cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Automated liver lesion detection in 68Ga DOTATATE PET/CT using a deep fully convolutional neural network

Background Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors most commonly metastasize to the liver; however, high normal background 68Ga-DOTATATE activity and high image noise make metastatic lesions difficult to detect. The purpose of this study is to develop a rapid, automated and highly specific method to identify 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT hepatic lesions using a 2D U-Net convolutional neural network. Methods A retrospective study of 68Ga-DOTATATE PET/CT patient studies (n = 125; 57 with 68Ga-DOTATATE hepatic lesions and 68 without) was evaluated. The dataset was randomly divided into 75 studies for the training set (36 abnormal, 39 normal), 25 for the validation set (11 abnormal, 14 normal) and 25 for the testing set (11 abnormal, 14 normal). Hepatic lesions were physician annotated using a modified PERCIST threshold, and boundary definition by gradient edge detection. The 2D U-Net was trained independently five times for 100,000 iterations using a linear combination of binary cross-entropy and dice losses with a stochastic gradient descent algorithm. Performance metrics included: positive predictive value (PPV), sensitivity, F1 score and area under the precision-recall curve (PR-AUC). Five different pixel area thresholds were used to filter noisy predictions. Results A total of 233 lesions were annotated with each abnormal study containing a mean of 4 ± 2.75 lesions. A pixel filter of 20 produced the highest mean PPV 0.94 ± 0.01. A pixel filter of 5 produced the highest mean sensitivity 0.74 ± 0.02. The highest mean F1 score 0.79 ± 0.01 was produced with a 20 pixel filter. The highest mean PR-AUC 0.73 ± 0.03 was produced with a 15 pixel filter. Conclusion Deep neural networks can automatically detect hepatic lesions in 68Ga-DOTATATE PET. Ongoing improvements in data annotation methods, increasing sample sizes and training methods are anticipated to further improve detection performance.
Advances in Plasmonics and Nanophotonics.

Recent developments in subwavelength localization of light have paved the way of novel research directions in the field of optics, plasmonics, and nanophotonics [...]
Becoming Transparent: A Conversation with Cris Beam

Cris Beam is a New York-based American writer, activist and scholar whose work displays a thorough engagement with questions related to gender, sexuality and family relationships, which she explores in their deep enmeshment with major social dynamics and issues, such as the collapse of the educational, correctional and foster care systems in the United States.
Minority Judges’ Recommendations for Improving Court Services for Battered Women of Color: A Focus Group Report

Battered women's ability and willingness to successfully present their issues to the courts is important to their physical well-being and feelings of empowerment. However, women of color, including immigrant women, often do not feel comfortable using the courts to redress their domestic violence grievances. The current study, a focus group interview with six African American and Latina family court judges, is designed to provide a better understanding of how the courts treat women of color and how that treatment can be improved. These judges argue that providing culturally appropriate services should not be viewed as an “add on” to existing programs, but rather are essential to ensuring equal access to justice and fair treatment for some of the system's most vulnerable users.
Impact of a Simulation-Based Communication Workshop on Resident Preparedness for End-of-Life Communication in the Intensive Care Unit

Introduction. Although residents frequently lead end-of-life (EOL) discussions in the intensive care unit (ICU), training in EOL care during residency has been required only recently, and few educational interventions target EOL communication in the ICU. This study evaluated a simulation-based intervention designed to improve resident EOL communication skills with families in the ICU. Methods. Thirty-four second-year internal medicine residents at a large urban teaching hospital participated in small group sessions with faculty trained in the "VitalTalk" method. A Likert-type scale questionnaire measured self-assessed preparedness before, immediately following, and approximately 9 months after intervention. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank-sum analysis. Results. Self-assessed preparedness significantly improved for all categories surveyed (preintervention mean; postintervention mean; p value), including discussing bad news (3.3; 4.2; p < 0.01), conducting a family conference (3.1; 4.1; p < 0.01), discussing treatment options (3.2; 3.9; p < 0.01), discussing discontinuing ICU treatments (2.9; 3.5; p < 0.01), and expressing empathy (3.9; 4.5; p < 0.01). Improvement persisted at follow-up for all items except "expressing empathy." Residents rated the educational quality highly. Conclusion. This study provides evidence that brief simulation-based interventions can produce lasting improvements in residents' confidence to discuss EOL care with family members of patients in the ICU.
Representing Knowledge within the Situation Calculus Using Interval-Valued Epistemic Fluents

