cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultrasonographically guided biopsy of the prostate gland.

Received October 30, 2000, from the Department of Urology, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio. Revised manuscript accepted for publication November 27, 2000. We acknowledge Lippincott Williams & Wilkins for permitting us to reprint Dr. J. E. McNeal’s original figure depicting the concept of prostate zonal anatomy. We also acknowledge Rhonda Knighton (Siemens Medical Systems, Issaquah, WA) and Carol Benson (Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA) for providing our prostate sonogram figures. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Martin I. Resnick, MD, Department of Urology, University Hospitals of Cleveland, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44106. Abbreviations BPH, benign prostatic hyperplasia; PIN, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia; PSA, prostate-specific antigen; TRUS, transrectal ultrasonography Anatomy and Histopathology
User-centric music information retrieval

The rapid growth of the Internet and the advancements of the Web technologies have made it possible for users to have access to large amounts of on-line music data, including music acoustic signals, lyrics, style/mood labels, and user-assigned tags. The progress has made music listening more fun, but has raised an issue of how to organize this data, and more generally, how computer programs can assist users in their music experience. An important subject in computer-aided music listening is music retrieval, i.e., the issue of efficiently helping users in locating the music they are looking for. Traditionally, songs were organized in a hierarchical structure such as genre->artist->album->track, to facilitate the users’ navigation. However, the intentions of the users are often hard to be captured in such a simply organized structure. The users may want to listen to music of a particular mood, style or topic; and/or any songs similar to some given music samples. This motivated us to work on user-centric music retrieval system to improve users’ satisfaction with the system. The traditional music information retrieval research was mainly concerned with classification, clustering, identification, and similarity search of acoustic data of music by way of feature extraction algorithms and machine learning techniques. More recently the music information retrieval research has focused on utilizing other types of data, such as lyrics, user-access patterns, and user-defined tags, and on targeting non-genre categories for classification, such as mood labels and styles. This dissertation focused on investigating and developing effective data mining techniques for (1) organizing and annotating music data with styles, moods and user-assigned tags; (2) performing effective analysis of music data with features from diverse information sources; and (3) recommending music songs to the users utilizing both content features and user access patterns.
Gene Delivery to Muscle

The delivery of genes to skeletal muscle by myoblast implantation, DNA injection, or viral transduction has therapeutic applications for human neuromuscular and systemic disorders, many of which are now represented by transgenic or "knockout" mouse models. This unit describes the isolation and retroviral transduction of mouse myoblasts, the injection of myoblasts and plasmid DNA into mouse muscle, and histological methods for analyzing the recipient muscle. A procedure describing the injection of plasmid DNA into muscle with or without electric charge is also included.
A Constitutional Law for the Age of Anxiety

Mephistopheles is alive and well. Those with doubts need only consult Ideals, Beliefs, Attitudes, and the Law, by Guido Calabresi. Making a deal with the devil-or "accepting the gift of the evil deity"-has become Calabresi's metaphor for the tradeoffs faced by society in regulating technological progress or allocating scarce resources. A society which permits the use of automobiles, to take a familiar example, "accepts" the cost of many thousands of accident deaths per year.' The diabolic metaphor is also associated with the legal and political subterfuges through which society shields its members from the fact that it is willing to pay the human price for those benefits which make life easier or more pleasant for its remaining members. In this book, Calabresi pursues these themes into the field of constitutional law, where trade-offs are more often expressed in conceptual than material terms. With respect to thorny issues such as affirmative action or campaign spending, embracing one constitutional value seems to threaten the rejection of another. Yet far from giving the devil his due, Calabresi seems intent on denying him his place in the machinery of constitutional choice. Taking the example of abortion, which one would assume to be among the most intransigent examples of value conflict, Calabresi argues that constitutional decisions can be made in ways which avoid the sacrifice of either competing value (pp. 98-114). This result, moreover, appears to be achieved without reliance on the type of subter-
An Agent-Based Model of the Spread of Devil Facial Tumor Disease in an Isolated Population of Tasmanian Devils

The Tasmanian devil population is being reduced in the wild at an alarming rate due to an epidemic, which is the result of an unusual disease mechanism. Infected animals "inject" cancer cells into other devils, which then clone the cells, developing tumors. These tumors are invariably fatal. Field observers have developed hypotheses that include a life-history change for the species. It is hypothesized that this change has the potential to improve the population's survivability. An agent-based model of Tasmanian devils is used to evaluate these hypotheses. The model results suggest that the devils' intra-gender aggression as well as their aggressive mating practices render the life-history change hypotheses' correctness improbable.
Pervasive Effects of Wildfire on Foliar Endophyte Communities in Montane Forest Trees

