cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acceptability of a Robotic Hysterectomy Simulation System - Who Is the Target Audience?

Study Objective To assess acceptability of the Simbionix (3D) Hysterectomy Modules for the DaVinci Xi simulation system. These simulation modules became available in 2017. Little validation evidence exists to guide incorporation of this tool into surgical education. Design Prospective cohort. Setting Multi-center, academic medical institutions. Patients or Participants Residents, fellows, and faculty in Obstetrics and Gynecology were invited to participate at 3 institutions. Participants were categorized by experience level: less than 10 hysterectomies (novice), 10 to 49 hysterectomies (intermediate), and 50 or greater hysterectomies (expert). A total of 10 novice, 9 intermediate, and 15 expert surgeons were included. Interventions Participants completed 4 simulator modules (ureter identification, bladder flap development, colpotomy, and complete hysterectomy) and a qualitative survey assessing agreement or disagreement with evaluative statements using a Likert scale. Measurements and Main Results The majority felt the simulator realistically simulated robotic hysterectomy (64.7%) and that it should be used to provide feedback to residents (67.6%). The majority thought the feedback provided by the simulator was as or more helpful than feedback from previous surgical simulations (88.2%) but less helpful than feedback provided in the operating room (73.5%). The majority agreed that residents should be required to pass modules prior to completing a robotic hysterectomy as a primary surgeon (52.9%), but disagreed that they should be used for licensing purposes (58.8%). There were no significant differences in opinion between experience levels (p-value >0.05 for all questions using Fisher's exact test). Participants felt this simulator would be helpful for teaching general steps to junior residents. Conclusion Simbionix (3D) Hysterectomy Modules were well received by subjects of all experience levels. Subjects identified early residency education as an area where this tool can be used to provide feedback and determine readiness to perform robotic hysterectomy. Feedback from the simulator was not felt to replace real-time, clinical feedback. Further study is needed to determine its role in surgical training.
Pollution and the choice of where to work and live within Mexico City

Global air pollution continues to increase across the world, and Mexico City is one of the most polluted cities in the western hemisphere. This paper considers the tradeoff between wages, housing characteristics, and air quality in the conjoint decision of where a household decides to live and work. We estimate compensating differentials using a three-stage least squares (3SLS) instrumental variable approach that accounts for the simultaneous nature of the housing and wage markets. To address endogeneity, we capitalize on the localized relationship between air pollution and rainfall. We assemble a dataset for Mexico City which includes the actual transacted value of the house, house features, household socioeconomic characteristics, particulate matter pollution (PM10) concentrations, and rainfall. Our results indicate that the average household needs to be compensated by approximately US$ 1007.54 per year to tolerate a 1 µg/m3 increase in PM10. Our estimates are on the higher end of previous studies. If estimates under-represent the value of clean air, then this discourages government policy aimed at mitigating pollution, with all its health and quality of life implications.
Coordinating ABA Services

Interventions based on the principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) have been found to be effective for targeting skills across multiple domains for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Interventions address critical skills including increased communication, adaptive and social behavior, as well as reductions in challenging behavior. Targeting these skills leads to increased independence and improved quality of life for children with ASD. Behavior analytic services may be offered in multiple settings including various types of clinics, schools, and in the home. Given that children with ASD often receive services from different service providers, it is imperative for those providing behavior analytic services to collaborate with others to provide optimal care for the child and family. Behavior analysts have a specific skill set and expertise that allows them to provide valuable contributions while participating as a member of an interdisciplinary team. This chapter will outline the implementation of ABA services across settings and describe the way in which caregivers and other professionals can work together to provide better coordination of care for the child.
Examining the Association of Knee Pain with Modifiable Cardiometabolic Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE There is a well-established link between obesity and knee osteoarthritis, and recent research has implicated diabetes as a potential cause of cartilage degeneration. This study uses the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database to examine the association between knee pain and various metabolic factors. METHODS A retrospective cross-sectional study of the NHANES database from 1999 to 2004 was performed. The main outcome was any knee pain and bilateral knee pain. Main effects of interest were body mass index (BMI), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). We additionally assessed various patient factors including age, race, poverty, gender and smoking status. Multivariable logistic regression models and interaction terms were analyzed. RESULTS Data on 12,900 patients was included. In the main adjusted analysis, the modifiable risk factors associated with any knee pain were: overweight (OR 0.91; 95% CI 0.85, 0.97), obesity (OR 1.54; 95% CI 1.42, 1.66), glycemic control (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.03, 1.38), and current smokers (OR 1.15; 95% CI 1.05, 1.27), all p<0.05. These same factors remain significant for bilateral knee pain. Subgroup analysis showed patients under 65 years old have a 5% increase in risk of any knee pain as their body mass index increases, but patients 65 years and older have a 10% increase in risk. CONCLUSION This study confirms the association of knee pain with increased weight, glycemic control, current smoking and age. Most of these risk factors can be modified in patients with knee pain and should be discussed when providing conservative treatment options.
Healthy Military Families 2020

This special section highlights original research findings on the holistic health of military families across a broad spectrum of participants, reflecting varied relationships (e.g., romantic partn...
A solid-state route to stabilize cubic Li7La3Zr2O12 at low temperature for all-solid-state-battery applications.