The ability of interval arithmetic to provide a finite (and succinct) way to represent uncertainty about a large, possibly uncountable, set of alternatives turns out to be useful in building "intelligent" autonomous agents. In particular, consider the two important issues of reasoning and sensing in intelligent control for autonomous agents. Developing a principled way to combine the two raises complicated issues in knowledge representation. In this paper we describe a solution to the problem. The idea is to incorporate interval arithmetic into the situation calculus. The situation calculus is a well known formalism for describing changing worlds using sorted first-order logic. It can also be used to describe how an agent's knowledge of its world changes. Potentially, this provides a sound basis for incorporating sensing into logic programming. Previous work has relied on a possible worlds approach to knowledge. This leads to an elegant mathematical specification language. Unfortunately, there have been no proposals on how to implement the approach. This is because the number of possible worlds is potentially uncountable. We propose an alternative formalization of knowledge within the situation calculus. Our approach is based on intervals. The advantage is that it is straightforward to implement. Moreover, we can prove that it is sound and (sometimes) complete with respect to the previous possible worlds approach.
Legal Research: The Importance of Legal Research

I doubt Steven Spielberg thought anyone watching "Lincoln" would think about legal research, but that’s what happened to me. As I listened to Lincoln explain his reasoning for pursuing the 13th Amendment, I couldn’t help but think about legal research. Lincoln had found, understood, and applied the law. While Lincoln’s legal research didn’t include Westlaw or Lexis, its underlying principles of finding, understanding, and applying the law remain the same today. Today’s lawyers continue to use legal research on a daily basis to prepare them to advise clients, negotiate with opposing counsel, or persuade a judge or jury. Written for Student Lawyer magazine, this column discusses the importance of legal research and provides some tips for developing an appreciation of legal research and improving research skills.
Ion-pair formation in aqueous solutions of pyruvate anions: polarographic study

In alkaline solutions reduction of pyruvic acid occurs in two waves (IA1 and IA2) separated by 0.2-0.3 V. The more positive wave (IA1) corresponds to the reduction of an ion pair {CH3COCOO− Me+}, the more negative wave (IA2) to that of the anion CH3COCOO−. The height of IA1 depends on the equilibrium concentration of the ion pair and on the rate of its formation. From the dependence of IA1 on [Me+] it is possible to obtain the product kfK (where kf is the rate constant of ion-pair formation, K = [ion pair]/[Me−][CH3COCOO−]). The reactivity of the cation increases in the sequence Li+ < Na+ < K+ < Cs+. Tetra-n-butylammonium ion acts as a surfactant; tetramethylammonium ion forms the ion pair but also shows surface activity.
Assortative Pairing and Life History Strategy

A secondary analysis was performed on preliminary data from an ongoing cross-cultural study on assortative pairing. Independently sampled pairs of opposite- sex romantic partners and of same-sex friends rated themselves and each other on Life History (LH) strategy and mate value. Data were collected in local bars, clubs, coffeehouses, and other public places from three different cultures: Tucson, Arizona; Hermosillo, Sonora; and San Jose, Costa Rica. The present analysis found that slow LH individuals assortatively pair with both sexual and social partners more strongly than fast LH individuals. We interpret this phenomenon as representing (1) an adaptation for preserving coadapted genomes in slow LH strategists to maintain high copying fidelity genetic replication while producing a lower number of offspring in stable, predictable, and controllable environments and (2) a bet-hedging adaptation in fast LH strategists, favoring the genetic diversification of a higher number of offspring in unstable, unpredictable, and uncontrollable environments.
Biased trader model and analysis of financial market dynamics

This study focuses on various trader behaviors that affect market dynamics. In particular, the effects of a covering mechanism, learning mechanism and bias mechanism are analyzed through agent-based financial market model. An XCS classifier system is used to model trader learning mechanism. A trader model is proposed to formulate a trader decision model that combines bias mechanisms with learning mechanisms. The results reveal that biased traders survive under evolving markets and affect price dynamics. The model contributes to understanding the market behavior and potential sources of deviation from efficient market equilibrium.
Haff Disease after Eating Buffalo Fish: Report of a Severe Case in Northern California and Review of the Literature

Background:Toxic contamination of fish may compromise food safety. Haff disease is a rare syndrome characterized by rhabdomyolysis following consumption of cooked, freshwater fish. Case Report: A healthy 42 year old female presented three hours after eating fried buffalo fish (Ictiobus cyprinellis). Her symptoms began while eating the fish, described as diffuse muscle aches followed by generalized muscle fatigue, most pronounced in her proximal lower extremities. Vital signs were normal. Her physical exam was notable for diffuse muscle tenderness and difficulty standing. Baseline complete blood count and chemistries were normal, but serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) was 12,777 U/L. Alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were 268 U/L and 1431 U/L respectively. She was treated with aggressive hydration, sodium bicarbonate, and oral N-acetylcysteine. The serum CPK peaked at 76,364 U/L, twenty hours post-exposure. Her creatinine remained normal. Over the next 5 days the CPK slowly resolved. Discussion: Haff disease is a rare syndrome characterized by rhabdomyolysis following consumption of certain cooked, freshwater fish. Although the exact toxin has yet to be identified, this disorder is felt to be caused by a heat-stable toxin contaminating certain fish. Our case was unique due to the immediate onset of symptoms and the extremely high serum CPK levels. Conclusion: Haff disease may result in the rapid onset of severe rhabdomyolysis. Aggressive treatment with fluids and bicarbonate prevented renal damage in this case. Because cases may occur outside of endemic areas, fish consumption should be included in the history for any case of rhabomyolysis of unknown etiology. Suspected cases of Haff disease should be reported to local public health authorities and samples collected for analysis.
Glut 4 Translocation is Resistant to Hyperinsulinemia in Fetal and Neonatal Rat Skeletal Muscle • 1527

