cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In-house drug diversion by hospital personnel.

To the Editor: I just downloaded and read Stephen Barlas’ September 2013 article in PT116(3):216–220.) As Mr. Barlas’ article seems to suggest, hospitals have become natural targets for drug-seeking patients and would-be patients obtaining drugs to feed their addictions. The widespread of use of technology by our hospitals today, in my opinion, may have weakened the supervision of nursing staff and other health care workers who are in charge of dispensing and delivering drugs to patients. The emphasis on preventing medication errors has increased the use of technology. It also has provided ways and means for corrupt employees to game the systems by defeating inventory systems and other computer-based systems designed to keep track of controlled substances in the hospital setting. Since the beginning of the modern drug abuse epidemic (circa mid-1990s) involving prescription opioids, for example, the regulatory focus initially was placed on the prescribers and dispensers of the drugs—the most visible and obvious “sources.” About 10 years ago, the Drug Enforcement Administration added a new target to its strategy, the wholesale distributor. As Mr. Barlas notes, there have been a number of large fines imposed on errant distributors accused of not preventing diversion of controlled substances. It is my belief that the third and possible final target in this trilogy will be the hospitals and long-term care facilities where large-scale diversion of controlled substances occurs, often with catastrophic consequences for patients and the institutions that must spend millions of dollars in judgments and remedial health care costs for exposed patients. When it comes to protecting against in-house drug diversion by hospital personnel, the literature is almost nonexistent. The Mayo Clinic has done some recent publishing of articles in its house journal, but that has been part of its own expensive and extensive cleaning up of a lot of problems detected in the seven major facilities that it owns and operates. Most books written on the subject of hospital security deal with equipment and inventory protection. Very little has been written about drug diversion within the hospital environment itself, and what little there is, is obsolete, to say the least.
FINLAND AND NORWAY, 1808–1917: A comparative perspective

In 1800 there were two Scandinavian kingdoms, the Swedish and the Danish. As a result of the Napoleonic Wars, Finland, which had been part of the Swedish realm for over 600 years became a self‐governing dependency of the Russian empire. Norway, after more than 400 years under Danish rule, meanwhile became a separate kingdom in dynastic union with Sweden. The gradual process of nation‐building, both political and cultural, down to Norway's full independence in 1905 and Finland's by 1917 reveals striking similarities, but also significant differences.
Studies in the Genus Eleodes Eschscholtz with a Revision of the Subgenus Melaneleodes Blaisdell and Omegeleodes, New Subgenus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Eleodini)

ABSTRACT The taxonomic history of the genus Eleodes Eschscholtz is reviewed and the subgenus Melaneleodes Blaisdell redefined based on characters of the female terminalia with Blaps carbonaria Say herein designated as type-species. Eleodes debilis LeConte is removed from Melaneleodes to a new monotypic subgenus, Omegeleodes, based on the female characters. The subgenus Melaneleodes as redefined contains eleven species: anthracinus Blaisdell (new status), carbonarius (Say), halli Blaisdell (new status), humeralis LeConte, neomexicanus Blaisdell, parowanus Blaisdell, pedinoides LeConte, quadricollis Eschscholtz, rileyi Casey, tricostatus (Say) and wenzeli Blaisdell. Eleodes halli Blaisdell is resurrected from synonymy as the oldest available name to replace the homonym Eleodes fuscipilosus Blaisdell 1925 (nec Casey 1890). Eleodes anthracinus Blaisdell, a subspecies of E. quadricollis Eschscholtz is elevated to full species. The subspecies E. quadricollis lustrans Blaisdell is placed in a new combination as ...
Divalent Cation-dependent ATPase Activities Associated with Cilia and Other Subcellular Fractions of Paramecium: An Electrophoretic Characterization on Triton-polyacrylamide Gels1

Several divalent cation-dependent ATP phosphohydrolases associated with cilia, ciliary axonemes, ciliary membranes, pellicles, trichocysts, nuclei, mitochondria, microsomes, and soluble peripheral cell surface fractions of Paramecium tetraurelia were resolved in this study. Fifteen different activity bands were detected in whole cell sonicates or subcellular fractions by Triton polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and ATPase activity staining. The ciliary surface membrane contained two major ATPase activities that were distinct from the enzymes associated with all other cell fractions.
Reinforced versus nonreinforced polytetrafluoroethylene grafts for hemodialysis access

