cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Care-Partner Support and Hospitalization in Assisted Living During Transitional Home Health Care

Background/objectives Care-partner support affects outcomes among assisted living (AL) residents. Yet, little is known about care-partner support and its effects on hospitalization during post-acute care transitions. This study examined the variation in care-partner support and its impact on hospitalizations among AL residents receiving Medicare home health (HH) services. Design Analysis of national data from the Outcome and Assessment Information Set, Medicare claims, Area Health Resources File, and the Social Deprivation Index File. Setting AL facilities and Medicare HH agencies in the United States. Participants 741,926 Medicare HH admissions of AL residents in 2017. Measurements Care-partner support during the HH admission was measured based on the type and frequency of assistance from AL staff in seven domains (i.e., activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADLs, medication administration, treatment, medical equipment, home safety, and transportation). Care-partner support in each domain was measured as "assistance not needed" (reference group), "Care-partner currently provides assistance," "care-partner need additional training/support to provide assistance" (i.e., inadequate care-partner support), and "care-partner unavailable/unlikely to provide assistance" (i.e., unavailable care-partner support). Outcome was time-to-hospitalization during the HH admission. Results Among the 741,926 Medicare HH admissions of AL residents, inadequate care-partner support was identified for all seven domains that ranged from 13.1% (for transportation) to 49.8% (for treatment), and care-partner support was unavailable from 0.9% (for transportation) to 11.0% (for treatment). In Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for patient covariates and geography, compared with "assistance not needed", having inadequate and unavailable care-partner support was related to increased risk of hospitalization by 8.9% (treatment (hazard ratio (HR) =1.089, P Conclusion For AL residents receiving HH services, having less care-partner support was related to increased risk of hospitalization, particularly regarding medication administration, medical equipment, and transportation/advocacy.
Endothelial Extracellular Vesicles: From Keepers of Health to Messengers of Disease

Endothelium has a rich vesicular network that allows the exchange of macromolecules between blood and parenchymal cells. This feature of endothelial cells, along with their polarized secretory machinery, makes them the second major contributor, after platelets, to the particulate secretome in circulation. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) produced by the endothelial cells mirror the remarkable molecular heterogeneity of their parent cells. Cargo molecules carried by EVs were shown to contribute to the physiological functions of endothelium and may support the plasticity and adaptation of endothelial cells in a paracrine manner. Endothelium-derived vesicles can also contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease or can serve as prognostic or diagnostic biomarkers. Finally, endothelium-derived EVs can be used as therapeutic tools to target endothelium for drug delivery or target stromal cells via the endothelial cells. In this review we revisit the recent evidence on the heterogeneity and plasticity of endothelial cells and their EVs. We discuss the role of endothelial EVs in the maintenance of vascular homeostasis along with their contributions to endothelial adaptation and dysfunction. Finally, we evaluate the potential of endothelial EVs as disease biomarkers and their leverage as therapeutic tools.
Assessing the Effectiveness of Teaching Programming Concepts through Online Interactive Outreach Workshops

In this study, we present our findings with regard to the effectiveness of teaching computing concepts online via interactive outreach projects. These outreach activities were facilitated through our service-based learning course, the Technology Ambassador Program (TAP). The goal is to determine how effective these online outreach activities are and how we can improve upon them. The results of this study show that online outreach activities can be effective using already known teaching strategies such as repetition and hands-on activities. Surprisingly, we also found that these strategies work whether the participants are STEM or non-STEM students. Another important finding was the limitation of self-reported knowledge of understanding compared to the objectively assessed ability to implement the knowledge.
Performance status of the AIRS instrument thirteen years after launch

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) is a hyperspectral infrared instrument on the EOS Aqua Spacecraft, launched on May 4, 2002. AIRS has 2378 infrared channels ranging from 3.7 μm to 15.4 μm and a 13.5 km footprint at nadir. AIRS is a “facility” instrument developed by NASA as an experimental demonstration of advanced technology for remote sensing and the benefits of high resolution infrared spectra to science investigations. AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), produces temperature profiles with 1K/km accuracy on a global scale, as well as water vapor profiles and trace gas amounts for CO2 , CO, SO2 , O3 and CH4. AIRS data are used for weather forecasting, climate process studies and validating climate models. The AIRS instrument has far exceeded its required design life of 5 years, with nearly 13 years of routine science operations that began on August 31, 2002. While the instrument has performed exceptionally well, with little sign of wear, the AIRS Project continues to monitor and maintain the health of AIRS, characterize its behavior and improve performance where possible. Radiometric stability has been monitored and trending shows better than 16 mK/year stability. Spectral calibration stability is better than 1 ppm/year. At this time we expect the AIRS to continue to perform well into the next decade. This paper contains updates to previous instrument status reports, with emphasis on the last three years.
Weighing Influence: Employment Discrimination and the Theory of Subordinate Bias Liability

