cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical Outcomes and Racial Disparities in Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer in the Era of Novel Treatment Options.

Background Docetaxel (DOC) and abiraterone (ABI) in the upfront setting have separately improved clinical outcomes for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC), but there are no studies comparing drug efficacies or the influence of racial disparities. Materials and methods We performed a retrospective multicenter review from Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University and Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady Memorial Hospital (2014-2020) for patients with mHSPC treated with either upfront DOC or ABI. Outcomes evaluated were overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and prostate-specific antigen complete response (PSA CR). Results A total of 168 patients were included, consisting of 92 (54.8%) Black patients and 76 (45.2%) non-Black patients (69 White and 7 Asian or Hispanic). Ninety-four (56%) received DOC and 74 (44%) received ABI. Median follow-up time was 22.8 months with data last reviewed June 2020. For OS, there was no significant difference between ABI versus DOC and Black versus non-Black patients. For PFS, DOC was associated with hazard ratio (HR) 1.7 compared with ABI for all patients based on univariate association and HR 2.27 compared with ABI for Black patients on multivariable analysis. For PSA CR, Black patients were less likely to have a CR (odds ratio [OR] = 0.27). Conclusion ABI and DOC have similar OS with a trend toward better PFS for ABI in a cohort composed of 54% Black patients. Racial disparities were observed as prolonged PFS for Black patients treated with ABI, more so compared with all patients, and less PSA CR for Black patients. A prospective trial comparing available upfront therapies in a diverse racial population is needed to help guide clinical decision-making in the era of novel treatment options. Implications for practice Overall survival is similar for abiraterone and docetaxel when used as upfront therapy in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer in a cohort composed of 54% Black patients. There is a trend towards improved progression-free survival for abiraterone in all patients and Black patients. Non-Black patients were more likely to achieve prostate-specific antigen (PSA) complete response regardless of upfront therapy.
Factors associated with patients not proceeding with proposed resective epilepsy surgery

Abstract Background: This study evaluated the association between eligible patients not proceeding with resective epilepsy surgery and various demographic, disease-specific, and epilepsy-evaluation variables. Methods: This retrospective case-control study included patients identified as candidates for resective epilepsy surgery at the Montefiore Medical Center between January 1, 2009 and June 30, 2017. Chi-squared, two-tailed, independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and logistic regression were utilized to identify variables associated with patients not proceeding with surgery. Results: Among the 159 potential surgical candidates reviewed over the 8.5-year study period, only 53 ultimately proceeded with surgery (33%). Eighty-seven (55%) out of these 159 patients were identified as appropriate for resective epilepsy surgery during the study period. Thirty-four (39%) of these 87 patients did not proceed with surgery. Variables independently correlated (either positively or negatively) with the patient not proceeding with surgery were: being employed [Odds Ratio (OR) 4.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12-15.73], temporal lobe lesion on MRI (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.14-0.84), temporal lobe EEG ictal onsets (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.07-0.62), and temporal lobe epileptogenic zone (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.07-0.55). Conclusion: The novel finding in this study is the association between employment status and whether the patient had epilepsy surgery: employed patients were 4.2 times more likely to not proceed with surgery compared to unemployed patients. In addition, patients with a temporal lobe lesion on MRI, temporal lobe EEG ictal onsets, and/or a temporal epileptogenic zone were more likely to proceed with surgery. Future work will be needed to evaluate these findings prospectively, determine if they generalize to other patient populations, explore the decision whether or not to proceed with epilepsy surgery from a patient-centered perspective, and suggest strategies to reduce barriers to this underutilized treatment.
EMPODERAMIENTO DEL ROL SOCIOPOLÍTICO DE ENFERMERAS Y ENFERMEROS

The empowerment of the socio-political role poses great challenges to the nursing professional, as citizens committed to people, families and communities, considering the requirements of socio-sanitary context. To assume this role in property, both internal and external limitations. The objective of this reflection is to dimension the sociopolitical role of nurses and identify the possible barriers. Finally, a proposal will be made to configure and promote a new nursing that shows autonomy and leadership to contribute to the health politics, showing the necessary changes of socio-sanitary context.
FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF CONCRETE BEAMS

Two finite element procedures which utilize the constant and the variable stiffness methods are presented. A combination of isoperimetric elements and bar elements is used for the representation of reinforced concrete plane elements. The analysis includes the effects of the propagation of cracking as well as the yielding of both steel and concrete. The analytical results of both methods are compared to the experimental results of others. The constant stiffness method is found to be inaccurate for the problems involving the prediction of cracking. Direct use of corner nodes is made in the computation of stiffness of the cracked element and the unbalanced nodal forces due to cracking or yielding.
The Ecological Impact of the Korean Saemaul (New Rural Community) Movement, 1970–1979