Glut 4 Translocation is Resistant to Hyperinsulinemia in Fetal and Neonatal Rat Skeletal Muscle • 1527
Zinc finger transcription factor Egr-1 is involved in stimulation of NHE2 gene expression by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate.

The apical membrane Na+/H+ exchanger isoforms NHE2 and NHE3 are involved in transepithelial Na+ absorption in the intestine. However, they exhibit differences in their pattern of tissue expression ...
Spectral and multiresolution Wiener expansions of oscillatory stochastic processes

Abstract Wiener chaos expansions are being evaluated for the representation of stochastic variability in the response of nonlinear aeroelastic systems, which often exhibit limit cycles. Preliminary studies with a simple nonlinear aeroelastic computational model have shown that the standard non-intrusive Wiener–Hermite expansion fails to maintain time accuracy as the simulation evolves. Wiener–Hermite expansions faithfully reproduce the short-term characteristics of the process but consistently lose energy after several mean periods of oscillation. This energy loss remains even for very high-order expansions. To uncover the cause of this energy loss and to explore potential remedies, the more elementary problem of a sinusoid with random frequency is used herein to simulate the periodic response of an uncertain system. As time progresses, coefficients of the higher order terms in both the Wiener–Hermite and Wiener–Legendre expansions successively gain and lose dominance over the lower-order coefficients in a manner that causes any fixed-order expansion in terms of global basis functions to fail over a simulation time of sufficient duration. This characteristic behavior is attributed to the continually increasing frequency of the process in the random dimension. The recently developed Wiener–Haar expansion is found to almost entirely eliminate the loss of energy at large times, both for the sinusoidal process and for the response of a two degree-of-freedom nonlinear system, which is examined as a prelude to the stochastic simulation of aeroelastic limit cycles. It is also found that Mallat's pyramid algorithm is more efficient and accurate for evaluating Wiener–Haar expansion coefficients than Monte Carlo simulation or numerical quadrature.
Torque capability of high phase induction machines with sinusoidal and trapezoidal airgap field under steady state

The paper assesses the torque capability of high phase induction machines taking a conventional three phase machine as the basis for comparison; analytical expressions for torque as a function of phase number for machines with sinusoidal and trapezoidal airgap field are derived and discussed. A trapezoidal field is assumed to be produced through the imposition of a third harmonic current in the stator current besides the fundamental. The torque capability comparison is performed keeping the airgap peak induction and the linear stator current constant, thus resulting about the same amount of magnetic and winding losses for variable phase number. It is shown that the main factors influencing the torque capability of machines with sinusoidal airgap field are the winding characteristics - including number of slots per phase and pole - and the winding pitch. Higher torques are associated with windings without pitch shortening and with low values of slots per phase and pole. It is also shown that machines with trapezoidal field can have higher torque capability than sinusoidal field machines, being the greatest torque improvement associated with low values of slots per pole and phase. Under the assumptions made, torque improvements from 10% to 15% can be obtained. The paper also shows that for sinusoidal field machines, the maximal torque practically obtained with seven phases, while for trapezoidal field the maximal torque is obtained with eleven phases.
Local existence and uniqueness theory of the Vlasov-Maxwell system

On developpe une theorie de l'existence et de l'unicite locale par rapport au temps pour le systeme de Vlasov-Maxwell, qui n'utilise pas la theorie des semigroupes de Kato
Cutinase production by Streptomyces spp.

Forty-fiveStreptomyces strains, including representatives of the plant pathogensS. acidiscabies, S. scabies, andS. ipomoea, were screened for ability to produce enzymes (cutinases) capable of hydrolyzing the insoluble plant biopolyester cutin. Initially, all strains were tested for production of extracellular esterase in liquid shake (250 rpm) cultures at room temperature in defined (glycerol-asparagine) or complex (tryptone-yeast extract with or without addition of mannitol) broth media supplemented with either tomato or apple cutin. Esterase activity was determined by a spectrophotometric assay utilizing the model substratep-nitrophenyl butyrate. Of the five strains exhibiting highest esterase activity, four (S. acidiscabies ATCC 49003,S. “scabies” ATCC 15485 and IMRU 3018, andS. badius ATCC 19888) were confirmed to produce enzymes with cutin-degrading activity (cutinases). Confirmation of extracellular cutinase production was accomplished by use of a new high-performance liquid chromatography method for separation and quantification of released cutin monomers. Monomer identification was confirmed by GC/MS analyses. Cutinase production was induced 2- to 17-fold by inclusion of cutin in the media. To our knowledge this constitutes the first report of cutinase production byStreptomyces spp. other thanS. scabies.
Prostate size does not predict high grade cancer.