Introduction 1729 I. Background 1735 A. The Anti-Discrimination Statutes 1735 B. Agency Principles 1737 II. The Theory of Subordinate Bias Liability 1739 A. The Mere Influence or Involvement Standard 1740 1. Influence 1741 2. Involvement 1742 3. Influence and involvement 1743 B. The Actual Decision-Maker Standard 1744 C. The Causal Nexus Standard 1745 III. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. BCI Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Los Angeles 1746 A. The Weak Mere Influence or Involvement Standard.....1749 B. The Undesirable Actual Decision-Maker Standard ........1752 IV. In Favor of the Causal Nexus Approach 1754 A. An Effective Middle Ground Approach 1755 B. Consistency in Causation 1758 Conclusion 1759
High-density map of short tandem repeats across the human major histocompatibility complex

The human genome contains one short tandem repeat (STR) roughly every 2,000 base pairs. They are particularly useful markers for gene mapping and disease association studies due to their high degree of polymorphism and ubiquitous frequency throughout the genome. The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has been the focus of many disease association studies, and the recent availability of the entire sequence of the complex has logarithmically expanded the density of potential markers for fine mapping disease loci. Here we present a complete assessment of the available STRs within a 3.8-Mb genomic segment encompassing the MHC. Of 443 potential STRs identified by computer analysis and tested for variation in a single sample containing pooled DNA from 36 individuals, 249 polymorphic STRs located throughout the complex were identified. The class of repeat (di-, tri-, etc.), precise nucleotide position, position relative to known genes, PCR conditions, and D6S numbers for the 249 polymorphic STRs are provided as a resource for selecting appropriate markers to use in future studies of MHC molecular genetics and disease association.
Analysis of Basic Data Reordering Techniques

Data reordering techniques are applied to improve the space and time efficiency of storage and query systems in various scientific and commercial applications. Run-length encoding is a prominent approach of compression in many areas, whose performance is significantly enhanced by achieving longer and fewer "runs" through data reordering. In this paper we theoretically study two reordering techniques, namely lexicographical order and Gray code order. We analyze these two methods in the context of bitmap indexes, which are known to have high query performances. We take into account the two commonly used bitmap encodings: equality and range. Our analysis indicates that, when we have all the possible data tuples, both ordering methods perform the same with equality encoding. However, Gray code achieves better compression with range encoding. Experimental results are provided to validate the theoretical analysis.
Trauma of the Abdomen and Pelvis I

Trauma has become a significant health problem, in part due to high velocity transportation and the use of penetrating weapons, especially firearms. Not only the young, but also the elderly and pregnant women are affected. Improvements for those affected include more rapid rescue, better organization of trauma centers, and advances in treatment. There are three recent trends: the increased tendency for non-operative care, the resulting increased need for accurate non-invasive imaging diagnosis, and a desire for cost-effective use of imaging. One aspect of the trend towards non-operative care is the desire to avoid non-therapeutic surgery; this is possible if imaging can identify those patients who require surgery. Another aspect is the realization that non-operative care can result in better long-term outcome, such as salvaging splenic and renal function. Lastly, imaging evaluation with a high negative predictive value may allow for discharge of trauma victims directly from the Emergency Department, avoiding hospital admission for observation.
Diversity, Redundancy, and Multiplicity in Chemical Defense Systems of Aspen

Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is the most widely distributed tree in North America, occurring over a variety of climatic, soil and topographical conditions.1,2 Interactions between aspen and its biotic and abiotic environments play pivotal roles in the ecological dynamics of many early-suc-cessional ecosystems. These interactions, in turn, influence and are influenced by the chemical composition of aspen.
Automotive exhaust catalysis

Abstract Research in the field of automotive exhaust catalysis has paralleled the broader growth in heterogeneous catalysis research—beginning in the 1960s, progressing through commercialization in the mid-1970s, and continuing today. The general trend has been one of increasingly complex catalyst formulations in response to increasingly stringent emission standards. Nowhere is this more evident than in the various means that have been employed to most effectively utilize the noble metal components. These efforts will continue, but with greater emphasis on optimizing catalyst formulations for lean-burn applications and reducing catalyst cost and complexity without sacrificing performance.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: a review for clinicians.

Attempts at cardiopulumonary resuscitation (CPR) date from antiquity, but it is only in the last 50 years that a scientifically-based methodology has been developed. External chest compressions is the standard method for managing circulatory arrest, however, numerous alterations of this technique have been proposed in attempts to improve outcome from CPR. Defibrillation is the single most important therapy for the management of ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Adrenergic agents used to improve myocardial and cerebral perfusion are also the subject of considerable investigation with new agents entering clinical study. This paper reviews the history, current techniques and pharmacotherapy as well as controversial issues in the management of patients with cardiac arrest.
Size-invariant four-scan Euclidean distance transformation

Abstract Distance transform (DT)(1) is used to convert a binary image that consists of object (foreground) and nonobject (background) pixels into another image in which each object pixel has a value corresponding to the minimum distance from the background by a predefined distance function. The Euclidean distance is more accurate than the others, such as city-block, chessboard and chamfer, but it takes more computational time due to its nonlinearity. By using the relative X and Y coordinates computed from the object pixel to the source mapping pixel of its neighbors as well as correction of particular cases, the Euclidean distance transformation (EDT) can be correctly obtained in just four scans of an image. In other words, the new algorithm achieves the computational complexity of EDT to be linear to the size of an image.
Anti-Stokes Raman Spectrometry with 1064-nm Excitation: An Effective Instrumental Approach for Field Detection of Explosives