Plants in all terrestrial ecosystems form symbioses with endophytic fungi that inhabit their healthy tissues. How these foliar endophytes respond to wildfires has not been studied previously, but is important given the increasing frequency and intensity of severe wildfires in many ecosystems, and because endophytes can influence plant growth and responses to stress. The goal of this study was to examine effects of severe wildfires on endophyte communities in forest trees, with a focus on traditionally fire-dominated, montane ecosystems in the southwestern USA. We evaluated the abundance, diversity, and composition of endophytes in foliage of Juniperus deppeana (Cupressaceae) and Quercus spp. (Fagaceae) collected contemporaneously from areas affected by recent wildfire and paired areas not affected by recent fire. Study sites spanned four mountain ranges in central and southern Arizona. Our results revealed significant effects of fires on endophyte communities, including decreases in isolation frequency, increases in diversity, and shifts in community structure and taxonomic composition among endophytes of trees affected by recent fires. Responses to fire were similar in endophytes of each host in these fire-dominated ecosystems and reflect regional fire-return intervals, with endophytes after fire representing subsets of the regional mycoflora. Together, these findings contribute to an emerging perspective on the responses of diverse communities to severe fire, and highlight the importance of considering fire history when estimating endophyte diversity and community structure for focal biomes.
On the multi-soliton solutions of some nonlinear evolution equations

The paper applies the Hirota method (1972) to obtain multisoliton solutions of important nonlinear evolution equations and to study the interaction of the solitons. The equations for the coupling between high frequency electron plasma oscillations and associated low frequency ion density perturbations are considered assuming cold ions, small ion density perturbations, and a linear relationship. The scattering equations have not been derived, but it is expected that the scattering matrix will be larger than 3 x 3. The 3 x 3 scattering matrix proposed by Ablowitz and Haberman (1975) can be readily extended to higher orders.
Search space reductions for nearest-neighbor queries

The vast number of applications featuring multimedia and geometric data has made the R-tree a ubiquitous data structure in databases. A popular and fundamental operation on R-trees is nearest neighbor search. While nearest neighbor on R-trees has received considerable experimental attention, it has received somewhat less theoretical consideration. We study pruning heuristics for nearest neighbor queries on R-trees. Our primary result is the construction of non-trivial families of R-trees where k-nearest neighbor queries based on pessimistic (i.e. min-max) distance estimates provide exponential speedup over queries based solely on optimistic (i.e. min) distance estimates. The exponential speedup holds even when k = 1. This result provides strong theoretical evidence that min-max distance heuristics are an essential component to depth-first nearest-neighbor queries. In light of this, we also consider the time-space tradeoffs of depth-first versus best-first nearest neighbor queries and construct a family of R-trees where best-first search performs exponentially better than depth-first search even when depth-first employs min-max distance heuristics.
Can energetic expenditure be minimized by performing activity intermittently

Previous research has shown that the energetic expense per unit distance traveled for one bout of short-duration activity is much greater than the energetic expense associated with long-duration activity. However, animals are often seen moving intermittently, with these behaviors characterized by brief bouts of activity interspersed with brief pauses. We hypothesized that, when multiple bouts of brief activity are performed intermittently, the energetic cost per unit distance is less than when only one short bout is performed. Mice were run 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 or 13 times for 15 s at their maximal speed within a 375 s period while enclosed in an open-flow respirometry system on a treadmill. The mice were also run continuously for 375 s. Following the last sprint and the continuous run, the mice remained in the respirometry chamber until their vO2 reached resting levels. Excess exercise oxygen consumption (EEOC), the excess volume of oxygen consumed during the exercise period, increased from 0.03+/-0.01 to 0.40+/-0.02 ml O2g(-)(1) (mean +/- s.e.m., N=9) with activity frequency. However, the excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), or volume of oxygen consumed during the recovery period, was independent of activity frequency (range 0.91-1.16 ml O2g(-)(1)) and accounted for more than 80 % of the total metabolic cost when activity was performed intermittently. Lactate concentration was measured at rest, immediately after running and immediately after recovering from running 1, 5 and 13 times within the 375 s period. After running, [lactate] was significantly higher than resting values, but following recovery, [lactate] had reached resting values. The net cost of activity, C(act), calculated by summing EEOC and EPOC and then dividing by the distance run, decreased significantly from 132+/-38 to 6+/-1 ml O2g(-)(1 )km(-)(1) as activity frequency increased. When these values for C(act) were compared with the cost of running continuously for the same amount of time, the values were identical. Therefore, we conclude that animals can minimize energetic expenditure by performing brief behaviors more frequently, just as they can minimize these costs if they increase the duration of continuous behaviors.
Describing a solid with the three-dimensional skeleton

The three-dimensional (3D) skeleton is developed as a geometric modeling tool. The relationship of the Voronoi diagram to the skeleton is exploited to produce a new 3D skeleton algorithm. This algorithm has several substantial advantages over existing 3D skeleton computation techniques. For instance, the resulting skeleton is a graph that contains coordinate and disk radius information sufficient for exact regeneration, yet it is also amenable to graphical display and further analysis. The resulting skeleton is also homotopically equivalent to the original shape. It is based on the Euclidean metric and requires only a discrete sample set of the shape boundary as input. The new algorithm also reveals deficiencies in the underlying theory of the 3D skeleton. The process of removing these deficiencies leads to the discovery of a new general relationship between local skeleton structure and boundary features which is then exploited to classify and simplify the skeleton.
DNA Interaction and Dimerization of Eukaryotic SMC Hinge Domains