The integration of a solid electrolyte with electrodes without interfacial degradation is an integral part of enabling high-performance all-solid-state batteries. Here we highlight that additive-assisted solid-state reactions using high-energy ball-milling and multistep heating can be an effective approach to lower the processing temperatures of cubic Li7La3Zr2O12 garnet. The obtained total Li conductivity is 1.4 × 10−4 S cm−1, comparable with that obtained using high-temperature processing. We found that liquid-phase sintering triggered by a lithium borate additive increases the microstrain of Li7La3Zr2O12, increasing Li conductivity. Our work demonstrates the feasibility to engineer conventional ceramics processing to sustainably produce all-solid-state batteries with a low thermal budget in practice.
Families' perspectives on monitoring infants' health and development after discharge from NICUs

Based on a survey of families of very preterm infants, Seppanen et al report that: 1) parents rated post-discharge (post-NICU) care as poor or fair for 14.2% of children; 2) parents of one-third of children with health or developmental disorders rated their child’s post-hospital care as poor or fair, as compared to 12–13% of parents of typically developing and healthy children; and 3) parents’ suggestions for ways to improve post-hospital care focused primarily on better communication between the health care team and parents and better coordination of the child’s care. These findings point to a large opportunity for improving post-NICU services for infants born very preterm, especially for children with health or developmental disorders. In addition to gathering more information about families’ perspectives, vigorous quality improvement methods should be applied to improve the effectiveness of post-NICU clinics and the health and development outcomes of the infants and families served by these clinics.
The role of parental care in the establishment of the offspring digestive tract microbiome in Nicrophorus defodiens

Parental care has evolved to increase offspring fitness. Burying beetles, which breed on small vertebrate carcasses, engage in extensive parental care, including prehatch carcass preservation using oral and anal secretions and direct posthatch care by regurgitating food for offspring. Aspects of parental care, such as regurgitation, may also act as a means of transmitting beneficial microbes to offspring. To explore the contributions of parental care to microbial transmission, we used Illumina high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize bacterial communities found on prepared carcasses and in the digestive tracts of wild-caught and laboratory-reared adults and in the digestive tracts of larvae that either received or did not receive parental care. We found that the digestive tract bacterial communities of larvae receiving parental care were similar to those of their parents, whereas digestive tract bacterial communities of larvae not receiving parental care were dissimilar to those of their parents. All larval digestive tract bacterial communities were dissimilar from those found on prepared carcasses. Furthermore, we found that the digestive tract bacterial communities did not differ significantly between wild-caught nonreproductive adults and F1 and F2 laboratory-reared nonreproductive adults or between laboratory-reared nonreproductive and reproductive adults. While previous work showed that a prepared carcass may serve to inoculate some larval digestive tract bacteria, the results of the present study suggest that this role may be relatively minor and that parental care is crucial in shaping the gut microbiome of offspring, with aspects of this care, such as parental regurgitation, likely being an important component of the transmission process. Furthermore, as wild-reared and laboratory-reared adults did not vary significantly in their digestive tract bacterial communities, our findings suggest that gut microbiome transmittance within our Nicrophorus defodiens model is likely germane to the natural system.
True employee empowerment vs. one more job we have to do

The EFFORT (Employee Find and Fix Obvious Risk Teams) program in a semiconductor fabrication facility is discussed. The philosophy of the program is that employees, not managers, could see and find the problems causing a high risk of scrap. The employee teams would be expected to fix the problems they found, not assign them to another group. Results show that the increased output of improvements due to improved enthusiasm more than outweigh inefficiencies. In contrast to traditional management principles, the EFFORT program showed that specific goals and defined objectives are not necessary for worker empowerment teams to make significant contributions to factory performance. Lack of such goals and their implicit 'this is for the management' message can in fact lead to improved enthusiasm, morale, and productivity. >
Multi-domain Neurodevelopmental Delays in Multiple Gestation and Singleton Preterm Infants (P7.338)

