cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cervical Epidural Abscess Presenting as Acute Brachial Plexopathy: Case Report (P07.056)

OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient with cervical epidural abscess presenting as brachial plexopathy. BACKGROUND: Acquired brachial plexopathy from humerus or cervical osteomyelitis is well recognized in neonates. Brachial plexopathy in adults due to cervical epidural abscess has not been described in the literature. DESIGN/METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: 54 year-old male presented 10 days after acute onset of stabbing pain on right scapular region radiating to his arm with tingling, numbness and weakness in the right upper extremity. No fever, drug use or trauma. Examination showed right arm strength of 3/5 triceps, finger extension and FDI, 4/5 APB and wrist extension, 1/5 rhomboid (limited by pain). Mild right scapular winging. Other extremity muscles were 5/5. Decreased pinprick on the right hand and medial forearm. Reflexes equal bilaterally. EMG showed neurogenic recruitment of the triceps, EIP, FDI and supraspinatus without active denervation. CMAP and SNAP amplitudes were normal. A clinically diagnosis of acute brachial plexopathy was made. Brachial plexus MRI was unremarkable. Cervical spine MRI showed epidural abscess posterior to C7 vertebral body with cord compression, osseous injury; and soft tissue/muscle injury of the right anterior and middle scalene muscles from C5 to T2 levels with poor nerve root delineation in that region. He underwent laminectomy. Surgical site cultures grew MSSA. Blood cultures were negative, echocardiogram showed no vegetations. He received 6 weeks of nafcillin IV. At 7 weeks there was improvement of right upper extremity strength and pain. MRI showed decrease enhancement of the C6-C7 right facet, T1 vertebral body and epidural space. CONCLUSIONS: Cervical epidural abscess can mimic acute brachial plexopathy in his presentation. Cervical MRI should be considered in patients with acute brachial plexopathy since the treatment and prognosis are different and surgical intervention is usually needed. Disclosure: Dr. Chandrasekaran has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chuquilin Arista has nothing to disclose.
Salivary gland pathology

Salivary gland pathology , Salivary gland pathology , کتابخانه دیجیتالی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی و خدمات درمانی شهید بهشتی
Principles of cross‐network communication in human resting state fMRI

Directed signaling among and within the large-scale networks of the human brain is functionally critical. Recent advances in our understanding of spontaneous fluctuations of the fMRI BOLD signal have provided strategies to study the spatial-temporal properties of directed signaling at infra-slow frequencies. Herein we explore the relationship between two canonical systems of the human brain, the default mode network (DMN) and the dorsal attention network (DAN) whose anti-correlated relationship is well known but poorly understood. We find that within the DMN, activity moves from retrosplenial to prefrontal cortex whereas in the DAN activity moves from the frontal eye fields to the parietal cortex. Bi-directional communication between the two networks occurs via their earliest elements (i.e., from the retrosplenial cortex of the DMN to the frontal eye fields of the DAN). This framework for network communication appears to generalize across all networks providing an expanded basis for understanding human brain function.
The optoelectronic properties of the ternary BxIn1-xAs matched on GaAs substrate for laser diode application: Theoretical study with TB-mBJ approximation

Abstract The fundamental properties (structural and optoelectronic) of the zinc-blende-type BxIn1-xAs alloys have been theoretically studied employing the full-potential linear augmented plane-wave (FP-LAPW) method within density functional theory (DFT). These calculations are based on the generalized gradient approximation (GGA-WC) of Wu- Cohen to calculate the lattice parameters, bulk modulus, and pressure derivatives. Moreover, the Engel and Vosko GGA formalism (EV-GGA) and Tran-Blaha modified Becke-Johnson (TB-mBJ) approaches were used to improve the bandgap energy values in different compose of Boron in BxIn1-xAs ternary alloys. We have also investigated the densities of states and the variation of the optical properties of the B0.437 In0.562As matched on GaAs substrate.
Developmental and Molecular Studies of Neurons that Express FMRFamide-Related Genes in Insects

Ernst and Berta Scharrer first demonstrated the glandular nature of magnocellular neurons more than 40 years ago. Since that time considerable effort has been made to prove the neuronal nature of neurosecretory cells (NSC) in the mammalian hypothamalmus and elsewhere: it has been shown for example, that these cells have active membrane properties (Copenhaver and Truman, 1986), that they have complex neuronal geometries (Taghert and Truman, 1982), and that they receive varied neuronal synaptic inputs (Jansen and Bos, 1984). Perhaps the sole distinction that can still be drawn between NSCs and conventional neurons is that, while the latter contact and synapse upon discrete cellular elements, NSCs instead form “blind”, synaptoid endings within structures termed Neurohaemal Organs (NHO). It is from such NSC terminations that various neuropeptides are released into the circulation and eventually act on cellular targets that are microns to meters away.
Capillary structure in elastase-induced emphysema.

