cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bayesian estimation and uncertainty quantification in models of urea hydrolysis by E. coli biofilms

Urea-hydrolysing biofilms are crucial to applications in medicine, engineering, and science. Quantitative information about ureolysis rates in biofilms is required to model these applications. We f...
Comprehensive evaluation of two-group interfacial area transport equation and new intergroup transfer model

Abstract Interfacial Area Transport Equation (IATE) is developed to dynamically capture the flow structure change and predict Interfacial area concentration (IAC) for various flow regimes. Some recent experimental results show developing flows with intensive bubble coalescence at bubbly to slug transition in small pipes. The drastic IAC decreasing due to bubble coalescence under such conditions has not been well studied in previous IATE benchmark efforts, therefore it may not be captured by the current constitutive models for IATE. In this work, a comprehensive evaluation of the state-of-the-art two-group IATE models is performed using the small pipe data collected at bubbly and slug flow with a focus on transition. The evaluation result shows unsatisfactory performance in predicting the developing flow with intensive bubble coalescence at bubbly to slug transition. The reason is the underestimation of intergroup transfer from group I bubbles to group II bubbles. To improve the IATE performance, a new intergroup wake-entrainment model is developed to enhance the prediction capability for the intergroup void and IAC transfer. The new model incorporates a transition function derived based on the log-normal bubble size distribution and the lift force effect on bubble movement for group I bubbles, which allows for a smooth transition from bubbly to slug flow. The new intergroup transfer model significantly improves the IATE prediction capability in the 25.4 mm ID pipe and its applicability on other types of flow channels including 50.8 mm ID pipe and 200 × 10 mm duct is also verified.
Effect sizes and test-retest reliability of the fMRI-based Neurologic Pain Signature

Abstract Identifying biomarkers that predict mental states with large effect sizes and high test-retest reliability is a growing priority for fMRI research. We examined a well-established multivariate brain measure that tracks pain induced by nociceptive input, the Neurologic Pain Signature (NPS). In N = 295 participants across eight studies, NPS responses showed a very large effect size in predicting within-person single-trial pain reports (d = 1.45) and medium effect size in predicting individual differences in pain reports (d = 0.49). The NPS showed excellent shortterm (within-day) test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.84, with average 69.5 trials/person). Reliability scaled with the number of trials within-person, with ≥60 trials required for excellent test-retest reliability. Reliability was tested in two additional studies across 5-day (N = 29, ICC = 0.74, 30 trials/person) and 1-month (N = 40, ICC = 0.46, 5 trials/person) test-retest intervals. The combination of strong within-person correlations and only modest between-person correlations between the NPS and pain reports indicate that the two measures have different sources of between-person variance. The NPS is not a surrogate for individual differences in pain reports but can serve as a reliable measure of pain-related physiology and mechanistic target for interventions. Significance statement Current efforts towards translating brain biomarkers require identifying brain measures that can strongly and reliably predict outcomes of interest. We systematically examined the performance of a well-established brain activity pattern, the Neurological Pain Signature (NPS), in a large and diverse sample of participants. The NPS showed excellent reliability, and the reliability scaled with the number of trials within-person. The NPS responses showed strong correlations with pain reports at the within-person level but only modest correlations at the between-person level. The findings suggest that the NPS is not a surrogate for individual differences in pain reports but can serve as a reliable measure of a pain-related physiological target. Author Note This project was supported by grants R01MH076136 (T.D.W.), R01DA046064, R01EB026549, and R01DA035484. Elizabeth A. Reynolds Losin was supported by a Mentored Research Scientist Development award from National Institute On Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health (K01DA045735). Lauren Y. Atlas was supported in part by funding from the Intramural Research Program of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Yoni K. Ashar was supported by NCATS Grant # TL1-TR-002386. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Code for all analyses and figures is available at https://github.com/XiaochunHan/NPS_measurement_properties. Data for all analyses and figures is available at https://osf.io/v9px7/.
Unbalanced Third-Order Correlations for Characterizing the Intensity and Phase of Femtosecond Pulses

The intensity and phase of femtosecond pulses can be retrieved from measurements of third-order intensity correlations and the pulse spectrum using a numerical algorithm. Unbalancing the interferometer makes the retrieval algorithm sensitive to the direction of time, and improves the retrieval of certain pulse shapes. The sensitivity of the retrieval to direction of time as a function of the degree of imbalance in the correlator is investigated.
Patient Perceptions of Whom is Most Involved in Their Care with Successive Duty Hour Limits

BACKGROUND Although direct patient care is necessary for experiential learning during residency, inpatient perceptions of the roles of resident and attending physicians in their care may have changed with residency duty hours.
One more method of tubal sterilization.