Purpose: Several radical prostatectomy series have linked small prostates with high grade cancer based on the hypothesis that a small prostate results from a low androgen milieu that selects for less hormone dependent, more aggressive tumors. We previously reported that this association resulted from ascertainment bias from the performance characteristics of prostate specific antigen rather than from tumor biology in our radical prostatectomy cohort. In this study we analyzed this association in a more generalized population of men who underwent prostate needle biopsy.Materials and Methods: The prostate needle biopsy database at our institution was queried for all initial biopsies. Included patient characteristics were age, race, family history of prostate cancer, prostate specific antigen, abnormal digital rectal examination and prostate volume in ml on transrectal ultrasound. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the influence of prostate volume on the odds of high grade cancer.Results:...
Implications of molecular orbital symmetries and energies for the electron delocalization of inorganic clusters

Isostructural clusters exhibit contrasting magnetic properties when the number of electrons differs. Surprisingly, the same is true even for isoelectronic cages (e.g. O(h) B6H6(2-) is diatropic, whereas O(h) Si6(2-) is paratropic) or for those with different substitutents (e.g. T(d) B4H4 is paratropic, whereas T(d) B4F4 is diatropic). Indeed, the total nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) values, based on shieldings computed at cluster centers, may range considerably in magnitude and even change from diatropic (up-field shifted) to paratropic (down-field shifted). Similarly, individual dissected canonical molecular orbital contributions to the total NICS values computed at the "gauge-including atomic orbitals" (GIAO) level vary greatly. This contrasting behavior arises from molecular orbital energy differences, from the extent of orbital overlap, as well as from symmetry-based selection rules derived from group theory. Differences in magnetic properties may originate from the symmetry of the orbitals; specifically from the forbidden nature of the highest occupied molecular orbital --> lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO --> LUMO) electronic excitation weighted by the occupied-unoccupied orbital energy difference. Thus, HOMO-NICS values are generally highly paratropic if the HOMO --> LUMO rotational transition is allowed by symmetry selection rules.
Some Properties of DNA from Phage-Infected Bacteria

Replicating T5 or λ phage DNA has been labeled by adding tritiated thymidine for short periods to cultures of phage-infected Escherichia coli before isolation of intracellular DNA. Two procedures are described for separating T5 replicating DNA from DNA of intracellular phage particles. Both T5 and λ replicating DNA had the same bouyant density in cesium chloride as DNA from phage particles but sedimented faster when centrifuged in sucrose density gradients. The fast sedimentation did not appear to be caused by DNA protein or DNA-RNA complexes or by aggregation of DNA, but is probably due to DNA molecules of unusual structure. Experiments involving hydrodynamic shear and sucrose density gradient centrifugation at alkaline pH have suggested that with λ the replicating form of DNA is a linear molecule considerably longer than the DNA molecules of λ-phage particles. The constituent polynucleotide chains of λ but not T5 replicating DNA also appear to be longer than those of phage DNA.
Smoking habits and attitudes in a methadone maintenance treatment population.

Abstract This study characterized smoking habits and attitudes about quitting in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) patients, with attention to race and gender differences. Of 179 patients surveyed, 92% ( n = 165) were current smokers. These patients reported smoking a mean of 24.8 cigarettes per day. Mean age at smoking initiation was 13.6 years with 53% starting at age 13 or younger. The mean Fagerstrom tolerance questionnaire (FTQ) score was 7.5. Blacks as compared to Whites smoked fewer cigarettes per day (21.6 versus 27.5), had lower expired CO levels (18.8 versus 21.6 ppm), but higher urinary cotinine levels (1812 versus 1419 ng/ml) and were more likely to smoke menthol cigarettes (95 versus 46%). Females scored higher than males on the FTQ measure of nicotine dependence (8.0 versus 7.2), and lower than males on a measure of quit smoking self-efficacy. Subjects in the sample as a whole were well aware of health risks of smoking, as indicated by high scores on health risk perception questions. Sixty-one percent ( n = 110) of subjects planned to quit within the next 6 months, 57% were ‘very interested’ in an on-site quit smoking program and 80% expressed interest in using nicotine replacement products. Overall, these results indicate high rates of smoking in MMT patients, confirm within a drug abusing population prior findings of racial differences in smoking habits, and suggest that MMT patients are interested in quitting and in using nicotine replacement products. The data support feasibility of implementing smoking cessation treatments with this population in a setting that allows for convenient access to patients and close monitoring of progress.
Chronic kidney disease after nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma and implications for the administration of perioperative chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is poorly defined, both before and after nephrouretectomy. Although multimodal treatment paradigms for UTUC are under-developed, this has important implications on patients' ability to receive cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy (CBCC). METHODS: Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula in 336 patients with UTUC, who were treated at the Cleveland Clinic by nephroureterectomy since 1992. An eGFR cutoff of 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was used to determine the presence of CKD and eligibility for CBCC. RESULTS: Median age was 72 years and median preoperative eGFR was 59 mL/min/1.73m2. Before nephroureterectomy, only 48% of patients were eligible to receive CBCC and this decreased to 22% postoperatively (P < .001). In the 144 patients with pT2-pT4 and/or pN1-pN3 disease who are suitable to receive CBCC, these proportions were 40% and 24%, respectively (P = .009). Although 50 patients overall received some form of perioperative chemotherapy, only 3 and 11 patients received neoadjuvant and adjuvant CBCC, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: CKD is prevalent in the UTUC population and a minority of patients has an optimal eGFR to receive neoadjuvant CBCC. Nephrouretectomy may eliminate CBCC as a therapeutic option in 49% of high-risk patients if it is deferred to the adjuvant setting. Multimodal treatment strategies for UTUC should focus on neoadjuvant chemotherapy, as few patients are eligible for adjuvant CBCC because of the substantial decline in eGFR caused by nephroureterectomy. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
A phase diagram for sodium and potassium ion control of polymorphism in telomeric DNA

