cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Carotid In-Stent Stenosis: Cutting Balloon Angioplasty: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

In-stent stenosis has a reported prevalence of 14% to 19% at 1-yr follow-up after carotid stenting and is associated with an increased risk of acute ischemic stroke.1,2 Risk factors include female sex, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Cutting balloon angioplasty is a safe and effective treatment modality for the treatment of carotid in-stent stenosis, and alternative treatment options include observation with medical management and placement of another stent.3,4 The authors present the case of a 61-yr-old man with carotid in-stent restenosis and progressive worsening on serial imaging with ultrasound. The patient had a history of carotid stenting for symptomatic stenosis 6 mo prior and was maintained on aspirin and clopidogrel. In light of the progressive worsening, the in-stent stenosis was confirmed on computed tomography (CT) angiogram. The options were discussed with the patient and he consented for treatment with cutting balloon angioplasty. Final angiogram showed improvement of the luminal diameter with a residual stenosis of 15%. The patient tolerated the procedure well and was discharged home on postoperative day 1. Follow-up ultrasound demonstrated moderate improvement in peak systolic velocities, and the plan is to continue observation with a clinical follow-up and repeat carotid Dopplers at 3 mo.
Latent Factor Analysis of the PROMIS and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation in Patients Undergoing Shoulder Surgery.

INTRODUCTION Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are reporting tools that quantify patients' perceptions of their mental and physical health. Many PROs may inadvertently measure the same or overlapping theoretical constructs (e.g., pain, function, depression, etc.), which is both inefficient and a patient burden. The purpose of this study was to examine the functional relationship of the Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) score and general constructs measured with the NIH Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) in young patients undergoing shoulder surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study was an institutional review board approved retrospective case control of the Military Orthopaedics Tracking Injuries and Outcomes Network using 805 patients and 1,373 observations. All patients underwent shoulder surgery and had multiple observations ranging from 28 days pre-surgery to 428 days post-surgery. Correlation matrices and exploratory factor analysis were used to examine how each of the measured variables (PROMIS physical function, PROMIS pain interference, PROMIS sleep disturbance, PROMIS anxiety, PROMIS depression, and SANE surveys) contribute or "weigh" on latent factors, which are then mapped to a theoretical construct. This statistical method helps uncover structural relationships between measured variables. RESULTS The PROMIS and SANE surveys collectively weigh on two latent factors: psychological health (measured variables: PROMIS anxiety [0.95] and PROMIS depression [0.86]) and physical capabilities (measured variables: PROMIS physical function [0.81], PROMIS pain interference [-0.82], PROMIS sleep disturbance [-0.51], and SANE [0.68]). Although the physical capability construct is functionally related to psychological health (-0.45), there is no direct relation between SANE and measures of depression or anxiety. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the use of the SANE as a valid single question to assess physical function providing similar information to the PROMIS in regard to measuring physical capabilities. Its simplicity makes it easy to use and implement with minimal uplift or change in workflow.
Assessing Protected Area Management Effectiveness: the Need for a Wetland-Specific Evaluation Tool.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat was developed in 1971, and has established the world’s largest network of protected areas. However, monitoring and reporting have been inadequate to fully achieve the goals of the Convention. We argue that current reporting mechanisms, including the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT), Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Area Management (RAPPAM), and the R-METT reporting framework adopted at the 12th Conference of the Parties, are not well adapted to wetland systems and the objectives of the Ramsar Convention. This paper outlines one possible structure for a new reporting mechanism, explicitly focused on the Convention’s objectives of maintaining ecological character and promoting wise use within the context of sustainable development. Through these lenses, we developed a 15-question framework that would have site managers compile the most pertinent information relating to these two points quickly, including providing operational definitions, identifying allowable uses, quantifying economic benefits, reporting fundamental monitoring data, and assessing stakeholder engagement opportunities. We argue that, if we are to provide an informed outlook for the next half-century of wetland conservation under the Ramsar Convention, we must begin by refining its information-gathering protocols for its system of wetlands of international importance.
Information Systems In Healthcare Coordination: Simple Can Be Good

The paper arises from research that examined a healthcare coordination improvement initiative that was focused on increasing knowledge sharing among a network of healthcare workers involved in the care of children with complex medical needs. Part of this initiative involved a summary medical note (the SPOC) that was paper-based and carried by parents between the specialists involved in their child’s care. SPOC’s effectiveness is discussed through a practice perspective, which focuses on the role of mediators (both material and human). Our analysis demonstrates that the SPOC’s effectiveness can be understood by looking at the combined roles of boundary objects and human brokers. We identify two distinct broker roles: creation brokers and use brokers. In discussing our case, we extend our analysis to suggest how these broker roles may also be useful in thinking about how to improve the effectiveness of (electronic) health record systems more generally – for practitioners as well as
Teaching Physics to Deaf College Students In A 3-D Virtual Lab