Anti-Stokes Raman spectra of 28 explosive materials were obtained with 1064-nm excitation using fiber-optic sampling and a dispersive spectrograph equipped with a charge-coupled device (CCD) array detector. By using a silicon CCD detector, anti-Stokes features could clearly be observed for the majority of samples from -250 to -1650 cm-1. Using the fiber-optic probe, spectra were routinely obtained from samples positioned up to twelve meters from the spectrograph within 240 s. The utility of an anti-Stokes correction routine is demonstrated, which routine allowed anti-Stokes spectra measured with 1064-nm excitation to be successfully searched and identified against libraries of Stokes spectra obtained using a Fourier transform (FT) Raman system equipped with a 1064-nm Nd : YAG laser.
Relation between Serum Troponin Levels and Cardiovascular Status in Children and Young Adults with Chronic Renal Failure

Relation between Serum Troponin Levels and Cardiovascular Status in Children and Young Adults with Chronic Renal Failure
Influence of Compressive Pre-Stress on Backflow During Convection Enhanced Delivery in Hydrogel Tissue Phantoms

Convection enhance delivery (CED) is a local drug delivery technique for the treatment of neurological diseases. With CED, a needle (or cannula) is implanted into tissue and either a constant flow rate or pressure is applied to deliver infusate directly into the extracellular space. Under certain conditions, infusate flows back along the outer cannula wall in the space between the cannula and tissue instead of spreading out into tissue. Higher driving fluid pressures are often needed during CED and this can frequently result in backflow especially at high flow rates or with large needle diameters. Backflow is normally undesirable because specific targeting is not achieved, and drugs can reach regions of the brain where they are not effective, toxic, or result in unintended side effects. Previous models have been developed to predict backflow [1,2] that consider elastic expansion of tissue surrounding the needle due to infusion pressure. However compressive pre-stress between the tissue and the needle wall produced by tissues displaced during needle insertion has not been previously considered.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Communication theories and other curios

(1991). Communication theories and other curios. Communication Monographs: Vol. 58, No. 1, pp. 101-113.
Are behavioral interventions for arthritis effective with minorities? Addressing racial and ethnic diversity in disability and rehabilitation

Objective To determine whether research evaluating the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for arthritis demonstrates that these interventions are effective with, and appropriately utilized by, minority participants. Methods A systematic review was conducted of arthritis intervention research from 1997 to 2008. For each article, information was gathered on the percentage of participants who were from different racial/ethnic groups, whether interventions were shown to be effective for minority participants, whether differential attrition analyses were conducted, whether efforts were reported in minority recruitment and retention, and whether attempts were made to make interventions culturally appropriate. Results We identified 25 randomized intervention studies. Of these, only 2 reported on whether the intervention was similarly effective for white and black patients (equal effectiveness was found), and 6 studies reported examining differences in attrition by race (higher attrition in nonwhites was found in 1 study). Most studies did not report the percentage of participants from specific minority groups, and in many studies the percentage of minority participants was small. No studies reported making systematic efforts to assure that interventions were culturally appropriate for minority participants. Conclusion Minority patients with arthritis are at risk for higher levels of disability than white patients, but little is known about whether evidence-based interventions for arthritis are effective for culturally diverse patients. In addition, minority patients appear to be underrepresented in intervention research, and too little attention has been paid to minority recruitment and assuring that interventions are culturally appropriate for diverse patients.
Large amplitude solar modulation cycles of 10Be in Antarctica: Implications for atmospheric mixing processes and interpretation of the ice core record

{sup 10}Be concentrations in an ice core at Taylor Dome, Antarctica show greater variation over the last 75 years than similar {sup 10}Be time-series from Greenland. Like the Greenland records, the new Antarctic data exhibit a strong periodicity which follows expected changes in the production rate of {sup 10}Be over the 11-year solar cycle. Noting that the amplitude of production-rate variation is both latitude and altitude dependent, the authors estimate the relative contributions of {sup 10}Be from different atmospheric reservoirs. The calculations yield a relatively small (<35 %) contribution from the low-to-mid latitude stratosphere, suggesting a weak coupling between Antarctic {sup 10}Be and geomagnetic field intensity. 40 refs., 5 figs.
An Intersectional Analysis of Television Narratives of African American Women with African American Men on “the Down Low”