The eukaryotic SMC1/SMC3 heterodimer is essential for sister chromatid cohesion and acts in DNA repair and recombination. Dimerization depends on the central hinge domain present in all SMC proteins, which is flanked at each side by extended coiled-coil regions that terminate in specific globular domains. Here we report on DNA interactions of the eukaryotic, heterodimeric SMC1/SMC3 hinge regions, using the two known isoforms, SMC1α/SMC3 and the meiotic SMC1β/SMC3. Both dimers bind DNA with a preference for double-stranded DNA and DNA rich in potential secondary structures. Both dimers form large protein-DNA networks and promote reannealing of complementary DNA strands. DNA binding but not dimerization depends on approximately 20 amino acids of transitional sequence into the coiled-coil region. Replacement of three highly conserved glycine residues, thought to be required for dimerization, in one of the two hinge domains still allows formation of a stable dimer, but if two hinge domains are mutated dimerization fails. Single-mutant dimers bind DNA, but hinge monomers do not. Together, we show that eukaryotic hinge dimerization does not require conserved glycines in both hinge domains, that only the transition into the coiled-coil region rather than the entire coiled-coil region is necessary for DNA binding, and that dimerization is required but not sufficient for DNA binding of the eukaryotic hinge heterodimer.
Quantitative Bacteriology of Amniotic Fluid from Women with Clinical Intraamniotic Infection at Term

Amniotic fluid was collected through an intrauterine catheter from 52 women with clinical intraamniotic infection and from 52 uninfected matched control women. The amniotic fluid was cultured quantitatively for anaerobes and aerobes. Patients with intraamniotic infection were matched with the control women on the basis of gestational age, interval from membrane rupture to specimen collection, and interval from membrane rupture to delivery. The patients with intraamniotic infection had a significantly higher mean temperature (38.4 vs. 37.1 C) and a higher mean leukocyte count (15,740 vs. 11,740 cells/mm3). In 80.6% of specimens from the women with intraamniotic infection and 30.8% of those from the control subjects, greater than or equal to 10(2) colony-forming units (cfu)/ml were isolated from the amniotic fluid (P less than 0.001). Also, in 69.2% of the former and 7.7% of the latter, there were greater than or equal to 10(2) cfu of isolates considered to be "high-virulence" isolates/ml (P less than 0.001).
Designing Concrete EDS Maglev Guideways: Power Losses in Metallic Reinforcement

Conventional reinforced concrete designs will have to be altered when designing a guideway for a maglev using an electrodynamically suspended (EDS) propulsion system. This type of propulsion system generates large magnetic fields that will develop magnetically induced, circulating eddy currents in any conventional steel reinforcement in close proximity to the magnets. These eddy currents, if large enough, may produce significant power losses that could adversely effect operation of the system. This paper presents a method and explanation for civil engineers to use for estimating the power losses due to the presence of metallic reinforcement. This procedure may be used to help guide future designs in the selection and placement of reinforcing material.
Multipolar Raman and chiral plasmon on gold nano-dumbbell

We report polarization resolved Raman scattering studies on TEM characterized individual gold nanosphere dimers, and provide a detailed analysis of the electronic response of the nantenna and SERS of its molecular load.
Long‐term cyclosporine pharmacokinetic changes in renal transplant recipients: Effects of binding and metabolism

Sequential changes in the pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine (CsA) and metabolites M1, M17, and M21 were determined, 1, 3, and 12 weeks after initiation of CsA therapy in 21 renal transplant recipients. Concentrations of CsA and its metabolites were measured by HPLC. The dose-adjusted AUC (AUCSS tau) and 24-hour trough (C24trough) level of CsA and the metabolites increased significantly during the study period. However, there was no change in the AUCSS tau ratio of each of the metabolites to that of CsA, suggesting that CsA metabolism did not change. However, the factors that alter the binding and distribution of CsA (i.e., hematocrit, plasma proteins, and lipoproteins) showed a significant rise during the study period, and the rise correlated well with the observed changes in AUCSS tau and C24trough. Thus alterations in the distribution and binding of CsA and its metabolites in blood, rather than reduction in the metabolism of CsA, may explain changes in CsA pharmacokinetics over time.
Using hospital claim data to monitor surgical site infections for inpatient procedures