The Korean Saemaul Movement (New Village Movement, New Rural Community Movement, or KSM) in the 1970s was a political initiative to modernize the rural economy and change the traditional and unscientific mentality of the peasants, under the powerful top-down leadership of President Park, Chung Hee. Historical reviews of KSM are generally positive. It has been regarded as one of the most positively influential governmental policies contributing to the national development of the Republic of Korea. It has also been a popular modernization model for the Third World. However, the ecological impact of KSM’s conversion of Korean traditional villages into new modern villages has not been as fully examined as its economic and social impacts. Thus, this research investigated the ecological impact of KSM and Korean Reforestation, which were highly correlated. As a result, the paper reached the following conclusions: KSM was a spiritual platform for national agendas to be implemented according to changing situations; and KSM caused regime changes of resource management from natural resource-based materials into industrial resource-based materials, which led not only to the success of Korean reforestation, but also to an extremely high foreign dependence of energy and resources. Korean historical experiences in rural development may provide useful insights and substantial lessons for China’s current wave of New Socialist Countryside Construction.
The peak energy of dissipative GRB photospheres

ABSTRACT The radiation released at the transparency radius of an ultrarelativistic ﬂow can account forthe observed properties of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) provided that suﬃcient energy is dissi-pated in the sub-photospheric region. Here, I investigate how the peak energy of the E · f(E)spectrum and its overall shape depend on the properties of the jet for various “dissipative pho-tospheres”. I ﬁnd that continuous energy release over a wide range of distances may be thekey to explain the GRB emission. In this picture, the peak of the spectrum forms at a Thom-son optical depth of several tens. The peak depends mainly on the bulk Lorentz factor Γ ofthe ﬂow and can, therefore, be used to determine it. The Γ can range from ∼ 10 to 1000 fromX-ray ﬂashes to the brightest observed GRBs. The Amati relation can be understood if thebrightest bursts are the least baryon loaded ones. Implications from this interpretation of theGRB emission for the central engine are discussed.Key words: Gamma rays: bursts – radiation mechanisms: general – method s: statistical
The Evolution of Cooperation: How Patience Matters

The evolution of cooperation has been the focus of much attention from evolutionary game theorists. Of course, conventional game theorists often cite the Folk Theorem to suggest that cooperation is very likely as long as people are patient. However, experimental and real world evidence of the Folk Theorem has been sparse. We investigate whether cooperation can evolve endogenously in a population where people have different patience levels. We motivate our model by asking the following question: why don’t biologists cooperate with each other by contributing to biological databases? We apply the Folk theorem from conventional game theory and assume that patient people cooperate while impatient people do not. Further, we allow people to be heterogenous in the patience trait. We then show, using evolutionary game theory, how patience may matter in the evolution of cooperation. Computer simulations check for the robustness of our results. We suggest therefore that experimental evidence for the Folk theorem has been scarce because these experiments ignore patience endogeneity.
The effects of object size, attenuation, scatter, and random coincidences on signal to noise ratio in simulations of time-of-flight positron emission tomography

Time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET) can improve signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) relative to conventional PET by improving coincidence localization and reducing random coincidences. Previous work showed that good TOF resolution can dramatically improve SNR in the absence of attenuation. This paper examines the effect of attenuation, scatter and randoms coincidences on SNR in TOF. The SimSET program was modified to generate random events and used to simulate multiple realizations of cylindrical phantoms, adding attenuation, scatter and randoms one-by-one. Improving TOF resolution generally improved SNR, but the improvement over conventional tomography was not well predicted by a widely used model.
Unleashing a Gatekeeper: Why the SEC Should Mandate Disclosure of Details Concerning Directors' & Officers' Liability Insurance Policies

This Essay explores the connection between corporate governance and D&O insurance. It argues that D&O insurers act as gatekeepers and guarantors of corporate governance, screening and pricing corporate governance risks to maintain the profitability of their risk pools. As a result, D&O insurance premiums provide the insurer's assessment of a firm's governance quality. Most basically, firms with good corporate governance pay relatively low D&O premiums while firms with worse corporate governance pay more. This simple relationship could signal important information to investors and other capital market participants. Unfortunately, the signal is not being sent. Corporations lack the incentive to produce this disclosure themselves, and U.S. securities regulators do not require registrants to provide this information. This Essay therefore advocates a change to U.S. securities regulation, making disclosure of D&O policy details - specifically premiums, limits and retentions under each type of coverage, as well as the identity of the insurer - mandatory.
Stem cells are units of natural selection for tissue formation, for germline development, and in cancer development