A technique of tubal sterilization which would produce a dense scar with impaired circulation to prevent regrowth of epithelium utilizing controlled tissue dessication with electrocautery is described. A 3-cm longitudinal or transverse incision is made in the midline of the anterior abdominal wall in the nonpregnant or postpartum patient either at the palpable level of the top of the uterine fundus or just high enough to clear the reflection of the bladder on the anterior abdominal wall. The uterus is rotated so that the right uterotubal junction is visible. 3 mayo clamps are applied to the tube and the tube coagulated between the clamps. The procedure is then carried out on the other side avoiding in all cases the placement of the proximal clamp deeply near the lateral uterine surface to avoid tissue rupture. Total operating time is about 15 minutes. The procedure has been used on 59 patients without complications. Average hospitalization has been 3 days in the nonpregnant patients and has required no extension in the postpartum pat ients.
Science and Technology Studies, Ethnomethodology of

Ethnomethodology is a research program that studies the situated production and coordination of social practices. Starting in the 1960s, ethnomethodologists studied practices in a broad range of ordinary and professional settings. Ethnomethodology's orientation to local practices and situated knowledge influenced constructionist, actor-network, and discourse analytic approaches in science and technology studies (STS). Ethnomethodologists treat social science research practices as having no special epistemological status in relation to other scientific and nonscientific practices they study. This research policy is known as ethnomethodological indifference, and it is similar in some respects to the symmetry postulate in the sociology of scientific knowledge. However, unlike many STS scholars, ethnomethodologists do not treat professional sociology as a basis for authoritative explanations of other practices. Ethnomethodology has been criticized for its apparent lack of epistemological foundation and normative commitment, but proponents of the approach argue that their understandings and judgments have an ordinary basis in communal life rather than an epistemological foundation furnished by an academic school, theory, or method.
The Magnitude and Global Implications of Hydrothermal Flux

Hydrothermal circulation of seawater through the oceanic crust plays a role in many geologic and oceanographic processes, including 1) heat loss from the earth, 2) aging of the oceanic crust, 3) geochemical cycling of the elements, 4) biogeochemistry of deep ocean waters, and possibly 5) general ocean circulation. The importance of the hydrothermal component to these processes depends on the timescale of the hydrothermal interaction relative to competing oceanic processes, and to the spatial scales that are involved. Certainly, if other processes operate on much faster timeseales, then the hydrothermal contribution will not be globally significant, but might have importance on a local or regional scale. The purpose of this paper is to assess the status of our understanding of the hydrothermal flux in the world ocean, to explore the time and space males that are relevant to this flux, and to discuss how the effect of this flux in past oceans might have been different from that which we observe today.
Essentially doubly stochastic matrices

In this paper the following analogue to a well-known result in ordinary matrix theory is proved. Every nonsingular essentially doubly stochastic (e.d.s.) matrix of order n: with entries from a field F:,char(F)=0 or char(F)>n, is a product of nonsingular elementary e.d.s. matrices. This is then extended to the following more general result. Every e.d.s. matrix of order n: and rank r:, 1> r:>n:, with entries from a field F:, char(F:)=0 or char(F:)>n:, is a product of elementary e.d.s. matrices. This product has nm‐ r singular factors, the number n:m‐r: being minimal, and all of them may be taken to be a particular singular elementary e.d.s. matrix.
The location and expression of idiotypic determinants in the immunoglobulin variable region--I. Characterization of antibodies directed against the variable region of mouse myeloma immunoglobulins 315 and 460

Abstract The preparation and characterization of rabbit antibodies directed against structures associated with thehapten binding site of proteins 315 and 460 is described. That these antibodies are site-directed was shown by: (a) specific elution of anti-idiotypes by hapten; (b) the inability of these rabbit antibodies to bind to affinity labeled proteins 315 and 460; and (c) the inability of anti-constant region serum to block the association of the rabbit antibody with proteins 315 and 460. Rabbits producing anti-315 and anti-460 binding site specific antisera, which were bled at one month show strong shared reactions between the two myeloma proteins 315 and 460. Later bleeds (4 months) are essentially monospecific, with little or no shared reaction. We conclude that anti-315 and anti-460 purified by hapten elution from myeloma-Sepharose columns are anti-idiotypic-antibody populations.
Choline metabolism and membrane formation in rat hepatoma cells grown in suspension culture: I. Incorporation of choline into phosphatidylcholine of mitochondria and other membranous structures and effect of metabolic inhibitors☆