OBJECTIVE: This study compares the prevalence of neurodevelopmental delays in multiple gestations (MG) and singletons (SG) preterm infants. BACKGROUND: Incidence of MG in the USA is increasing. Most studies of neurodevelopmental outcome after MG lack control groups and report only the Mental Developmental Index of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. DESIGN/METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of patients born <37 weeks as MG or SG, evaluated at corrected age of 3-36 months in Neonatal Follow-up Clinic between July 2005 and December 2010 using neurological examination and neurodevelopmental assessment (Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale, Cognitive Adaptive Test and Gesell Scales). We defined significant delay as developmental quotient (DQ) <70. RESULTS: MG group had 49 (34 twins, 11 triplets, and 4 quadruplets), SG group had 63 infants, with mean ± SD for MG vs. SG for corrected age 13 ± 7.5 vs. 12 ± 9 months, gestational age 30 ± 3.4 vs. 29 ± 4 weeks, and birth weight 1267 ± 484 vs. 1286 ± 686 g (NS). Comparing MG vs. SG, prevalence of developmental delays in 蠅 1 domain was 42 vs. 69% (P=0.015), receptive language 8 vs. 28% (P=0.03), full scale DQ 10 vs. 24% (P=0.06), total language 16 vs. 30% (P=0.09), expressive language 27 vs. 42% (NS), cognitive adaptive 14 vs. 21% (NS), gross motor 17 vs. 30% (NS). Prevalence of generalized hypotonia was (35 vs. 32%), focal hypotonia (18 vs. 16%), hypertonia (29 vs. 38%), oral motor dysfunction 25 vs. 19% (NS). CONCLUSIONS: Developmental delays are more common in singleton than multiple gestations. The reasons for such difference require further study. Disclosure: Dr. Jarjour has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jarjour has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sibley has nothing to disclose.
Play Skills of Autistic Children: Assessment and Instruction

Play skills of two 7-year-old boys meeting DSM-III-R criteria for autism and mental retardation were evaluated across different play activities by means of a multielement design. Each boy was subsequently taught nonverbal and verbal play responses by an older sibling. All contingencies (i.e., verbal and tangible reinforcement, verbal and physical prompts) except time out were delivered by the sibling. Instruction of sibling trainers included practice sessions with an adult confederate and the target child. Sibling trainers themselves substantially increased their delivery of prompts and reinforcers. Results were maintained at 1-month follow-up. Implications of sibling and play training for children with autism are discussed.
Long slit CCD observations of active and normal galaxies.

We present the first results of a low resolution, long slit study of 16 active and 15 normal galaxies. The galaxies of each sample chosen have similar Hubble types and similar distributions in redshift space and Holmberg magnitude. Using an 800 × 800 TI 3PCCD we were able to cover the 4500–7500 A spectral region at a resolution of 10 A, the 2.5 arc-second by 4.0 arc-minute long slit allowed us to cover both nuclear, near-nuclear and far off-nuclear emission line regions.
From Economic Equality to “Mommy Politics”. Women Artists and the Challenges of Gender in East German Painting

This article looks at the impact that East Germany 's gender policies had on the visual arts and especially women painters across four decades. The first two sections focus on women 's participation in the national art exhibitions in Dresden during the Ulbricht and Honecker years, looking at how their artwork responded to official gender policies, and at the emergence of three women – Heidrun Hegewald, Gudrun Brune, and Doris Ziegler – as nationally prominent painters. The third section focuses on the paintings and agitations of Angela Hampel in the 1980s as an example of a new phase in the pursuit of gender equality in East Germany, one abruptly cut short by the unification process. Ultimately this article argues that East Germany 's gender policies, despite not having achieved the stated goal of true equality, had a positive impact on women artists, and especially painters, in East Germany, increasing the number of women included in major exhibitions, encouraging greater complexity in their work, and ultimately fostering a socialist-feminist critique of lingering patriarchal biases.
Nanoscale Observation of Dielectric Damage to Low k MSQ Interconnects from Reactive Ion Etching and Ash Treatment

Electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) was used to measure the extent of dielectric damage from plasma processing of nanoporous, low k methyl silsesqioxane (MSQ) interconnect structures with approximately 50 nm spatial resolution. Single level patterns were formed in 200 nm thick MSQ films by reactive ion etching (RIE) and were subsequently backfilled with an MSQ layer that was not exposed to plasma to act as a reference. The backfill was performed on as-etched structures with the photoresist intact and on structures in which the photoresist was removed by an oxygen plasma (ash) treatment. The EFM images on cross sections and feather sections show that the damage from the RIE penetrated ∼100 nm in from the sidewall and that the redeposited polymer had a higher k than the MSQ (k∼2.2). The etched and ashed MSQ exhibits a higher dielectric constant than the reference MSQ if it was exposed to water and has nearly the same dielectric constant as the reference with no water exposure. This suggests that the damage from the ash acts to make the MSQ hydrophilic.
The Life of Pons de Léras: Knights and Conversion to Religious Life in the Twelfth Century

Comparing the Life of Pons de Leras with the evidence of charters for a variety of Cistercian abbeys allows us to conclude that the term conversus as applied in the charters to Pons in fact meant “convert to the religious life.” Only in the 1150s did peasant recruits as lay brothers appear at Silvanes and elsewhere. That Pons is referred to as conversus therefore does not require an explanation of humility.
AIDS Dementia as a Form of Excitotoxicity: Potential Therapy with NMDA Open-Channel Blockers and Redox Congeners of Nitric Oxide