It is obvious that natural selection operates at the level of individuals and collections of individuals. Nearly two decades ago we showed that in multi-individual colonies of protochordate colonial tunicates sharing a blood circulation, there exists an exchange of somatic stem cells and germline stem cells, resulting in somatic chimeras and stem cell competitions for gonadal niches. Stem cells are unlike other cells in the body in that they alone self-renew, so that they form clones that are perpetuated for the life of the organism. Stem cell competitions have allowed the emergence of competitive somatic and germline stem cell clones. Highly successful germline stem cells usually outcompete less successful competitors both in the gonads of the genotype partner from which they arise and in the gonads of the natural parabiotic partners. Therefore, natural selection also operates at the level of germline stem cell clones. In the colonial tunicate Botryllus schlosseri the formation of natural parabionts is prevented by a single-locus highly polymorphic histocompatibility gene called Botryllus histocompatibility factor. This limits germline stem cell predation to kin, as the locus has hundreds of alleles. We show that in mice germline stem cells compete for gonad niches, and in mice and humans, blood-forming stem cells also compete for bone marrow niches. We show that the clonal progression from blood-forming stem cells to acute leukemias by successive genetic and epigenetic events in blood stem cells also involves competition and selection between clones and propose that this is a general theme in cancer.
Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid α-Tocopherol and Selenium Concentrations in Neonatal Foals with Neuroaxonal Dystrophy.

Background Equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (NAD/EDM) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting genetically predisposed foals maintained on α-tocopherol (α-TP)-deficient diet. Objective Intramuscular α-TP and selenium (Se) administration at 4 days of age would have no significant effect on serum or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) α-TP in healthy foals. Serum and CSF α-TP, but not Se, would be significantly decreased in NAD/EDM-affected foals during first year of life. Animals Fourteen Quarter horse foals; 10 healthy foals supplemented with 0.02 mL/kg injectable α-TP and Se (n = 5) or saline (n = 5) at 4 days of age and 4 unsupplemented NAD/EDM-affected foals. Methods Complete neurologic examinations were performed, blood and CSF were collected before (4 days of age) and after supplementation at 10, 30, 60, 120, 180, 240, and 360 days of age. Additional blood collections occurred at 90, 150, 210, and 300 days. At 540 days, NAD/EDM-affected foals and 1 unsupplemented healthy foal were euthanized and necropsies performed. Results Significant decreases in blood, CSF α-TP and Se found in the first year of life in all foals, with most significant changes in serum α-TP from 4–150 days. Dam α-TP and Se significantly influenced blood concentrations in foals. Injection of α-TP and Se did not significantly increase CSF Se, blood or CSF α-TP in healthy foals. NAD/EDM-affected foals had significantly lower CSF α-TP through 120 days. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Injection of α-TP and Se at 4 days of age does not significantly increase blood or CSF α-TP. Despite all 14 foals remaining deficient in α-TP, only the 4 genetically predisposed foals developed NAD/EDM.
Transvaginal sonographic findings associated with emphysematous vaginitis at 32 weeks' gestation.

Emphysematous vaginitis is a rare, self-limited entity (∼200 reported cases) characterized by multiple, discrete, gas-filled cystic cavities in the vaginal mucosa or ectocerdx. 1-3 Most patients have vaginal discharge, although some have reported being aware of popping sounds associated with rupture of the cysts, which may occur spontaneously or during intercourse. 1,2 Evidence suggests that emphysematous vaginitis is an unusual manifestation or a common infection in an immunocompromised or pregnant host. 1,4-7 Although both Gardnerella vaginalis and Trichomonas have been implicated, no single organism has been identified as the causative agent. 1,7 We present transvaginal sonographic findings associated with biopsy-proven emphysematous vaginitis in a patient at 32 weeks' gestation.
Human liver folylpolyglutamate synthetase: biochemical characterization and interactions with folates and folate antagonists.

Abstract Folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) was isolated from human liver cytosol by 0–30% ( w v ) ammonium sulfate fractionation and characterized biochemically. Using aminopterin (AMT), l -[3H]glutamate and MgATP as cosubstrates, maximal γ- l -glutamylation activity was observed in the presence of the activators KCl and NaHCO3. ATP and 2-mercaptoethanol were each required for enzyme activity and stability. In the absence of ATP, human liver FPGS rapidly inactivated at 37 °C ( t 1 2 ~ 8 min), whereas FPGS isolated from rabbit liver was significantly more stable ( 1 2 = 68 min). Both folates and antifolates were effectively polyglutamylated by the isolated human liver enzyme. Km parameters determined for AMT (Km = 4.3 μ m ) were similar to those determined for several reduced folates (tetrahydrofolic acid, dihydrofolic acid, and folinic acid; Km = 3–7 μ m ), while significantly higher Km values were observed for methotrexate (MTX) and 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (Km = 50–60 μM) and for folic acid (Km = 100 μ m ). All of the substrates examined exhibited Vmax values ranging from 30 to 90% of the AMT value (Vmax = 935 pmol product/mg/h). The order of reactivity for these substrates differed from that determined in parallel studies for FPGS isolated from rat and rabbit liver. In the case of AMT and several reduced folates, inhibition of human liver FPGS was observed at substrate concentrations at or above 50–250 μ m . FPGS isolated from six individual human livers exhibited highly similar biochemical and kinetic properties, suggesting the presence of the same or at least highly similar enzyme species in each individual, with a five-fold interindividual range in specific activities observed. Comparison of MTX with its higher polyglutamates (MTX-Glu2 to MTX-Glu6) as FPGS substrates indicated a significant decrease in Vmax values with increasing glutamate chain length which was partially compensated for by a corresponding decrease in Km. Consistent with these observations, the isolated enzyme was unable to synthesize polyglutamates higher than MTX-Glu3 when MTX was supplied as substrate, raising the question as to how MTX polyglutamates containing up to five or six γ- l -glutamate residues are formed in vivo.
Theory and experiments of 1/f noise in Schottky-barrier diodes operating in the thermionic-emission mode