Background To facilitate surveillance for surgical site infections, alternative screening models developed on the basis of postoperative antimicrobial dispenses and discharge diagnosis have demonstrated robust performance for identifying possible infections. Interest remains on using such models to extrapolate and monitor secular trend of infection rates. Objectives Our objective was to evaluate the feasibility of monitoring surgical site infection rates for coronary bypass graft and craniotomy procedures using information extracted from a hospital claim database. Methods We used retrospective cohort study that included adult patients (age ≥18 years) undergoing coronary bypass graft or craniotomy procedures between January 2003 and June 2006. The alternative screening model for case identification was developed using procedures performed in year 2005. The model used up to 5 criteria including postoperative antimicrobial dispenses, discharge diagnosis suggesting a postoperative complication, and/or postoperative follow-up inpatient visits within 60 days from the surgery. The sensitivity and positive predictive values for the screening models were calculated by comparing with the infection status determined in the traditional surveillance using the former National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance definitions. Surgical site infection rates during the study period were extrapolated and compared with those obtained from the traditional surveillance. Results The alternative screening model had a sensitivity of 81.1% and 82.9% to detect surgical site infections following coronary bypass graft and craniotomy procedures, respectively. The surgical site infection rates per 100 procedures extrapolated from the model were 8.6 for coronary bypass graft procedure and 3.4 for craniotomy procedure. These rates were comparable with those determined by the traditional surveillance (8.8 for coronary bypass graft; 2.7 for craniotomy). Conclusion Claim data obtained from a hospital database have potential to facilitate surveillance for surgical site infections following inpatient coronary bypass graft and craniotomy procedures.
Animating visible speech and facial expressions

We present four techniques for modeling and animating faces starting from a set of morph targets. The first technique involves obtaining parameters to control individual facial components and learning the mapping from one type of parameter to another through machine learning techniques. The second technique is to fuse visible speech and facial expressions in the lower part of a face. The third technique combines coarticulation rules and kernel smoothing techniques. Finally, a new 3D tongue model with flexible and intuitive skeleton controls is presented. The results of eight animated character models demonstrate that these techniques are powerful and effective.
Bridging to Transplant With Fully Implantable Biventricular Assist Devices vs. Total Artificial Heart Implantation in Patients With Advanced Biventricular Failure

Outcomes of Patients Receiving Temporary Circulatory Support Prior to Durable LVAD P. Shah ,1 F.D. Pagani,2 S.S. Desai,3 N.A. Burton,4 S. Maltais,5 N.A. Haglund,6 S.M. Dunlay,7 K.D. Aaronson,8 J.M. Stulak,9 M. Davis,5 C. Salerno,10 J.A. Cowger.11 1Inova Translational Medicine Institute, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA; 2Cardiac Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; 3Heart Failure and Transplantation, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA; 4Cardiac Surgery, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church, VA; 5Cardiac Surgery, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; 6Heart Failure and Transplantation, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; 7Heart Failure and Transplantation, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; 8Heart Failure and Transplantation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; 9Cardiac Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; 10Cardiac Surgery, St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana, Carmel, IN; 11Heart Failure and Transplant, St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana, Carmel, IN.
Myristoylation Restricts Orientation of GRASP on Membranes and is Critical for Membrane Tethering

Mammalian Golgi Reassembly and Stacking Proteins (GRASP) self-interact to organize the Golgi apparatus into an elongated membrane network. Localized at the surfaces of apposed membranes by simultaneous binding of a Golgi-associated protein and insertion of an N-terminal myristate, GRASP proteins tether bilayers through trans complexes. We investigated the mechanism that drives trans pairing, given that unproductive cis interactions within a single membrane are otherwise favored. We established an assay that quantifies GRASP-dependent membrane tethering in vitro and used neutron reflection to determine the structure of the GRASP/membrane complex. In the assay, we substituted a C-terminal His-tag interaction with Ni2+-NTA-functionalized lipid for the normal protein-mediated membrane contact. Hence, fluorescent, NTA-labeled liposomes binds to NTA-doped sparsely-tethered lipid bilayer membranes (stBLMs [1]) only if the added GRASP construct formed trans complexes between the two. While Ni2+ chelation was sufficient to bind non-myristoylated GRASP to membranes, myristoylation increased GRASP tethering efficiency significantly. Neutron reflection showed that non-myristoylated GRASP exhibited no preferential orientation on stBLMs. In contrast, the tethering-competent myristoylated GRASP exhibited a specific orientation, deduced using the GRASP crystal structure [2]. From these neutron results, a model for surface-ligated GRASP could be derived, and docking studies suggest a structure of the membrane-tethering GRASP complex. These results indicate that myristoylation restricts the orientation of GRASP to favor trans complexes for membrane tethering.References[1] McGillivray et al., Biointerfaces 2 (2007), 21.[2] Truschel et al., J. Biol. Chem. 286 (2011), 20125.
On maps preserving zeros of Lie polynomials of small degrees

We describe maps preserving zeros of multilinear Lie polynomials of degrees 3 and 4 on prime algebras and matrices over unital algebras. In particular, our theorems generalize several results related to commutativity preserving maps.
Combined informatic and expression screen identifies the novel DAF-16 target HLH-13

Insulin/IGF-signaling (IIS) affects longevity, stress resistance and metabolism in worms, flies, and mammals. The Forkhead transcription factor DAF-16/FOXO is the major downstream effector of IIS and is responsible for the activation and repression of genes that mediate the diverse effects of IIS. We surveyed a set of informatically predicted conserved DAF-16/FOXO target genes and identified the novel DAF-16 direct target hlh-13. hlh-13 is the predicted homolog of the mammalian transcription factor Ptf1a, a critical determinant of pancreatic development. We found that an hlh-13 mutant exits L1 arrest and IIS-dependent dauer diapause faster than control worms, but is not involved in lifespan or resistance to a variety of stresses. Our results have identified a novel DAF-16 target gene and linked its function to known outputs of IIS. Considering the high conservation of IIS in diverse species, our results also hint at an intriguing connection of IIS and Ptf1a in mammals.
NETWORK DESIGN PRINCIPLES FROM THE SEA URCHIN EMBRYO