The controversial phenomenon of “the down low” has created fear and suspicion of male sexual partners among many African American women. Being on the down low refers to men that lead seemingly heterosexual lives, yet secretly have sex with other men. Popular media have portrayed this topic more widely in more recent years and generally focus on African Americans. Two popular television shows, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Girlfriends, have dedicated episodes centering heterosexual African American women partnered with African American men on the down low. The popular television film, Cover, features an African American woman who learns her husband secretly has affairs with other men. Black feminist thought provides an intersectional frame for analyzing the content of these portrayals of Black women in relationships with men on the down low. The analysis demonstrates that the down low associates more affluent African Americans with socially deviant behavior and issues, such as hyper-sexuality and HIV/AIDS. Further, they show newer interpretations of African American women “in love and in trouble” and that African American men often have to disguise and remain silent about their sexuality to garner acceptance into their communities.
Disappearance of Myelinated Retinal Nerve Fibers After Pars Plana Vitrectomy

Purpose To describe a case of extramacular myelinated retinal nerve fibers disappearing after pars plana vitrectomy for an epiretinal membrane and macular edema. Design Interventional case report. Methods A 61-year-old African-American man with extramacular myelinated retinal nerve fibers underwent pars plana vitrectomy for an epiretinal membrane. A posterior vitreous detachment was present preoperatively. Humidified air was used. A gas bubble was placed for an intraoperative macular hole. Results Nine months after surgery, the myelinated retinal nerve fibers had disappeared. Conclusions Loss of myelinated retinal nerve fibers may occur after vitreoretinal surgery. Possible mechanisms include postoperative nerve fiber layer atrophy or ischemia.
Theoretical studies of 238U-230Th-226Ra and 235U-231Pa disequilibria in young lavas produced by mantle melting

Abstract This paper provides ready-to-use equations to describe variations in uranium-series (U-series) disequilibrium as a function of elemental distribution coefficients, melting porosity, melting rate, and melting time. The effects of these melting parameters on U-series disequilibria are quantitatively evaluated in both an absolute and relative sense. The importance of net elemental fractionation and ingrowth of daughter nuclides are also described and compared in terms of their relative contributions to total U-series disequilibrium. In addition, we compare the production of U-series disequilibrium during mantle melting to trace element fractionations produced by melting in a similar context. Trace element fractionations depend externally on the degree to which a source is melted, whereas U-series disequilibrium depends upon both the degree and rate of melting. In contrast to previous models, our approach to modeling U-series disequilibrium during dynamic melting collapses simply to a description of trace element behavior during dynamic melting when the appropriate decay terms are omitted. Our formulation shows that extremely small degrees of melting, sometimes called upon to explain observed extents of U-series disequilibrium, are not always required.
The ANOVA F test can still be used in some balanced designs with unequal variances and nonnormal data

Abstract Consider the factorial ANOVA model with m fixed factors, interactions, and error terms that are not necessarily normally distributed. We examine the asymptotic sensitivity against unequal variances of the ANOVA F test statistics for testing main factor effects and interactions, under the assumption that the number of levels of one factor A 1 tends to infinity while the number of levels is fixed for the other factors A 2 ,…, A m , and the number of replications per factor level remains also finite. Heteroscedasticity is allowed across the levels of factors A 2 ,…, A m . We show that the ANOVA F test on factor A 1 , designed for a homoscedastic model, can still be used in the presence of this form of heteroscedasticity. That is, as long as the variance of the error term does not depend on the level of factor A 1 , the F test for the main effect of factor A 1 is asymptotically almost unaffected by different variances in different levels of the other factors. The theoretical results derived in this paper are supported by simulation studies.
Microbiology: Genetic pot luck.

Without the trillions of microbes that inhabit our gut, we can't fully benefit from the components of our diet. But cultural differences in diet may, in part, dictate what food our gut microbiota can digest.
Crystallographic data for the Fab fragment of a human myeloma immunoglobulin.

COMPARISONS of the physical properties and chemical structure of myeloma proteins with those of other immunoglobulins and antibodies have indicated that myeloma proteins are abnormal only in their relative homogeneity; they seem to be typical representatives of the immunoglobulin class to which they belong. In addition, antibody activity has been shown in several myeloma proteins and in macroglobulins associated with Waldenstrom's syndrome1–9. A knowledge of the tertiary structure of fragment Fab, which contains the combining site of an antibody10, should therefore be of particular interest.
The GRB 011211 X-Ray Lines: Toward Resolving the Significance Debate

We demonstrate for the GRB 011211 X-ray afterglow lines that the significance estimation methods used by Reeves et al. and Rutledge & Sako are consistent and that the conflicting estimates found by those authors arise from different assumptions in the continuum modeling. If the column density is fixed at the Galactic value as in the Reeves et al. analysis, then both methods agree that the lines are significant at the ~3 σ level, in agreement with the original claim of Reeves et al. If we allow the column density to vary, values in excess of the Galactic column density are preferred by the data, and the lines are found from both methods to be ~1.5 σ significant, in agreement with the claim of Rutledge & Sako. We argue that the column density parameter should be fixed at the Galactic value when analyzing the portion (first 5 ks) of the XMM-Newton EPIC-PN spectrum containing the potential emission lines, because the full 25 ks observation is well modeled assuming Galactic absorption. The presence of cold gas local to the gamma-ray burst, which would be required to produce a time-variable NH, is unlikely. We also discuss the case for emission lines for GRB 030227, for which the value of NH is not critical.
Paleomagnetism and tectonics of the Cretaceous Mt. Stuart Batholith of Washington: translation or tilt?