Abstract The essential component of pulmonary emphysema is destruction of alveoli. Because capillaries make up much of the alveolar wall, it has been a long-held opinion that capillary loss in this disease parallels the loss of other elements of the alveolar septum. Yet the nature of the damage to capillaries and the occurrence of microvascular remodeling are unknown. Scanning electron microscopy of vascular casts of lungs from rats given intratracheal elastase were studied for identifying capillary changes in this type of experimental emphysema. The pressure-volume curves showed a clear distinction between the elastase and saline control animals, and light microscopy showed alveolar enlargement consistent with mild emphysema. The casts of capillaries in the elastase lungs appeared to have larger alveolar baskets, and capillaries ended abruptly near areas of focally destroyed lung. The elastase animals had more nonconnecting capillary segments on the pleural surface where the emphysema was worse and folds in the capillaries were more pronounced, suggesting weakened alveolar walls. The capillary density was decreased on the pleural surface, although this decrease could have resulted from hyperinflation. No difference in capillary diameters or branching frequency occurred. It appears that in this model of emphysema, decreased elastic recoil occurs before diffuse loss of capillaries.
An Introduction to CMB Anisotropies

We present an introduction to the physics of the cosmic microwave background temperature and polarization anisotropies. The material is presented in a pedagogical manner, it is based on lectures given at the IPM school of cosmology.
Thioredoxin Profiling of Multiple Thioredoxin-Like Proteins in Staphylococcus aureus

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is thought to signal through protein S-sulfuration (persulfidation; S-sulfhydration) in both mammalian systems and bacteria. We previously profiled proteome S-sulfuration in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and identified two thioredoxin-like proteins, designated TrxP and TrxQ, that were capable of reducing protein persulfides as a potential regulatory mechanism. In this study, we further characterize TrxP, TrxQ and the canonical thioredoxin, TrxA, by identifying candidate protein substrates in S. aureus cells using a mechanism-based profiling assay where we trap mixed disulfides that exist between the attacking cysteine of a FLAG-tagged Trx and a persulfidated cysteine on the candidate substrate protein in cells. Largely non-overlapping sets of four, 32 and three candidate cellular substrates were detected for TrxA, TrxP, and TrxQ, respectively, many of which were previously identified as global proteome S-sulfuration targets including for example, pyruvate kinase, PykA. Both TrxA (kcat = 0.13 s-1) and TrxP (kcat = 0.088 s-1) are capable of reducing protein persulfides on PykA, a model substrate detected as a candidate substrate of TrxP; in contrast, TrxQ shows lower activity (kcat = 0.015 s-1). This work reveals that protein S-sulfuration, central to H2S and reactive sulfur species (RSS) signaling, may impact cellular activities and appears to be regulated in S. aureus largely by TrxP under conditions of sulfide stress.
Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome and Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome

Cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS) are related disorders characterized by stereotypical episodes of persistent, repetitive vomiting, separated by relatively asymptomatic periods. CVS and CHS often remain unrecognized for several years before patients are diagnosed, leading to extensive healthcare utilization and unnecessary diagnostic testing. Although the pathophysiology of CVS and CHS remains incompletely understood, convergent evidence points to a neurophysiological basis of these disorders. This chapter focuses on our current understanding of the contributing pathophysiological mechanisms in CVS and CHS, the clinical recognition of symptom patterns needed for diagnosis, and currently available therapeutic approaches.
Training opportunities in monopsonistic labour markets

This paper studies the empirical relationship between the extent of monopsonistic power observed in occupational labour markets and the training opportunities available to workers in those markets;...
Frances Trollope’s Domestic Manners of the Americans and the EcoGothic

Scholars have long considered Frances Trollope’s Domestic Manners of the Americans as a highly important and influential travel narrative recounting her three-and-a-half-year residence in America from late 1827 until the summer of 1831. Ronald D. Morrison undertakes the first ecocritical reading of this work focused on Trollope’s depiction of the American environment. While Trollope often includes reasonably objective descriptions of weather conditions, natural scenes, and developing urban environments typically found in much conventional travel literature, Morrison argues that the text might also be regarded as a variety of EcoGothic, utilized as a means of critiquing American democracy through what Trollope views as the grotesque physical environment of America—and by extension the cultural environment that Americans have created as well. Morrison asserts that approaching this text through the lens of the EcoGothic reveals how Trollope employs and modifies aesthetic, scientific, and imperial discourses for her own purposes in order to present a dystopian vision of America that in many respects comes to represent a kind of unofficial imperialism. For Trollope, some of the most devastating and disturbing effects of the horrific physical and cultural environments in America result in a fundamental blurring of racial and species distinctions. Moreover, for Trollope, this physical environment has a profoundly negative effect on the domestic realm, as evidenced by what she sees as the unrelentingly brutal lives of many American women and girls. Significantly, Trollope includes slaves and Native Americans in her consideration of the domestic realm and reveals them to be especially vulnerable to nightmarish American environments—both natural and created.
Comment on “Pre-equilibrium particle emission and critical exponent analysis”