BACKGROUND: Two major types of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft material have been available for the past 20 years. Previous studies have suggested that nonreinforced PTFE performs better as a hemodialysis conduit than reinforced PTFE. We have had experience with both materials for the past 20 years. METHODS: This is an outcome study that is based on concurrent and retrospective data. Patients were accrued into the study from 1987 to 1995. There were 632 grafts that were entered onto a data base and analyzed by a biostatistician. RESULTS: Nonreinforced PTFE performed better than reinforced PTFE in every category and subgroup. Both mean duration and life-table analysis of the primary patency were statistically significant (P < 0.05). The secondary patencies were similar, with 80% of the nonreinforced and 77% of the reinforced functioning at 1 year. The median duration for secondary patency of all grafts was 1,554 days. Diabetic patients comprised 50% of the patient population. CONCLUSION: Nonreinforced PTFE performs better than reinforced PTFE as a hemodialysis conduit. Until a multicentered prospective randomized study can be achieved, a preponderance of data suggests that nonreinforced PTFE should be the material of choice for hemodialysis access.
A pilot Monte Carlo study of two sequential estimation procedures based on generalized U-statistics

Recently two sequential estimation procedures based on generalized U-statistics have appeared in the statistical literature [Williams and Sen (1973, 1974)]. One of these procedures concerns the multi-sample problem of estimating a vector of parameters when the total sample size is fixed. The other procedure concerns the multi-sample problem of constructing a confidence ellipsoid of bounded maximum width for a vector of parameters. To supplement the asymptotic theory discussed in these earlier papers, a Monte Carlo study investigating the efficiency of these procedures for moderate sample sizes would be useful. This paper describes a preliminary Monte Carlo study utilizing a small number of replications and performed to provide information for the design of a more extensive study.
The utlization of BMR measurements as a routine diagnostic procedure in normal health maintenance

Abstract The hypothesis that BMR measurements should become part of the routine diagnostics utilized by physicians in long term health maintenance programs is developed. The hypothesis is supported from two viewpoints. First, a number of conditions are known to cause increases in BMR. The conditions include endocrine disorders, cardiovascular abnormalities, and cancer. Thus an observed substantial rise in BMR could indicate the onset of a medical prolem if the higher level is maintained over an extended period of time. Second, available data from a longitudinal aging study suggests that sustained periods of increased BMR indicate “killing” stresses which can be detrimental or even fatal to individual subjects. The recent improvements in BMR measurements techniques reported here now make it possible to set up an inexpensive, reliable, and easy-to-use apparatus. Thus it would not be difficult to incorporate BMR measurement techniques as one of the routinely utilized diagnostic procedures.
Game development with Game Maker, Flash and Unity

This tutorial will present and compare three software platforms for developing video games: Game Maker, Flash and Unity Pro. Game Maker is suited for developing quick prototypes. Flash is a natural choice for production of web-based software and Unity is a good choice for gamers who wish to develop and deploy their products to a multitude of platforms. The first part will involve modifying and creating games with game maker. The second part will involve modifying and creating games with flash. The third part will focus on unity. Finally, a discussion on the pros and cons of each platform is presented.
Gapless layered three-dimensional fractional quantum Hall states

Using the parton construction, we build a three-dimensional (3D) multilayer fractional quantum Hall state with average filling $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/3$ per layer that is qualitatively distinct from a stacking of weakly coupled Laughlin states. The state supports gapped charge $e/3$ fermionic quasiparticles that can propagate both within and between the layers, in contrast to the quasiparticles in a multilayer Laughlin state which are confined within each layer. Moreover, the state has gapless neutral collective modes, a manifestation of an emergent ``photon,'' which is minimally coupled to the fermionic quasiparticles. The surface sheath of the multilayer state resembles a chiral analog of the Halperin-Lee-Read state, which is protected against gap-forming instabilities by the topological character of the bulk 3D phase. We propose that this state might be present in multilayer systems in the ``intermediate tunneling regime,'' where the interlayer tunneling strength is on the same order as the Coulomb energy scale. We also find that the parton construction leads to a candidate state for a bilayer $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/3$ system in the intermediate tunneling regime. The candidate state is distinct from both a bilayer of $\ensuremath{\nu}=1/3$ Laughlin states and the single layer $\ensuremath{\nu}=2/3$ state but is, nonetheless, a fully gapped fractional quantum Hall state with charge $e/3$ anyonic quasiparticles.
2-stage repair in infancy for severe hypospadias with chordee: long-term results after puberty.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Urinary and sexual functions were assessed in post-pubescent boys who had undergone 2-stage hypospadias repair in infancy for severe hypospadias with chordee. Materials and Methods: A total of 44 boys who had undergone 2-stage hypospadias repair from 1985 to 1993 and who were at least 13 years old were contacted. Of the 44 boys 27 (61%) with an average age of 15.4 years (range 13 to 21) responded. Meatal locations were midshaft in 14 cases, penoscrotal in 9 and perineal in 4. Four boys had bifid scrotum and 5 had intersex disorders. Intramuscular testosterone was administered preoperatively to 15 (56%) boys. A Nesbit procedure was performed in 18 boys (67%). Average patient age at stage 2 repair was 2.3 years. Mean followup was 12.7 years (range 10.7 to 17.2). Additional surgery was performed for diverticuli in 5 cases, fistula in 3 and minor strictures in 4. Of the 27 patients 25 presented for examination and 2 responded to questionnaire only. Results: All patients had normal meatal position, normal glanular anatomy, a well-defined coronal sulcus, normal cylindrical shafts without extra skin and well-defined penoscrotal junctions. Ten boys (40%) had minor spraying of stream, all stood to void and 10 (40%) milked the urethra after voiding. None had chordee. Twenty patients were able to ejaculate and 9 (42.9%) had to milk the ejaculate. Two patients (7.7%) had minor pain with erection. All subjects were satisfied with urinary, erectile and ejaculatory functions, and 23 (92%) were pleased with appearance. Conclusions: The 2-stage approach for severe hypospadias results in excellent function, cosmesis and patient satisfaction after puberty, with no chordee. Minor voiding and ejaculatory problems are to be expected. Late complications are rare. The use of extragenital skin to either primarily repair or salvage a "cripple" has not been necessary.
Lithium treatment effects on Myo-inositol in adolescents with bipolar depression.