The neurological manifestations of AIDS include dementia, encountered even in the absence of opportunistic superinfection or malignancy. The AIDS Dementia Complex appears to be associated with several neuropathological abnormalities, including astrogliosis and neuronal injury or loss. How can HIV-1 result in neuronal damage if neurons themselves are only rarely, if ever, infected by the virus? In vitro experiments from several different laboratories have lent support to the existence of HIV- and immune-related toxins. In one recently defined pathway to neuronal injury, HIV-infected macrophages/microglia as well as macrophages activated by HIV-1 envelope protein gp120 appear to secrete excitants/neurotoxins. These substances may include arachidonic acid, platelet-activating factor, free radicals (NO· and O2·−), glutamate, quinolinate, cysteine, cytokines (TNF-α, IL1-β, IL-6), and as yet unidentified factors emanating from stimulated macrophages and possibly reactive astrocytes. A final common pathway for neuronal susceptibility appears to be operative, similar to that observed in stroke, trauma, epilepsy, and several neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This mechanism involves excessive activation of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-operated channels, with resultant excessive influx of Ca2+ leading to neuronal damage, and thus offers hope for future pharmacological intervention.
Coulomb Scattering of Polarized Electrons

The amount of longitudinal depolarization, L, and the asymmetry ratio, A, for a beta beam are expressed exactly in terms of F and G (the complex functions introduced by Mott). Approximate analytical expressions for L and A (corresponding to the second-order Born approximation) are also derived. The results are applied to a doublescattering experiment performed by de-Shalit. (M.H.R.)
Synthesis and Properties of Bis(2,5-dimethylpyrrolo[3,4-d])tetrathiafulvalenes, a Class of Annelated Tetrathiafulvalene Derivatives with Excellent Electron Donor Properties

The synthesis of the first derivatives of bis(pyrrolo[3,4-d])tetrathiafulvalene has been studied in detail. Starting from the readily available 2,5-dimethylpyrrole (11) and N-phenyl-2,5-dimethylpyrrole, bis(2,5-dimethylpyrrolo[3,4-d])tetrathiafulvalene (8) and the N,N‘-disubstituted derivatives 6, 7, 9, and 10 were prepared in good yields by practical procedures. In contrast to the other types of aromatic annelated tetrathiafulvalenes (TTFs), which have appreciably higher oxidation potentials than TTF, the redox behavior of the pyrrolo tetrathiafulvalenes (TTFs) is very close to that of TTF itself. The potential of pyrrolotetrathiafulvalenes as a new series of organic metal building blocks is shown by the two-probe conductivities of the tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) complexes of the N-phenyl compound 7 and the N-methyl compound 9, which give higher values than TTF−TCNQ under similar conditions.
Caring, curing, and brief therapy: A model for nurse-psychotherapy

Abstract Traditional models of psychotherapy have falled to meet the demands for accessible, cost-effective, and accountable mental health services. This traditional approach to mental health based on the received view of science is deconstructed in terms of its cure-orientation and contrasted with the care-orientation of nursing that is more consistent with postmodern ideas of science. Methods of brief, intermittent or possibility-oriented therapy are suggested as ways to actualize a care-orientation to mental health nursing that is more consistent with nursing's values and is more accessible to the needs of the consumer.
Local Culture in Global Media: Excavating Colonial and Material Discourses in National Geographic

This case study of National Geographic's August 1999 “millennium” issue interrogates the representational politics of the magazine's narratives on globalization. The essay's textual analysis, which is based in the insights of semiotic, feminist, and Marxist critiques of consumer culture, accounts for multiple media texts and historical contexts that filter the magazine's imagery. Drawing from postcolonial theories of gender, Orientalism, and nationalism, the analysis explores the disturbing ambivalence that permeates the Geographic's stories on global culture. Critiquing discourses of gender, the author shows that the magazine's interpretation of global culture is suffused with representations of femininity, masculinity, and race that subtly echo the Othering modalities of Euroamerican colonial discourses. This article undermines the Geographic's articulation of global culture, which addresses Asians only as modern consumers of global commodities, by questioning the invisibility of colonial history, labor, and global production in its narrative. The conclusion argues that the insights of postcolonial theories enable critics of globalization to challenge the subtle hegemony of modern neocolonial discursive regimes.
Moral literacy for teacher and school leadership education: a matter of attitude

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for conceptualizing three dispositional‐related stages that educators may experience in their professional careers and address the implications of these stages for integrating moral literacy perspectives into initial and advanced teacher and leader certification programs.Design/methodology/approach – The dispositional conceptual framework is presented and discussed from the author's viewpoint. The contention is that there is at least some general consistency that teacher and leader program candidates, at various stages of their professional careers, may experience and reflect in the attitudes – a component of dispositions – that they bring to the university classroom learning environment.Findings – Observations and insights about the consistency of dispositions within each of three program candidate groups are discussed. The dispositions emerged as: attitude formation; attitude adjustment; and attitude alignment. Within the context of course de...
Abstract 3153: H. pylori infection enhances the degradation of Drosha through regulating its acetylation-ubiquitination switches