Virtual worlds are used in many educational and business applications. At the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology (NTID/RIT), deaf college students are introduced to the virtual world of Second Life, which is a 3-D immersive, interactive environment, accessed through computer software. NTID students use this virtual environment to practice concepts first encountered in the laboratory.
How Much Is That Heifer Worth

My decade of analyzing Integrated Resource Management (IRM) cooperator beef cow herds suggests that heifer retention and replacement strategies have a large impact on long-run profits. What seems to separate profitable beef cow herds from less profitable herds is what is done with the females in the herd and when it is done. Financial problems are frequently exacerbated when replacement heifers are retained at an improper time during the cattle cycle. The beef cattle cycle typically leads to cash flow "booms" during high-priced times and cash flow "busts' during low-priced times. The beef cattle cycle, its resulting beef price cycle, and resource costs are the three most important factors affecting the long-run profitability and sustainability of today's beef cow producers. The timing of herd expansion, and the buying and selling of females, seem to be particularly critical to the long-run profitability of a beef cow herd. This paper presents a procedure for determining the economic value of a bred heifer at any point in the cattle cycle.
Gastric dilatation and volvulus in a red panda (Ailurus fulgens)

A 12-year-old male red panda (Ailurus fulgens) was evaluated for acute onset inappetance, staggering, collapse, and tachypnea. Gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV) was diagnosed by radiography, abdominal ultrasonography, and exploratory celiotomy. Torsion of the stomach was corrected and an incisional gastropexy performed to prevent recurrence. No organs were devitalized, no other abnormalities detected, and the red panda recovered fully within 72 hours.
Flanking markers bracket the neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) gene on chromosome 22.

Abstract Neurofibromatosis 2 or bilateral acoustic neurofibromatosis (NF2) is a severe autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the development of multiple tumors of the nervous system, including meningiomas, gliomas, neurofibromas, ependymomas, and particularly acoustic neuromas. Polymorphic DNA markers have revealed frequent loss of one copy of chromosome 22 in the tumor types associated with NF2. Family studies have demonstrated that the primary defect in NF2 is linked to DNA markers on chromosome 22, suggesting that it involves inactivation of a tumor suppressor gene. We have employed a combination of multipoint linkage analysis and examination of deletions in primary tumor specimens to precisely map the NF2 locus between flanking polymorphic DNA markers on chromosome 22. The 13-cM region bracketed by these markers corresponds to 13% of the genetic length of the long arm of chromosome 22 and is expected to contain less than 5 x 10(6) bp of DNA. The delineation of flanking markers for NF2 should permit accurate presymptomatic and prenatal diagnosis for the disorder and greatly facilitate efforts to isolate the defective gene on the basis of its location.
A CONSERVED CYSTEINE IN MOLYBDENUM OXOTRANSFERASES

The amino acid sequences of peptides derived from rat hepatic sulfite oxidase have been determined by a combination of amino acid analysis and Edman degradation of the purified protein. The data obtained showed the rat liver enzyme contained 3 cysteine residues which was confirmed by thiol modification studies using 4,4'-dithiodipyridine of the native enzyme. Combining these data with that previously published for chicken liver sulfite oxidase (Neame, P. J., and Barber, M. J. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 20894-20901) indicates that 2 cysteines (Cys186 and Cys430, based upon the numbering for the chicken sequence) are conserved in both chicken and rat liver enzymes with all the cysteine residues being present in the molybdenum-containing domain. Further comparison of the sequences of the molybdenum domains of rat and chicken liver sulfite oxidase with the amino acid sequences published for the molybdenum domains of a variety of assimilatory nitrate reductases suggests that only a single cysteine residue (Cys186) is conserved in all these enzymes, indicating that it may play a role in the binding of Mo-pterin to the protein.
The media and health needs of the elderly.

(1975). The Media and Health Needs of the Elderly. Health Education: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 14-15.
Spontaneous and neurotrophin-induced axonal plasticity after spinal cord injury.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the effects of spontaneous plasticity and neurotrophin-induced axonal plasticity after spinal cord injury. Potential mechanisms underlying spontaneous recovery after spinal cord injury in the adult rat have been investigated in more detail using defined lesions of sub-components of the corticospinal tract (CST). By lesioning sub-components of the corticospinal tract, the contribution of each component to overall skilled motor function can be investigated. Neurotrophic factors have the ability to promote neuronal survival in models of central nervous system (CNS) trauma and neurodegenerative disease. The ability of trophic molecules to enhance axonal growth have made them potential candidates for promoting morphological and functional recovery after spinal cord injury. Studies of the developing CNS, wherein axonal growth and the formation of mature neuronal connections are influenced by the expression of target-derived neurotrophic factors, further support a rationale for the use of these substances to promote adult CNS regeneration. Several studies have investigated axonal growth responses to neurotrophin delivery by genetically modified cells producing nerve growth factor (NGF). These studies have highlighted some important aspects of cell transplantation and neurotrophic factor delivery in the injured spinal cord.
Linearized models for the control of rotating beams