Abstract The synthesis of phosphatidylcholine and its corporation into membranes of Novikoff rat hepatoma cells (strain N1S1–67) cultivated in suspension culture was investigated using 3H-methyl-choline as specific precursor. When cells were suspended in basal medium containing 0.01 m m choline, the latter was taken up by the cells very rapidly and accumulated intracellularly bound in phosphorylcholine. Results from pulse-chase experiments have shown that phosphorylcholine is a precursor in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, probably via the Kennedy pathway, but cytidine diphosphate choline did not accumulate in detectable amounts. The synthesis of phosphorylcholine proceeded 4–5 times more rapidly than its subsequent incorporation into phosphatidylcholine and the cells (1.8 × 106 cells per ml) removed over 90% of the choline from the medium within 5–6 hr of incubation at 37 °. The rate of synthesis of phosphatidylcholine by cells was influenced to some extent by the stage of growth of the culture from which the cells were obtained, but was independent of the concentration of choline in the medium between 0.01 and 0.06 m m or the pH between 6.8 and 8.0. Newly synthesized phosphatidylcholine was detectable in cells only as an integral part of cellular membranes. Results from experiments involving differential centrifugation of cell homogenates and isopycnic sucrose density gradient centrifugation of cytoplasmic extracts indicate that about 15% of the total phosphatidylcholine synthesized was associated with the nuclei, 40–50% with the mitochondria, and the remainder with fragments of the plasma membrane and other membranous components with densities (1.13 – 1.15 g/cm3) lower than that of mitochondria (1.18 g/cm3). The incorporation of choline into the various membranous structures of the cell followed a similar time course. The density of the mitochondria and other membranous structures was approximately the same whether the cells were incubated in basal medium containing 0.01 or 0.10 m m choline. Inhibition of protein synthesis by treatment of cells with actidione or chloramphenicol did not affect the rates of incorporation of choline into phosphorylcholine or phosphatidylcholine for at least 3 hr. Both processes were slightly inhibited by treating cells with puromycin or actinomycin D.
Signaling Antibiotic Resistance in Staphylococci

For 30 years biologists have studied the molecular machinery of staphylococcal bacteria that renders them resistant to b-lactam antibiotics. In a Perspective, Archer and Bosilevac discuss new findings showing that cleavage of a sensor-transducer protein after it binds to a b-lactam antibiotic results in cleavage of the repressor protein that binds to the blaZ gene. b-Lactamase is then produced and binds to and inactivates the antibiotic.
A commitment to high-value care education from the internal medicine community.

In this article, the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), ABIM Foundation, and American College of Physicians formally commit to providing a foundati...
Two-cavity optical klystron

The optical klystron (OK)1 is a higher-gain laser than the conventional FEL2 However, the same mechanism which permits the higher small signal gain also limits the saturation intensity.3 This comes about because the bunching action of the dispersive magnet which contributes to higher gain also reduces the saturation intensity due to debunching of the electrons at higher power.
Biosocial Anthropology in Britain

Social and Biological Aspects of Ethnicity. Malcolm Chapman, ed. The Anthropology of Disease. C. G. N. Mascie-Taylor, ed.
Secure internet voting protocol for overseas military voters (transcript of discussion)

Our intent is to develop a system to allow deployed military voters to vote via the Internet. The system is to be equivalent to the absentee vote by mail system, without the problems that arise with physical mail. Therefore, the security of our system needs to be evaluated against the absentee process to ensure we meet current absentee security.
Remote calorimetric detection of urea via flow injection analysis

The design and development of a calorimetric biosensing system enabling relatively high throughput sample analysis are reported. The calorimetric biosensor system consists of a thin (∼20 μm) micromachined Y-cut quartz crystal resonator (QCR) as a temperature sensor placed in close proximity to a fluidic chamber packed with an immobilized enzyme. Layer by layer enzyme immobilization of urease is demonstrated and its activity as a function of the number of layers, pH, and time has been evaluated. This configuration enables a sensing system where a transducer element is physically separated from the analyte solution of interest and is thereby free from fouling effects typically associated with biochemical reactions occuring on the sensor surface. The performance of this biosensing system is demonstrated by detection of 1-200 mM urea in phosphate buffer via a flow injection analysis (FIA) technique. Miniaturized fluidic systems were used to provide continuous flow through a reaction column. Under this configuration the biosensor has an ultimate resolution of less than 1 mM urea and showed a linear response between 0-50 mM. This work demonstrates a sensing modality in which the sensor itself is not fouled or contaminated by the solution of interest and the enzyme immobilized Kapton® fluidic reaction column can be used as a disposable cartridge. Such a system enables reuse and reliability for long term sampling measurements. Based on this concept a biosensing system is envisioned which can perform rapid measurements to detect biomarkers such as glucose, creatinine, cholesterol, urea and lactate in urine and blood continuously over extended periods of time.
FAMILIAL JUVENILE NEPHRONOPHTHISIS. AN UNRECOGNIZED RENAL DISEASE IN THE UNITED STATES.