Abstract The Mt. Stuart Batholith is a composite pluton of Late Cretaceous age that intrudes the crystalline North Cascades terrane of northwestern Washington. Its paleomagnetic direction (D=10.0°, I=45.5°; α95=4.9°) is markedly different from the direction expected for Cretaceous rocks from northwestern Washington (D=330.5°, I=73.0°), which means that the Mt. Stuart Batholith either has moved relative to the North American interior, or has been tilted through a substantial angle, or both, since it acquired its magnetism. Either tilt or translation are possible, geometrically, but translation is more likely, because: (1) local geology apparently does not support tilt in the required direction; (2) it probably is not possible for a panel of rock the size of the Mt. Stuart Batholith to tilt through the necessary angle (ca. 35°) after its deeper parts have cooled sufficiently to retain remanent magnetization; (3) the sense of paleomagnetic discordance found in the Mt. Stuart Batholith (clockwise-rotation of declination, flattened inclination) is identical to that found in nearly every other allochthonous terrane in the western North American Cordillera, including every other Cretaceous batholith studied except the Sierra Nevada.
Calpain-mediated vimentin cleavage occurs upstream of MT1-MMP membrane translocation to facilitate endothelial sprout initiation

Endothelial cells normally line the vasculature and remain quiescent. However, these cells can be rapidly stimulated to undergo morphogenesis and initiate new blood vessel formation given the proper cues. This study reports a new mechanism for initiating angiogenic sprout formation that involves vimentin, the major intermediate filament protein in endothelial cells. Initial studies confirmed vimentin was required for sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)- and growth factor (GF)-induced endothelial cell invasion, and vimentin was cleaved by calpains during invasion. Calpains were predominantly activated by GF and were required for sprout initiation. Because others have reported membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) is required for endothelial sprouting responses, we tested whether vimentin and calpain acted upstream of MT1-MMP. Both calpain and vimentin were required for successful MT1-MMP membrane translocation, which was stimulated by S1P. In addition, vimentin complexed with MT1-MMP in a manner that required both the cytoplasmic domain of MT1-MMP and calpain activation, which increased the soluble pool of vimentin in endothelial cells. Altogether, these data indicate that pro-angiogenic signals converge to activate calpain-dependent vimentin cleavage and increase vimentin solubility, which act upstream to facilitate MT1-MMP membrane translocation, resulting in successful endothelial sprout formation in three-dimensional collagen matrices. These findings help explain why S1P and GF synergize to stimulate robust sprouting in 3D collagen matrices.
Identification of epitopes on cytochrome P450 3A4/5 recognized by monoclonal antibodies.

Abstract In this study we describe the mapping of epitopes on CYP3A4/5 recognized by a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 cDNAs were cloned in GST expression vectors and the fusion proteins were subjected to Western blot. Eight MAbs reacted with the full-length GST-3A4 fusion protein as well as baculovirus cDNA-expressed CYP3A4, while six of these reacted with baculovirus cDNA-expressed CYP3A5. Five (MAb 347, 351, 352, 354, and 357) out of 8 MAbs were inhibitory in a metabolic assay using quinine as substrate. MAbs 352, 354, and 357 brought about a moderate inhibition of quinine metabolism (60–70%) while MAb 347 inhibited quinine 3- hydroxylation in human liver microsomes ( n =6) by more than 70%. MAb 347 was a potent inhibitor of baculovirus-expressed CYP3A5-catalyzed metabolism of quinine (95%) at ⩽0.20 mg IgG/nmol P450 but only moderately inhibited CYP3A4 at much higher ratios of MAb to P450. This MAb was mapped to a region of 283 to 504 amino acids on CYP3A4 protein and to an identical region on CYP3A5 protein. The region that was identified on the CYP3A5 construct was further validated based on the ability of the construct harboring the epitope to reverse the inhibition of hydroxylation of quinine by MAb 347. Our experiments clearly demonstrate that a spatial antigenic determinant is responsible for the inhibitory potency of MAb 347.
Short-course rifamycin and pyrazinamide treatment for latent tuberculosis infection in patients with HIV infection: The 2-year experience of a comprehensive community-based program in Broward County, Florida

Objectives To determine the completion rate and tolerability of short-course rifamycin and pyrazinamide treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in HIV-infected patients through a comprehensive community-based program. Design Prospective cohort, with comparison to a historical control group. Patients Of 3,118 patients with HIV infection screened for LTBI between February 1999 and March 2001, 135 patients were placed on rifamycin/pyrazinamide for 2 months under directly observed therapy and were compared to a historical group comprised of 93 HIV-infected patients who were placed on self-administered treatment of isoniazid for 12 months between 1996 and 1998. Results Of 135 patients receiving rifamycin/pyrazinamide, 124 patients (92%) completed treatment; 5 patients had to discontinue treatment due to side effects (allergic skin reactions [n = 4], hepatitis [n = 1]). The completion rate of the historical group who received isoniazid therapy was 61% (57 of 93 patients; p Conclusion In our experience, a comprehensive, community-based program of rifamycin/pyrazinamide for LTBI achieved significantly higher adherence than that of traditional isoniazid therapy, and thus may provide improved tuberculosis prevention in a community with high prevalence of HIV-infected patients.
Poor Hemodynamic and Metabolic Recovery after Global Incomplete Cerebral Ischemia Associated with Short-Term Diabetes in Dogs