A geometrically exact dynamical model for the rotation of a planar rigid body with an elastic beam attachment is presented. This model is essentially nonlinear and involves a partial differential-integral equation. The author proposes consistent finite-dimensional approximations of the model in terms of the dynamics of carefully chosen kinematic chains in which the one degree-of-freedom rotary joint motions are governed by idealized torsional springs. For purposes of local analysis or to support implementation of rotational control, the chain models can be linearized about equilibrium rotations. In the case of one particular body-beam system, it is shown that the linearized chain models provide consistent approximations to fourth-order partial differential equations. The form of these equations is crucially dependent on the underlying equilibrium rotation. >
Physics and forensics

FORENSIC science is rarely out of the news these days. Hardly a week seems to pass without reports of a criminal being convicted by DNA evidence extracted from a single hair, a flake of skin or a trace of blood or saliva found at a crime scene. Less well known, however, is the way in which forensic science has benefited from our ability to identify the presence of molecules in a sample using infrared radiation.
Linear and nonlinear microwave dynamics of vortices in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ thin films

We report the results of a study of the nonlinear microwave surface impedance Z{sub s}, i.e., its dependence on microwave current Z{sub s}(I{sub rf}), resulting from vortex motion in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} thin films in a dc magnetic field applied parallel to the film{close_quote}s c axis. Using the technique of stripline resonators we have measured the nonlinear Z{sub s} at frequencies of 1.23{endash}8.45 GHz, at temperatures from 5 to 30 K, and in magnetic fields from 0 to 4 T. In the mixed state, there is a significant increase in R{sub s} from the zero-field value, particularly at lower frequencies, causing an R{sub s}{proportional_to}f{sup 1.2} dependence at all measured temperatures and microwave powers. We also review our previously reported measurements and modeling of the linear Z{sub s} because the nonlinear results can be explained by an extension of the model that we have previously used to describe the dependence of Z{sub s} on frequency, temperature, and magnetic field in the linear I{sub rf} regime. This model explains the linear Z{sub s} data through the thermal activation of vortex segments between metastable vortex states separated by distances of order of the coherence length {approximately}{xi} and by a distribution of energymore » barriers U{sub b} whose magnitudes extend from U{sub b}{approximately}0 K to at least several hundred K. We further show that the behavior of Z{sub s} at high microwave powers is fully consistent with the same thermal activation of vortex segments, but the effective magnitudes of the energy barriers {tilde U}{sub b} have been reduced in proportion to the microwave current density J{sub rf}(r,t) such that {tilde U}{sub b}=U{sub b}{minus}J{sub rf(}r,t){phi}{sub 0}{xi}l. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}« less
Diet history of ice seals using stable isotope ratios in claw growth bands

Climate change and sea-ice reduction may lead to modifications of food-web structure in the Arctic, and this may impact foraging of ice-associated predators. We examined the dietary history recorde...
Towards a scalable architecture for real-time volume rendering

In this paper we present our research efforts towards a scalable volume rendering architecture for the real-time visualization of dynamically changing high-resolution datasets. Using a linearly skewed memory interleaving we were able to develop a parallel dataflow model that leads to local, fixed-bandwidth interconnections between processing elements. This parallel dataflow model differs from previous work in that it requires no global communication of data except at the pixel level. Using this dataflow model we are developing Cube-4, an architecture that is scalable to very high performances and allows for modular and extensible hardware implementations.
Adaptive competitive decision in repeated play of a matrix game with uncertain entries

This study is concerned with a game model involving repeated play of a matrix game with unknown entries; it is a two-person, zero-sum, infinite game of perfect recall. The entries of the matrix ((pij)) are selected according to a joint probability distribution known by both players and this unknown matrix is played repeatedly. If the pure strategy pair (i, j) is employed on day k, k = 1, 2, …, the maximizing player receives a discounted income of βk - 1 Xij, where β is a constant, 0 ≤ β ⩽ 1, and Xij assumes the value one with probability pij or the value zero with probability 1 - pij. After each trial, the players are informed of the triple (i, j, Xij) and retain this knowledge. The payoff to the maximizing player is the expected total discounted income. It is shown that a solution exists, the value being characterized as the unique solution of a functional equation and optimal strategies consisting of locally optimal play in an auxiliary matrix determined by the past history. A definition of an ϵ-learning strategy pair is formulated and a theorem obtained exhibiting ϵ-optimal strategies which are ϵ-learning. The asymptotic behavior of the value is obtained as the discount tends to one.
Herd-Year-Season Clustering