A 1/f noise model for diodes operating in the thermionic-emission mode under forward-bias conditions has been developed. The model is based on mobility and diffusivity fluctuations occurring in the space-charge region and accounts for the current-limiting role of the metal-semiconductor interface The bias dependence of the 1/f noise spectral density calculated from this model is in excellent agreement with the results of the authors' experiments but is at variance with the predictions of a model developed by T.G.M. Kleinpenning (1979). From the experimental data, a value of 4.2*10/sup -9/ for the Hooge parameter is derived. This value is in good agreement with theoretical calculation for electrons in silicon. >
Religious Language and Symbolism in Franz Kafka's Block, the Tradesman

Critics have noted the incorporation of religious language and religious themes in Franz Kafka's writing even though he was a largely nonobservant, twentieth-century secular Jew (Sobel). A number o...
“Dear Gallery, here's why I’m mad”: The angry letter as a queer and feminist aesthetic practice in the Readykeulous exhibit

In the words of artist William Powhida, the Readykeulous exhibit that ran from 14 January–13 February 2010 at the Invisible-Exports Gallery on New York City's Lower East Side was dedicated to “angr...
Micromechanics for actuators

Fabrication processes for microactuator construction must provide the capability to achieve 3- D geometries with a large material base while being able to benefit from the low cost economy of scale of batch processing. These attributes are provided in part by the basic LIGA process originating in Germany which is able to form high aspect ratio metal components up to 500 micrometers in thickness with very low vertical run-out and is compatible with microelectronic processing. The process has been extended to allow geometries with thicknesses up to 1 cm via a low-strain performed photoresist sheet and solvent bonding with x ray exposure via the 2.5 GeV National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS). Such results enable batch fabrication of parts suitable for larger precision engineered actuators and mechanisms. To demonstrate the extended process capabilities a magnetic micromotor has been constructed using electroplated permalloy and assembled LIGA defined components. The low-inertia of the small rotor sizes is demonstrated by a stepping micromotor with a 150 micrometers diameter rotor which achieved maximum rotational speeds over 150,000 rpm.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Large-scale passive photonic switch architecture

This paper describes some scalable photonic switch architectures based on passive star couplers and wavelength-division multiplexing. The development of these architectures is motivated by several implications to the use of passive photonics: low access latency, large switching capacity, improved fault tolerance, and bandwidth/spatial reconfiguration. Due to crosstalk and power budget factors, the number of separable wavelength channels with direct detection devices is limited. Scalability in the described architectures is achieved by efficiently combining wavelength and space division, using multiple star couplers. Two approaches are presented, both feature conflict-free communication: multi-access based on interleaved time-division multiple-access and virtual point-to-point based on multi-hop lightwave shuffle networks. Results concerning realization, delay-throughput performance, and wavelength assignment are summarized.
AVERSIVE PROPERTIES OF THE NEGATIVE STIMULUS IN A SUCCESSIVE DISCRIMINATION1

Experiment I sought to determine if the stimulus correlated with extinction in a successive discrimination was an aversive stimulus. An escape response provided an index of aversive control. Two groups of pigeons were exposed to a multiple variable-interval 30-sec extinction schedule. For the experimental group, a single peck on a second key produced a timeout during which all lights in the chamber were dark. For the control group, pecks on the second key had no contingency. The rate of responding on the timeout key during extinction for the experimental group was higher than that of the control group during all sessions of discrimination training except the first. In Exp. II, green was correlated with variable interval 30-sec and red was correlated with variable-interval 5-min. Timeouts were obtained from variable-interval 5-min. There were more timeouts from extinction in Exp. I than from variable-interval 5-min in Exp. II. Experiment III showed that not presenting the positive stimulus reduced the number of timeouts from the negative stimulus for the two birds from Exp. I that had the highest rate of timeouts from extinction, but had little effect on the two birds that had the lowest rate of timeouts. These results suggest that in a multiple schedule, the stimulus correlated with extinction, or the lower response rate, functions as a conditioned aversive stimulus. Explanations of the timeout response in terms of extinction produced variability, displaced aggression, and stimulus change, were considered but found inadequate.
Optical alignment to set a skewed beamline for neutrino research at the LAMPF accelerator

The Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) consists of a linear accelerator with multiple target systems, where the particle beam is being switched into separate channels to be aimed at discrete terminals to perform a variety of functions. The beam is always enclosed in an evacuated pipe with directional changes following simple geometric patterns along vertical or horizontal reference lines. Beam steering and focusing is accomplished with magnets surrounding the evacuated beam tubes. In a novel application it was necessary to cut into an existing beam tube and add a line which was to be skewed in a compound angle to clear the existing equipment and fit into the limited space provided in the beam tunnel. Alignment of the skewed beamline was accomplished by setting optical reference lines and planes to calculated beam centerlines and positioning the beam pipes and most magnets to these references using special centering fixtures. This paper describes the combined use of the optical tooling and surveying technology as applied to the marking of the components and positioning of subassemblies in the reference grid. Auxiliary targets and alignment fixtures were developed to facilitate the unique procedures and are described. Design and measured alignment tolerances are compared.
Six flavors of quarks but only three flavors of leptons

Fryberger's self-consistency condition for the mean leptonic mass in QED with bare-mass zero and a quantum-gravitational cutoff indicates that there exist six flavors of quarks but only three flavors of leptons. For three flavors there is an explicit expression for the charged lepton mass operator.
Optimal estimation control strategies for dynamic economic models with applications to environmental modelling

As controlled experimentation becomes more common in economics, it behoves economists to pay more attention to the peculiarities of economic experimentation. In particular, while most classical experimentation is essentially atemporal, economic experiments occur over a period of time, because individual economic units must adjust their activities to react to the incentive structure of the experiments. In this paper the choice of control strategies to improve estimation of the parameters in dynamic economic models with time-varying parameters is considered. Since restrictions of coefficients implied by the model structure cause the parameters also to appear in the solution of the estimation control problem, a sequential procedure immediately suggests itself. The combination of sequential estimation and design control strategies is shown to feature a marked improvement in the behavior of estimates over the nonsequential formulation. The maximum accuracy control problem considered in this paper can also be t...
The relation between the plasma lipoprotein pattern and the waist/hip ratio in non-diabetic individuals

Abstract Relations between lipoprotein indices and the waist/hip ratio (WHR) were examined in normoglycemic subjects (124 women and 63 men). Among women, an atherogenic lipoprotein pattern was strongly associated with WHR. The relation was greater than that of the lipoprotein pattern with either the body mass index or the subscapular/triceps ratio, and was independent of these adiposity measures. The association between low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) and WHR was much stronger in thinner women than in those more obese ( r = 0.64 vs r = 0.22, p = 0.001 for difference). Men had a more atherogenic lipoprotein pattern than women; however, with allowances for WHR the lipoprotein patterns were similar. These findings suggest that: (1) WHR is more strongly related to plasma lipoproteins than other adiposity measures; (2) there is effect modification by the extent of adiposity for the relation between LDL-cholesterol and WHR; and (3) the adipose distribution may be important in explaining lipoprotein differences between men and women.
From Acceptance to Rejection: Food Contamination in the Classroom

This demonstration allows to experience and measure a shift from food acceptance to food rejection, based on the phenomenon of contamination sensitivity to disgusting substances. Students rate the ...
Stray light effects in Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract A transverse Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometer has been modeled using a polychromatic, optical calculus simulation software program. The models were found to be realistic and greatly facilitated the study of the effects of various Zeeman spectrometer parameters and their interactions. The behavior of the Zeeman spectrometer calibration curves, in the presence of three different types of stray light, was modeled. From the initial results, it seems most likely that the major stray light source in real Zeeman experiments is due to polychromaticity of the light source, even when the source profile is relatively narrow in spectral bandwidth.
Multiple cell common pressure vessel nickel hydrogen battery

A multiple cell common pressure vessel (CPV) nickel hydrogen battery was developed that offers significant weight, volume, cost, and interfacing advantages over the conventional individual pressure vessel (IPV) nickel hydrogen configuration that is currently used for aerospace applications. The baseline CPV design was successfully demonstrated though the testing of a 26 cell prototype, which completed over 7,000 44 percent depth of discharge LEO cycles. Two-cell boilerplate batteries have now exceeded 12,500 LEO cycles in ongoing laboratory tests. CPV batteries using both nominal 5 and 10 inch diameter vessels are currently available. The flexibility of the design allows these diameters to provide a broad capability for a variety of space applications.
Structural crosslinking of lung connective tissue collagen in the blotchy mouse.