Two siblings with a chronic renal disease manifested by polyuria, polydipsia, and retardation of growth at an early age and leading to chronic renal insufficiency were studied. One child died in terminal renal failure. The clinical picture of the disease was identical to a disease previously described in Europe and named "familial juvenile nephronophthisis" by Fanconi et al. Persistent hypokalemia was a feature of the disease in our patient seen before the stage of terminal renal failure. Therapy with potassium chloride resulted in reduction of polyuria, increased rate of growth, and arrest of progression of renal insufficiency. The microscopic renal pathology of both patients was not specific but resembled that of "chronic nephritis." Decreased ability to concentrate the urine was observed in the mother and 3 siblings of our patients. Genetic analysis of the reported sibships suggests that this disease occurs only in individuals homozygous for a rare autosomal gene. The present investigation still has not defined very convincing pathognomonic criteria which will allow for a definite diagnosis in a sporadic case; nevertheless, we feel that the total clinical, physiologic, and pathologic picture of the disease is quite characteristic and should suggest the correct diagnosis even in a sporadic case.
Nitrate Reductase Complex of Escherichia coli K-12: Participation of Specific Formate Dehydrogenase and Cytochrome b1 Components in Nitrate Reduction

The participation of distinct formate dehydrogenases and cytochrome components in nitrate reduction by Escherichia coli was studied. The formate dehydrogenase activity present in extracts prepared from nitrate-induced cells of strain HfrH was active with various electron acceptors, including methylene blue, phenazine methosulfate, and benzyl viologen. Certain mutants which are unable to reduce nitrate had low or undetectable levels of formate dehydrogenase activity assayed with methylene blue or phenazine methosulfate as electron acceptor. Of nine such mutants, five produced gas when grown anaerobically without nitrate and possessed a benzyl viologen-linked formate dehydrogenase activity, suggesting that distinct formate dehydrogenases participate in the nitrate reductase and formic hydrogenlyase systems. The other four mutants formed little gas when grown anaerobically in the absence of nitrate and lacked the benzyl viologen-linked formate dehydrogenase as well as the methylene blue or phenazine methosulfate-linked activity. The cytochrome b(1) present in nitrate-induced cells was distinguished by its spectral properties and its genetic control from the major cytochrome b(1) components of aerobic cells and of cells grown anaerobically in the absence of nitrate. The nitrate-specific cytochrome b(1) was completely and rapidly reduced by 1 mm formate but was not reduced by 1 mm reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide; ascorbate reduced only part of the cytochrome b(1) which was reduced by formate. When nitrate was added, the formate-reduced cytochrome b(1) was oxidized with biphasic kinetics, but the ascorbate-reduced cytochrome b(1) was oxidized with monophasic kinetics. The inhibitory effects of n-heptyl hydroxyquinoline-N-oxide on the oxidation of cytochrome b(1) by nitrate provided evidence that the nitrate-specific cytochrome is composed of two components which have different redox potentials but identical spectral properties. We conclude from these studies that nitrate reduction in E. coli is mediated by the sequential operation of a specific formate dehydrogenase, two specific cytochrome b(1) components, and nitrate reductase.
Kaon condensation in heavy ion collisions

Abstract We discuss kaon condensation in heavy ion collisions as a way of probing the strangeness content of the proton. Possible signals include an excess of strange particles, long lived exotic states, and jets of K+s or K0's.
Sensorimotor gating deficits in bipolar disorder patients with acute psychotic mania

Abstract Background: Deficits in sensorimotor gating as assessed by prepulse inhibition (PPI) and habituation of the human startle response have been noted in schizophrenia and other patients with known dysfunction in the brain substrates that regulate PPI. During acute mania, bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia patients present with symptoms that are similar. To determine if these clinical similarities extend to neurophysiologic domains, PPI and startle habituation were assessed in BD patients with acute psychotic mania and compared with a sample of acutely psychotic schizophrenia patients and a normal comparison group. Methods: Fifteen BD patients, 16 schizophrenia patients, and 17 control subjects were assessed on PPI and startle habituation. Results: The BD patients had significantly lower PPI than did the control subjects in two of the three PPI conditions (60- and 120-msec interstimulus intervals) as well as less startle habituation. The BD patients did not statistically differ from the schizophrenia patients in PPI or habituation. Conclusions: These findings of sensorimotor gating deficits among bipolar disorder patients are consistent with other findings using different measures of information processing and suggest that the neurobiological substrates underlying sensorimotor gating may be dysregulated during acute manic and psychotic states.
B→M 1 M 2 : Factorization, charming penguins, strong phases, and polarization

Using the soft-collinear effective theory we derive the factorization theorem for the decays $B\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{M}_{1}{M}_{2}$ with ${M}_{1,2}=\ensuremath{\pi},K,\ensuremath{\rho},{K}^{*}$, at leading order in $\ensuremath{\Lambda}/{E}_{M}$ and $\ensuremath{\Lambda}/{m}_{b}$. The results derived here apply even if ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{s}({E}_{M}\ensuremath{\Lambda})$ is not perturbative, and we prove that the physics sensitive to the $E\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ scale is the same in $B\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{M}_{1}{M}_{2}$ and $B\ensuremath{\rightarrow}M$ form factors. We argue that $c\overline{c}$ penguins could give long-distance effects at leading order. Decays to two transversely polarized vector mesons are discussed. Analyzing $B\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\pi}$ we find predictions for ${B}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$ and $|{V}_{ub}|{f}_{+}^{B\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\pi}}(0)$ as a function of $\ensuremath{\gamma}$.
Development of rumen function in calves: nature of protein reaching the abomasum