Background The neurochemical effects of lithium in adolescents with bipolar disorder largely are unknown. This study used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1 H MRS) to identify the in vivo effects of lithium on myo-inositol (mI) concentrations in adolescent bipolar depression. Methods Twenty-eight adolescents (12–18 years old) with bipolar I disorder, current episode depressed, received open-label lithium 30 mg/kg, adjusted to achieve serum levels of 1.0–1.2 mEq/L. The mI concentrations in the medial as well as the left and right lateral prefrontal cortices were measured at baseline, day 7, and day 42 of treatment. Changes in mI concentrations over time were analyzed. Results Significant main effects of time were observed for mI concentrations in the medial ( p = .03) and right lateral ( p = .05) prefrontal cortices. Baseline concentrations of mI were not significantly different from day 7 or day 42 concentrations. However, mI concentrations on day 42 were significantly higher than those on day 7 (p = .02) in both regions. Conclusions This study demonstrates that prefrontal mI concentrations do not significantly change from baseline after acute and chronic lithium treatment in adolescents with bipolar depression. Further investigation of the effect of lithium on mI is warranted to better understand possible mechanisms by which lithium exerts antidepressant activity.
Nitric oxide activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in 293T fibroblasts requires cGMP-dependent protein kinase.

An increase in cellular levels of cyclic nucleotides activates serine/threonine-dependent kinases that lead to diverse physiological effects. Recently we reported the activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway in neutrophils by a cGMP-dependent mechanism. In this study we demonstrated that exogenously supplied nitric oxide leads to activation of p38 MAPK in 293T fibroblasts. Phosphorylation of p38 corresponded with an increase in ATF-2-dependent gene expression. The effect of nitric oxide was mimicked by addition of 8-bromo-cGMP, indicating that activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase was involved. The importance of cGMP-dependent protein kinase in the activation of p38 MAPK by nitric oxide in 293T cells was assessed in a transfection based assay. Overexpression of cGMP-dependent protein kinase-1α caused phosphorylation of p38 in these cells and potentiated the effectiveness of cGMP. Overexpression of a catalytically inactive mutant form of this enzyme (T516A) blocked the ability of both nitric oxide and 8-bromo-cGMP to activate p38 as measured by both p38 phosphorylation and ATF-2 driven gene expression. Together, these data demonstrate that nitric oxide stimulates a novel pathway leading to activation of p38 MAPK that requires activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase.
Executive Management Team Demography and Minority Student Retention: Does Executive Team Diversity Influence the Retention of Minority Students?

Many colleges and universities are expected to produce more graduates while responding to an increasing level of racial and ethnic diversity among students. While the importance of diversity within executive management leadership teams may be accepted among nonprofit higher education institutions, the connection between diversity among the leadership in higher education and the retention of minority students has not been empirically established. This study, focusing on Texas public colleges and universities, finds that: 1) a diverse executive management team makes a positive difference in minority student retention at community colleges and 4-year universities institutions; and 2) the impact of a diverse executive management team on retention is not limited to race and ethnicity, but instead includes other demographic aspects.
Transitions from hole to presumed electron doping in 123 cuprates

Transitions from the hole doped to what we consider to be cell volume expanded-electron doped states are observed within RBa2Cu3Oy on equilibrating reducing preparations near y=6.5.
Test Strategies for minimizing the overall cost of test in moving from “cost based/government furnished equipment” to “firm fixed price” contracts

As government aerospace defense contracts move to firm fixed price (FFP) and away from cost-based contracts companies are faced with re-structuring the whole product life cycle (PLC) process. Ensuring solid development and manufacturing strategies to meet the new emphasis toward Fixed Firm Price (FFP) procurements is crucial for the financial success of fulfilling the contract. An important aspect to this affordability is the development, implementation and operation of the test process. This paper will explore test strategies that look at maximizing test asset utilization, flexibility and overall cost of test throughout the product life cycle (development, manufacturing and support). It will discuss how developing test strategies that are coordinated between programs can drive affordability and ultimately drive competitive advantages in future contracts.
Arguments-Based Collective Choice