As gene regulatory network models encompass more and more of the specification processes underlying sea urchin embryonic development, topological themes emerge that imply the existence of structural network ‘building blocks’. These are subcircuits which perform given logic operations in the spatial control of gene expression. The various parts of the sea urchin gene regulatory networks offer instances of the same subcircuit topologies accomplishing the same developmental logic functions but using different genes. These subcircuits are dedicated to specific developmental functions, unlike simpler ‘motifs’, and may indicate a repertoire of specific devices of which developmental gene regulatory networks are composed.
Diffuse aneurysmal disease – A review

Abstract Aneurysmal disease in isolated vascular territories such as the aorto-iliac, cerebral, and peripheral systems is a well-described and frequent phenomenon. However, there is a paucity of literature addressing diffuse aneurysmal disease, a clinical entity involving simultaneous aneurysmal changes in multiple vascular territories. We present an illustrative case of a patient discovered to have aneurysmal disease in the aortic, peripheral, cerebral, and coronary vascular territories and review the available literature. We use this case to share insights into the diagnosis and management of this condition, and also to propose a rational diagnostic approach for similar patients.
Lipid and glycolipid antigens of CD1d-restricted natural killer T cells.

Abstract In spite of their relatively limited antigen receptor repertoire, CD1d-restricted NKT cells recognize a surprisingly diverse range of lipid and glycolipid antigens. Recent studies of natural and synthetic CD1d-presented antigens provide an increasingly detailed picture of how the specific structural features of these lipids and glycolipids influence their ability to be presented to NKT cells and stimulate their diverse immunologic functions. Particularly for synthetic analogues of α-galactosylceramides which have been the focus of intense recent investigation, it is becoming clear that the design of glycolipid antigens with the ability to precisely control the specific immunologic activities of NKT cells is likely to be feasible. The emerging details of the mechanisms underlying the structure–activity relationship of NKT cell antigens will assist greatly in the design and production of immunomodulatory agents for the precise manipulation of NKT cells and the many other components of the immune system that they influence.
Altered contractile properties of the gastrocnemius muscle poststroke.

Spasticity, contracture and muscle weakness often occur together poststroke and cause considerable motor impairments to stroke survivors. The underlying changes in contractile properties of muscle ...
Regulation of plasma levels of aldosterone and its metabolites during the latent period of aldosterone

Abstract Castration of male rats led to both increased biliary excretion of aldosterone metabolites and clearance of aldosterone radiometabolites from the plasma at rates similar to those of intact females and the elimination of the previously observed sex-dependence of these processes. Ovariectomy of female rats did not cause any effects in these processes. Treatment of both castrated male and ovariectomized female rats with testosterone reintroduced the sex-dependence so that the radiometabolites of aldosterone were cleared from the plasma and excreted via the bile of these animals at a slower rate typical of males. These findings suggest that the presence of androgens plays a major role in regulating the routes of hepatic metabolism of aldosterone, the subsequent rates of excretion of aldosterone metabolites via the bile and hence the concentration of aldosterone and the composition of the metabolites of aldosterone attained in the plasma during the latent period of the hormone. Hypophysectomy of femalerats significantly altered both the biliary excretion of aldosterone metabolites and the clearance from the plasma of aldosterone metabolites to rates typically observed in males. However, hypophysectomy of male rats did not cause changes in either of these two processes. These findings suggest that the presence of an intact pituitary is required for the sex-dependence of these processes in rats.
Tissue partitioning of cadmium in transgenic tobacco seedlings and field grown plants expressing the mouse metallothionein I gene.

Since agricultural crops contribute >70% of human cadmium (Cd) intake, modification of crops to reduce accumulation of this pollutant metal during plant growth is desirable. Here we describe Cd accumulation characteristics of seedlings and field grown tobacco plants expressing the Cd-chelating protein, mouse metallothionein I. The objective of the transformation is to entrap Cd in roots as Cd-metallothionein and thereby reduce its accumulation in the shoot. Transformed and control seedlings were exposed for 15 days in liquid culture at a field soil-solution-like Cd concentration of 0.02 μm. Transformed seedlings ofNicotiana tabacum cultivar KY 14 contained about 24% lower Cd concentration in shoots and about 5% higher Cd concentration in roots than control seedlings. Dry weights of transformed and control tissues did not differ significantly. In the field in 1990, mature transformedN. tabacum cv. KY 14 plants exposed only to endogenous soil Cd contained about 14% lower leaf lamina Cd concentration than did controls. Differences were significant at thep≤0.1 level in 13 of 16 leaf positions. Leaf dry weight did not differ significantly but transformed field plants had 12% fewer leaves and were 9% shorter than the controls. Copper (Cu) concentration was significantly higher (ca10%) in the bottom nine leaf positions of transformed plants suggesting that reduced leaf number and plant height may be due to Cu deficiency or toxicity. Alternatively, somaclonal variation or gene position effects may be involved. No differences were found in zinc levels. WithN. tabacum cv. Petit Havana, transformed seedlings contained no less Cd in shoots but 48% higher Cd concentration in roots. However, dry weights of shoots and roots of transformed seedlings were 25% and 26%, respectively, greater than in controls. In the field, transformed and control plants of this cultivar showed little significant differences in leaf Cd content, plant height or leaf number. Although comparison of additional metallothionein-expressing tobaccos and other plants is needed, results obtained with cultivar KY 14 support the hypothesis that sequestration of Cd in roots as Cd-metallothionein may have potential for reducing Cd content of above root tissues of certain plants.
Chlorine Isotope Fractionation during Microbial Reduction of Perchlorate