We determined the effect of 4-5 weeks of diabetes on ATP recovery following global incomplete cerebral ischemia. 31 P magnetic resonance spectra of ATP, intracellular pH (pH i ), and CBF (radiolabeled microspheres) were measured in three groups of anesthetized dogs (n = 8/group) : chronic hyperglycemic diabetes (pancreatectomy followed by blood glucose of >10 mM for 4-5 weeks) ; acute hyperglycemia (blood glucose of >10 mM) during ischemia and reperfusion in nondiabetic dogs ; and normoglycemic controls. Twenty minutes of incomplete ischemia was produced by ventricular fluid infusion to keep cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) at 10 mm Hg during spontaneous variations in MABP. Intracranial pressure was increased initially to similar levels, resulting in a similar Cushing response among the groups. However, during the final 8 min of ischemia, MABP decreased to a greater extent in diabetic (86 ± 42 mm Hg) than in hyperglycemic (162 ± 30 mm Hg) and normoglycemic (135 ± 54 mm Hg) groups and remained lower throughout 3 h of reperfusion. CPP was kept constant during ischemia, but was lower throughout reperfusion in diabetic dogs. During ischemia CBF was reduced similarly among groups : 5 ± 3 ml min -1 . 100 g -1 in hyperglycemic and normoglycemic and 4 ± 3 ml. min -1 . 100 g -1 in diabetic dogs. During reperfusion early hyperemia was attenuated and delayed hypoperfusion was augmented (7 ± 17 ml. min -1 . 100 g -1 by 180 min) as a result of low perfusion pressure in diabetics. However, medullary blood flow was similar among groups. End-ischemic ATP was similar among groups (25 ± 34, 30 ± 25, and 4 ± 11% of baseline in normoglycemic, hyperglycemic and diabetic dogs, respectively). Following 180 min of reperfusion ATP was 87 ± 15, 45 ± 38, and 7 ± 19% of control in normoglycemic, hyperglycemic and diabetic dogs, respectively. End-ischemic pH i was lower in hyperglycemic (5.94 ± 0.16) and diabetic (5.96 ± 0.08) than normoglycemic (6.32 ± 0.04) groups. By 45 min of reperfusion, pH i recovered in normoglycemic (7.02 ± 0.09) but not in diabetic (6.13 ± 0.38) or hyperglycemic dogs (6.44 ± 0.28). This study shows that MABP, CBF, ATP, and pH i following global incomplete ischemia did not recover in diabetic dogs. In diabetics poor metabolic recovery was related to the MABP decreases during ischemia and reperfusion. These results contrast with previous studies from our laboratory showing good metabolic recovery with longer-term diabetes (3-4 months). Our findings indicate that in this diabetic model, the cerebral ischemic response is dependent on duration of diabetes.
Overcoming Inherent Limits to Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Quality Performance with QbD (Quality by Design)

Pharmaceutical development and manufacturing systems typically rely on a Quality by Testing (QbT) model that use release testing and other measures to ensure product quality. However, there is a significant gap between typical pharmaceutical production system capability and supplied quality. To sustain high levels of product supply quality, the industry incurs a high cost of quality and retains value at risk. This paper presents research results from a systems engineering perspective using case study data that quantitatively evaluates the gap between pharmaceutical production system sigma and supplied quality. It also identifies the extent to which emerging Quality by Design (QbD) eliminates system contradictions that prohibit higher production system sigma performance.
EXERCISE EVALUATION FOR INDUSTRY

ABSTRACT Exercises are evaluated as a test of the utility of a response plan, as a measure of the effectiveness of training, or as an indicator of the general level of preparedness at a facility. Without evaluation, the value of an exercise is weakened and, in some cases, lost. An evaluation document leads the evaluator to look at all of the components of an exercise, provides a competency standard for both government and industry, and provides a mechanism for feedback to players and planholders. The document can help the designers of an exercise to address a wide variety of issues or, alternatively, aim narrowly at specific issues.
Association of midlife blood pressure to late-life cognitive decline and brain morphology