Abstract Clustering, a comparison group definition procedure, set the beginning and end of a group within a herd such that all cows with a similar calving date were in the same comparison group. The procedure had two parameters: maximum interval length and desired minimum number of observations in a cluster. Variants of clusters were compared with groups with fixed seasons (December to April and May to November) and were evaluated according to within-group variance and effective number of daughters. Analyses were done on first lactation records of cows in the Northeast calving between December 1979 and September 1988 (1,280,474 first lactations of five breeds, 10,386 sires) were analyzed. For all clustering variants, the undesirable influence on accuracy of a sire's evaluation from increasing variation within comparison group was compensated for by increased effective number of daughters. Clustering parameters that yielded comparison groups with 15 to 40 observations were optimal. Clusters spanning several years may lead to biased evaluations because of a time trend in production. The clustering procedure was implemented in the Northeast AI Multiple Trait Sire and Cow Evaluation. Maximum interval length was 365 d for obtaining a minimum of 15 observations in a comparison group.
Moving average technical trading strategies for currencies of emerging economies

This paper studies the efficacy of using moving average technical trading rules with currencies of emerging economies. If technical trading rules are successful, they can become a risk management tool for multinational firms and investors in emerging markets. Typical risk management tools such as forwards, futures, and options are not sufficiently active in emerging currency markets. In this paper we use four Variable Length Moving Average (VMA) trading models and compare them to a simple buy and hold strategy. Results support the effectiveness of our trading models, which imply the presence of strong serial correlation among currency returns for emerging markets. As a result, the predictability of future currency prices will allow investors to create effective hedges in the often volatile emerging markets.
AM1 and PM3 semi-empirical study of the Diels–Alder reaction between N-, P-, O- and S-substituted aromatic heterocyclic five-membered rings with acrolein

Abstract A semi-empirical study of the effect of substituent on the HOMO–LUMO energies of the 3,4-disubstituted five-membered heterocyclic aromatic compounds, the equilibrium constants of the Diels–Alder reaction of N-, P-, O- and S-substituted heterocyclic five-membered aromatic rings with acrolein and the enthalpy change of the reactions, gave results in accordance with the familiar Diels–Alder reaction. A linear correlation was found between E HOMO and E LUMO of the diene and σ p and σ m of Hammett equation. The log of the equilibrium constant calculated from the computed enthalpy and entropy of the reactions at 298 K, and the reaction enthalpy itself, also correlated with σ p and σ m , as expected for linear free energy relationships.
Mechanisms of renewal after the extinction of instrumental behavior.

Four experiments with rats examined renewal of extinguished instrumental behavior when the reinforcement histories of the contexts were equated by giving complementary training and extinction of a different response (lever press and chain pull) in each context. In Experiments 1–3, renewal occurred when the response was tested in the acquisition context (ABA) or outside the extinction context (AAB and ABC). Further, in Experiments 1–3, when both responses were simultaneously available there was a clear preference for the response that was not in its extinction context. In Experiment 4, renewal was not reduced when testing occurred in a context that had been associated with extinction of the other instrumental response. The experimental designs rule out differential context-reinforcer associations being the only contributing mechanism of renewal, and also raise questions about configural and occasion-setting accounts. The results are consistent with the idea that during extinction an inhibitory association is formed between the context and the response.
Temperature requirements and corrosion rates in combustion driven hydrogen fluoride supersonic diffusion lasers

A maximum F-atom yield from F2 occurs in a combustion driven hydrogen fluoride supersonic diffusion laser (HFSDL) because the amount of fluorine reacted with hydrogen (or deuterium) continues to increase with temperature after most of the unreacted fluorine has been thermally dissociated. A small decease from the maximum combustor F-atom yield allows a significant decease in the required temperature and in the corrosion rates that uncooled laser nozzles would display. The temperatures that give F-atom yields equal to 95 percent of the maximum values were calculated for typical HFSDL combustor pressures and F-atom mole fractions and the corrosion rates of uncooled nozzles were evaluated at these temperatures. The corrosion rates of materials resistant to fluorine attack at the highest temperatures would allow HFSDL applications or test experiments up to several hours duration.
Quantifying the Airshed for Fine Particles: Using Geographic Information System (GIS), Remote Sensing Data, and In Situ Monitoring