In a recent Rapid Communication @1#, Bauer and Botvina ~BB! presented the results of a calculation of multifragmentation ~MF! yields based on the two-step model of highenergy reactions. The first prompt step was simulated by an intranuclear cascade ~INC! and the second slower step by percolation. BB were able to adapt percolation for this purpose by the use of an ansatz that converts the excitation energy of the INC remnant, E*, into a percolation bondbreaking probability p . BB obtained results for the interaction of 1A GeV Au plus carbon for comparison with the recent data of the EOS Collaboration @2#. They find that the dependence of the second moment of the charge distribution, M 2, on the total charge multiplicity m is in fairly good agreement with the EOS data. Since percolation possesses a critical point, this agreement is consistent with our viewpoint that multifragmentation may be characterized as a critical phenomenon @2#. BB proceed to extract the critical exponents g and b from their model using a g-matching procedure that is generally similar to that used by us in the analysis of the gold MF data, although insufficient information is provided to understand their procedure in detail. It is nonetheless clear that their approach is problematic because the g-matching technique requires that the critical multiplicity mc be determined in the same fit to the data as g . BB instead use our experimental mc value in their analysis. They claim that a g match is obtained with g51.4, in agreement with experiment. We have reanalyzed the model data plotted in Fig. 2 of BB and show the results in Fig. 1. Clearly, the two lines in the figure, corresponding to the ‘‘liquid’’ and ‘‘gas’’ sides of the M 2 distribution, are not parallel. We obtain g liquid52.1 and ggas51.1, indicating that there is no g match. In contrast, Fig. 2 of Ref. @2#, which is the equivalent plot for the EOS data, shows parallel lines, indicating a g match. Evidently, the agreement between the BB calculation and the EOS data claimed by BB on the basis of their Fig. 1, with its highly compressed scale, is not so good in the log-log plot from which the exponents are extracted. The lack of a g match
Bioinformatics for Traumatic Brain Injury: Proteomic Data Mining

The importance of neuroproteomic studies is that they will help elucidate the currently poorly understood biochemical mechanisms or pathways underlying various psychiatric, neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. In this chapter, we focus on traumatic brain injury (TBI), a neurological disorder currently with no FDA approved therapeutic treatment. This chapter describes data mining strategies for proteomic analysis in traumatic brain injury research so that the diagnosis and treatment of TBI can be developed. We should note that brain imaging provides only coarse resolutions and proteomic analysis yields much finer resolutions to these two problems. Our data mining approach is not only at the collected data level, but rather an integrated scheme of animal modeling, instrumentation and data analysis.
30 mCi exploratory scan for two-step dosimetric 131I therapy in differentiated thyroid cancer patients: A novel approach and case report.

Differentiated thyroid cancer patients with significantly elevated or rapidly rising serum thyroglobulin (Tg) levels and negative diagnostic radioiodine scans (DxScan) often present a therapeutic dilemma in deciding whether or not to administer an 131I treatment. In this report, we describe a novel two-step approach of a 30 mCi 131I exploratory scan before a dosimetric 131I therapy to help "un-blind" the treating physician of the benefit/risk ratio of a further "blind" 131I treatment. A 51-year-old man presented with rising Tg levels, a negative DxScan, and a history of widely metastatic follicular thyroid cancer. He had undergone total thyroidectomy, remnant ablation with 3.8 GBq (103.5 mCi) of 131I, Gammaknife®, and treatment with 12.1 GBq (326 mCi) of 131I for multiple metastases. However, at 19 months after the treatments, his Tg levels continued to rise, and scans demonstrated no evidence of radioiodine-avid metastatic disease. In anticipation of a "blind" 131I treatment, the medical team and the patient opted for a 30 mCi exploratory scan. The total dosimetrically guided prescribed activity (DGPA) was decided based on the whole-body dosimetry. The patient was first given 30 mCi of 131I, and the exploratory scan was performed 22 h later, which demonstrated 131I uptake in the left lung, left humeral head, T10, and right proximal thigh muscle. Based on the positive exploratory scan, the remainder of the DGPA was administered within several hours after the scan. On the post-DGPA treatment scan performed at 5-7 days, the lesions seen on the ~ 22 h exploratory scan were confirmed, and an additional lesion was observed in the left kidney. The 30 mCi exploratory scan suggested the potential for a response in the radioiodine-avid lesions despite a negative diagnostic scan. This method allows 131I treatment to be administered to patients who may have a greater potential for a therapeutic response while avoiding unwarranted side effects in those patients with nonavid disease.
A state-of-the-art review of automated extraction of rock mass discontinuity characteristics using three-dimensional surface models

Abstract In the last two decades, significant research has been conducted in the field of automated extraction of rock mass discontinuity characteristics from three-dimensional (3D) models. This provides several methodologies for acquiring discontinuity measurements from 3D models, such as point clouds generated using laser scanning or photogrammetry. However, even with numerous automated and semi-automated methods presented in the literature, there is not one single method that can automatically characterize discontinuities accurately in a minimum of time. In this paper, we critically review all the existing methods proposed in the literature for the extraction of discontinuity characteristics such as joint sets and orientations, persistence, joint spacing, roughness and block size using point clouds, digital elevation maps, or meshes. As a result of this review, we identify the strengths and drawbacks of each method used for extracting those characteristics. We found that the approaches based on voxels and region growing are superior in extracting joint planes from 3D point clouds. Normal tensor voting with trace growth algorithm is a robust method for measuring joint trace length from 3D meshes. Spacing is estimated by calculating the perpendicular distance between joint planes. Several independent roughness indices are presented to quantify roughness from 3D surface models, but there is a need to incorporate these indices into automated methodologies. There is a lack of efficient algorithms for direct computation of block size from 3D rock mass surface models.
Contextualised, not Neoliberalised Professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care: Effects of Prescribed Notions of Quality on Educator Confidence in Australia: Effects of Prescribed Notions of Quality on Educator Confidence