Objective: To investigate the association between midlife systolic blood pressure (SBP) and late-life cognitive decline and brain morphology in a sample of community-dwelling elderly men 68 to 79 years of age. Methods: Subjects are surviving members from the prospective National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Twin Study (intake, 1969 to 1972) who, when examined for a fourth time in 1995 through 1997, underwent brain MRI and repeated assessment of neurobehavioral functioning. Quantification of the MR images determined cerebral volume and total volume of white matter hyperintensities (WMHIs) for 392 subjects. Midlife SBP levels measured in 1970, 1980, and 1985 were used to classify subjects into low, medium, and high midlife SBP categories. A 10-year change in performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Benton Visual Retention Test, and Verbal Fluency Test was also calculated for these subjects. For all reported analyses, patients were treated as genetically unrelated individuals. Results: Subjects with high midlife SBP experienced a greater decline in cognitive performance and had larger WMHI volumes at follow-up in late life than did those with low midlife SBP. Decreased brain parenchyma and increased WMHI volumes were associated with decline in neurobehavioral functioning as measured in late life independent of age, education, and baseline levels of cognition. Conclusions: Midlife SBP is a significant predictor of both decline in cognitive function and MR volumetric measures of brain atrophy in late life. Because decline in neurobehavioral functioning was associated with decreased brain volume and increased WMHI volume, we conclude that the long-term impact of elevated SBP on decline in late-life neurobehavioral functioning is likely to be mediated through its chronic, negative effect on structural characteristics of the brain.
2,000-year-long temperature and hydrology reconstructions from the Indo-Pacific warm pool

Northern Hemisphere surface temperature reconstructions suggest that the late twentieth century was warmer than any other time during the past 500 years and possibly any time during the past 1,300 years (refs 1, 2). These temperature reconstructions are based largely on terrestrial records from extra-tropical or high-elevation sites; however, global average surface temperature changes closely follow those of the global tropics(3), which are 75% ocean. In particular, the tropical Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP) represents a major heat reservoir that both influences global atmospheric circulation(4) and responds to remote northern high-latitude forcings(5,6). Here we present a decadally resolved continuous sea surface temperature (SST) reconstruction from the IPWP that spans the past two millennia and overlaps the instrumental record, enabling both a direct comparison of proxy data to the instrumental record and an evaluation of past changes in the context of twentieth century trends. Our record from the Makassar Strait, Indonesia, exhibits trends that are similar to a recent Northern Hemisphere temperature reconstruction(2). Reconstructed SST was, however, within error of modern values from about AD 1000 to AD 1250, towards the end of the Medieval Warm Period. SSTs during the Little Ice Age ( approximately AD 1550-1850) were variable, and similar to 0.5 to 1 degrees C colder than modern values during the coldest intervals. A companion reconstruction of delta O-18 of sea water-a sea surface salinity and hydrology indicator-indicates a tight coupling with the East Asian monsoon system and remote control of IPWP hydrology on centennial-millennial timescales, rather than a dominant influence from local SST variation.
Reptilian enkephalins: implications for the evolution of proenkephalin.

Abstract To shed light on the evolution of the opioid peptide precursor proenkephalin, we have investigated the profile of immunoreactive enkephalins in reptilian brain using six antisera directed toward different portions of the proenkephalin molecule. Three different orders of reptiles—turtles, alligators, and lizards—were studied; these orders represent lineages diverging more than 250 million years ago. Reptilian brain was found to contain large quantities of Met5-enkephalin (Met5-enk), Leu5-enkephalin (Leu5-enk), and Met5-enk-Arg6-Phe7 (MERF); gel filtration and reverse-phase chromatography of acid extracts prepared from turtle brain indicated that nearly all of the immunoreactivity corresponding to these peptides could be ascribed to the authentic penta- to heptapeptides. Immunoreactive metorphamide, but not amidorphin, was present in all three species. Unlike mammalian brain, reptilian brain does not contain immunoreactive Met5-enk-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8 (MERGL). These results indicate that reptilian proenkephalin, while similar to mammalian enkephalin in containing Met5-enk, Leu5-enk, MERF, and metorphamide, nevertheless differs from mammalian proenkephalin. Reptilian proenkephalin either may contain the MERGL sequence in a form not recognized by the MERGL antibody, or may lack the MERGL sequence entirely.
Cookery Methods for Vegetables: Influence on Sensory Quality, Nutrient Retention, and Energy Consumption

Ten different fresh vegetables were prepared by four cooking methods: boiling, steaming, pressure cooking and microwaving. Vegetables prepared by the dif ferent techniques were evaluated by descriptive sensory analysis using a small, trained group of judges. Ascorbic acid retention and electrical energy consump tion were also measured for each cooking method. No single cooking method consistently produced the product that was judged to be most like the sensory ideal. Vegetables prepared by pressure cooking, steaming, and microwaving typ ically did not differ in ascorbic acid retention. Boiled vegetables generally re tained less ascorbic acid than vegetables prepared by the other methods. The microwave oven and the electric pressure cooker generally used the least amount of energy to cook the foods.
Contamination Measurements During The Firing Of The Solid Propellant Apogee Insertion Motor On The P78-2 (SCATHA) Spacecraft