Male mice with the sex-linked mutation Blotchy (Blo) have a defect in copper metabolism which results in deficient activity of a number of copper-containing enzymes. Inbred Bloly mice spontaneously develop lung abnormalities which resemble emphysema and often die of ruptured aortic aneurysm.Lung, tail tendon, and tibial bone collagens from inbred Bloly and their normal (+ly) litter mates were reduced with standardized [3H]NaBH4, acid and alkaline hydrolyzed, and chromatographed in order to quantify the aldehydic crosslink precursors, and the labile reducible and nonreducible stable mature covalent intermolecular crosslinks. Reducible lung collagen crosslinks were markedly (60%) decreased in the Bloly mice and few, if any, mature nonreducible crosslinks were present. Total aldehydes were also decreased (65%) when Bloly was compared to +ly. In tail tendon and bone, collagen crosslinks were decreased by only 28% and 15%, respectively. Selectively severe lack of activity of the copper-dependent enzyme level o...
A model describing the response of the circulatory system to acceleration stress.

A mathematical model of the circulatory system based on the principles of venous return is described and applied to the condition of acceleration stress. The model consists of two single compartments representing the pulmonary and systemic portions of the circulatory system. During periods of acceleration stress the pressure in the systemic compartment, which is the upstream driving pressure for venous return, is decreased relative to the pressure at the right atrium due solely to hydrostatic effects. This decreased driving pressure causes a diminished venous return which is reflected in reduced cardiac output and arterial pressure without any changes in arterial resistance. Pressures at other points in the arterial tree, e.g., at eye-level, are related to the arterial pressure at the aortic root by hydrostatic effects.
Striped Bass Annual Site Fidelity and Habitat Utilization in J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir, South Carolina-Georgia

Abstract Forty-eight adult striped bass Morone saxatilis (3.2-19.1 kg) were captured by electrofishing in the tailrace of Richard B. Russell Dam and in the upper reaches of two major tributaries; they were implanted with temperature-sensitive radio transmitters and tracked approximately bimonthly for 20 months. As J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir downstream from the dam became thermally stratified in May, fish vacated the tributaries. From June to October, all striped bass were found within the reservoir's historical Savannah River channel. By August, most of the instrumented fish were found in the upper section of the reservoir, where optimal habitat was available throughout the summer owing to cool, artificially oxygenated hypolimnetic discharges from Richard B. Russell Dam. In mid-October the reservoir destratified, and fish dispersed from their up-reservoir summering areas and redistributed themselves throughout the reservoir. During early winter, the striped bass returned to tributary habitat or down-rese...
Analysis of Sulindac and Metabolites by Combined Isotope Dilution-Radioimmunoassay

Sulindac, a new anti-inflammatory agent, and its sulfone and sulfide metabolites were conjugated to bovine serum albumin by the N-hydroxysuccinimide active ester procedure. Antiserum from rabbits immunized with each of these haptens exhibited extensive cross-reactivity, precluding differential analyses of the three species by displacement assay without prior separation. Therefore, an analytical method based on a combination of isotope dilution and radioimmunoassay was devised. A known mixture of the three chemical species, each labeled with tritium, was equilibrated with plasma or urine samples, reisolated chromatographically, and quantitated by binding to an appropriate immunoglobulin. The radiolabeled materials thus served as recovery standards as well as labeled antigens for each displacement, assay. Sulindac and each of its metabolites in plasma or urine at concentrations as low as 500 ng/sample were differentially determined by this procedure. However, since an extraction is required, several milliliters of plasma can be used for each sample, thus increasing the actual sensitivity of the assay.
Projections of auditory cortex upon the thalamus and Midbrain in the owl monkey

Two tonotopically organized cortical fields, the primary (AI) and the rostral (R) fields, comprise the core of auditory cortex in the owl monkey. Injections of tritiated proline were made into each of these fields to determine their efferent projections using autoradiographic methods. Both AI and R project to the principal and magnocellular divisions of the medial geniculate body. In addition, R projects to the posterior part of the dorsal division of the medial geniculate. AI sends axons to the dorsomedial region and laminated portion of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus. Labeling in the central nucleus following AI injections appears as a band of silver grains oriented parallel to isofrequency contours. Axons from R terminate in the dorsomedial region of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus and in the pericentral and external nuclei of the inferior colliculus. In addition, the rostral field projects to a small area of the medial pulvinar just anterior to the brachium of the superior colliculus.
ICI'S Patient Assistance Program

The pricing of pharmaceutical products has recently been the subject of intense scrutiny, and much vilification, by both the public and Congress, especially when alternative therapies are not avail...
DYNAMIC SIMULATION OF TREE–GRASS INTERACTIONS FOR GLOBAL CHANGE STUDIES