There is a standardised neoliberal inspired notion of what professionalism entails for early childhood educators. These standards tend to infiltrate much of the literature, reporting and pre-service educator training, creating a notion that educators are never quite good enough at what they do. Although constant reflection and aiming for excellence are strongly held Western ideals, the effect on educator confidence and their ability to recognise their own strengths and achievements can be real. This discussion paper seeks to challenge the idea that good quality early childhood practice can always be identified and standardised, arguing the need for professional discretionary decision-making in order to adjust practice to context. Drawing on an example from an Australian service, where knowledge, care, partnership and support for potentially vulnerable families to support their children was highly valued by parents, it illustrates that such qualities can go unrecognised by the staff themselves. What we risk losing when we prescribe what quality entails will be of interest to educational leaders, researchers and those who teach pre-service educators.
Mothers' Functional Limitations and Relationship Quality With Adult Children: Exploring the Moderating Roles of Race and Gender.

Theory and research on intergenerational relations emphasize the salient role that mothers and their adult children play in one another’s lives. However, little is known about how mothers’ health m...
Fusion of Feeling and Nature in Wordsworthian and Classical Chinese Poetry

In The Spirit of the Age William Hazlitt distinguishes Wordsworth’s unique poetic approach with these words: “This is the sole triumph of his art. He takes the simplest elements of Nature and of the human mind ... and tries to compound a new system of poetry from them .... He has described all these objects in a way and with an intensity of feeling that no one else had done before him, and has given a new view of aspect of nature. He is in this sense the most original poet now living”.2 What Hazlitt typifies as Wordsworthian may be succinctly rephrased by a key idiom of Chinese poetics: “the fusion of feeling and nature”. If Wordsworth has initiated the emotive treatment of nature in Western poetry, such a poetic approach has prevailed in the Chinese poetic tradition ever since the compilation of the Shi Jing (The Book of Poetry, ca. 1,100–600 B.C.):3 from thence many modes of blending subjective and objective elements have evolved over the centuries. Here, a comparative explication of six poems will seek to demonstrate that Wordsworth’s three major modes of fusing feeling with nature bear parallels to those employed by classical Chinese poets living at different times. The ensuing review of criticism will furnish further evidence of the similarities as noted by Western and Chinese critics.
Soil‐profile distribution of organic C and N after 6 years of tillage and grazing management

Summary Stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total soil nitrogen (TSN) are key determinants for evaluating agricultural management practices to address climate change, environmental quality and soil productivity issues. We determined SOC, TSN and particulate organic C and N depth distributions and cumulative stocks in response to 6 years of tillage (conventional and no-tillage) and cover-crop management (without and with cattle grazing) on an Acrisol in the southeastern USA. Total and particulate organic C concentrations were greater under no-tillage than under conventional tillage at a depth of 0–20 cm only. No differences in concentrations at various depths to 150 cm or of cumulative stocks were observed in total and particulate organic C and N in response to cover crop management, suggesting that animal grazing had no negative effect on SOC and TSN. Compared with perennial grass as a control, the stock of SOC was significantly reduced under cropping at a depth of 0–40 cm, was trending toward reduction at a depth of 0–90 cm and was not different at a depth of 0–150 cm. A declining significance of management with depth indicated an important consideration in attempts to determine the whole-profile response of SOC and TSN to management: rigorous sampling approaches are needed to overcome the problems of small concentrations and large variation with increasing soil depth. The results of this study clearly indicate that (i) greater SOC and TSN concentrations can be expected in the surface layer under no-tillage than under conventional tillage in Acrisols of the warm, moist climatic region of the southeastern USA and (ii) compensation for stratified SOC and TSN with no-tillage does not occur deeper in the soil profile, such that the same relative numeric difference that occurred at the surface remains unchanged with greater cumulative depth.
Ultrasound techniques to measure the optic nerve sheath: is a specialized probe necessary?