Abstract The advances in remote sensing and the need for air pollution data in remote areas highlighted the need to examine the current capabilities to fill gaps in ambient air monitoring. This paper describes delineating the boundaries of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) nonattainment areas by integrating PM ambient data and satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) with geostatistical kriging. Correlation between the ground and satellites for the three year average was adequate in the upper Midwest and northeast (greater than r = .57) and typically very poor in the rest of the country (less than r = .20). To improve the geospatial prediction of the extent of aerosols, satellite AOD data from the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor was used. This addition of daily air quality data aids prediction of air pollution extent, making the approximation of fine particle airsheds possible.
Laboratory performance of the proportional counter array experiment for the X-ray Timing Explorer

In this paper we briefly describe the design and initial laboratory performance of the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) for the X-ray Timing Explorer (XTE). The PCA consists of 5 identical, sealed and collimated (1 degree(s) FWHM), xenon/methane multi-anode proportional counters sensitive to x-rays with energies between 2 and 60 keV. Each detector has an effective area of approximately 1,500 cm2. The data system can tag the relative time of arrival of each event with an accuracy of 1 microsecond(s) . The overall absolute time accuracy will be maintained by the spacecraft to better than 1 ms. Following the design principles of the HEAO-1 A2 HED detectors, the PCA adopts the interleaved anode connection scheme with an active propane anti-coincidence layer in the front and a similar anti-coincidence xe/methane layer on three other sides of the detector. The interleaved anode connection scheme and the anti-coincidence layers reject background events caused by charged particles with high efficiency, thus significantly reducing the background event rate at lower energies. As of June, 1993, the fabrication and assembly of all the five detectors had been completed. Their performance evaluation and characterization are currently under way. XTE is scheduled to be launched with a Delta-II rocket in the summer of 1995.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of thoracoabdominal configuration on the diaphragmatic contribution to rib cage motion

Owing to the diaphragm-rib cage interaction the diaphragm can reduce the load on the intercostal muscles. The extent of this load reduction was evaluated by analyzing the EMG activity of intercostal muscles as an index of the pressure generated by the intercostal muscles. Three trained subjects shifted their breathing configuration while the rib cage volume and flow were kept constant. Analysis of data thus obtained indicated that the diaphragmatic contribution to the rib cage motion improved with a thoracic shift of breathing. The significance of this effect was further evaluated by performing respiratory maneuvers at constant tidal volume and flow at normal and elevated functional residual capacity. At both lung volumes, a substantial saving of diaphragmatic activity attained by the thoracic shift of breathing was associated with a moderate increase or even a decrease in the intercostal EMG activity, suggesting an overall mechanical advantage of inspiratory muscles during thoracic breathing.
Reconstructing Neolithic groups in Sarawak, Malaysia through lead and strontium isotope analysis

Abstract Heavy stable isotope analysis of mid-late Holocene Neolithic burials from Sarawak (Malaysia) identifies groups not apparent in mortuary treatment or inferred subsistence. Isotope ratios of strontium (87Sr/86Sr) and lead (208Pb/204Pb, 207Pb/204Pb, 206Pb/204Pb) from adult tooth enamel show distinct groups at Niah Cave's West Mouth organized by dietary catchment. Two roughly contemporary sites, Gua Sireh and Lobang Angin, are included to assess regional heterogeneity in northern Borneo. Heavy stable isotope ratios for humans differ from sampled modern plants and archaeological fauna from West Mouth, and suggest a non-local origin for some of the West Mouth human remains. Distinct heavy isotope ratios characterize all three sites and show regional differentiation broadly consistent with geological expectations. Results supplement paleodiet and morphological analyses and have implications for clarifying Niah Cave mortuary use during the mid-late Holocene. Further and more precise geographic placement will follow through additional landscape sampling for strontium and lead isotope values.
Quantitative structure-activity (QSAR) relationships of mutagenic aromatic and heterocyclic amines.

We extended our previous studies of mutagenic/carcinogenic heterocyclic aromatic amines formed during the cooking of foods to 66 aromatic and 99 heterocyclic amines for which mutagenic potency data are available. The amines require activation by enzymes to form metabolites reactive with DNA and exhibit an enormous range of potency as frameshift mutagens in the Ames/Salmonella assay. To ascertain factors that might influence potency, structural features and quantum mechanical parameters calculated by the Huckel method (and, for a subset of 20 amines, by semi-empirical AM1, and ab initio methods) were analyzed by multiple linear regression. The major findings were: (1) earlier findings on cooked food mutagens and their synthetic congeners can be extended to other amines; (2) mutagenic potency is directly related to the number of fused aromatic rings (size of the aromatic system), the number of ring nitrogen atoms (participation of lone electron pairs in the pi-cloud), and presence of a methyl substituent on a ring nitrogen; (3) potency is inversely related to the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the parent amine. Ford and Griffin (1992) and Sabbioni and Wild (1992) showed that the LUMO energy of the derived nitrenium ion is closely related to its stability (calculated with reference to aniline). Increased stability has been hypothesized to enhance the probability of adduct formation with DNA by avoiding detoxifying side reactions and increasing the lifetime of the ion. In the large heterogeneous series of amines in our present study the Huckel method energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), rather than the LUMO energy, of the nitrenium ion was marginally related to the potency of the parent amine. However, in the selected subset of 20 amines with ab initio calculation, the LUMO energy of the ion confirmed the previous reports. The contribution of quantum chemical factors to mechanistic insight on the mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of aromatic and heterocyclic amines is still under development.
Measles and rubella antibody status in previously vaccinated children with cancer