Perchlorate contamination of surface water and groundwater is an emerging public health problem that has adversely affected the drinking water supplies of millions of people in the western United States. Microbial reduction has shown promise as a cost-effective means for in situ bioremediation of perchlorate-contaminated water. Measurements of stable isotope ratios of light elements (H, C, N, O, S, Cl) can often be used to distinguish biodegradation of organic and inorganic molecules from abiotic loss mechanisms such as adsorption, dispersion, or volatilization because of the relatively large kinetic isotope effects accompanying biodegradation. We quantified chlorine isotope fractionation during perchlorate biodegradation by a common perchlorate-reducing bacterium, Dechlorosoma suillum, initially isolated from a perchlorate-contaminated groundwater source in southern California. The values of the chlorine isotopic fractionation factor α derived from two microcosm experiments were α = 0.9834 ± 0.0001 (R 2 ...
Computer-assisted bijectification of Franel's recurrence

We show how to automatically translate algebraic proofs into bijective proofs. As an example, we bijectify Franel's recurrence relation on the sum of the cubes of the binomial coefficients.
The effect of lung stretch during sleep on airway mechanics in overweight and obese asthma

Abstract Both obesity and sleep reduce lung volume and limit deep breaths, possibly contributing to asthma. We hypothesize that increasing lung volume dynamically during sleep would reduce airway resistance in asthma. Asthma (n = 10) and control (n = 10) subjects were studied during sleep at baseline and with increased lung volume via bi-level positive airway pressure (BPAP). Using forced oscillations, respiratory system resistance (Rrs) and reactance (Xrs) were measured during sleep and Rrs was partitioned to upper and lower airway resistance (Rup, Rlow) using an epiglottic pressure catheter. Rrs and Rup increased with sleep (p
True ectopic ovary: a case and review.

Introduction Ectopic ovarian tissue is a rare gynecologic problem. The nomenclature and classification systems are unclear and still debated.
Spectral changes of Tb3+ fluorescence in borosilicate glasses

Abstract A remarkable spectral change in the Tb 3+ fluorescence has been found for borosilicate glasses prepared by a sol–gel method. The Tb 3+ fluorescence color changed from green to yellow or red after calcination, suggesting that the crystal field acting on Tb 3+ become very strong. XPS analysis of the samples revealed this spectral change was related to boron loss during the heat treatment.
Determinants of heat shock-induced chromosome puffing

Modified Drosophila heat shock genes were introduced into the germ line by P element transformation. The genes were altered such that several factors could be tested for their influence upon chromosome puffing. Deletion of promoter sequences upstream of position -73 of an hsp70-IacZ hybrid gene was sufficient to abolish puffing. Analysis of progressive 5' deletions defines a 16 bp interval that contains sequences required for both heat-induced puffing and gene expression. An internal deletion of the hsp70-IacZ gene that reduces the transcript size from 9 kb to 0.8 kb results in a dramatic reduction in puff size. The chromosomal insertion sites of 26 variant hsp70 or hsp26 genes fail to influence puffing greatly with one marked exception. This transformant possesses an insert that fails to puff and exhibits a tissue-restricted pattern of expression. These results indicate that variation in either promoter strength or transcript length have profound effects on puffing.
The synthesis and characterization of a technetium(III) isodiazene complex. The X-ray crystal structure of [TcCl3(N=NPh2) (PPh3)2]

Abstract The reaction of the Te(V) complex (Bu 4 N)[TcOCl 4 ] with excess Ph 2 NNH 2 ·HCl and PPh 3 in refluxing MeOH yields [TcCl 3 (N=NPh 2 )(PPh 3 ) 2 ]. The IR spectrum of the crystalline product shows a medium intensity band at 1092 cm −1 , which is assigned to v (Tc=N) from the isodiazene core. The FAB(+) mass spectrum shows the protonated parent ion of 914 m / z and the peak associated with the loss of a chloride from the parent ion of 878 m/z . The octahedral, Tc(III) complex is paramagnetic, with no signals observed in the 1 H NMR spectrum. The X-ray crystal structure shows the mutually trans triphenyl-phosphine ligands with the isodiazene and chloride ligands in the equatorial plane. The TcN bond length is 1.738(4) A while the NN is 1.300(5) A, which is consistent with the multiple bonding expected for the linearly bonded isodiazene ligand. The TcNN bond angle of 175.6(3)° reflects the sp hybridization of the isodiazene-α-nitrogen atom. The coordination geometry of this complex is a distorted octahedron. Crystal data for C 50 H 44 Cl 7 N 2 P 2 Tc: monoclinic space group P2 1 n , a = 10.1294(1), b = 26.0792(3), c = 18.8147(3) A , β = 98.814(1)°, V = 4911.52(11) A 3 , with D calc = 1.462 g cm. Structure solution based on 6962 unique reflections converged at R = 0.0513 for (1>2 σ (1)); GOF = 1.33.
Primary and specialty medical care among ethnically diverse, older rural adults with type 2 diabetes: the ELDER Diabetes Study.