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL microRNAs are a class of short non-protein coding RNAs with length of ∼22nt which play important regulatory roles in the cell functions by inhibiting their target protein expression. The biogenesis of microRNAs is a multistep process which is initiated in the nucleus by the RNase III enzyme Drosha. Our previous work and the work from others showed that Drosha protein level affected the biogenesis of microRNAs. Accumulating evidence shows that overall microRNA levels in the stomachs of H. pylori-infected patients are decreased and that this may relate to the promotion of gastric cancer by this bacterium. But the underlying mechanisms largely remain unknown. Here we show that H. pylori infection enhances the ubiquitin-proteosome pathway of Drosha degradation which is constitutively active in cells. Of the microRNA regulatory proteins, Drosha is more sensitive to ubiquitin-proteasome pathway-induced degradation than Dicer, DGCR8 or exportin-5. Activated ubiquitin molecules are ligated to the N-terminal lysines of Drosha leading to its degradation. There are 13 lysine residues on the N-terminus of Drosha. Truncation or site-directed mutagenesis showed multiple lysines involved in the ubiquitination-induced degradation of Drosha. Those lysine residues are also the acetylation sites by multiple acetyl transferases such as p300, CBP. Acetylation of Drosha on those N-terminal lysine sites prevents Drosha from ubiquitination and thereby prevents its degradation. Our data indicate that H. pylori infection enhances the degradation of Drosha through regulating the acetylation-ubiquitination switches on Drosha. Our findings provide a potential therapeutic target for mitigating the effects of H.pylori infection, including gastric cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3153. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3153
Human LD antigens are present on xenogeneic cells

THE mixed leukocyte culture (MLC) reaction is largely a measure of specific responsiveness of thymus-derived lymphocytes to foreign allogeneic and xenogeneic major histocompatibility complex (MHC) controlled LD antigens1. In view of the remarkable primary structure homologies of MHC-controlled SD antigens between humans and mice2, we have investigated whether MHC LD antigens have also been conserved in evolution by studying the extent of LD sharing between different species. Using the primed lymphocyte typing (PLT) test, we have found extensive sharing of LD antigens between humans and monkeys, and less, but still significant, sharing between humans and dogs and humans and cattle. In no case was there evidence that mouse LD antigens were shared with those of humans.
Empirical likelihood ratio test for median and mean residual lifetime

Prompted by several recent papers on the inference on median and mean residual life time, we note that the testing involving the mean or median residual life function in censored survival data can be obtained by an easy application of the general empirical likelihood ratio test. This approach has several advantages: (1) there is no need to estimate the variance/covariance at all, which may become prohibitively complicated for other procedures that require the estimation of such. (2) When inverting the tests to obtain confidence regions/intervals, this procedure inherits all the good properties of a likelihood ratio test. (3) Free software implementation of the test is readily available.
Dust devil vortices seen by the Mars Pathfinder Camera

Discovery of dust devil vortices in Mars Pathfinder (MPF) images reveals a dust entrainment mechanism at work on Mars. Scattering of visible light by dust in the Martian atmosphere creates a pronounced haze, preventing conventional image processing from displaying dust plumes. Spectral differencing techniques have enhanced five localized dust plumes from the general haze in images acquired near midday, which we determine to be dust devils. Processing of 440 nm images highlights dust devils as distinct occultation features against the horizon. The dust devils are interpreted to be 14–79 m wide, 46–350 m tall, travel at 0.5–4.6 m/s, with dust loading of 7E-5 kg m-3, relative to the general haze of 9E-8 kg m-3, and total particulate transport of 2.2–700 kg. The vortices match predictions from terrestrial analog studies.
Oxidation of a guanine derivative coordinated to a Pt(IV) complex initiated by intermolecular nucleophilic attacks.

In this study we report that fac-[PtIV(dach)(9-EtG)Cl3]+ (dach = d,l-1,2-diaminocyclohexane, 9-EtG = 9-ethylguanine) in high pH (pH 12) or phosphate solution (pH 7.4) produces 8-oxo-9-EtG and PtII species. The reaction in H218O revealed that the oxygen atom in hydroxide or phosphate ends up at the C8 position of 8-oxo-G. The kinetics of the redox reaction was first order with respect to both PtIV-G and free nucleophiles (OH− and phosphate). The oxidation of G initiated by hydroxide was approximately 30∼50 times faster than by phosphate in 100 mM NaCl solutions. The large entropy of activation of OH−1 (ΔS‡ = 26.6 ± 4.3 J mol−1 K−1) due to the smaller size of OH− is interpreted to be responsible for the faster kinetics compared to phosphate (ΔS‡ = −195.5 ± 11.1 J mol−1 K−1). The enthalpy of activation for phosphate reaction is more favorable relative to the OH− reaction (ΔH‡ = 35.4 ± 3.5 kJ mol−1 for phosphate vs. 96.6 ± 11.4 kJ mol−1 for OH−1). The kinetic isotope effect of H8 was determined to be 7.2 ± 0.2. The rate law, kinetic isotope effect, and isotopic labeling are consistent with a mechanism involving proton ionization at the C8 position as the rate determining step followed by two-electron transfer from G to PtIV.
A disaggregated model of world production and trade: An estimate of the impact of the Tokyo Round