Background: Ultrasound measurement of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) has been shown to correlate with intracranial pressure (ICP). This study looked at intra-observer and inter-observer reliability among three emergency physicians (EPs) using three different imaging protocols. Material/Methods: Ocular ultrasound was performed in 20 healthy volunteers. Each physician obtained 3 measurements of the right eye ONSD with both the 10-5 MHz and 13-6 MHz probes using the axial imaging technique (experiment 1). The ONSD was then measured with the 10-5 MHz probe using the axial technique and the intracavitary 8-5 MHz probe using the corotial technique (experiment 2). Results: In experiment 1, larger measurements were obtained with the standard 10-5 MHz probe with an adjusted difference of 0.21 mm (p<0.001). The standard deviation between intra-observer measurements for the 10-5 MHz probe was slightly but not significantly larger with an adjusted difference of 0.039 (p=0.10). In experiment 2, larger measurements were obtained with the standard 10-5 MHz probe with an adjusted difference of 0.91 mm (p<0.001). The standard deviation between intra-observer measurements was greater for the 10-5 MHz probe with an adjusted difference of 0.06 (p=0.03). The inter-observer measurements in experiment 2 had significantly larger variance with the 10-5 MHz probe (p = 0.001). Conclusions: These data suggest comparable precision and inter-observer reliability can be achieved. However, larger values when using the 10-5MHz probe suggest different cut-off thresholds for normal upper limits. The coronal imaging technique demonstrated less inter-rater variance and may be a better technique when such small measurement differences are important.
Investigation of structure and morphology dynamics in tin fluorophosphate glass - polyethylene hybrids using solid-state 1H, 13C, and 31P MAS NMR

The variations in morphology and local structure in a series of tin fluorophosphate glass-polyethylene (TFPPE) hybrids were investigated using solid-state 1H, 13C, and 31P MAS NMR. The combination of direct polarization 13C MAS NMR experiments with various delay times and carbon spin−lattice relaxation filtered cross-polarized MAS NMR experiments allowed quantification of the monoclinic, orthorhombic, amorphous, and intermediate phases in the low-density polyethylene (LDPE) component of the TFPPE hybrids. These 13C MAS NMR results showed an increase in the crystallinity with the addition of tin fluorophosphate (TFP) glass into the hybrids. The 31P MAS NMR spectra reveal major changes in the local structure of the TFP glass component, with several new phosphorus species being formed during the production of the hybrid. The results of the 1H-13C and 1H-31P 2D wide line spectroscopy experiments demonstrate that all of these new phosphorus species are spatially correlated with the two new proton species that ...
Psychogenic disorders: A pragmatic approach for formulation and treatment

Four perspectives can provide a comprehensive yet flexible approach to the evaluation of a patient in distress with a psychogenic disorder. Each individual patient will have a different combination of the four perspectives that formulate the patient's problems. The perspectives identify the patient with a psychogenic disorder as a patient who is a composite of personal vulnerabilities and strengths but afflicted with diseases, struggling through life events, and motivated to behave for various reasons. Each individual perspective has its own logical process for evaluation and subsequently directed treatment. Although the perspectives are complementary, they each remain distinct and essential to the formulation of a patient's disability. This comprehensive and integrated formulation of a patient supports an approach to complex psychogenic cases that defy a simple list of diagnoses and nonspecific treatments. The patient does not have to fit into one theoretical approach to receive an available treatment. The treatments prescribed are now designed from the individual formulation and relevant perspectives.
Temperatures below leaf litter during winter prescribed burns: implications for litter-roosting bats

Some bat species, including eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis), roost for short periods beneath leaf litter on the forest floor during winter in the south-eastern USA, a region subjected to frequent fire. The variability in fuel consumption, the heterogeneous nature of burns, and the effects of litter and duff moisture on forest-floor temperatures during winter burning could influence potential survival for bats beneath the leaf litter if they are unable to escape on-coming flames. We measured temperatures below leaf litter in 64 south-slope plots during nine controlled burns in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas to determine the probability of survival. Maximum temperature recorded under leaf litter at each plot averaged 292°C (±20 s.e.) and ranged from 10 to 717°C. Only three (5%) of the plots experienced temperatures that were deemed survivable (<60°C sustained for 60 s) during burns on warmer winter days (air temperatures 15.0–26.1°C). Temperatures below the leaf litter measured just before the arrival of fire (average = 19.6°C) suggested that if bats were roosting in plots they would have been in shallow torpor, which would have enabled faster escape from approaching flames. Burning during the warmer periods of winter (e.g. ≥15°C) and during afternoons could potentially improve survival by bats roosting under leaf litter by reducing arousal and escape times.
INDUCED PREMATURE G2/M-PHASE TRANSITION IN PACHYTENE SPERMATOCYTES INCLUDES EVENTS UNIQUE TO MEIOSIS

Little is known about the control of events ending the lengthy prophase of meiosis I and leading to the G2/M-phase transition in mammalian spermatocytes, primarily because the relevant late pachytene, diplotene, and MI cells are present in low numbers in the testis and it is not possible to isolate them in significant numbers. We have utilized short-term cultures of pachytene spermatocytes from the mouse to study events of the G2/M cell-cycle transition induced by the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (OA). Treatment of cultured pachytene spermatocytes with OA induced a rapid and premature onset of events leading to the M phase, visualized cytologically by nuclear envelope breakdown and chromosome condensation. After OA treatment, condensed chromosomes were seen as bivalents, not as univalents. Treatment with OA induced disassembly of synaptonemal complexes and resolution of crossovers as cytologically visible chiasmata. Chiasmata counts were similar in treated cells and control cells. Thus, surprisingly, even though the treated cells were in the pachytene substage of meiotic prophase, events of recombination were apparently completed to the point of chiasma formation in the majority of these cells. The sex chromosomes, forming the sex body of the pachytene spermatocyte, lagged behind the autosomal chromosomes in their condensation and progression toward the M phase. Treatment with OA induced an increase in histone H1 kinase activity, generally used as an indicator of metaphase-promoting factor (MPF) activity; furthermore, the OA-induced cell-cycle transition does not require new protein synthesis. These results suggest that OA treatment overrides a cell-cycle checkpoint control that normally keeps pachytene spermatocytes in a lengthy prophase and that this control may be exerted by regulation of protein phosphorylation status.
On large deviations properties of sequential allocation problems