Approximately 18 million Americans have diabetes,1 and the prevalence of diabetes has increased dramatically in recent years.2 Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States,3 and health care spending for people with diabetes is more than double that of people without diabetes.4 Direct and indirect costs associated with diabetes exceed $130 billion annually.4 Rates of diabetes and diabetes-related complications are particularly high among older adults, ethnic minority groups (African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics), and people of low socioeconomic status.1 Diabetes places a tremendous health burden on patients with this disease, increasing the risk of major complications such as retinopathy, end-stage renal disease, cardiovascular disease, and lower-extremity amputation.5 Interaction with primary and specialty health care providers is an important component of reducing the risk of complications among people with diabetes. This interaction is necessary to detect disease prior to the onset of signs and symptoms, to monitor glycemia, retinopathy, blood pressure and cholesterol control, and to make appropriate medication adjustments.6 Evidence suggests that ethnic and gender disparities exist for access and utilization of health care in general,7 and for diabetes care and diabetes treatment outcomes.8,9 Ethnic minorities in rural communities may be at additional risk for inadequate health care due to significant barriers that exist in rural communities (eg, lack of public transportation, low physician/patient ratio).10,11 This lack of access and utilization of health care may in part explain the high rates of diabetes-related morbidity and mortality among ethnic minorities compared to whites. There are few studies documenting utilization of health care among rural older adults with diabetes. This paper examines the utilization of primary and specialty health care among older rural adults with type 2 diabetes. Particular attention is paid to gender and ethnic differences in utilization patterns in this population.
Lipid biosynthesis in rat-liver slices: Effects of ions, ATP and substrate concentration on glycerol incorporation

Abstract The effects of ionic composition and substrate concentration on the metabolism of glycerol by rat-liver slices have been investigated. Of the ions tested, HCO3− decreased incorporation into lipid but had little effect on incorporation into glycogen. Ca2+ stimulated incorporation into lipid. ATP and related nucleotides decreased this incorporation in Krebs-Ringer solution buffered with Tris or phosphate but increased it in the presence of HCO3−. Inclusion of either HCO3− or ATP in the incubation medium resulted in an increased percentage of label in the acidic lipid fraction. At saturating substrate concentrations, more label appeared in lecithin and less in neutral lipids than at tracer concentrations. The results indicate that changes in ionic composition or substrate concentration within physiological limits can alter metabolic patterns observed in isolated tissues, and suggest that such parameters may be important in the regulation of lipid metabolism in vivo.
Initial observations of low‐frequency magnetic fluctuations in the Martian ionosphere

[1] Using Mars Global Surveyor magnetometer/electron reflectometer measurements, we report initial observations of low-frequency magnetic fluctuations in the Martian ionosphere. We find that the waves have dominant frequencies between 0.01 and 1 Hz and are observed both close to and far from crustal magnetic fields. These waves are possibly related to magnetosonic perturbations produced at higher altitudes in the Mars–solar wind interaction. These fluctuations have implications for understanding the physics of the ionosphere and potentially could also help characterize electromagnetically active atmospheric phenomena such as dust devils and dust storms. The presence of such fluctuations in the Martian ionosphere is also an indication of the plausibility of using low-frequency electromagnetic methods, such as the magnetotelluric technique, to probe the deep subsurface. One potential result of such an investigation would be the identification of any subsurface liquid water that might be present within the first several hundred meters to the first few kilometers of the subsurface.
A nanosecond optical parametric generator/amplifier seeded by an external cavity diode laser

We report on the development of an injection-seeded nanosecond optical parametric generator/amplifier (ns-OPG/OPA) that combines relatively low thresholds with good conversion efficiencies. Because there is no cavity whose optical properties must be actively controlled to match the injected radiation field, external seeding over wide ranges by CW single longitudinal mode (SLM) lasers is straightforward. The seeded ns-OPG/OPA spectral resolution (650±150 MHz) is close to the pump-limited bandwidth, and the output beam has a small angular divergence (∼0.5 mrad at 628 nm). Other properties of the seeded ns-OPG/OPA, such as the efficiency (>30%), the threshold for external seeding (∼1–3 mW), and the locking range (>20–30 cm^(−1)), are also characterized. The continuous scanning and narrow spectral bandwidth of the OPG/OPA is verified in photo-acoustic absorption experiments on the third O–H stretching overtone of water near 815 nm.
“A ‘Butte’ of a hole in Montana”