The solid propellant apogee insertion motor (AIM) on board the United States Air Force P78-2 SCATHA (spacecraft charging at high altitudes) satellite is of the same general design as that of the inertial upper stage (IUS) that will raise payloads from space shuttle orbits to higher altitudes. Therefore, contamination effects arising from the firing of the AIM would be of interest to those concerned with the IUS or other solid propellant rockets as possible sources of contamination. Several of the contamination detectors on the P78-2 satellite were operating prior to, during, and following the AIM burn. These detectors consist of (1) two trays of eight calorimetrically mounted thermal control coatings (TCCs), (2) a temperature controlled quartz crystal microbalance (TQCM), and (3) a retarding potential analyzer (RPA). The data from these sensors have been analyzed to look for contamination due to the firing of the AIM. No contamination was detected with either the TCCs or the TQCM. Some anomalies were noted in the data from the RPA. However, these anomalies, if they actually correspond to AIM-related contamination, represent an upper limit of only 0.8 ng/cm2 at the detector location. Although these instruments are sensitive to molecular contamination, they are relatively insensitive to contamination in the form of particulates. Furthermore, the instruments were not optimally located on the vehicle to detect AIM products. The data do set upper bounds on the condensable molecular contamination that reached two locations on a typically configured satellite during the firing of an intermediate sized solid propellant motor.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A physiological role for estrogen and progesterone in breast cancer

Abstract Breast cancer is often hormone responsive, since growth or regression of tumors can often be modulated by appropriate endocrine manipulations. Estrogen and progesterone are major hormones involved in regulation of breast cancer tumor growth. Considerable insight into the mechanism of action of these hormones on tumor growth stimulation has been provided by demonstration of specific receptors for each. The inference that each hormone acts independently through its receptor to control tumor growth is belied by current studies which show that certain hormones are capable of regulating the receptor sites, metabolism, or nuclear translocation of others. This may begin to explain the complex hormonal interactions and requirements of normal and neoplastic breast tissues. Considerable progress has thus been made in understanding the basis for success of various ablative therapies. The pharmacologie actions of estrogens and progestins in causing breast tumor regression is much less well understood. The role of hormone receptor sites has not been established in the mechanism of tumor regression caused by these pharmacological therapies. Nevertheless, when estrogen receptors are absent in a tumor, we can with accuracy pre.dict that endocrine therapies will fail, whereas when ER is present the likelihood of a successful response to pharmacological or ablative therapy is high. Receptor sites seem to be a common denominator and useful marker for hormone dependence or hormone responsiveness, irrespective of their actual role in the tumor regression process. Further investigations into the receptor functions should lead to new approaches in the endocrine management of patients with breast cancer.
Spaceborne and airborne imaging radar observations of sand dunes

An assessment of the ability of orbital synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging systems to provide useful information about aeolian features, and to determine how such a system might be constrained by the need to image these features, is presented. Seasat and aircraft radar imagery of five areas of sand dunes are studied, and compared to Landsat imagery and air photos, for two wavelengths (3.0 and 23.5 cm) and incidence angles ranging from 0 to 70 deg. It is shown that the illumination direction of the radar beam is important, since directional dune features must be oriented within 60 deg of perpendicular to the radar illumination direction in order to be imaged. It is concluded that the availability of radar imagery for two directions greatly facilitates interpretation of dune morphology and derivation of conclusions about causative wind regimes.
Quantification of aortic compliance in mice using radial phase contrast MRI.

Purpose To investigate the feasibility of radial phase contrast MR imaging to measure in vivo pulse wave velocity (PWV) and wall shear stress (WSS) in small animals on a 7 Tesla scanner. Materials and Methods The aortic compliance of 9-month-old ApoE deficient (ApoE-KO) mice (n = 10) on a normal diet was studied in comparison to that of wild-type (WT) mice (n = 10). An undersampled, asymmetric echo radial phase contrast MR technique was developed to measure through plane blood flow velocity at axial slices along the descending aorta. The PWV and the time averaged WSS was calculated from the spatiotemporal flow data. The reproducibility of PWV and WSS was evaluated by taking multiple measures on a separate cohort of WT (n = 4) mice. Results The mean percentage standard deviation among repeated measures was 10.1% for PWV and 24.8% for WSS. The PWV of ApoE-KO mice (5.84 ± 2.15 m/s) was significantly higher (p = 0.02) than that of WT (3.55 ± 0.97 m/s), whereas WSS was lower in ApoE-KO mice (1.44 ± 0.31Pa) compared with WT (1.55 ± 0.36Pa). Conclusion This study demonstrates that in vivo PWV derived from radial phase contrast MR imaging can be potentially used as a surrogate marker for impaired vascular function in mice. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;30:286–291. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A simplified method for studies of haemoglobin biosynthesis.

Summary A simplified method for studies of haemoglobin chain biosynthesis using 35S-methionine as the labeled amino acid and Cellogel electrophoresis for globin chain separation is decribed. This technique simplifies the procedure for globin preparation, improves the electrophoretic separation of globin chains and may be applied to samples with normal reticulocyte counts. As many as 20 samples can be prepared simultaneously and 10 samples can be subjected to electrophoretic separation at one time. The method was found to yield the expected synthetic ratios and to be highly reproducible when applied to normal and abnormal samples from peripheral blood or bone marrow.