Let be r sequences of i.i.d. random variables and the sample mean of an n-size sample, given an adaptive allocation rule . We show that if is finite in a neighborhood of θ= 0, then, for all adaptive rules π, , for all closed sets for all open sets where I(x) and J(x) are rate functions independent of π
Soft X-ray Spectra

ALTHOUGH much general information of soft X-ray spectra can be obtained by photoelectric methods, there is an urgent need for its direct spectroscopic confirmation. Dauvillier (Jour. de Phys. et le Rad., 8, 1; 1927) has recently photographed some lines of boron, carbon, oxygen, and thorium between 25 A.U. and 125 A.U. by refined methods of crystal spectrometry. Spectra in this region can also be obtained from a concave glass grating if it be mounted at a sufficiently large angle of incidence.
Phase Diagrams for Microemulsions

A phenomenological mean-field model of globules for a three-component microemulsion is presented and typical phase diagrams are obtained. Two types of two-phase coexistence are found as well as a three-phase equilibrium. The topology of the phase diagram is determined by the ratio of the critical globule radius to the natural bending radius and by the radius dependence of the attractive interactions.
Selective inhibition of thromboxane A 2 biosynthesis in blood platelets

SAMUELSSON'S group1,2 showed that human platelets convert arachidonic acid and prostaglandin (PG) endoperoxides3 to thromboxane A2 (TXA2). TXA2 strongly aggregates platelets1 and contracts vascular strips1,4,5. Vane's group5,6 has identified TXA2 synthetase in platelet microsomes—this enzyme generates TXA2 from PG endoperoxides. Aspirin-like drugs inhibit generation of PGs (refs 7, 8) and TXA2 (ref. 9) in platelets at the early stage of cyclooxygenation of arachidonic acid10,11. It is through this activity that aspirin, indomethacin, naproxen and other acidic anti-inflammatory drugs are anti-aggregatory11,12—they have little or no effect on generation of TXA2 from PG endoperoxides6. We report here that the non-acidic anti-inflammatory compound 2-isopropyl-3-nicotinyl-indole (L 8027) (refs 13, 14) is a selective TXA2, synthetase inhibitor in platelets and a potent anti-aggregatory agent.
Property Tax Circuit‐breakers: Good Causes but Bad Economics

. Since 1965, 30 states and the District of Columbia have enacted programs designed to reduce the effective rate of property taxation for some low income households and for the elderly. Most often this relief is provided by so-called “circuit-breakers.” It is contended that the economic arguments favoring circuit-breakers are empirically unproven and theoretically suspect. The tax may be progressive, not regressive, and the device may transfer income from low to high income households. Any short run redistribution of income to favor the poor or the elderly would, in the long run, merely shift the timing of their tax payments. Circuit-breakers encourage over-consumption of housing and misallocation of housing resources. Reducing the tax base, they produce higher rates and so increase the tax burden.
Pneumococcal Bacteremia in Adults: A 14-Year Experience in an Inner-City University Hospital

We retrospectively reviewed 304 episodes of pneumococcal bacteremia in 293 adults to compare the clinical features, prognostic factors, and case-fatality rate associated with this illness to those in previous studies. We studied patients at an inner-city university hospital who had pneumococcal bacteremia from January 1980 through December 1993. We analyzed patient demographics, risk factors for pneumococcal infection, pneumococcal vaccination status, initial vital signs, findings on chest roentgenograms, arterial blood gases, and laboratory values. Ninety-six percent of our study population was African American and 61% were male ; pneumococcal vaccination was documented for 2%. The case-fatality rate in our study was 36%. Older age, lower mean arterial pressure, lower mean temperature, higher respiratory rate, multilobar pneumonia, leukopenia, low platelet count, hypoalbuminemia, low arterial pH, low arterial oxygen tension, and high arterial carbon dioxide tension were associated with higher mortality. Our study suggests that mortality due to pneumococcal bacteremia has not changed significantly in the last 6 decades, that the number of patients in high-risk groups who are receiving pneumococcal vaccine is insufficient, and that higher mortality can be predicted from the history, vital signs, and laboratory values at initial presentation.
Free trade and factor-price polarization

Abstract Factor-price equalization between trading partners is perhaps the best known implication of the Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model of production and trade. It has long been known that with more primary factors than goods, this result is not necessary. Recent studies have investigated effects of changing prices on factor payments in the three-factor, two-good trade model. This short note emphasizes that when such an economy moves from autarky to free trade, payment to a relatively cheap factor may fall, ‘polarizing’ factor prices. Conditions favoring this outcome are examined.
Evidence for a multi-site model of the rat brain σ receptor