Measles and rubella antibody status were determined by ELISA for 115 previously vaccinated children with cancer. Seventy subjects were receiving chemotherapy, and 45 had successfully completed treatment for their malignancy. Overall, 18% of the subjects were seronegative for measles antibody and 8% for rubella antibody. Only 3% of patients lacked both. In general, seronegative individuals were over age 10 years. Subjects born before 1976 were significantly more likely to be seronegative to measles, 29% vs. 11% (P = 0.02) and to rubella, 16% vs. 4% (P = 0.03) than those born afterwards. Antibody status showed no apparent relationship to the duration of anticancer therapy. Stored serum samples were available for nine seronegative subjects, of whom five were initially seropositive and then lost antibody during or after the completion of anticancer therapy. Our observations suggest that cancer and its associated therapy interfere with antibody production. In view of the increasing survival rates for childhood cancers, additional studies are needed to assess the immune status of these subjects for all vaccine-preventable infections. Pending the outcome of further studies, we suggest that long-term survivors, particularly those born before 1976, or known to be vaccinated at less than 13 months of age, be tested after the completion of therapy for antibody to measles and rubella (and mumps). Also, immune serum globulin should be considered for any previously immunized patient with a close exposure to an active case of measles.
A comparison of products from an air atmosphere tube furnace with a vacuum Curie-point pyrolyzer: Implications for biodetection

Abstract Several bacteria and biomaterials have been pyrolyzed using a vacuum Curie-point pyrolysis mass spectrometer and a resistively heated tube furnace with an air atmosphere connected to a mass spectrometer. The comparison of the resulting spectra showed that the two types of thermal decomposition were surprisingly similar. Compounds that should be susceptible to oxidation, such as nucleic acids, nucleosides, squalene, and ubiquinone, produced similar pyrolysis mass spectra from the two pyrolysis techniques. A number of daughter ion experiments were conducted to verify that the major products being produced in the two experiments were the same. Minor differences were observed in the relative concentrations of the products from the different pyrolysis methods.
Multi-rate channel design in wireless networks exploiting multi-channel beamforming techniques

The use of multi-beam antennas provides a wireless network node with the capability of concurrent communications with multiple nodes in different directions. Multi-beam antennas have been shown to improve network throughput as well as reliability. In this paper, we consider an array processing based framework in which channel collision is avoided for improved efficiency while interference to ongoing links is tolerable. In particular, new request of communication links is made through a lower-power packet with its data spreading over time. Such service requests can be transmitted any time when the target node is in a receive mode, irrespective to whether the target node is communicating with other nodes or not. Signal spreading ensures that the service request packets do not measurably interfere to the ongoing communication links yet it can be robustly decoded at the target node. The target node will determine the acceptance or denial of a service request based on the request signals.
Structure and organization of the human neuronatin gene

Neuronatin is a brain-specific human gene that we recently isolated and observed to be selectively expressed during brain development. In this report, the genomic structure and organization of human neuronatin is described. The human gene spans 3973 bases and contains three exons and two introns. Based on primer extension analysis, a single cap site is located 124 bases upstream from the methionine (ATG) initiation codon, is good context, GAACCATGG. The promoter contains a modified TATA box, CATAAA (-27), and a modified CAAT box, GGCGAAT (-59). The 5{prime}- flanking region contains putative transcription factor binding sites for SP-1, AP-2 (two sites), {delta}-subunit, SRE-2, NF-Al, and ETS. In addition, a 21-base sequence highly homologous to the neutral restrictive silence element that governs neuron-specific gene expression is observed at -421. Furthermore, SP-1 and AP-3 binding sites are present in intron 1. All splice donor and acceptor sites conformed to the GT/AG rule. Exon 1 encodes 24 amino acids, exon 2 encodes 27 amino acids, and exon 3 encodes 30 amino acids. At the 3{prime}-end of the gene, the poly(A) signal, AATAAA, poly(A) site, and GT cluster are observed. The neuronatin gene is expressed as two mRNA species, {alpha} and {beta}, generated by alternativemore » splicing. The {alpha}-form contains all three exons, whereas in the {beta}-form, the middle exon has been spliced out. The third nucleotide of all frequently used codons, except threonine, of neuronatin is either G or C, consistent with codon usage expected for Homo sapiens. This information about the structure of the human neuronatin gene will help in understanding the significance of this gene in brain development and human disease. 30 refs., 3 figs.« less
Glucans of oomycete cell walls.