Switching between antiparallel and parallel quadruplex structures of telomeric DNA under the control of intracellular Na+ and K+ has been implicated in the pairing of chromosomes during meiosis. Using Raman spectroscopy, we have determined the dependence of the interquadruplex equilibrium of the telomeric repeat of Oxytricha nova, upon solution concentrations of Na+ and K+. Both alkali cations facilitate the formation of an antiparallel foldback quadruplex at low concentration, and a parallel extended quadruplex at higher concentration. However, K+ is more effective than Na+ in inducing the parallel association. We propose a phase diagram relating d(T4G4)4 polymorphism to intracellular [Na+]/[K+] ratios. The phase diagram indicates that the interquadruplex equilibrium is highly sensitive to changes in the mole fraction of either cation when the total concentration falls within the interval 65 to 225 mM, a range which encompasses total of the Na+ and K+ concentrations occurring in a typical mammalian cell. These results support a role for the guanine-rich overhang of eukaryotic DNA in promoting chromosome association during meiotic synapsis.
An Infinite Dimensional 0-epi Mapping with Degree Zero

Abstract LetXbe a real Banach space and letD⊂Xbe an open and bounded set. A mappingT:D→Xwith 0∉T(∂D) is called 0-epi mapping onDif the equationTx=g(x) is solvable inDfor every compact continuous mappingg:D→Xwhich vanishes identically on ∂D. We show that there exists a mappingT:l2⊃D→l2such that the mappingI−Tis 0-epi, but the degree deg(I−T−g, D, 0) is well defined and equals zero, for any such functiong. This says that the degree theory cannot be applied directly toI−T−gin order to guarantee the solvability of (I−T)x=g(x) inDfor any mappinggas above. This fact provides a good justification for the study of 0-epi mappings by M. Furi, M. Martelli, and A. Vignoli (Ann. Mat. Pura Appl.124, 1980, 321–343) in infinite dimensional spaces.
Multiagent systems for autonomic computing

Autonomic computing is a perfect application domain for autonomous agents and multiagent systems. Expanding on this theme, I will illustrate it with various prototypes my team has developed. Rather than building on existing agent platforms, we have started from existing products and tried to extend them to have some agent-like properties. Therefore, the agents are somewhat coarse and primitive, and "multi" means 2 or 3 in our prototypes, but these agents have the advantage of being very real and practical. And, even with just two agents, we have run into some nasty issues where the two try to adapt simultaneously and work at cross purposes unless we do something explicit to prevent it. We also have some novel machine learning approaches and applications. I will conclude by describing several research challenges for the agent research community.For close to 15 years, researchers in agents have provided a growing body of evidence that taskwork and teamwork are separable, and have repeatedly demonstrated the benefits of such separation. I will survey my group's role in investigating this hypothesis with physical robots, the lessons learned, and the challenges and opportunities provided by viewing robots as agents, too.
Biodegradation of sucralose, a chlorinated carbohydrate, in samples of natural environments