Irradiation of rat brain membranes with light of 254 nm, a treatment which modifies ultra-violet absorbing residues in proteins, decreased binding of both [3H](+)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-(1-propyl)piperidine ([3H](+)-3-PPP) and [3H]1,3-di-o-tolylguanidine ([3H]DTG) to σ receptors. For [3H](+)-3-PPP, this was due to a decreased Bmax. In contrast, irradiation markedly increased binding of [3H](+)-N-allylnormetazocine ([3H](+)-SKF 10,047) due to a decrease in the Kd. Both unlabeled DTG and haloperidol were competitive inhibitors of [3H](+)-3-PPP binding to untreated membranes, causing an increase in the Kd and no change in the Bmax. The benzomorphans, (+)-SKF 10,047 and (+)-pentazocine, were uncompetitive inhibitors, causing a decrease in both the Kd and Bmax for [3H](+)-3-PPP. Finally, the ability of DTG and (+)-3-PPP to inhibit binding of [3H](+)-SKF 10,047 was markedly reduced by ultra-violet irradiotion, whereas irradiation had little effect on the potency of unlabeled (+)-SKF 10,047 and (+)-pentazocine. These data suggest that σ-related (+)-benzomorphans and non-benzomorphans interact either with distinct, allosterically coupled sites on the same σ receptor macromolecule or with different populations of σ receptor types.
The Extent and Nature of Computer-Based Records Management in the United States

A national survey of records managers on the topic of computerization of their operations yielded surprising results. An overwhelming 92.4 percent reported that they were actively supporting computerization at present or planned to do so within the next year. The primary nature of the computerization was the use of microcomputers to track and manage physical, usually paper, records. The degree of computerization is related to the volume of records managed and the attitude of the company toward records management. The computerization of records management is only a few years old, yet the change has been rapid. Our findings indicate that the next step of Document Image Processing DIP where the records are also stored in a digital format is already underway and may proceed as fast as the first stage.
CLONING AND EXPRESSION OF THE CDNA ENCODING RAT TISSUE INHIBITOR OF METALLOPROTEINASE 3 (TIMP-3)

We have cloned the cDNA encoding the rat tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP-3) by a PCR cloning method. Sequence analysis reveals an open reading frame containing 211 amino acids that show 99% identity to mouse TIMP-3 and 95% identity to human TIMP-3, respectively. High-level expression of TIMP-3 was detected in rat kidney, lungs and heart.
Vitamin D insufficiency is prevalent among pregnant African American adolescents.

Abstract Study Objective Recent attention has focused on vitamin D insufficiency but few data exist on vitamin D status among pregnant minority youth. Design A screening study was undertaken in adolescents having prenatal blood samples drawn for other routine tests obtained during the second trimester (18±1.8 week gestation, n=44) or third trimester of pregnancy (28.4±2.1 week gestation, n=36). Serum 25- hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured and significant determinants of vitamin D insufficiency in this cohort were identified. Setting Urban prenatal clinic. Participants Eighty pregnant African American adolescents (≤ 18 y of age). Main Outcome Measure(s) Vitamin D status, STDs, hemoglobin, season, birth weight Results Serum 25(OH)D in this group averaged 21.6±8 ng/mL (age 16.5±1.1 y, n=80), and did not significantly differ between the second (20.95±8.2 ng/mL, n=44) and third trimester cohorts (22.5±7.9 ng/mL, n=36). Vitamin D insufficiency ( P =0.004), lower hemoglobin concentration ( P =0.019), and higher second trimester leptin levels ( P =0.018). Inverse associations between 25(OH)D and bacterial vaginosis were evident when controlled for season of sampling ( P =0.02, n=80). Conclusions Vitamin D insufficiency was prevalent among urban pregnant minority adolescents. Further studies are needed to address the impact of this finding on maternal and neonatal calcium homeostasis and bone health.
The Feasibility of Using an HCU System for Investigating Ergonomic Injury Among Autoworkers

A preexperimental case study was conducted to determine the feasibility of imaging musculoskeletal changes in the anatomy of the elbow, which might be attributed to the use of a tool, commonly blam...
CRIMES, CRIME RATES, ARRESTS, AND ARREST RATIOS: IMPLICATIONS FOR DETERRENCE THEORY*

The relationship between crimes and arrests is one of the central issues in deterrence theory. There are several conceptual difficulties in attempting to assess whether arrests deter crimes or the number of crimes determine the number of arrests. These problems are compounded when rates are used to measure both variables. The issue is whether criminals respond to arrests or the police respond to changes in crime. The present analysis compares regression results when the variables are measured both as rates and raw numbers for three offenses: homicide, robbery, and burglary. The results indicate that arrests follow crimes. This suggests the need to reexamine some studies that argue that criminals’perceptions of arrest rates are an indication of deterrence.
Colour- and form-dependent loss of plastic micro-debris from the North Pacific Ocean☆