The cell walls of selected oomycetous fungi are composed primarily of glucans, and cellulose constitutes a relatively small proportion of the total glucan. The noncellulosic constituents consist of acid-soluble glucan or glucans and insoluble glucan or glucans. These noncellulosic glucan fractions contain β-(1→3) glucosidic linkages and apparently β-(1→6) linkages also.
Serving the Common Interest in U.S. Forest Policy: A Case Study of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act

In the United States, the common interest often is conceived as a by-product of the pluralist, interest-group-driven democratic process. Special interests dominate in many political arenas. Consequently, we have lost the language, vocabulary, and ability to talk about the common interest. The way to reverse this trend is to develop and practice with new tools that allow us to articulate what we mean by the common interest in specific contexts. In this article, we leveraged the literature on procedural, substantive, and pragmatic decision making to illustrate how they work together to demonstrate whether and how the common interest was served in three case studies of Healthy Forests Restoration Act implementation on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona. In two of the cases we found that the common interest was mostly served, while in the third case it was not. Our results raise questions about the ability of procedural criteria or substantive criteria alone to determine effectiveness in decision making. When evaluated together they provide a more complete understanding of how the common interest is or is not served.
The role of fatty acid desaturases in epidermal metabolism

The lipid composition of skin is important to a variety of functions served by this organ. Therefore, skin expresses multiple enzymes that synthesize and metabolize lipids. An important class of lipid metabolism enzymes expressed in skin is the lipid desaturases. Various isoforms of stearoyl-CoA desaturase, a delta-9 desaturase, as well as a delta-6 desaturase alter the lipid composition of the skin, thereby affecting skin barrier homeostasis and consequently, whole body energy balance. This review will focus on the role of fatty acid desaturases in maintaining epidermal metabolism.
Eastern North Pacific Hurricane Season of 1992

Abstract The National Hurricane Center tracked a record-breaking 27 tropical cyclones in the eastern North Pacific Ocean during 1992. Of the 27, 24 became tropical storms (also a record) and 14 became hurricanes. These records are based on data starting in 1966, which is when routine satellite surveillance began. Four hurricanes affected mainland Mexico.
Estimation of risks due to environmental carcinogenesis

Several Federal agencies share responsibility for enforcing laws designed to control human exposures to carcinogens. This enforcement activity often has immense effects on other factors of our environment. Absolute safety is not possible, but increased protection is obtainable. Improvements are urgently needed in our ability not only to detect but also to quantify relative risk. Resources should be directed for maximum overall effect. Relative risk must be quantified if we are to reasonably compare risk and benefit. Examples of the inexactness of current toxicological, epidemiological, and mathematical models for estimating risk due to exposures to DDT, aflatoxinb1, DES, and benzidine are presented. The impact of different laws and regulations applicable to the control of these agents is compared. Reference is made to major programs in toxicological methods for risk estimation.
B75-4 Computer Organization and Programming

This book contains a very comprehensive coverage of material suitable for course B2 of the ACM curriculum recommendations.
Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer in Soybean Lipoxygenase: Dynamical Behavior and Temperature Dependence of Kinetic Isotope Effects

The dynamical behavior and the temperature dependence of the kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) are examined for the proton-coupled electron transfer reaction catalyzed by the enzyme soybean lipoxygenase. The calculations are based on a vibronically nonadiabatic formulation that includes the quantum mechanical effects of the active electrons and the transferring proton, as well as the motions of all atoms in the complete solvated enzyme system. The rate constant is represented by the time integral of a probability flux correlation function that depends on the vibronic coupling and on time correlation functions of the energy gap and the proton donor-acceptor mode, which can be calculated from classical molecular dynamics simulations of the entire system. The dynamical behavior of the probability flux correlation function is dominated by the equilibrium protein and solvent motions and is not significantly influenced by the proton donor-acceptor motion. The magnitude of the overall rate is strongly influenced by the proton donor-acceptor frequency, the vibronic coupling, and the protein/solvent reorganization energy. The calculations reproduce the experimentally observed magnitude and temperature dependence of the KIE for the soybean lipoxygenase reaction without fitting any parameters directly to the experimental kinetic data. The temperature dependence of the KIE is determined predominantly by the proton donor-acceptor frequency and the distance dependence of the vibronic couplings for hydrogen and deuterium. The ratio of the overlaps of the hydrogen and deuterium vibrational wavefunctions strongly impacts the magnitude of the KIE but does not significantly influence its temperature dependence. For this enzyme reaction, the large magnitude of the KIE arises mainly from the dominance of tunneling between the ground vibronic states and the relatively large ratio of the overlaps between the corresponding hydrogen and deuterium vibrational wavefunctions. The weak temperature dependence of the KIE is due in part to the dominance of the local component of the proton donor-acceptor motion.
Edmontonia Sp., The First Record of an Ankylosaur from Alaska

