphic, silvicultural, and biological factors associated with the decline syndrome on this site.
Ion-Atom Collisions

Ion-atom collisions have been of interest to the general physics community because of their relevance to the penetration of charged particles in matter. As fast, charged ions pass through matter they ejected electrons from the atomic constituants. These electrons initiate physical and chemical changes known as radiation damage. For this reason the spectra electrons ejected by fast, positively charged ions have been of studied from the early days of the quantum theory. The Born approximation, for example, is well-adapted to analyze the excitation and ionization of atoms and molecules by fast ions. Measurements of excitation and ionization cross sections at high energy are typically understood in terms of concepts, e.g. the generalized oscillator strength, that have their origins in the Born theory(Fano 1963, Inokuti 1971). On average, exciation and ionization by high-energy ions are well understood in terms of the first Born approximation.
Connecting Blazons and Neurons

Echo Objects. The Cognitive Work of Images. By Barbara Maria Stafford. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2007. 307 pp. $45, £27. ISBN 9780226770512. The author explores connections between the worlds of images and current neuroscience.
Automating the analysis of POLAR UVI images using a hybrid genetic algorithm

The paper describes a hybrid genetic algorithm method for automating the analysis of images taken from the UVI instrument onboard the POLAR satellite. The amount of data represented by this instrument is on the order of a terabyte. Quantitative analyses of these images have been mostly by manual inspection. The described algorithm architecture is based on a metaphor of biological symbiosis.
SDIO rapid prototyping

The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization has constructed two models for feasibility assessment. These tools address the assessment of size, weight, and power requirements of a real-time computer design using components and algorithms which are yet to be realized. This paper addresses two models and proposes a path for future efforts. The Architectural Effectiveness Model (AEM) is a time-stepped simulation of an engagement between a Strategic Defense System and a ballistic missile attack. AEM contains functional state models for computing functions which control the SDS. AEM is tailored for defining function execution and message transfer loads. Algorithm models are state transitions which enable AEM to compute data set loads for each time step from sensor and command inputs. An example of a space based tracking application is presented. >
Characterization of granulocyte beta adrenergic receptors in atopic eczema

Abstract The binding of (−)- 3 H-dihydroalprenolol ( 3 H-DHA) and 125 I-hydroxybenzylpindolol ( 125 I-HYP) to the β-adrenergic receptors in homogenized granulocyte preparations from control subjects and patients with atopic eczema was characterized. No difference was found for the affinity (K D = 2 × 10 −9 M) or the total number of high-affinity binding sites (1,200 to 1,600 per cell) with 3 H-DHA or 125 I-HYP (K D 1.6 × 10 −10 M) in granulocytes from the two study populations. Scatchard plots of the data obtained from DHA binding isotherms suggested that negative cooperativity may exist as a property of the β 2 -receptor. Granulocyte preparations from control subjects and patients with atopic eczema also showed propranolol protectable 3 H-DHA binding with a K D of 10 −7 M. It is not clear whether these 3 H-DHA binding sites represent physiologically significant β-adrenergic receptors at these concentrations of radioligand. It was found that 15,000 to 20,000 binding sites of this lower affinity for DHA exist per cell in granulocytes from the two populations of subjects. These data suggest that the reduced isoproterenol responsiveness of granulocytes from patients with atopic eczema is not the result of abnormal or reduced numbers of β-adrenergic receptors.
NF-κB Activation by the Chemopreventive Dithiolethione Oltipraz Is Exerted through Stimulation of MEKK3 Signaling

Chemoprevention by the dithiolethione analogue oltipraz (4-methyl-5-(2-pyrazinyl)-1,2-dithiole-3-thione) may occur through several mechanisms, among them stimulation of detoxication activity. The phase II detoxication enzyme, NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1; EC 1.6.99.2) also known as quinone reductase (QR) is well established to undergo transcriptional activation following oltipraz treatment of colon cancer cells in culture. Promoter analysis of the QR gene in oltipraztreated cells reveals the involvement of both the AP-1 and NF-κB elements in the response. The emerging role of NF-κB in cell survival prompted a fuller analysis of effects of oltipraz on this pathway. Oltipraz treatment of both HCT116 and HT29 cells results in the induction of proteins involved in both pathways of NF-κB activation, including p65, IκB kinase α (IKKα), IκB kinase β (IKKβ), and NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK). IκBα total protein levels were unchanged, but phosphorylation of the inhibitor was also induced in both lines. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) analysis confirmed induction of protein binding to a consensus NF-κB element, and transcriptional activation was further confirmed using a reporter construct. Transcriptional activation of QR was decreased in a dose-dependent manner by dominant-negative NF-κB in both cell lines. The molecular mechanism that triggers IKK activation in response to oltipraz was also examined using inhibitory constructs of NIK and mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase kinase 3 (MEKK3). We found that both MEKK3 and NIK exert effects on IKKα/β activation, but through different pathways. Furthermore, the receptor-interacting protein (RIP) was found to interact strongly with MEKK3 during oltipraz-induced NF-κB signaling, implying a role for tumor necrosis factor receptor signaling in the action of oltipraz. These results implicate a novel signaling pathway for the action of oltipraz in QR gene regulation.
Inverse boundary-value problems: Elliptic equations