Abstract We present in this paper a computational model of world production, trade, and employment that is disaggregated by country and sector and report on the application of the model to the changes in tariffs and quantifiable nontariff barriers negotiated in the Tokyo Round that was concluded in 1979. The model incorporates supply and demand functions and market-clearing conditions for 22 tradable industries, plus markets for 7 nontradable industries, in each of the 18 major industrialized countries and 16 major developing countries. The equations of the model are presented in the text and the explicit functional forms in an appendix. The implementation of the model is discussed briefly. Application of the model to the Tokyo Round suggested that there will be small but beneficial effects on trade, domestic prices, and economic welfare in practically all the major industrialized countries and in some of the major developing countries. Because many of the NTB codes negotiated in the Tokyo Round were stated in advisory terms, their impact cannot be evaluated unambiguously at present. Further, many existing NTBs of importance were exempted altogether from the negotiations. The Tokyo Round must be viewed accordingly as having dealt with a somewhat limited part of all interferences with trade.
Targeting Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling with the Neuregulin's Heparin-binding Domain

A major limitation in biopharmaceutical development is selectively targeting drugs to diseased tissues. Growth factors and viruses have solved this problem by targeting tissue-specific cell-surface heparan sulfates. Neuregulin (NRG), a growth factor important in both nervous system development and cancer, has a unique heparin-binding domain (HBD) that targets to cell surfaces expressing its HER2/3/4 receptors (Esper, R. M., Pankonin, M. S., and Loeb, J. A. (2006) Brain Res. Rev. 51, 161–175). We have harnessed this natural targeting ability of NRG by fusing the HBD of NRG to soluble HER4. This fusion protein retains high affinity heparin binding to heparin and to cells that express heparan sulfates resulting in a more potent NRG antagonist. In vivo, it is targeted to peripheral nerve segments where it blocks the activity of NRG as a Schwann cell survival factor. The fusion protein also efficiently blocks autocrine and paracrine signaling and reduces the proliferation of MCF10CA1 breast cancer cells. These findings demonstrate the utility of the HBD of NRG in biopharmaceutical targeting and provide a new way to block HER signaling in cancer cells.
The biosynthesis of a fucose-containing glycoprotein from intestinal mucosa of normal and vitamin A-deficient rats.

Abstract The intestinal mucosa of rats which are vitamin A-deficient yield a fucose-containing glycopeptide with a 3-fold lower specific activity in glucosamine when labeled in vivo or in vitro and compared to pair-fed controls (De Luca, L., Schumacher, M. and Wolf, G. (1970) J. Biol. Chem. 245, 4551–4558). The glycoprotein from which the glycopeptide has been derived, has also been isolated and characterized (Kleinman, H. and Wolf, G. (1974) Biochim. Biophys. Acta, in the press). Glucosamine, fucose, galactose and threonine all showed markedly reduced incorporation in vivo into the fucose-containing glycoprotein in vitamin A deficiency at various time points up to 135 min. Galactose was verified as the principal source of the label in the glycoprotein after labeled galactose administration. Uptake was rapid, followed by a decline for glucosamine and fucose; uptake rose slowly to the end of the experimental period for threonine and galactose. An in vitro secretion study revealed that the fucose-containing glycoprotein is present in the incubation medium of an intestinal slice system, with reduced incorporation of glucosamine from vitamin A-deficient compared to normal rats. It seems likely that the vitamin A-sensitive glycoprotein is not secreted into the medium in soluble form, but resides in desquamated cells.
Novobiocin-induced accumulation of etoposide (VP-16) in WEHI-3B D+ leukemia cells.

A previous report from this laboratory demonstrated that novobiocin produced supra-additive cytotoxicity when combined with etoposide (VP-16) or teniposide (VM-26) in WEHI-3B D+ and A549 cells. The increase in cytotoxicity was accompanied by an increase in the formation of drug-stabilized protein-DNA covalent complexes. We now report that novobiocin increased the amount of VP-16-induced covalent complexes between the 170 kDa form of topoisomerase II and DNA in WEHI-3B D+ cells, as measured by the band-depletion immuno-blotting assay, while it did not affect the extractable topoisomerase II activity, measured by the unknotting of P4 phage DNA and by a DNA cleavage assay. Novobiocin progressively increased the steady-state concentration of intracellular VP-16. Removal of novobiocin resulted in a rapid return of VP-16 to levels comparable to those seen with VP-16 alone. The increased accumulation of VP-16 was accounted for by an increase in the exchangeable fraction only. The novobiocin-mediated increase in the steady-state concentration of VP-16 occurred whether novobiocin was added simultaneously with VP-16 or was added after a steady-state level of VP-16 had been achieved. Novobiocin did not affect the initial rate of uptake of VP-16; however, it inhibited the efflux of the epipodophyllotoxin. In fact, when cells were loaded with the same level of VP-16 in the presence or absence of novobiocin, the efflux curves in the presence or absence of novobiocin were significantly different. We conclude that the inhibition of VP-16 efflux by novobiocin is responsible for the increase in VP-16 accumulation, leading to increased formation of VP-16-stabilized topoisomerase-II-DNA covalent complexes and increased cytotoxicity. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Use of PG-21 immunocytochemistry to detect androgen receptors in the songbird brain.