Abstract Floating plastic was collected with a neuston sampler at 27 locations in the North Pacific Ocean in 1987 and 1988. The plastic particles obtained were sorted according to size, physical form (e.g. pellet, line, fragment), and colour. Comparison of the size distribution of plastic observed with that predicted by a simple physical fragmentation model indicated that some forms, colours, and size fractions were significantly under-represented. We consider four possible explanations of these results and conclude that it is likely that marine organisms selectively remove plastic particles whose size, shape, and colour allow them to be mistaken for prey items. We further conclude that ingestion of small plastic objects by marine organisms occurs in substantial quantities.
Civil servant attitudes toward the U.N. in Guatemala, Norway, and the United States

This research note reports the findings of a mail survey of higher level Guatemalan civil servants, soliciting their views on the United Nations. The survey was administered in the summer of 1979 for comparison with similar surveys of Norwegian and United States officials undertaken five years earlier, to determine whether experience with international organizations produces attitudes more favorable to international cooperation.
Price Discovery Processes

This paper analyzes two price discovery processes: OLS learning from public information and a Bayesian learning made feasible by futures markets. The former tends to produce cobweb behaviour. In the latter, there is no cobweb, there is a faster convergence to Muth Rational Expectations, and the forecast errors are positively serially correlated The evidence drawn from the Sydney Futures Exchange is consistent with the Bayesian learning process.
Carbon monoxide: effects on oxygenation of the fetus in utero

The partial pressure of oxygen in fetal blood decreases in proportion to the carboxyhemoglobin concentrations in fetal and maternal blood. Because fetal oxygen tensions normally equal 20 to 30 percent of the values for adults, this reduction can result in severe hypoxia of vital tissues. Decreases in oxygen tension may be a factor in the lower birth weights of infants born to women who smoke or are exposed to severe air pollution.
Is the social volcano still dormant? Trends in Chinese attitudes toward inequality.

Data from two China national surveys, in 2004 and 2009, focusing on popular attitudes toward current inequalities and mobility opportunities, are compared to examine two key questions: (1) Did the continued rise in income gaps and the impact within China of the global financial crisis lead to rising popular anger about the unfairness of current inequality patterns in 2009? and (2) Did the social contours of attitudes toward current inequalities shift over the five years between surveys? Through systematic comparisons of data from both surveys, we conclude that there is no general increase in anger about inequalities in the 2009 survey, and that the predictors of variations in these attitudes had changed relatively little, with the unexpectedly positive views of villagers still visible in 2009, although a bit muted. Trends in Chinese society between 2004 and 2009, and in the personal experience of survey respondents, are used to explain why popular acceptance of current inequalities remains widespread, despite continuing increases in China’s income gaps.
Ribosomal RNA Synthesis and Growth in Mouse Epidermis Following Initiation with Dimethylbenzanthracene and Promotion with 12-0-Tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate

The application of 17 nmol of 12-0-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) onto the backs of CD-1 female mice initiated 7 days earlier with 200 nmol of dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) results in a massive accumulation of epidermal ribosomes. Ribosome accumulation reaches a peak in about 2-3 days, and then slowly begins to return toward normal levels. However, by day 10, the end of the experimental period, ribosome levels are still above normal. Marked increase in ribosome synthesis, as indicated by increased incorporation of [5-3H]-undine into epidermal ribosomes, indicates that increased ribosome synthesis plays a major role in the ribosome accumulation. Decreased ribosome synthesis occurs concomitantly with the decrease in ribosome levels. Associated with the increased synthesis and accumulation of epidermal ribosomes is a marked epidermal growth, as evidenced by increases in epidermal wet weight, total protein, and DNA. As ribosome levels gradually return to normal, the epidermis undergoes regression and returns toward its normal size, but by day 10, the end of the experimental period, it is still slightly thicker than normal. To determine whether the initiation process itself affects ribosome levels and epidermal growth, both were measured for a 7-day period following the application of 200 nmol of DMBA. DMBA results in a small but significant accumulation of epidermal ribosomes within 3 hr, which remains elevated throughout the rest of the experimental period. Increased ribosome synthesis, as evidenced by increased incorporation of [5-3H]-uridine into epidermal ribosomes occurs only at 3 hr after DMBA treatment. Associated with the modest accumulation of ribosomes is a small amount of epidermal growth as indicated by small increases in epidermal wet weight and total pretein, but not total DNA. However, small but significant increases in the total number of epidermal nuclei/mm of interfollicular epidermis occur, and there is a significant small increase in mitotic activity at 5 hr after DMBA treatment. We conclude that the application of an initiating dose of DMBA does have some modest effects on ribosome levels and epidermal growth. Some of these effects may persist for the entire 7-day period prior to the first application of TPA. It is our hypothesis that these small changes probably do not significantly affect the massive epidermal growth and ribosome accumulation following the first application of TPA.
Application of a weight function method to predict the fatigue life of corner cracked holes loaded in bending

Abstract Fatigue lives are calculated for corner cracked holes in plates loaded in pure bending. Stress intensity factors are computed by a three-dimensional weight function method and are adapted in a fatigue crack growth life prediction algorithm. The life predictions agree well with experimental results obtained for cracked polymer plate specimens.