This article presents a model of collective choice when group decisions must be justified by arguments from first principles. Individuals may have preferences over both the actions chosen and the arguments used to justify them. Defining a notion of stability in the arguments made and actions supported within a group, I characterize the set of actions that can be justified as well as the arguments that will be used to justify these actions. Of particular interest in the article is the fact that each individual's preferences over different arguments are endogenously determined by the collection of actions justified by the arguments.
Rosettaepr: Developing Protein Structure Prediction Methods using Sparse SDSL-EPR Data

Site-Directed Spin-Labeling Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (SDSL-EPR), in combination with the Rosetta protein folding algorithm (Rohl et al 2004), could serve as an alternative method in structure elucidation of proteins that continue to evade traditional techniques, such as x-ray crystallography and NMR. A spin-label "motion-on-a-cone" model was used during de novo folding of T4-lysozyme and αA-crystallin, which resulted in full-atom models at 1.0A and 2.6A to the crystal structures, respectively (Alexander et al 2008). This spin-label model and already-existing EPR distance data have been used to generate EPR distance and accessibility knowledge-based potentials, which can be implemented as folding constraints into Rosetta. In addition, we have introduced a rotamer library of the methanethiosulfonate spin-label (MTSSL). Spin-label rotamers have been derived from conformations observed in crystal structures of spin-labeled T4-lysozyme. The method was benchmarked using a set of proteins where the spin-label was positioned at various levels of exposure. The results indicate that the method is able to recover important aspects of spin-label orientation with up to 0.4A RMSD. In particular, experimental distances and distance distributions observed for T4-lysozyme were reproduced with relatively high accuracy.
An assessment of Landsat MSS and TM data for urban and near-urban land-cover digital classification

The information content of Landsat TM and MSS data was examined to assess the ability to digitally differentiate urban and near-urban land covers around Miami, FL. This examination included comparisons of unsupervised signature extractions for various cover types, training site statistics for intraclass and interclass separability, and band and band combination selection from an 11-band multisensor data set. The principal analytical tool used in this study was transformed divergence calculations. The TM digital data are typically more useful than the MSS data in the homogeneous near-urban land-covers and less useful in the heterogeneous urban areas.
Epizootiology of a Nosema sp. (Microsporida: Nosematidae) infecting the grasshopper Chorthippus curtipennis (Harris) (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

Epizootiological studies of a Nosema sp. in field populations of the grasshopper Chorthippus curtipennis (Harris) were conducted in Madison County, Montana. The average density and percentage prevalence for each modal stage are reported for two sites from 1986 through 1990. Alternating high and low densities of C . curtipennis were observed during even and odd years, respectively. Prevalence of Nosema in C . curtipennis during a high density year was characterized by an increase in prevalence during nymphal development. Furthermore, prevalence of Nosema in C . curtipennis was positively related to host density, suggesting some form of density-dependent transmission.
Trailing Edge Noise at Low Mach Numbers, Part 2: Attached and Separated Edge Flows

Abstract The diffraction theory of Part 1 [1] for estimating the sound generated by low Mach number flow past the trailing edge of an airfoil of compact, but finite thickness is applied to investigate the noise produced by turbulent flow over an edge whose upper surface profile (the suction side) is rounded. The sound is expressed in terms of the “upwash” velocity fluctuations that the same boundary layer turbulence would generate if the airfoil were absent. An approximate method is proposed for expressing these fluctuations in terms of local properties of the blocked pressure generated on the surface exposed to the turbulent flow. Predictions are made of the edge-noise spectrum for both fully attached flow (that remains attached right up to the trailing edge) and for cases where separation occurs on the rounded profile. When premature separation occurs the amplitude of the edge-generated sound decreases exponentially with increasing frequency, and predicted edge-noise levels are significantly smaller than estimates obtained when the airfoil is modelled by a rigid half-plane. For attached flow turbulence on the suction side of the airfoil always passes close to the edge and interacts strongly with it, but contributions from the interaction of the same turbulence with the pressure side of the airfoil are reduced because of the finite airfoil thickness. In this case sound levels fall short of those for a rigid half-plane typically by about 5–10 dB, the precise values being dependent on frequency, and on the ratio of the boundary layer thickness to the mean airfoil thickness.
Functional group contributions to the Auger spectra of methyl cyanide and methyl isocyanide

Abstract We have obtained and analyzed the C and N core—valence—valence Auger spectra of methyl cyanide and methyl isocyanide. From both a fingerprint level interpretation, based on nitrogen, acetylene and methane as models, and from detailed spectral assignments, based on one-electron binding energies, we have shown that the spectra can be interpreted as resulting from independent contributions from the methyl group and the cyanide (or isocyanide) group. The contributions from the methyl and cyanide (or isocyanide) groups occur at different energies and exhibit different degrees of hole—hole correlation energy; the latter is shown to be consistent with differing degrees of functional group orbital delocalization. The detailed assignments to experimental spectral features, for the transitions involving the four highest filled molecular orbitais, form a consistent set with only a single exception. Intensity is missing in the region of the C spectrum of methyl cyanide corresponding to transitions involving the cyanide group π and σ orbitals.
Penetration of Surface Damage Resulting from Abrasion and Heating of MgO Crystals