Effects of weaning age (4 and 8 wk) and ration (complete pelleted starter and unpelleted starter plus alfalfa-grass hay) on development of ruminal function were tested in a split-plot design. Maturity of ruminal function was estimated by the contribution of bacterial nitrogen to total nitrogen reaching the abomasum, essential amino acid composition of bacterial and abomasal protein, and ruminal volatile fatty acid concentrations. Sixteen Holstein bull calves were fitted with rumen and abomasal cannulas by 1 wk of age, and ingesta were sampled twice weekly from 2 to 11 wk of age. Contribution of bacterial nitrogen to total nitrogen in abomasal contents was similar to that of mature ruminants by 5 and 7 wk of age for calves weaned at 4 and 8 wk of age, respectively. Concentrations of ruminal volatile fatty acids indicative of mature ruminal function were reached by 5 wk of age. Pattern of essential amino acids in bacterial cells of the rumen was not affected by age, weaning age, or ration and was similar to that of mature ruminants. Analysis of abomasal digesta indicated no effect of starter ration and no effect of age or weaning age on the relative proportion of essential amino acids except lysine and arginine. Lysine decreased and arginine increased linearly from 2 wk until weaning.
Role of users' attitudes and perceptions in the implementation of NICNET in Karnataka State, India

This study focused on NICNET (a nationwide computer-communication network of the National Informatics Center), used for national planning and economic development by the Indian Government. The study was conducted in Karnataka State. The relationship between independent variables - user attitudes towards computers and perceived innovation characteristics of NICNET - with dependent variables of adoption/implementation (user satisfaction and utilization) was examined. Questionnaires were administered to NICNET users all over the state. Regression analysis was carried out to test the hypotheses. Results showed that, of the 20 hypotheses, eight were supported. Seven of these pertained to perceived innovation characteristics and one to attitudes.
Firearms in the home: parental perceptions.

BACKGROUND: Each year, thousands of children are injured or killed from unintentional gunshot wounds. Discovering a gun while playing in the home places children at risk of being injured by the firearm. OBJECTIVES: To determine parental firearm storage practices and parental perceptions of the behavior of their children around guns. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey of parents of children from 4 to 12 years of age. A sample of 424 parents, bringing their children to one of five pediatric ambulatory care centers, were asked to complete a 20-point self-administered questionnaire at the time of their visit. RESULTS: A total of 400 parents (94%) completed the questionnaire; 113 parents (28%) reported keeping a firearm (most often a handgun) in the home. Firearm owners were predominantly male, 30 years of age or older, white, and married. Of the gun owners, 52% stored their firearms loaded or unlocked, and 13% kept one or more guns loaded and unlocked. Three fourths of gun-owning parents believed that their 4- to 12-year-old child could tell the difference between a toy gun and a real gun, and 23% believed that their child could be trusted with a loaded gun. Although the majority of gun-owning parents (53%) endorsed safe storage as the best firearm injury prevention strategy, 61% of parents who do not own firearms endorse not owning guns as the best way to prevent pediatric firearm injuries. CONCLUSION: A majority of gun-owning parents store their firearms loaded or unlocked, substantially underestimating the risk of injury to their children. Many firearm-owning parents trust their child with a loaded gun and believe that their young child can tell the difference between a toy gun and a real gun.
Acute mesenteric and retroperitoneal lymphadenitis in systemic lupus erythematosus: case report

In a young woman with clinical evidence of acute cutaneous, musculoskeletal, and neurologic manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus, computed tomography (CT) showed enlarged, centrally hypoattenuating mesenteric and retroperitoneal lymph nodes. After treatment with steroids, the CT appearance of the lymph nodes returned to normal. The differential diagnosis of lymph nodes with central hypoattenuation includes Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, metastatic disease (especially squamous cell carcinoma and germ cell tumor), Whipple's disease, and celiac disease in addition to lupus lymphadenitis.
The Cophenetic Correlation Coefficient in Paleoecology

The cophenetic correlation coefficient measures distortion due to cluster analysis. Dendrograms from cluster analyses of hypothetical, nonhierarchical data show low cophenetic correlations. Ordination techniques based on factor analysis provide a better estimate of similarities among groups of stations when cophenetic correlation coefficients are low.
OPERATIONALIZING AND TESTING NORMAL ACCIDENT THEORY IN PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS AND REFINERIES

Since “Normal Accidents: Living With High-Risk Technologies” was first published in 1984, there have been very few tests of its validity or its application to different classes of technology or organizations. This paper describes a robust, parametric test of Normal Accident Theory applied to a class of high-risk systems: petrochemical plants and refineries. The theory has important implications for scholars interested in the relationship of organizations to the natural environment and managers responsible for safe, socially responsible, and environmentally appropriate operation of high-consequence systems.
Excretion and blood radioactivity levels following [14C]senecionine administration in the rat