Measurements were made of the biodegradation of 4-chloro-4-deoxy-α, D-galactopyranosyl-1,6-dichloro-1,6-dideoxy-β, D-fructofuranoside (sucralose) in samples of several natural environments. This chlorinated carbohydrate, which represents a new class of artificial sweeteners, was extensively transformed to CO2 in four mineral soils with pH values of 4.9 to 7.2. Mineralization occurred at concentrations of 0.01 to 1,000 mg of sucralose per kilogram of soil, and the initial rates were a direct function of substrate concentration. At the lower concentrations, mineralization was initiated with no detectable acclimation period. Mineralization was not evident in soil under anaerobiosis. Mineralization occurred in lake sediments, sewage, and estuarine water but at lower rates and lesser extents than in soils. Little mineralization was evident in samples from oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic lakes, the extent of mineralization being often less than the contamination level of the sucralose preparation. Sucralose degradation resulted from microbial activity because mineralization did not occur in sterilized environmental samples, and the addition of cycloheximide or streptomycin to soil significantly reduced mineralization. No bacterium could be isolated that was capable of utilizing sucralose as the sole carbon source. The data suggest that the biodegradation of sucralose is a cometabolic process.
Fast and Slow Density Waves in Magnetized Spiral Galaxies

Nonthermal synchrotron radio emissions from gas-rich disk spiral galaxies reveal the presence of spiral magnetic field structures over galactic scales, besides the luminous optical spiral arms. From polarized radio observations, large-scale magnetic fields are inferred to lie within galactic planes and to orient roughly in the azimuthal direction. Using the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) approximation, we develop a theory for galactic MHD density waves in a thin magnetized rotating gaseous disk, present analytical calculations for both fast and slow MHD density waves sustained by self-gravity in the tight-winding approximation, and study the phase relationships among velocity, magnetic field, and density perturbations of these MHD density waves. In particular, we relate fast MHD density waves to the global pattern of roughly coincident optical and magnetic spiral structures seen, for example, in the "Whirlpool galaxy" M51 (NGC 5194) and apply slow MHD density waves to the spiral structure in which magnetic spiral arms are interlaced with optical spiral arms discovered recently in the nearby galaxy NGC 6946. Slow MHD density waves might also manifest in other late-type gas-rich spiral galaxies such as the galaxies IC 342 and M83 (NGC 5236).
The effect of 50 years of landscape change on species richness and community composition

We analysed a 50-year dataset of avian species observations to determine how richness and community composition varied over a period of landscape-scale environmental change. Our study area, northern lower Michigan, has experienced substantial land-use and land-cover change over time. Like much of the northern Midwest, it has shifted from a largely unpopulated, post-logging shrubland to a moderately populated closed-canopy forest. Such changes are generally expected to influence overall richness and community composition. We found that regional richness per year remained virtually unchanged over the study period. Year-to-year variation in species number was surprisingly low. Richness totals included vastly different species groups as the composition of the regional bird community changed substantially over time. Changes in the types of species present appear to reflect deterministic changes in habitat. The number of grassland and open-habitat species decreased, for example, while species associated with older forests and urban habitats increased. Our results suggest that habitat changes at the landscape scale do not necessarily lead to changes in the number of species a region can support. Such changes, however, do appear to influence the types of species that will occupy a region, and can lead to substantial changes in community composition.
Understanding Embedded Intergroup Relations: A Comment on Yammarino and Jung

This comment critically examines Yammarino and Jung's article titled "Asian Americans and Leadership: A Levels of Analysis Perspective" from the perspective of embedded intergroup relations theory....
Lipid levels and bone mineral density.

Abstract Purpose There has been considerable debate about the potential relationship between the use of statin lipid-lowering drugs and fracture risk; several observational studies suggest a protective effect but no randomized controlled trials have confirmed such a benefit. Because statins are given preferentially to persons with hyperlipidemia, if lipid levels were associated with bone mineral density, this could explain the discrepancy between epidemiological observations and randomized controlled trials. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between lipid levels and bone mineral density. Subjects and methods We included the 13592 participants in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) III who had bone mineral density and lipid levels measured; participants who reported the use of a lipid-lowering therapy were excluded. We examined the unadjusted bone mineral density across quintiles of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). We then constructed multivariable models, including age, sex, body mass index, and other potential confounders. Results In crude analyses, higher total cholesterol and LDL levels were associated with lower bone mineral densities (both P values for trend P value for trend P values for trend >.1). Conclusions These results do not support a relationship between lipid levels and bone mineral density.
Nutritional reserves, body weight, and starvation tolerance of autogenous and anautogenous strains of Culex tarsalis (Diptera:Culicidae)

The nutritional reserves and body weight of autogenous and anautogenous strains of Culex tarsalis Coquillett were determined for 4th instars, pupae, females, and males. Starvation tolerance and survivorship of adult females and males also were studied. The autogenous individuals contained significantly greater amounts of total lipids (except the total lipids in 4th instars), total carbohydrates, glycogen, and total proteins, which resulted in a heavier mean body weight of autogenous than anautogenous mosquitoes (except the fresh weight in pupae). Results of the body fluid coefficient determination were inconclusive. Nutritional reserves in the immature stages, especially the pupal stage, were significantly greater (except the total proteins in 4th instars and female adults) than those in the adult stage. There were no significant differences in median longevity between autogenous and anautogenous females, and between autogenous and anautogenous males, provided with distilled water alone after emergence. The median longevity of females and males was significantly different in both autogenous and anautogenous strains. Our findings strongly indicate a relationship between autogenous reproduction and differences in the nutritional reserves of autogenous and anautogenous strains.
s-CHANNEL UNITARITY CONSTRAINT OF THE MULTIPERIPHERAL BOOTSTRAP MODELS.