Chemical polishing and dislocation etch pit observations have been applied to the study of the depth of penetration of dislocations produced by abrading (100) surfaces of MgO. From the results it has been concluded that such dislocations penetrate from 100 to 700 μm depending on the source of the material. Heating of the abraded samples for short times up to 1300°C has little influence on the depth of penetration.
U.S. Space Environment Center renamed

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center changed its name on 1 October to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. The new name reflects the rapidly growing importance of solar storm forecasts to the nation's economy and security, explained the center's director, Thomas Bogdan. Adverse space weather can disrupt power grids, disturb communications and navigation systems, interrupt satellite signals, and increase radiation doses to astronauts as well as to airline crews and passengers. For more information, see http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/.
Some Aspects of the Stable Money Question

The wide interest in the problem of stable money, 667. — Assumptions of the stable money advocates open to doubt, 668. — LA real standard of value and social justice, 668. — Effect on (a) the creditor, 669, (b) the laborer, 670, and (c) the entrepreneur, 670. —Ease of attainment, 671. — II. Relation between a stable price level and business stability, 672. — Secular trend important in relation to business activity, 678. — Reasons for supporting a stable price level, 679. — III. The use of a price index as a criterion of currency control objectionable, 680. — An alternative method proposed, 681. — Advantage of the proposed plan, 683. — IV. Complexities surrounding stabilization plans, 691. — Reasons for insistence on change from the gold standard, 691. — Gold standard should not be abolished, 693. — Conclusion, 694.
Thermal cracking and the deep hydration of oceanic lithosphere: A key to the generation of plate tectonics?

[1] The development of transient thermal stress in suboceanic mantle is investigated on the basis of two-dimensional thermoviscoelastic models incorporating composite rheology appropriate for dry oceanic lithosphere. Thermal stress is shown to be sufficiently high to deeply fracture the coldest part of lithosphere, e.g., to the depth of at least ∼30 km (and possibly down to ∼50 km) in 100-Ma-old lithosphere. The release of thermal stress by tension cracking is limited to the vicinity of cracks, and the cascade crack system is suggested to be required given the finite fracture strength of mantle materials. Possible physical and chemical consequences of deep thermal cracking are also discussed. The rheological evolution of oceanic lithosphere is likely to be affected by thermal cracking and subsequent serpentinization, which introduces the localized zones of weakness in the otherwise stiffest part of lithosphere. This localized weakening may help to explain why plate tectonic convection, not stagnant lid convection, operates in Earth's mantle.
Different Approaches to the Remediation of Severe Reading Disability in Children

In at least one group of severely retarded readers, the most vital step in remediation is the institution of a full-time specialized instructional program. Although this study was not designed to measure the beneficial effects of individual and/or group psychotherapy, the results suggest that there is no difference between individual and group psychotherapy in their effects on the alleviation of severe reading disorder.
Student Participation in Civil Rights Protest: A Multivariate Analysis

Abstract The relative strength of several social background factors, personality attributes, and perceptions of the social environment were tested in predicting self-reported participation in protest activity by college students. The data were obtained from a large random sample of students at Washington State University during the winter of 1969–70. Findings indicate that 20 percent of the sample participated in protest activities, a figure somewhat higher than those reported by surveys taken of universities across the country. Six variables entered the multiple regression equation, accounting for 17 percent of the variance in protest behavior. The six variables, in order of strength of contribution, were perceived injustice in state institutions, frustration in school roles, self-esteem, size of parental community, perception of rate of social change in American society, and perception of local community injustice.
Free choice permission and the counterfactuals of pragmatics

This paper addresses a little puzzle with a surprisingly long pedigree and a surprisingly large wake: the puzzle of Free Choice Permission. I begin by presenting a popular sketch of a pragmatic solution to the puzzle, due to Kratzer and Shimoyama (Proceedings of the third Tokyo conference on psycholinguistics, 2002), which has received a good deal of discussion, endorsement and elaboration in recent work (Aloni and van Rooij, Proccedings of the KNAW Academy Colloquium: Cognitive foundations of interpretation, 2004; Alonso-Ovalle, Ph.D. thesis, 2006; Chierchia, Linguist Inq 37(4):535–590, 2006; Fox, in: Sauerland and Stateva (eds.) Presupposition and implicature in compositional semantics, 2007; Geurts, Mind Lang 24:51–79, 2009; von Fintel, Central APA session on Deontic Modals, 2012). I then explain why the general form of the Kratzer and Shimoyama explanation is not extensionally adequate. This leaves us with two possibilities with regard to the original solution-sketch; either the suggested pragmatic route fails, or it succeeds in a particularly strange way: Free Choice permission is rendered a kind pragmatic illusion on the part of both speakers and hearers. Finally, I discuss some ramifications.
Antagonist effect of insulin-like growth factor I on protein kinase inhibitor-mediated apoptosis in human glioblastoma cells in association with bcl-2 and bcl-xL.