Macrocyclic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are a mixed group of phytotoxins with similar chemical structures and varying biological effects. A commonly studied member of this group is senecionine (SEN) which causes hepatotoxicity. We have undertaken metabolism and excretion studies of SEN in rats to provide data for comparison between PAs and to evaluate the potential role of metabolism and excretion in toxicity. Following intravenous administration of [14C]SEN (60 mg/kg, 10 microCi/kg), bile, urine and blood were collected over a 7-h period. Of the total administered radioactivity, 44% and 43% were excreted in the bile and urine, respectively. Using mass spectroscopy, senecionine N-oxide (SENNOX) was identified as the major metabolite in bile (52% of 44%) and urine (30% of 43%). For the total 7 h, less than 5% in bile and 18% in urine was excreted as parent alkaloid. The plasma concentration of Senecionine-equivalents/g (SEN-EQ/g) decreased from 107 to 12 nmol, while red blood cell (RBC) concentrations declined from 109 to 26 nmol/g. Without bile collection, the plasma levels of SEN-EQ were similar, while the final RBC level was almost double (47 vs. 26 nmol/g) and total radioactivity excreted in the urine was increased (59% vs. 43%). Biliary pyrrolic metabolites were estimated to be 1.43 mg, using a dehydroretronectin standard.
Effect of Refrigeration and Microbial Contamination of Raw Broiler Tissues on Thiobarbituric Acid Values and Headspace Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Cooked and Stored Breast and Leg Meat

Abstract Paired raw broiler breast and leg muscles were stored at 6 C as control or inoculated samples for 0, 2, 7, or 14 days or until a near spoilage time of 19 or more days. Treated samples were inoculated with a low count cell suspension (105) of normal flora. Samples were cooked and evaluated after 0 and 3-day storage at 4 C before being further evaluated by the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test and headspace gas chromatographic analysis. Storage after cooking had a positive effect on TBA values and several headspace volatiles. However, both TBA values and major volatiles of cooked, stored meat decreased significantly as the storage time prior to cooking increased. Generally no differences were found between inoculated and control samples for TBA and major volatiles, indicating that microbial contamination of raw, unspoiled tissues prior to cooking was not a factor in the oxidative stability of cooked and stored broiler meat.
Promoting Public Transportation: Comparison of Passengers and Policies in Germany and the United States

It is often suggested that the United States adopt policies similar to those of European countries to increase public transportation ridership and sustainability of the transport system. On the basis of two national travel surveys, socioeconomic and geographic characteristics of public transportation riders in Germany and the United States are compared, and the differences in public transportation policies in the two countries are analyzed. Dissimilar policies can help account for variability in ridership not explained by socioeconomic and geographic differences. In both countries, public transportation ridership increases with population density and metropolitan area size and decreases with rising income, car ownership, and household distance from a public transportation stop. However, supported by better policies, German public transportation systems can attract more riders from all groups of society. For example, Germans living in households with more cars than drivers make three times as many of their...
Quaternary circulation of the Antarctic circumpolar current

Deep-sea benthonic foraminiferal data from fourEltanin piston cores (E48-22, E48-28, E49-18, E49-23) are used to determine deep-water circulation conditions in the Southern Ocean during the last 450,000 years. The faunal data exhibit glacial-interglacial oscillations that are interpreted to reflect a reduced influence of North Atlantic Deep Water upon the Antarctic Circumpolar Current during glacial intervals.
Health-related quality of life in senior adults with epilepsy: what we know from randomized clinical trials and suggestions for future research.

Abstract Objective. The goal of this work was to review the randomized controlled trial (RCT) literature on antiepileptic medication effects on health-related quality of life in seniors with epilepsy. Methods. Studies published from 1998 to June 2002 were identified by searching through Medline and the Cochrane Clinical Trials Register. Pre-1998 RCTs identified by Baker et al. [Epilepsia 41 (2003) 1357] were also examined for relevance to the present review. Studies were reviewed if they included a RCT design and included epilepsy patients over the age of 60. Results. A total of 85 clinical trials were reviewed. Of the 85 studies reviewed only 37 RCT studies included patients over the age of 60. However, formal quality-of-life outcome assessment was not performed in any of the RCTs that included senior adults, and only six studies provided formal quantitative analyses of AED effects in the form of adverse events incidence and participant withdrawal rates. For the most part, early study withdrawal rates were substantial for seniors and adverse events were very common. Two studies reporting on the cognitive and behavioral effects of study AEDs indicated only modest impact when AED monotherapy was kept at therapeutic levels. Conclusions. Despite growing appreciation for quality-of-life, issues in the management of epilepsy little current empirical guidance is available for elderly with epilepsy. There exists virtually no information on elderly patient preferences and goals for epilepsy treatment outcomes, and available data primarily concerns younger adults. Despite some encouraging preliminary evidence from this review suggesting that conservative AED treatment may have a more favorable quality of life-related outcome, more conclusive statements await further systematic investigation.
Reproductive aging results in a reconfigured ovarian antioxidant defense profile in rats.