We discuss the $s$-channel unitarity constraint of the multiperipheral bootstrap models. We show that, if the low-subenergy part of the kernel is weak, it is possible to have self-consistent Regge poles. On the other hand, if the low-subenergy part of the kernel is strong, we can never have self-consistent Regge poles. In this case the most important $J$-plane singularity is a cut with branch point at 1, and the $\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\pi}$ scattering amplitude goes to infinity slower than $\frac{s}{\mathrm{ln}s}$ at high energy.
Advanced imaging to extend the therapeutic time window of acute ischemic stroke

Reperfusion therapy for acute stroke has evolved from the initial use of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) within 3 hours of symptom onset to more recent guideline-recommended use up to 4.5 hours. In addition, endovascular therapy is increasingly utilized for stroke treatment and is typically initiated up to 8 hours after onset. Recent studies demonstrate that imaging of the ischemic penumbra with diffusion/perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can identify subgroups of patients who are likely to improve following successful reperfusion (Target Mismatch profile) and others who are at increased risk for hemorrhage and poor clinical outcomes (Malignant profile). New data indicate that stent retriever devices provide better recanalization efficacy and clinical outcomes than the previously available mechanical thrombectomy devices. Going forward, we believe that the use of penumbral imaging with validated MRI techniques, as well as the currently less well-validated computed tomography (CT) perfusion approach, will maximize benefit and reduce the risk of adverse events and poor outcomes when used both early after stroke onset and at later time points. New trials that feature diffusion/perfusion MRI or CT perfusion-based patient selection for treatment with intravenous tPA and or endovascular therapies versus nonreperfused control groups are planned or in progress. We predict that these trials will confirm the hypothesis that penumbral imaging can enhance patient selection and extend the therapeutic time window for acute ischemic stroke.
Split phalanges from archaeological sites: evidence of nutritional stress?

Abstract Broken animal phalanges from archaeological sites have been widely used as an indicator of nutritional stress of the prehistoric people due to the low caloric return rate (caloric yield/processing time) of the phalanges. Although it sounds logical, this widely popular argument is based on Binford’s (1978) interview with the Nunamiut and lacks empirical support. In this study, we present the results of experimental studies conducted on 142 modern cow ( Bos taurus ) and deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) first phalanges to document the processing of phalanges, such as the required force and processing time to break them open, possible methods of breaking phalanges, and the resultant breakage and surface modification patterns. This comparative dataset and ethnographic data from contemporary hunter-gatherer groups indicate that broken phalanges in and of themselves cannot be taken as evidence of resource stress. The phalanges do not require substantial amount of processing time and marrow from the phalanges could have been preferred for its taste and soft texture during the period when resources were not scarce. This may explain the bone breakage pattern from an 8800 year old archaeological assemblage from Tangzigou in southwest China, where phalanges were intensively broken without any other evidence of resource stress.
The loading-frequency relation of linear conservative systems via a direct energetic (action) method

This paper presents alternative proofs of the well-known strict negative monotonicity and convexity properties of the fundamental frequency-load pair curve of the pure eigenproblem of free vibrations/buckling of linear conservative systems subject to a single loading parameter, by studying the first and second order variations of the system's Hamiltonian action (over the fundamental or highest eigenperiod), as one moves along the fundamental eigenpair curve ( FEC ). Specifically, by setting the action's first and second frequency derivatives equal to zero it is shown that, all along the FEC , both the first and second derivatives of the load with respect to the frequency keep a strict negative sign; these action derivatives are special cases of the general first and second variations of a variable endpoints variational problem. This energetic method opens the way for the development of an asymptotic scheme (by taking third, fourth and higher action derivatives) for the approximate study of the FEC shape in the neighborhood of a given point (reminiscent perhaps of Koiter's asymptotic elastostatic post-buckling theory). At this point, the method does not seem to be restricted by linearity neither in the equations of motion nor in their eigenload(s) dependence.
Transverse spin susceptibility and nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate of field-induced spin-density waves in Bechgaard salts.

Making use of Green's function describing field-induced spin-density waves in Bechgaard salts we calculate the transverse spin susceptibility and the nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate R above and below the spin-density wave transition. We determine the spin-wave spectrum in field-induced spin-density waves and obtain a simple expression of R, which can be tested experimentally.
Acquisition and analysis of narrative medical record data

Abstract Four basic approaches for the acquisition of narrative text medical record data for computer processing are discussed. The magnetic tape “Selectric” typewriter system, which is utilized at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine for the yearly acquisition of 75,000 reports, is presented in detail. Narrative text data processing operations are described next including: formating, data screening, volume analysis, abstracting and file maintenance. Finally, there is a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the narrative text methods, the results which have been obtained and the costs.
Effects of dietary protein and phosphorus restriction on the progression of chronic renal failure.