Abstract Inverse, or identification, problems are currently receiving a great deal of attention in virtually all scientific disciplines. Most of the work done so far has dealt with systems governed by ordinary differential equations. This paper points out that the methods most commonly used for these problems are not suitable for inverse problems involving partial differential equations. The approach presented combines Newton's method with discrete invariant imbedding to find parameters in systems governed by elliptic equations. The method takes advantage of both the quadratic convergence of Newton's method and the similarity between the original partial differential equation and the sensitivity equations. Two examples, one linear and one nonlinear, are presented.
Net community production in terms of C, N, P and Si in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and its influence on regional water mass characteristics

Abstract The net impact of biological production and regeneration (Net Community Production) on surface water dissolved inorganic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and silica (NCP DIC , NCP DIN , NCP PO 4 , and NCP Si ( OH ) 4 , respectively) were evaluated from nutrient data collected in the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) along 170°W between October 1997 and March 1998. Budgets were constructed in zonal bands that subdivided the ACC into a southern, seasonally ice-covered region, and three northern, and increasingly less stratified regions. Frontal positions, air–sea gas exchange, divergent Ekman flow, and meridional nutrient gradients were tracked through time to isolate biological change. The budget resolved the southerly progression of peak productivity with time in conjunction with the retreating ice-edge and the change from a production-dominated to a respiration-dominated system. Seasonal values of NCP DIC , NCP DIN , NCP PO 4 , NCP Si ( OH ) 4 from north of the Antarctic Polar Front (APF) to the South Antarctic Circumpolar Front (SACCF) along 170°W averaged 2.6, 0.27, 0.02, and 1.9 mol m −2 , respectively. The influx of atmospheric CO 2 was a significant component (20–38%) of NCP DIC and varied from 6.8 to 12.8 g C m −2 season −1 across the region because of high winds in the north, and large surface pCO 2 deficits in the south. Although seasonal NCP DIC was fairly uniform across the region, NCP DIN was about 1.5 x greater, and NCP Si ( OH ) 4 was 2 x greater south of the APF compared to north of it. The present zonal pattern of NCP Si ( OH ) 4 differs from that suggested previously, in that we estimate greater production north of the APF and near the SACCF and relatively less just south of the APF, mainly because of the inclusion of a seasonally variable horizontal flux in the present analysis. In each sub-region, peak rates of NCP DIN and NCP PO 4 preceded those of NCP DIC and NCP Si ( OH ) 4 . Peak diatom growth periods exhibited NCP DIN / NCP PO 4 ratios (11–14) well below Redfield values. In addition, more rapid remineralization of phosphorus, and to a lesser extend nitrogen, as compared to carbon and silica were apparent late in the season. Increases in the NCP Si ( OH ) 4 / NCP DIN ratio through time were consistent with intensifying iron limitation south of the APF. The inter-nutrient comparisons highlight the functional differences among nutrient fluxes, in that, nutrients with relatively low surface remineralization like silicic acid are dependent on meridional transport to replenish surface pools, while surface pools of rapidly recycled nutrients, such as phosphate, can be replenished mainly by vertical mixing in winter. We suggest that biological processes in the Pacific ACC region play an important role in lowering the N/P ratio of the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW).
Decreased Plakophilin-1 Expression Promotes Increased Motility in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