Objective To test our hypothesis that reproductive aging changes the ovarian oxidative stress defense profile, in response to prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) during corpus luteum regression, because how a cell or an organ handles reactive oxygen intermediates may be dependent on the biological age of the organism. Design Animal experimentation using rat model of corpus luteum regression. Setting University reproductive biology laboratory. Animal(s) Control (26-day-old) and 8- to 9-month-old (reproductive aging) rats. Intervention(s) Corpus luteum formation was induced in control and 8- to 9-month-old (reproductive aging) rats with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin followed by human chorionic gonadotropin. Regression was then initiated with PGF2α. Main Outcome Measure(s) Vitamin E, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and thiobarbituric acid–reacting substances were measured. Result(s) Ovaries from reproductive aging rats, compared with the control (26-day-old) group, had elevated vitamin E levels at 0, 2, and 24 hours after PGF2α. At 2 and 24 hours after PGF2α, the aging ovaries had lower glutathione reductase levels. Conclusion(s) These data suggest that the reproductive aging ovary has a transformed oxidative stress defense profile and that this may account for some of the physiological changes found in reproductive aging.
Molecular Cloning of the fur Gene from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans

In several bacterial species, iron availability in host tissues is coordinated with the expression of virulence determinants through the fur gene product. Initial experiments showed that a cloned Escherichia coli fur gene probe hybridized to Southern blots of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans strain JP2 (serotype b) chromosomal DNA. The A. actinomycetemcomitans fur gene was then cloned utilizing partial functional complementation of the fur mutant in E. coli strain H1780. Analysis of the cloned DNA sequence revealed a 438-bp open reading frame with a deduced 146-amino-acid sequence exhibiting 80% identity to Haemophilus influenzae Fur and 62% identity to E. coli Fur. The pUC Aafur gene probe (generated from JP2 serotype b) hybridized to representatives from all five A. actinomycetemcomitans serotypes as well as to two strains derived from monkeys, suggesting that fur is widely distributed in A. actinomycetemcomitans. Open reading frames having >70% identity with the E. coli and H. influenzae flavodoxin and gyrase A genes, respectively, were found. Expression of the A. actinomycetemcomitans fur gene product repressed fiu expression and siderophore production in E. coli. A gel shift assay demonstrated that the expressed A. actinomycetemcomitans Fur protein bound the bacterial fur consensus sequence. Further characterization of the fur gene product in A. actinomycetemcomitans may improve our understanding of its role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease and may lead to specific therapeutic modalities.
Characterization of atmospheric pollution by means of stochastic indicator parameters

Deriving indicator parameters for determining regions at risk and reducing uncertainties is an important part of atmospheric pollution characterization. In this paper we introduce regional indicator parameters that characterize contamination levels by means of stochastic analysis. The expressions obtained are general, and can be used for different types and distributions of pollutant concentrations. We calculate indicator parameters that represent excess contamination above a threshold level specified by the environmental standards, and we study certain scaling properties of the level-crossing contours. Regional indicator parameters are expressed in terms of the pollutant probability distribution, and are calculated explicitly for specific cases. Certain properties of the indicator parameters related to scale effects are also discussed. An application involving a sulfate deposition data set is discussed, which provides valuable insight regarding stochastic indicator parameters and their importance in environmental policy and decision making.
Transglutaminase 2, a Novel Regulator of Eicosanoid Production in Asthma Revealed by Genome-Wide Expression Profiling of Distinct Asthma Phenotypes

Background A frequent manifestation of asthma, exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), occurs in 30-50% of asthmatics and is characterized by increased release of inflammatory eicosanoids. The objective of this study was to identify genes differentially expressed in EIB and to understand the function of these genes in the biology of asthma. Methodology/principal findings Genome-wide expression profiling of airway leukocytes and epithelial cells obtained by induced sputum was conducted in two groups of subjects with asthma with and without EIB (n = 7 per group), at baseline and following exercise challenge. Based on the results of the gene expression study, additional comparisons were made with a normal control group (n = 10). Localization studies were conducted on epithelial brushings and biopsies from an additional group of asthmatics with EIB (n = 3). Genes related to epithelial repair and mast cell infiltration including beta-tryptase and carboxypeptidase A3 were upregulated by exercise challenge in the asthma group with EIB. A gene novel to asthma pathogenesis, transglutaminase 2 (TGM2), was the most differentially expressed at baseline between the groups. In vivo studies confirmed the increased expression of TGM2 in airway cells and airway lining fluid, and demonstrate that TGM2 is avidly expressed in the asthmatic airway epithelium. In vitro studies using recombinant human enzymes reveal that TGM2 augments the enzymatic activity of secreted phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) group X (sPLA(2)-X), an enzyme recently implicated in asthma pathogenesis. Conclusions/significance This study found that TGM2, a mediator that is novel to asthma pathogenesis, is overexpressed in asthmatic airways and functions to increase sPLA(2)-X enzymatic activity. Since PLA(2) serves as the first rate-limiting step leading to eicosanoid formation, these results suggest that TGM2 may be a key initiator of the airway inflammatory cascade in asthma.
Comments on ``Radiocarbon: Short-term variations'' by M.S. Baxter and J.G. Farmer