Object. Tamoxifen (TAM) has been found to be effective in inhibiting proliferation of glioblastoma cells in vitro, but clinical studies have been disappointing. The purpose of this study was to determine whether insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), a potential autocrine/paracrine mitogen produced by glioblastomas, interferes with the antimitogenic actions of TAM. Methods. Human glioblastoma cells were treated with or without TAM and/or IGF-I in vitro and evaluated for: viability by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenol tetrazolium bromide cleavage assay; apoptosis by histochemical analysis of nuclear morphology and 3′-OH DNA fragments; and expression of the IGF-I receptor, and the bcl-2, bcl-xL, and bax proteins by immunoblot analysis. In addition, p53 status was determined by DNA sequencing and by transient transfection with luciferase reporter plasmids containing wild-type or mutant p53. Results indicated that after 72 hours of exposure to 2 mg/ml TAM in vitro, 56.3% of WITG3 and 43.8% of U87-M...
MILD CONVENIENT SYNTHESIS OF α‐METHYLENE SULFONES

Abstract Reaction of paraformaldehyde with α-trifyl-sulfones and potassium carbonate at room temperature affords vinyl sulfones in good yield under mild conditions, with loss of triflate anion.
A transient current monitoring and electrode characterization system for a pulsed oxygen electrode

Abstract Non-steady state voltammetry has been applied to membrane electrodes to provide improved sensitivity as well as independence of stirring. This paper describes a new instrumentation system based on complementary metal oxide—silicon technology for the characterization of a pulsed oxygen electrode. The system provides the necessary timing, analog-to-digital conversion, and digital display of the transient current.
Radiotherapy-induced lung cancer among women who smoke.

It comes as no surprise that radiation at high doses can cause lung cancer. Survivors of the atomic bomb explosions in patients given radiotherapy for ankylosing spondylitis3 or and underground miners exposed to radon' all have been reported to be at increased risk of lung cancer. There is growing evidence that adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer after radical mastectomy, a common treatment practice in previous decades, but less so today, also is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer 10 or more years later.'"" For medically exposed populations, it is important to understand the magnitude of possible treatment risks, the associated benefits, and the relevance to current practice. The joint effects of radiation and other environmental exposures, most notably cigarette smoking, also await clarification and are of scientific interest for what they may imply atout the mechanisms of lung carcinogenesis. The paper by Neugut and colleagues in this issueI2 addresses the combined effects of radiation therapy and smoking, with a view toward the possible clinical implications. The authors report a 3-fold relative risk (RR) associated with radiotherapy for breast cancer among 10-year survivors, a 14-fold RR associated with cigarette smoking, and a 33-fold risk among irradiated smokers. Each of these associations was more pronounced for lung cancers occurring in the lung on the same side of the body as the breast cancer (ipsilateral) than for those occurring on the opposite (contralateral) and less heavily irradiated side. The authors suggest that radiotherapy and smoking act multiplicatively and that smokers represent a subgroup in which the absolute risks associated with radiotherapy are much greater than for nonsmokers, large enough, perhaps, to be an important consideration in the design of breast cancer treatment for smokers.
Continuous acetone–ethanol–butanol fermentation by immobilized cells of Clostridium acetobutylicum

Abstract Eight Clostridium acetobutylicum strains were examined for α-amylase and strains B-591, B-594 and P-262 had the highest activities. Defibered-sweet-potato-slurry (DSPS), containing 39.7 g starch l−1, supplemented with potassium phosphate (1.0 g l −1 ) , cysteine-HCl (5.0 g l −1 ), the antifoam (polypropylene glycol, 0.1 mg ml −1 ), was used as continuous feedstock (FS) to a multistage bioreactor system for acetone–ethanol–butanol (AEB) fermentation. The system consisted of four columns (three vertical and one near horizontal) packed with beads containing immobilized cells of C. acetobutylicum P-262. When DSPS was pumped into the bioreactor system, at a flow rate of 2.36 ml min −1 , the effluent had 7.73 g solvents l−1 (1.56, acetone; 0.65, ethanol; 5.52 g, butanol) and no starch. Productivity of total solvents synthesized during continuous operation were 1.0 g l −1 h −1 and 19.5% yield compared to 0.12 g l −1 h −1 with 29% yield using the batch system. We propose using DSPS for AEB fermentation in a continuous mode with immobilized P-262 cells that are active amylase producers which will lead to cost reduction compared to the batch system.
Structural Health Monitoring as an Enabler for Responsive Satellites: An Update