The objective of this study was to simulate dynamically the response of a complex landscape, containing forests, savannas, and grasslands, to potential climate change. Thus, it was essential to simulate accurately the competition for light and water between trees and grasses. Accurate representation of water competition requires simulating the appropriate vertical root distribution and soil water content. The importance of different rooting depths in structuring savannas has long been debated. In simulating this complex landscape, we examined alternative hypotheses of tree and grass vertical root distribution and the importance of fire as a disturbance, as they influence savanna dynamics under historical and changing climates. MC1, a new dynamic vegetation model, was used to estimate the distribution of vegetation and associated carbon and nutrient fluxes for Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, USA. MC1 consists of three linked modules simulating biogeography, biogeochemistry, and fire disturbance. This new tool allows us to document how changes in rooting patterns may affect production, fire frequency, and whether or not current vegetation types and life-form mixtures can be sustained at the same location or would be replaced by others. Because climate change may intensify resource deficiencies, it will probably affect allocation of resources to roots and their distribution through the soil profile. We manipulated the rooting depth of two life-forms, trees and grasses, that are competing for water. We then assessed the importance of variable rooting depth on eco- system processes and vegetation distribution by running MC1 for historical climate (1895- 1994) and a GCM-simulated future scenario (1995-2094). Deeply rooted trees caused higher tree productivity, lower grass productivity, and longer fire return intervals. When trees were shallowly rooted, grass productivity exceeded that of trees even if total grass biomass was only one-third to one-fourth that of trees. Deeply rooted grasses developed extensive root systems that increased N uptake and the input of litter into soil organic matter pools. Shallowly rooted grasses produced smaller soil carbon pools. Under the climate change scenario, NPP and live biomass increased for grasses and decreased for trees, and total soil organic matter decreased. Changes in the size of biogeochemical pools produced by the climate change scenario were overwhelmed by the range of responses across the four rooting configurations. Deeply rooted grasses grew larger than shallowly rooted ones, and deeply rooted trees outcompeted grasses for resources. In both historical and future scenarios, fire was required for the coexistence of trees and grasses when deep soil water was available to trees. Consistent changes in fire frequency and intensity were simulated during the climate change scenario: more fires occurred because higher temperatures resulted in decreased fuel moisture. Fire also increased in the deeply rooted grass configurations because grass biomass, which serves as a fine fuel source, was relatively high.
Bacteria on Leaf Surfaces and in Intercellular Leaf Spaces.

Ultraviolet irradiation kills bacteria on the leaf surface but not those in the intercellular leaf spaces.
On eshelby's s-tensor in a three-phase cylindrically concentric solid, and the elastic moduli of fiber-reinforced composites

Abstract The elastic field in a three-phase cylindrically concentric, transversely isotropic solid due to a uniform stress-free transformation strain in the central fiber is derived. The transformation strains considered are selected to include the uniaxial tension, plane-strain dilatation, transverse shear, and axial shear, and it is found that, with the exception of the transverse-shear condition, the strain fields in the fiber are also uniform. These solutions enable one to establish the five non-vanishing components of the average S-tensor in such a three-phase solid. With the help of these components, the modified Mori-Tanaka method recently suggested by Luo and Weng (1987) is applied to calculate the five elastic moduli of a fiber-reinforced composite. Surprisingly enough four of the five moduli are found to remain unchanged under this modification; they all coincide with the Hill-Hashin bounds. The fifth one—the transverse shear modulus—becomes stiffer than the original prediction (or Hashin's lower bound), but still lies below Christensen-Lo's result and Hashin's upper bound.
Photosystem I Protein Films at Electrode Surfaces for Solar Energy Conversion

Over the course of a few billion years, nature has developed extraordinary nanomaterials for the efficient conversion of solar energy into chemical energy. One of these materials, photosystem I (PSI), functions as a photodiode capable of generating a charge separation with nearly perfect quantum efficiency. Because of the favorable properties and natural abundance of PSI, researchers around the world have begun to study how this protein complex can be integrated into modern solar energy conversion devices. This feature article describes some of the recent materials and methods that have led to dramatic improvements (over several orders of magnitude) in the photocurrents and photovoltages of biohybrid electrodes based on PSI, with an emphasis on the research activities in our laboratory.
Challenges and advances in nanocomposite processing techniques

Of late, nanotechnology seems to be rapidly thrusting its applications in all aspects of life including engineering and medicine. Materials science and engineering has experienced a tremendous growth in the field of nanocomposite development with enhanced chemical, mechanical, and physical properties. A wide array of research has been conducted in the processing of nanocomposites. Consolidation of these systems from loose particles to bulk free form entities has always been a challenge. To name a few, traditional consolidation techniques such as cold pressing and sintering at high temperatures, hot pressing, and hot isostatic pressing have strong limitations of not being able to retain the nanoscale grain size due to the excessive grain growth during processing. This article reviews in detail the results from numerous studies on various methods for manufacturing nanocomposites with improved properties and retained nanostructures. Both challenges and recent advances are discussed in detail in this review.
Vestibular, somatosensory, and auditory input to the thalamus of the cat.