Comments on Baxter and Farmer's (1973) point about the latitudinal and altitudinal variations of carbon-14 level are offered. (WDM)
Policy implications of modelling of the AIDS epidemic

Health policy issues associated with AIDS are complex and controversial, including health care, research priorities, education, testing and confidentiality. Modelling may provide information relevant to their solution. Estimates of the future numbers of symptomatic persons and of the mix of severity are necessary for developing the capability to provide and fund health care services. Models may suggest other data needs and research directions. An important policy role of models is to permit evaluation of potential intervention steps and especially to project negative consequences. The critical contribution of models will be improved understanding of the dynamics of the AIDS epidemic.
Transcriptional analysis of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity

Doxorubicin is an effective chemotherapeutic agent against a broad range of tumors. However, a threshold dose of doxorubicin causes an unacceptably high incidence of heart failure and limits its cl...
Informed consent for abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: assessing variations in surgeon opinion through a national survey.

Objective Informed consent discussions for elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair should reflect appropriate risks of the open or endovascular repair (EVAR), but few guidelines exist describing what surgeons should discuss. This study examines expert opinion regarding what constitutes informed consent. Methods Design. We conducted an anonymous, web-based, national survey of vascular surgeons. Associations between surgeon characteristics and opinions regarding informed consent were measured using bivariate statistics; multivariable logistic regression was performed to estimate effects adjusted for covariates. Setting. Academic and private practice surgeons were surveyed. Subjects. United States members of the International Society for Vascular Surgery membership. Main Outcome Measure. Surgeons' self-reported opinions regarding the content of informed consent for AAA repair. Results A total of 199 surgeons completed the survey (response rate 51%). More than 90% of respondents reported that it was essential to discuss mortality risk for both procedures. However, only 60% and 30% of respondents reported that it was essential to discuss the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, respectively. Opinions varied by procedure regarding the risks of impotence (32% vs 62%; EVAR vs open repair), reintervention (78% vs 17%), and rupture during long-term follow-up (57% vs 17%). Younger and private practice surgeons were more likely to discuss complications compared with older surgeons and those in academic practice. Surgeons who perform predominantly EVAR were more likely to quote higher mortality rates for open repair (odds ration [OR] = 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4-6.4) and lower reintervention rates for EVAR (OR = 0.3, 95% CI=0.1-0.7) compared with other surgeons. Conclusions This is the first study of the practice of informed consent for AAA repair. The only risk that the vast majority of surgeons agreed should be included in informed consent for AAA repair was mortality. Significant variation exists regarding whether other complications should be discussed and what complication rates should be quoted. Surgeon characteristics may influence how risks are presented to patients. Further efforts are needed to develop guidelines to ensure consistent communication of appropriate risk during informed consent for AAA repair.
Prevalence of hereditary breast/ovarian carcinoma risk in patients with a personal history of breast or ovarian carcinoma in a mammography population.

BACKGROUND Identifying BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers is increasingly important as new management options show promise in decreasing morbidity and mortality in these women. The authors sought to determine the prevalence of family histories suggestive of a hereditary breast carcinoma syndrome in a cohort of patients with a personal history of breast and/or ovarian carcinoma presenting for mammography. METHODS The authors reviewed the family histories of all women with a history of breast or ovarian carcinoma presenting for mammography over a 37-week period. Using the Myriad model, the authors evaluated the prevalence of family histories with a ≥ 10% risk of a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. RESULTS During the period of the current study, 14,597 women completed a family history questionnaire. Of these women, 1764 had a personal history of breast or ovarian carcinoma, 86.6% had unilateral breast carcinoma, 4.6% had bilateral breast carcinoma, 8.2% had ovarian carcinoma, and 0.5% had both breast and ovarian carcinoma. Overall, 20.6% met the criteria for a ≥ 10% risk of mutation according to the Myriad model. This incidence was higher among Ashkenazi women (47.3%) and among patients with a personal history of ovarian carcinoma (35.9%). CONCLUSIONS Application of the Myriad model to women with a personal history of breast and ovarian carcinoma suggested that approximately 1 in 5 of these women (20.6%) will have family histories suspicious for a genetic mutation. This risk was higher for Ashkenazi women and for those with a personal history of ovarian carcinoma. This prevalence was considerably higher than the rate reported among women with no personal history of cancer, and has significant implications for their management, as well as for the capacity for risk assessment and testing. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.