The avian song control system is an excellent model in which to study the effects of gonadal steroid hormones on neural and behavioral plasticity. Several of the brain regions that control song beh...
Carbon dioxide laser excision of acute burns with immediate autografting

Abstract 1. 1. A series of 13 patients underwent 15 operations for primary burn excision with the CO2 laser. No mortality was experienced. 2. 2. Burn wounds excised with a knife lost on an average 3.8 cc of blood for every 1 cc lost with a laser. 3. 3. The laser required 1.6 min of operating time for every 1 min required to excise a similar area of eschar with a cold knife. 4. 4. Skin grafts take and survive as well on laser excised sites as on cold knife prepared sites. 5. 5. Early results from excision with the laser are most encouraging and efforts with this modality of treatment are being expanded.
Peroxidase-antiperoxidase labeling of azospirillum brasilense in field-grown pearl millet

Abstract Bacterial cells of Azospirillum brasilense (Tarrand) from their natural habitat were labeled with peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP), identified, and observed using the transmission electron microscope. Pure cultures of A. brasilense, axenically inoculated pearl millet root samples, and field-grown inoculated pearl millet root samples were embedded in Luffs araldite. Thin sections were treated using the immunological PAP method. Identification was possible because of the heavy outlining of the cells with a dense deposit of osmium. Pleomorphic forms of A. brasilense were observed in axenic pearl millet root cultures. Encapsulated forms were larger than vibrioid forms, and both types reacted with antiserum against the bacterial strain.
The Clinical Significance of Mesangial IgM Deposits and Mesangial Hypercellularity in Minimal Change Nephrotic Syndrome

Some patients with minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) present on biopsy mesangial IgM deposits, which may be associated with mesangial hyperplasia. These patients have been considered as a possible subset with a different response to therapy as well as prognosis and designated as mesangial IgM nephropathy or mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis. However, the clinical relevance of these biopsy findings has been questioned by others. We reviewed the clinical, biopsy, and follow-up data in 61 MCNS children, 33 with mesangial IgM and 28 free of immunoglobulins. There were no significant differences in response to therapy or prognosis between these two groups. The lack of IgM elution and heterologous in vitro C3 fixation in the biopsies of some MCNS cases with IgM mesangial deposits does not support the possibility that the deposited IgM plays an immunologic role.
The effect of salt or various cryoprotective agents on frog sciatic nerves.

Abstract Desheathed frog sciatic nerves were tested for membrane damage by noting changes in their conduction velocity, externally recorded action potential, and absolute refractory period. Nerves were exposed for 45–60 min depending on the treatment to 1.5 osmolar environments consisting of concentrated Ringer's solution or Ringer's solution plus glycerol, sucrose, or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The nerves were exposed to these hypertonic solutions in one of four ways: (1) Gradual exposure plus gradual de-exposure, (2) Gradual exposure (plus direct de-exposure), (3) (direct exposure plus) plus gradual de-exposure, (4) Direct exposure (plus direct de-exposure). After treatment the nerves were allowed to recover for 45–60 min depending on the type of treatment in normal Ringer's solution. The results suggest the following: (1) Concentrated salt solutions damage nerve axons due to increased ion concentration rather than increased tonicity. (2) The effect of osmotic shock on sciatic nerves is relatively minor and completely reversible. (3) Axon membranes behave as simple permeability barriers with respect to sucrose and DMSO, but they appear to behave as dynamic entities which alter their metastable states with respect to concentrated salt or concentrated glycerol in Ringer's solution. (4) Freeze-thaw damage to sciatic nerve axon membranes—and perhaps to any cell membrane—is probably due to increased ionic concentration as well as increased osmolarity.
Endmember detection using graph theory

In this paper, we propose a new nonlinear approach which uses graphs for detecting endmembers in hyperspectral images. Endmembers are defined as the purest points of the image and lie on the boundary of the data cloud. The image is modeled by a graph and in order to reduce the effects of noise and artifacts existent in the image, the superpixel representation is used instead of pixel representation. Superpixels are the image segments with locally contiguous pixels. The nodes of the graph are the mean spectra of the superpixels and some similarity between each pair of the nodes defines their connectivity to each other. Since the endmembers are the extreme points of the data cloud, we use graph theoretic quantities to discriminate them from the central points in the data cloud. For the validation of the introduced method, we apply this approach to some real hyperspectral images and present the results of applying the method to one image.
Effects of Soil Water Level, Black Dot (Colletotrichum coccodes) Infested Soil and Nutrient Depletion on Potato in a Controlled Environment