The Air Force Research Laboratory/Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RVSV) is developing Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technologies in support of the Responsive Space (RS) initiative with plans for future capabilities on orbit to assist in overall awareness. Such technologies will significantly reduce the amount of time and effort required to assess a satellite’s structural surety without increasing system level risk associated with changed testing. Furthermore, successful implementation of multifunctional sensor capabilities may lead to savings in size, weight, and power (SWAP) allowing more options for technical performance. Although SHM development efforts abound, RS drives unique requirements on the development of these SHM systems; the biggest difference being that deviation from maintenance requires a technology driver. This paper describes several potential niches for SHM technology development efforts by AFRL, aimed at solving those technical issues unique to responsive space, as well as how an ideal SHM system could be implemented within various other processes including the potential for on-orbit performance.
Fuzzy classifiers versus cost-based Bayes classifiers

Learning classifiers for imbalanced data sets is a difficult task for current machine learning algorithms. The difficulty can be traced to the fact that being accuracy driven, most algorithms lead to classifiers which are biased towards the majority class. Introducing in the learning algorithm misclassification costs, which differentiate between classes, has gone a long way towards improving the performance of the resulting classifiers. Alternatively, experiments have shown that a particular type of fuzzy classifiers apply better for imbalanced data sets. This paper explores the hypothesis that fuzzy classifiers can account to a certain extent for the error costs associated with other learning algorithms.
The Impacts of Communication and Multiple Identifications on Intent to Leave A Multimethodological Exploration

In the currently strong U.S. economy, voluntary turnover continues to affect organizations and individuals in important ways. This study examines two sets of contributors to turnover intent that have not received much attention in the organizational communication literature: various indicators of communication and multiple targets of identification. A modified version of the International Communication Association Communication Audit survey and interviews were used to collect data at a state government agency. Results indicate that among the communication variables, supervisor and coworker relationships have the strongest association with intent to leave. The findings also reveal a rather complex relationship between three different types of identification (with division, agency, and state government) and intent to leave.
PREDICTORS OF SURVIVAL IN GERIATRIC MENTAL ILLNESS DURING THE ELEVEN YEARS AFTER INITIAL HOSPITAL ADMISSION

In 1959, a study was made of 534 patients aged 60 or older admitted to the psychiatric observation ward of the San Francisco General Hospital. In a two-year follow-up period it was found that orientation, performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, and ability for physical and social self-maintenance were favorable prognostic signs. In 1970, data were available on 463 of the original sample, and unavailable on 71 (not included in this report). The proportion of survivors (which had been 67 per cent at one year) decreased steadily to 6 per cent at eleven years. The variables that were related to prognosis two years after admission continued to be the only significant predictors of survival; no new factors were established. The same trend was observed in a non-hospital community sample of subjects. However, mortality was far greater in the hospital sample.
Biological Micro/Nanofluidics

Many biological studies, drug screening methods, and cellular therapies require culture and manipulation of living cells outside of their natural environment in the body. The gap between the cellular microenvironment in vivo and in vitro, however, poses challenges for obtaining physiologically relevant responses from cells used in basic biological studies or drug screens and for drawing out the maximum functional potential from cells used therapeutically. One of the reasons for this gap is because the fluidic environment of mammalian cells in vivo is microscale and dynamic whereas typical in vitro cultures are macroscopic and static. This presentation will give an overview of efforts in our laboratory to develop programmable microfluidic systems that enable spatio-temporal control of both the chemical and fluid mechanical environment of cells. The technologies and methods close the physiology gap to provide biological information otherwise unobtainable and to enhance cellular performance in therapeutic applications. Specific biomedical topics that will be discussed include subcellular signalling in normal and cancer cells, in vitro fertilization on a chip, studies of the effect of physiological and pathological fluid mechanical stresses on endothelial and epithelial cells, and microfluidic stem cell engineering. In the nanoscale regime, tunable nanochannels that can manipulate single DNA molecules will be discussed.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Protein design: reengineering cellular retinoic acid binding protein II into a rhodopsin protein mimic.

Rational redesign of the binding pocket of Cellular Retinoic Acid Binding Protein II (CRABPII) has provided a mutant that can bind retinal as a protonated Schiff base, mimicking the binding observed in rhodopsin. The reengineering was accomplished through a series of choreographed manipulations to ultimately orient the reactive species (the e-amino group of Lys132 and the carbonyl of retinal) in the proper geometry for imine formation. The guiding principle was to achieve the appropriate Burgi−Dunitz trajectory for the reaction to ensue. Through crystallographic analysis of protein mutants incapable of forming the requisite Schiff base, a highly ordered water molecule was identified as a key culprit in orienting retinal in a nonconstructive manner. Removal of the ordered water, along with placing reinforcing mutations to favor the desired orientation of retinal, led to a triple mutant CRABPII protein capable of nanomolar binding of retinal as a protonated Schiff base. The high-resolution crystal structure...
Protection of neonates against whole-body radiation by the administration of a single emulsified injection of a lipopolysaccharide during pregnancy.