Butte Montana, located in the south-west quarter of the state, is and always has been a company town. Butte is situated on what has been called the “richest hill on earth.” The mining rights to this fabulous hill belong to the Anaconda Copper Company. By 1892 the Anaconda Company had become the world's largest producer of copper (a status it enjoyed well into the twentieth century) achieving an output of 100 million pounds. By 1978 “the company” proudly claimed that over 20 billion pounds of copper had been mined from the “richest hill on earth.” In the past Anaconda has employed approximately one-third of Buttes work force, paid 58% of the county property tax and annually pumped millions of dollars into the local business community. While it is clear that Anaconda and Butte are inextricably wed, since the early 1970's the residents of Butte have come to resent their nearly 100 year marriage of convenience to the copper giant. At present the major area of contention between “the company” and the citizens of Butte found themselves confronting the following predicament: What personal property and fiduciary rights can an ordinary citizen expect to maintain in the face of the needs and requirements of advancing industrial progress?
Epidemiology, Assessment, and Treatment of Dementia

The risk of developing dementia is associated with increasing age, lifestyle, and cardiovascular health. Alzheimer dementia is characterized by progressive cognitive deficits and decline in functional ability. Using history, examination, and laboratory testing, the clinician can evaluate the patient with dementia. Specific to these conditions are assessments of cognition, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and level of functioning. Managing neuropsychiatric symptoms is challenging and requires a team approach in which nonpharmacological strategies are preferred before medications are considered. Various diagnostic methods are being developed to discriminate disease from nondisease and track progression. Drug discovery is identifying novel molecules that target underlying disease mechanisms.
Methoxychlor accelerates embryo transport through the rat reproductive tract.

Abstract The estrogenic pesticide methoxychlor (MXC) is known to reduced implantation, and, in our previous work, this reduction has been attributed to a direct effect on uterine function. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of MXC on embryo transport rate, another phenomenon that is vulnerable to estrogenic effects. MXC was administered by gavage, at 0, 100, 200, and 500 mg/kg/day, to groups of rats on Days 1–3 of pregnancy (Day 0 = sperm positive), and the distribution of embryos in the oviducts and uteri of animals was assessed at five time intervals prior to implantation. No effect of MXC was detected by the afternoon of Day 1. On Days 2 and 3 of pregnancy, 200 and 500 mg/kg/day MXC were found to accelerate embryo transport into the uterus; the 500 mg/kg/day dosage also reduced the total number of embryos recovered from the tract. On the third day, 100 mg/kg/day MXC also accelerated embryo transport to the uterus and 200 mg/kg/day MXC reduced total embryo recovery. Until the afternoon of Day 3, most control embryos remained in the oviduct. These data demonstrate that MXC produces a dose-dependent acceleration of embryo transport through the female reproductive tract. When compared with previous work, the current data indicate that such an acceleration is the primary cause of MXC-induced preimplantation embryonic loss when exposure occurs after fertilization.
Effect of shock polarity on ventricular defibrillation threshold using a transvenous lead system.

Abstract Objectives. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the polarity of a monophasic shock used with a transvenous lead system affects the defibrillation threshold. Background. The ability to implant an automatic defibrillator depends on achieving an adequate defibriilation threshold. Methods. A transvenous defibrillation lead with distal and proximal shocking electrodes was used in this study. In 29 consecutive patients, the defibrillation threshold, using a step-down protocol was determined twice in random order: 1) with the distal coil as the anode, and 2) with the polarity reversed. Only the 20 patients in whom an adequate defibrillation threshold could be obtained with the transvenous lead alone were included in this study. These patients were 61 ± 14 years old (mean ± SD) and had a mean ejection fraction of 28 ± 12%. Results. The mean defibrillation threshold was 11.5 ± 5.0 J with the distal coil as the anode versus 16.9 ± 7.7 J with the distal coil as the cathode (p = 0.04). The defibrillation threshold was lower by a mean of 9 ± 7 J with the former configuration in 14 patients and was lower by a mean of 7 ± 6 J with the latter configuration in 3 patients; in 3 patients it was the same with both configurations. Use of a subcutaneous patch was avoided in five patients by utilizing the distal electrode as the anode. Conclusions. Defibrillation thresholds with monophasic shocks are ~30% lower with the distal electrode as the anode. The use of anodal shocks may obviate the need for a subcutaneous patch and allow more frequent implantation of a transvenous lead system.
Large-sample normality of the batch-means variance estimator

Consider a stationary stochastic process, X"1,X"2,..., arising from a steady-state simulation. An important problem is that of estimating the expected value @m of the process. The usual estimator for @m is the sample mean based on n observations, [email protected]?"n, and a measure of the precision of [email protected]?"n is the variance parameter, @s^2=lim"n"->"~nVar[[email protected]?"n]. This paper studies asymptotic properties of the batch-means estimator [email protected]^"B(b,m) for @s^2 as both the batch size m and number of batches b become large. In particular, we give conditions for [email protected]^"B(b,m) to converge to normality as m and b increase. Empirical examples illustrate our findings.