Abstract Responses were recorded and analyzed for 334 single units in the ventral, posterior, and intralaminar groups of thalamic nuclei of the cat. Units were tested for a response after (i) electrical stimulation of the vestibular nerve: (ii) electrical stimulation of the four paw pads and natural stimulation of joint, muscle, and cutaneous receptors of the limbs, trunk, and head (somatic stimulation); and (iii) electrical stimulation of the cochlear nerve and sound (auditory stimuli). Forty-one percent of the units responded to these stimuli. Vestibular stimulation activated 16% of the responsive units. These units were found primarily in the posterior nucleus and the border region between it and the ventral posterolateral nucleus. Seventy-three percent of vestibular-activated units also responded to at least one other modality of sensory stimuli. No evidence was found for a thalamic region where the majority of units responded at short latency to vestibular nerve stimulation. Ninety percent of the responsive units were activated by somatic stimuli. These units could be divided into two groups. One group was composed of units that were activated exclusively by somatic stimuli and had a small contralateral receptive field. These units were found primarily in the ventral posterolateral nucleus. The other group had a bilateral receptive field or was activated by more than one modality of sensory stimuli. These units were found primarily in the posterior nucleus and the border area of the ventral posterolateral nucleus. Units that responded to auditory stimulation (10% of responsive units) were found in the posterior nucleus and the medial geniculate nucleus.
Applying mixed reality to entertainment

The lack of compelling content has relegated many promising entertainment technologies to laboratory curiosities. Although mixed-reality techniques show great potential, the entertainment business is not about technology. To penetrate these huge markets, MR technology must become transparent for the content to have full effect. To achieve this goal, we have devised a framework that lets us integrate concepts from disparate areas such as theme parks, theater, and film into a comprehensive research methodology. We believe that our framework, which has already helped us create content for MR entertainment systems, can provide these benefits to other developers as well.
Toxic shock syndrome—An adolescent disease

Over the past 3 years, toxic shock syndrome (TSS) has emerged from virtual obscurity to become a household word. The syndrome, which most commonly occurs in previously healthy women during menses, is characterized by the sudden onset of headache, malaise, high fever, myalgia, diarrhea, syncope, skin rash, and evidence of multisystem involvement with progression to desquamation of skin, nails, and hair. Death has occurred in 5%-10% of cases. Use of highly absorbent tampons and the presence of toxin-producing staphylococcus aureus have been implicated in the pathogenesis of this syndrome. Treatment with beta-lactamase-resistant antibiotics and discontinuation of tampon use are associated with reduction in the risk of recurrence. To date, 42% of cases have occurred in females under the age of 19 years. Accordingly, physicians who care for adolescents should be knowledgeable about the syndrome's myriad manifestations and treatment, as well as the possibility of prevention through education about menstrual practices.
Reversibility of pulmonary hypertension in congestive heart failure patients evaluated for cardiac transplantation: comparative effects of various pharmacologic agents.

Abstract Congestive heart failure patients with severe pulmonary hypertension are at risk of death from acute right ventricular failure of the donor heart in the early postoperative period after orthotopic cardiac transplantation. Therefore in the preoperative evaluation of these patients, it is extremely important to determine whether pulmonary hypertension can be reversed by pharmacologic means. Patients with reactive pulmonary hypertension can be considered suitable for orthotopic transplantation and the effective drug utillized postoperatively to reverse pulmonary hypertension and prevent failure of the donor right ventricle. To determine which pharmacologic agent is most effective in reversing pulmonary hypertension in congestive heart failure, the acute pulmonary hemodynamic effects of comparable doses of direct intravenous vasodilators including nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, and prostaglandin E1, and intravenous inotropic agents dobutamine and enoximone, were evaluated in 66 patients undergoing cardiac transplantation evaluation. All drugs significantly increased cardiac output and decreased calculated pulmonary vascular resistance. All drugs except dobutamine significantly lowered pulmonary artery and pulmonary artery wedge pressures. Prostaglandin E1 was the only drug that significantly lowered transpulmonary pressure gradient (pulmonary artery mean pressure minus mean pulmonary wedge pressure). The magnitude of decline of pulmonary vascular resistance and transpulmonary pressure gradient was greatest with prostaglandin E1 compared with other drugs. These observations indicate that prostaglandin E1 may be more effective than the other studied drugs for acute reversal of pulmonary hypertension in congestive heart failure.