ABSTRACT In recent years, evidence has accumulated suggesting that early dietary intervention in the form of protein restriction can dramatically alter the natural history of chronic renal insufficiency. This article reviews the literature in this area and summarizes the questions that remain for future investigators to answer. Interest in the role of protein intake in renal disease dates back to the early 1900s, when several investigators found that the progression of renal failure was accelerated in rats and rabbits fed high-protein diets. Subsequent work in animal models has demonstrated that nephron loss, resulting from a variety of disease states, is associated with elevated intraglomerular pressures and flows. Several investigators now have postulated that these abnormal hemodynamics, resulting from intrarenal vasodilation and hyperperfusion, damage the glomerulus and may produce further nephron loss independent of the initial renal insult. Dietary protein restriction appears to reduce these pressures and flows towards normal in animals, although the operative mechanism has yet to be identified. Limited studies of dietary protein restriction in human renal disease have suggested a beneficial effect, but carefully controlled prospective studies will be necessary to establish clear therapeutic efficacy.
Transposition of the great arteries {S,D,D} and absent proximal left pulmonary artery

while preferential blood flow to the right pulmonary artery has been described in transposition of the great arteries with or without obstruction of the left ventricular outflow tract, this disparity of pulmonary blood flow is not present in newborns.1 We report a newborn with transposition in whom there was discontinuity of the pulmonary arteries and ductal blood supply to the left pulmonary artery. To our knowledge, this entity has not been described in newborns with transposition of the great arteries {S,D,D}.
Sodium preference and appetite in rats in an operant protocol.

Abstract An operant task that may simulate natural foraging was used to study in Sprague–Dawley rats the need-free choice between water and various concentrations of NaCl solution, and the induction of sodium appetite during chronic deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) treatment. The task imposed a fixed ratio foraging or procurement cost for access to each fluid. The relative preference for NaCl over water when both had the same procurement cost was similar to the preference/aversion function that has been reported for this strain of rat under free drinking conditions. As the procurement cost increased, the number of bouts taken per day of both water and NaCl decreased and the mean bout size increased. Administration of DOCA produced an increase in NaCl intake under all conditions, and this appetite was manifest as discrete episodes whose frequency and size were inversely related. Natural observations of sodium appetite in mammals, such as excursions to, often remote, mineral deposits, imply an episodic organization of this behavior. This report is the first laboratory simulation of environmental factors that affect the episodic or temporal organization of sodium appetite.
Landmarking and feature localization in spine x-rays

The general problem of developing algorithms for the au- tomated or computer-assisted indexing of images by structural con- tents is a significant research challenge. This is particularly so in the case of biomedical images, where the structures of interest are com- monly irregular, overlapping, and partially occluded. Examples are the images created by digitizing film x-rays of the human cervical and lumbar spines. We have begun work toward the indexing of 17 000 such spine images for features of interest in the osteoarthritis and vertebral morphometry research communities. This work re- quires the segmentation of the images into vertebral structures with sufficient accuracy to distinguish pathology on the basis of shape, labeling of the segmented structures by proper anatomical name, and classification of the segmented, labeled structures into groups corresponding to high level semantic features of interest, using training data provided by biomedical experts. In this paper, we pro- vide a technical characterization of the cervical spine images and the biomedical features of interest, describe the evolving technical approach for the segmentation and indexing problem, and provide results of algorithms to acquire basic landmark data and localization of spine regions in the images. © 2001 SPIE and IS&T.
In vitro shear strength of bonded amalgam cores with and without pins

This study compared the shear bond strength of resin-bonded amalgam with and without pins. The coronal third of 240 embedded posterior teeth was removed to expose a flat, nonretentive surface. Three Minikin pins were placed in the dentin in a triangular pattern 1 mm apart. Amalgam was condensed into a Delrin mold (4.2 mm in diameter and 3 mm in height) positioned over each tooth. The adhesives Amalgam-bond, All-bond, Amalgambond with high-performance additive, Panavia EX, and Panavia with Photobond were the materials used to bond the amalgam to the dentin. Half of the samples were immersed in normal saline solution for 7 days and the others for 30 days. Shear bond strengths were recorded as the maximum load per cross-sectional area of the bonded surface with a testing machine with 1 kN load cell and crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min. A three-factor analysis of variance and Student-Newman-Keuls test (p = 0.05) identified Amalgambond with high-performance additive as the strongest adhesive in this study. The use of pins with or without adhesives increased the shear strength of amalgam samples significantly more than samples that used adhesives alone.