ConclusionA lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from E. coli was administered to mice during gestation yielding neonates that were highly resistant to lethal whole-body radiation. The LPS was given as an emulsion in mineral oil: the slow release from the emulsion eliminated the abortive and toxic effect of the LPS and prolonged its effective action.
A clinical evaluation of anoperational postanesthesia care unit source control system

Various air safety hazards in the PACU and a number of attempts to cope with the hazards have been addressed (see J Peri Anesth Nurs 11:207, 1996). This article presents a clinical evaluation of an operational source control system developed specifically for use in the PACU. The criterion for evaluation was the degree to which the source control system could reduce the concentration of waste anesthetic gases released into the environment by the patient. The N 2 O molecule is a thousand times smaller than droplet nuclei that carry infectious respiratory disease. Thus, containment of waste gases may also indicate containment of pathogens. Twenty-two postsurgical patients were studied. The control group was given routine care with supplemental oxygen by nasal prong. The experimental group was given supplemental oxygen and had exhalent scavenged via the source-control system. Waste gas concentrations were monitored, and a criterion was applied to the data to determine the effectiveness of the source control group when compared to nasal prong group. The nasal prong group exceeded the compliance criterion 58% of the time. The source control group exceeded the compliance criterion at no time during the study. From these results, the source control system is effective at reducing concentrations of waste anesthetic gases allowed into the atmosphere of a room. Application of the source control to the PACU environment could prove valuable in addressing air safety hazards.
The effect of advancing age on bone mineral content of female rhesus monkeys

Abstract Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) can be used to assess bone mass in nonhuman primates; however, the changes in bone mineral across the lifespan have not been well described. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the effect of maturation and subsequent aging on bone mineral content (BMC) and bone size (two dimensional bone area) in female rhesus monkeys at sites analogous to those commonly evaluated in humans. Total body (n = 178) and lumbar spine (n = 167) DXA scans were performed on female rhesus monkeys aged 2.8 to 34.6 years. Radius scans (n = 86) were performed on monkeys aged 9.7 to 34.6 years. Measurement precision was comparable to that reported for humans. At all sites, BMC was highly correlated with bone area (p = 0.0001), which was positively correlated with both body weight (p ≤ 0.002) and age (p ≤ 0.08). Total body and lumbar spine BMC and bone area increased with maturation (p
On synchronous sporulation with possible reference to malarial parasites

With the view of suggesting a possible mechanism, it is shown that sporulation may be synchronous, as with the malarial parasite, given the following condition: A metabolite which is essential to the growth of the parasite is periodically released from storage organs and dissipated from the blood stream of the host.
Formation of brown carbon via reactions of ammonia with secondary organic aerosols from biogenic and anthropogenic precursors

Filter samples of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) generated from the ozone (O3)- and hydroxyl radical (OH)-initiated oxidation of various biogenic (isoprene, a-pinene, limonene, a-cedrene, a-humulene, farnesene, pine leaf essential oils, cedar leaf essential oils) and anthropogenic (tetradecane, 1,3,5trimethylbenzene, naphthalene) precursors were exposed to humid air containing approximately 100 ppb of gaseous ammonia (NH3). Reactions of SOA compounds with NH3 resulted in production of light-absorbing “brown carbon” compounds, with the extent of browning ranging from no observable change (isoprene SOA) to visible change in color (limonene SOA). The aqueous phase reactions with dissolved ammonium (NH4 ) salts, such as ammonium sulfate, were equally efficient in producing brown carbon. Wavelength-dependent mass absorption coefficients (MAC) of the aged SOA were quantified by extracting known amounts of SOA material in methanol and recording its UV/Vis absorption spectra. For a given precursor, the OH-generated SOA had systematically lower MAC compared to the O3-generated SOA. The highest MAC values, for brown carbon from SOA resulting from O3 oxidation of limonene and sesquiterpenes, were comparable to MAC values for biomass burning particles but considerably smaller than MAC values for black carbon aerosols. The NH3/NH4 þ SOA brown carbon aerosol may contribute to
Explosive Potential: Radicals and Chemistry in Maria Edgeworth’s Fiction

This essay argues that despite the presence of benevolent men of science in a number of her literary works, the fiction of Maria Edgeworth is frequently ambivalent towards the effect of scientific advancement, particularly in a time of Anglo‐Irish martial conflict. She highlights new dangers emerging in industrial spaces and expresses concern about the disruptive potential created by new military technologies in a time of domestic and international unrest. Paying attention to the way chemistry is represented in her work, this article explores Edgeworth’s textual unease over significant French advances in military technology, particularly in light of the volatile situation in Ireland. Even literature that seems benign, such as her children’s stories, often places emphasis on the misuse of scientific knowledge. Her short story “Forester,” a work aimed at adolescent readers, is used as a case study of the way Edgeworth works to illustrate both the harnessing of technological advances to facilitate significan...