The effects of soil water level and soil infested or not infested with Colletotrichum coccodes were quantified and compared on Umatilla Russet potato in repeated greenhouse trials. Nitrogen levels in leaflets and tuber yield differed significantly for effect of water level but there was no effect for soil infestation in both trials. More leaflet N as measured by chlorophyll and less tuber yield occurred in the low than the medium and high soil water treatments. Number of progeny tubers was not affected by C. coccodes but numbers were significantly less for the low water level than the high water level in one trial. Root weight was significantly reduced by C. coccodes in both trials and was significantly less in the high than the low and medium soil water levels in one trial. Incidence of infected progeny tubers was significantly reduced in infested soils for the low soil water compared to the medium or high soil water levels in one trial. The effect of increasing levels of water in infested soils had large and significant increases for percentage of stem area with sclerotia in both trials. Managing soil water by not overwatering in irrigated potato fields in the presence of C. coccodes may reduce black dot severity and quantity of sclerotia that potentially can overwinter and serve as sources of infection for subsequent crops. Analyses demonstrated a potential for significant associations between plant and disease variables not evidence for cause and effect.
Natural selection: The evolutionary struggle

Andrew Berry enjoys a biographical feast that turns the spotlight onto Darwin's forerunners.
The effects of premixing on soot production in nonpremixed flames fueled with unsaturated hydrocarbons

An experimental investigation has been conducted of the effects of premixing with air on soot production in initially non-premixed flames. The measurements were made with laser-induced incandescence, and a procedure was implemented that allowed us to determine the maximum centerline soot volume fraction as a function of primary equivalence ratio with high precision and high resolution in equivalence ratio. Results from propene and ethylene flames with varying fuel flow rates and varying nitrogen dilutions showed that the effects of premixing—positive or negative—combine synergistically with other perturbations that reduce the overall soot-forming tendency. Seven different fuels were studied: in two cases (ethylene and acetylene), slight premixing produced an increase in soot production, while in five cases (ethane, propane, propene, propadiene, and 1,3-butadiene), premixing monotonically decreased soot production. All of these results could be explained in terms of the differences between the pure pyrolysis and oxidative pyrolysis decomposition mechanisms of the fuels and the relative significance of different pyrolysis products as benzene precursors. Measurements in a 10% ethane/90% ethylene mixture showed that small amounts of alkanes are sufficient to prevent an increase in soot production for ethylene. Thus, overall the results indicate that increases in soot production due to premixing are unlikely to occur in practical systems.
Established risk factors account for most of the racial differences in cardiovascular disease mortality.

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality varies across racial and ethnic groups in the U.S., and the extent that known risk factors can explain the differences has not been extensively explored.
Low peclet number heat transfer for power law non‐newtonian fluid with heat generation

Heat transfer for power law non-Newtonian fluid with heat generation and axial conduction is analyzed. Radial and axial temperature distribution and the Nusselt number inside a tube are obtained in terms of nonorthogonal series expansion. Eigenvalues and eigenfunctions are given for different values of various parameters. The effects of Peclet number, power law model index, viscous dissipation, and heat generation on the temperature distribution and Nusselt number are discussed. Comparison of the present results for extreme cases with those obtained by previous workers shows good agreement.
Nucleation and Three-Dimensional Growth: Deviation from Diffusion Control

Direct numerical simulation of nucleation and three-dimensional growth is used to examine the impact on chronoamperometry measurements of growth that is not diffusion controlled at all times. Results are given for a range of nucleation rates. It is shown that deviation from diffusion-controlled growth can significantly modify not only the quantitative interpretation of the transients but can impact the qualitative signatures that are used to distinguish between instantaneous and progressive nucleation. The influence of ohmic-potential losses on chronoamperometry response is also demonstrated.
Distribution and Transport of Marine Snow Aggregates in the Panama Basin

Depth profiles of marine snow aggregate abundance were acquired using a photographic technique at several stations in the Panama Basin in order to look at regional and temporal variations in aggregate abundances. Concentrations were generally highest in the surface water and adjacent to the sea floor, with maximum abundances varying from 4 to 6 aggregates l−1. In areas adjacent to the basin margin, subsurface maxima of aggregate concentrations were observed. Time-series samples from sediment traps show that sediment flux (mg m−2 day−1) varied by a factor of 6 over the 28 day deployment. Aggregate abundance, in contrast, varied only by a factor of 3 with depth and little over time scales of hours to weeks. Mass fluxes and suspended mass concentrations estimated from aggregate abundances using published conversion parameters were orders of magnitude larger than those measured by sediment traps and submersible pumps. These results suggest that aggregates detected by the survey technique do not directly produce the flux of particles collected by the sediment traps. In the proposed particle transport model, suspended aggregates (produced in situ or resuspended from the sea floor and transported laterally) settle at negligible rates and produce the depth-varying signal in the abundance profiles. Fast-sinking (and consequently rare) aggregates fall from the surface, collide with suspended aggregates, increase their sinking speed and scavenge them from the water column. The flux signal observed in the sediment trap collections results from a combination of the time-varying direct surface-derived flux of fast-sinking aggregates and the depth-increasing concentration of suspended (scavenged) aggregates. These results indicate that aggregate size, as determined by the photographic technique, may be a poor indicator of sinking speed and that fluxes calculated from profiles of suspended aggregates may show poor relationships to actual fluxes.