Desmosomes are prominent cell-cell adhesive junctions found in a variety of epithelial tissues, including the oral epithelium. The transmembrane core of the desmosome is composed of the desmosomal cadherins that interact extracellularly to mediate cell-cell adhesion. The cytoplasmic domain of desmosomal cadherins interact with plaque proteins that in turn interact with the keratin intermediate filament cytoskeleton. Plakophilin 1 is a major desmosomal plaque component that functions to recruit intermediate filaments to sites of cell-cell contact via interactions with desmoplakin. Decreased assembly of desmosomes has been reported in several epithelial cancers. We examined plakophilin-1 expression in an esophageal squamous cell carcinoma tissue microarray and found that plakophilin-1 expression inversely correlates with tumor grade. In addition, we sought to investigate the effect of plakophilin-1 expression on desmosome assembly and cell motility in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Cell lines expressing altered levels of plakophilin-1 were generated and the ability of these cells to recruit desmoplakin to sites of cell-cell contact was examined. Our results show that decreased expression of plakophilin-1 results in decreased desmosome assembly and increased cell motility and invasion. These data lead us to propose that loss of plakophilin-1 expression during head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) progression may contribute to an invasive phenotype.
Mathematical theory of dimensioning and parameterising product geometry

The classic art of dimensioning a drawing and the modern art of parameterising a product geometric model in a computer aided system have a lot in common. As industry moved into the information age, this commonality became apparent and the need to find a unified mathematical theory assumed greater urgency. This paper presents the results of nearly two decades of work towards such a theory. It is based exclusively on congruence theorems, some of which are known since the days of Euclid and others which were proved only recently. These results are being incorporated into national and international standards that deal with product lifecycle management.
Evidence-Based Practice and Research Methodologies: Challenges and Implications for the Nursing Profession

The utilization of evidence-based practice in nursing is a relatively new phenomenon. Although the medical profession has worked toward evidence-based medicine for nearly two decades, the nursing profession has executed evidence-based practice only since the late 1990s (Jennings & Loan, 2001). The primary goal of evidence-based practice is to improve decision making about patient interventions in an effort to deliver quality care while limiting cost. This is an important process for nursing in an era of limited healthcare resources; however, evidencebased practice in nursing is more challenging than its use in the medical profession because of the multiple sources of nursing knowledge. The purpose of this article is to explore research methods for evidencebased practice and discuss their applications and implications for nursing research and evidence-based practice in nursing.
Interleukin-7 negatively regulates the development of mature T cells in fetal thymus organ cultures.

Abstract We added antibody specific for interleukin-7 (IL-7) to chimeric fetal thymus organ cultures (FTOC) to investigate the involvement of this cytokine at distinct stages of T cell development. We report that the neutralization of IL-7 early in fetal T cell development results in a decrease in the production of mature CD4 or CD8 (‘single positive’, SP) or CD4/8 negative (‘double negative’, DN) T cell phenotypes, as defined by their expression of CD3. This loss of T cell development was not complete, but it did include the development of γδ T cells. However, if IL-7 was neutralized at later stages of FTOC, the production of CD4/8 positive (‘double positive’, DP) T cells was increased, and if the addition of the antibody was delayed further, the production of mature SP T cells was increased. This last result could be extended to both αβ and γδ T cells. These data suggested that IL-7 played a negative regulatory role in the development of progressively mature T cells. Tissue sections of FTOC showed that IL-7 was expressed in the subcapsular region of the tissue where immature T cells reside. However, IL-7 was not detected in the medullary region where mature T cells are located. These data suggest that IL-7 not only supports the development of immature fetal T cells, but it may inhibit the development of mature T cells. The production of mature fetal T cells may, therefore, be delayed until their precursors enter the medullary microenvironment, where IL-7 production is low. In this way, T cells may be prevented from maturing until negative selection or anergy events eliminate or inactivate autoreactive clones.
An Elementary Proof of Lebesgue's Differentiation Theorem

(2003). An Elementary Proof of Lebesgue's Differentiation Theorem. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 110, No. 9, pp. 834-838.
IRAS observations of the exciting stars of Herbig-Haro objects. II, The Reipurth and Graham sample and low-resolution spectra

Using IRAS COADDed images, candidates are suggested for the exciting stars of Herbig-Haro objects from the Reipurth and Graham sample. The IRAS low-resolution spectrometer provides spectra for 20 of the 46 candidate stars so far identified as exciting young, unevolved H-H systems. These reveal 10-micron silicate absorption features, or are too red to show detectable flux near 10 microns. The histogram of bolometric luminosities for 46 young Herbig-Haro exciting stars has a median of 13 solar luminosities and a mode between 16 and 32 solar luminosities. Although the enlarged sample of known exciting stars has more of the higher luminosity objects than an earlier sample, the histogram still represents a generally low-luminosity distribution.