(1995). Edmontonia Sp., The First Record of an Ankylosaur from Alaska. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 195-200.
Balloon Dilatation of Porcine Pulmonary Arteries Decreases Endothelium-Dependent Relaxations and Increases Vasoconstriction to Aggregating Platelets

Background Balloon dilatation of muscular coronary arteries disrupts endothelium and smooth muscle and allows platelet aggregation and adherence and cell proliferation, which can lead to restenosis. Balloon dilatation of the more distensible pulmonary artery is commonly performed, but the extent of damage to endothelium and its effect on the release of endothelium-derived nitric oxide (EDNO) and prostacyclin has not been studied. Methods and Results We dilated distal pulmonary arteries of intact ex vivo porcine lungs (n=20; balloon-dilated [BD] group) using similar-sized adjacent vessels as controls with (E+ group) and without (E− group) endothelium. Isolated rings were studied in vitro. Aggregating platelets caused constrictions of quiescent rings from the BD (27.4±8% of constriction to 80 mmol/L KCl) and E− groups (24±5%), which were inhibited by pyrilamine, a histamine blocker (11±4%; P <.05), and an intact endothelium (8±5%; P <.05). Constrictions to histamine and KCl were similar in the BD and E− groups. In rings with increased tone, platelets caused endothelium-dependent relaxations in the E+ group (70±6% relaxation), which were significantly ( P <.05) inhibited in the BD group (20±7%), by l-nitro-arginine (EDNO blocker, 17±7%) and in the E− group (21±9%). Balloon dilatation markedly reduced endothelium-dependent relaxations to 5-hydroxytryptamine, thrombin, acetylcholine, and the calcium ionophore A23187, but relaxations to sodium nitroprusside were unaffected. Conclusions Despite the distensibility of the pulmonary artery, balloon dilatation significantly damages the pulmonary endothelium, decreases EDNO production, impairs vasodilation, and favors platelet-induced vasoconstriction.
Population Dynamics, Habitat Preference, and Seasonal Distribution Patterns of Oriental Fruit Fly and Melon Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) in an Agricultural Area

Oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis Hendel, and melon fly, Dacus cucurbiatae Coquillett, population dynamics from 1987 to 1989 were determined from fruit collections and male trap captures in an agricultural area. The major oriental fruit fly hosts were wild strawberry guava, Psidium cattleianum Sabine, and common guava, Psidium guajava L., outside the crop area; the major melon fly hosts were cultivated truck crops on farms. Abundance of oriental fruit fly and melon fly throughout five major habitats (upland guava shrub, lowland guava shrub, java plum forest, ironwood forest, and farms) was associated with oriental fruit fly abundance in guava areas and melon fly abundance on farms, respectively. During periods of peak guava abundance, numbers of oriental fruit fly increased on farms; during periods of peak crop production, melon fly increased in habitats surrounding farms. These findings are discussed with respect to placement of fruit fly traps for population monitoring and development of pest management strategies.
Nuclear magnetic resonance in NiCu, Zn and Ga alloys

Abstract NMR of 61Ni, 63Cu, 65Cu, 69Ga, and 71Ga has been observed in ferromagnetic alloys of nickel with up to 10 at. % of Cu, Zn or Ga. From an analysis of the structure of the complex spectra it is concluded that the excess electrons stay localized around the solute atoms. The hyperfine field of Ga at 4.2°K is 23 koe.
Rank Regression in Ranked-Set Samples

The use of statistical methods based on ranked-set sampling can lead to a substantial improvement over analog methods associated with simple random sampling schemes. This article develops a rank-based estimator and testing procedures for linear models for ranked-set samples. The estimator is defined as the minimizer of the rank dispersion function with Wilcoxon scores. It is shown that the estimator of the regression parameter is asymptotically normal and has higher Pitman asymptotic efficiency than a simple random-sample rank regression estimator. Three testing procedures are developed to test a general linear hypothesis: dispersion, Wald, and aligned rank tests. It is shown that all of these test statistics converge to a chi-squared distribution and the aligned rank test reduces to a simple random-sample analog of Kruskal-Wallis test for one-way analysis of variance. Under the assumption of perfect judgment ranking, optimal allocation of order statistics are constructed for set sizes smaller than 7. The...