cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Urologic Transfers to Academic Medical Centers: A Multi-institutional Perspective

ABSTRACT Objective To examine urologic transfers and rate of tertiary center interventions from 4 geographically distinct academic medical centers. Methods Four academic medical centers were selected for this study including Baylor College of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Kentucky, and University of Pennsylvania Hospital (Penn). Baylor College of Medicine and Penn primarily service large metropolitan city centers and University of Kentucky and University of Alabama at Birmingham primarily service large rural populations. Transfer logs were pulled for each institution over a 2-year period, and a retrospective chart review was performed to evaluate transfer diagnosis and need for procedural management upon admission. Date of transfer, transfer diagnosis, and interventions performed during tertiary center admission were extracted from the transfer log data sets. The transfer diagnosis was categorized into 1 of 11 mutually exclusive categories. Results Overall, 984 urologic transfers were included. Sixty-nine percent (682/984) of patients were transferred to the 2 rural centers, and 30.7% (302/984) were transferred to the 2 metropolitan centers. The most common reason for transfer was nephrolithiasis at 26% (256 of 984 transfers). The overall surgical intervention rate for all urologic transfers in this study was 44.4% (437 of 984 total transfers). Rural center transfers had a lower rate of surgical intervention than metropolitan centers (42.7% vs 48.3%) as well as a markedly higher number of total transfers during the study period (682 vs 302). Conclusion Given that a majority of patients did not require surgical intervention, methods for avoiding unnecessary urologic transfers are warranted.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Emergency Department Pain Management of Children With Fractures

OBJECTIVES: To test the hypotheses that minority children with long-bone fractures are less likely to (1) receive analgesics, (2) receive opioid analgesics, and (3) achieve pain reduction. METHODS: We performed a 3-year retrospective cross-sectional study of children RESULTS: In 21 069 visits with moderate-to-severe pain, 86.1% received an analgesic and 45.4% received opioids. Of 8533 patients with reassessment of pain, 89.2% experienced ≥2-point reduction in pain score and 62.2% experienced optimal pain reduction. In multivariable analyses, minority children, compared with non-Hispanic (NH) white children, were more likely to receive any analgesics (NH African American: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.72 [95% confidence interval 1.51–1.95]; Hispanic: 1.32 [1.16–1.51]) and achieve ≥2-point reduction in pain (NH African American: 1.42 [1.14–1.76]; Hispanic: 1.38 [1.04–1.83]) but were less likely to receive opioids (NH African American: aOR 0.86 [0.77–0.95]; Hispanic: aOR 0.86 [0.76–0.96]) or achieve optimal pain reduction (NH African American: aOR 0.78 [0.67–0.90]; Hispanic: aOR 0.80 [0.67–0.95]). CONCLUSIONS: There are differences in process and outcome measures by race and ethnicity in the emergency department management of pain among children with long-bone fractures. Although minority children are more likely to receive analgesics and achieve ≥2-point reduction in pain, they are less likely to receive opioids and achieve optimal pain reduction.
Plasticity of Persistent Activity and Its Constraints

Stimulus information is maintained in working memory by action potentials that persist after the stimulus is no longer physically present. The prefrontal cortex is a critical brain area that maintains such persistent activity due to an intrinsic network with unique synaptic connectivity, NMDA receptors, and interneuron types. Persistent activity can be highly plastic depending on task demands but it also appears in naive subjects, not trained or required to perform a task at all. Here, we review what aspects of persistent activity remain constant and what factors can modify it, focusing primarily on neurophysiological results from non-human primate studies. Changes in persistent activity are constrained by anatomical location, with more ventral and more anterior prefrontal areas exhibiting the greatest capacity for plasticity, as opposed to posterior and dorsal areas, which change relatively little with training. Learning to perform a cognitive task for the first time, further practicing the task, and switching between learned tasks can modify persistent activity. The ability of the prefrontal cortex to generate persistent activity also depends on age, with changes noted between adolescence, adulthood, and old age. Mean firing rates, variability and correlation of persistent discharges, but also time-varying firing rate dynamics are altered by these factors. Plastic changes in the strength of intrinsic network connections can be revealed by the analysis of synchronous spiking between neurons. These results are essential for understanding how the prefrontal cortex mediates working memory and intelligent behavior.
Caste, Religion, and Mental Health in India

The relationship between mental health and social disadvantage in low- and middle-income countries is poorly understood. Our study contributes the first population-level analysis of mental health disparities in India, where the two marginalized groups that we study constitute a population larger than that of the USA. Applying two complementary empirical strategies to data on 10,125 adults interviewed by the World Health Organisation’s Survey of Global Ageing and Adult Health (WHO-SAGE), we document and standardize gaps in self-reported mental health between the dominant social group (higher caste Hindus) and two marginalized social groups (Scheduled Castes and Muslims). We find that differences in socioeconomic status cannot fully explain the large disparities in mental health that we document, especially for Muslims. Our results highlight the need for research to understand the causes and consequences of mental health disparities in India, and for policies to move beyond redistribution and address discrimination against Scheduled Castes and Muslims.
Travel Time to Radiation Oncology Facilities in the United States and the Influence of Certificate of Need Policies.

Purpose Radiation therapy often requires weeks of daily treatment making travel distance a known barrier to care. However, the full extent and variability of travel burden, defined by travel time, across the nation is poorly understood. Additionally, some states restrict radiation oncology (RO) services through Certificate of Need (CON) policies, but it is unknown how this affects travel times to care. Therefore, we aim to evaluate travel times to US RO facilities and assess the association with CON policies. Methods and Materials RO facilities were identified from the 2018 National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (n = 2302). Travel times from populated US census tracts to nearest facility were calculated; differences by rurality, area deprivation, and region were computed. Multivariable linear regression was used to estimate adjusted differences in travel time by area characteristics. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of state CON laws with travel time >1 hour. Results Among 72,471 census tracts, 92.4% were within 1 hour of the nearest radiation facility. Among the 12,453 rural tracts, 34.4% were >1 hour. On adjusted analysis, the 3054 isolated rural tracts had an estimated 58-minute (95% confidence interval [CI] 57, 59; P Conclusions Isolated rural US census tracts, accounting for 9.4 million Americans, have nearly 1-hour longer adjusted travel time to the nearest RO facility, compared with urban tracts. CON laws had region-dependent associations with prolonged travel.
How to not get rich: an empirical study of donations in open source

Open source is ubiquitous and many projects act as critical infrastructure, yet funding and sustaining the whole ecosystem is challenging. While there are many different funding models for open source and concerted efforts through foundations, donation platforms like PayPal, Patreon, and OpenCollective are popular and low-bar platforms to raise funds for open-source development. With a mixed-method study, we investigate the emerging and largely unexplored phenomenon of donations in open source. Specifically, we quantify how commonly open-source projects ask for donations, statistically model characteristics of projects that ask for and receive donations, analyze for what the requested funds are needed and used, and assess whether the received donations achieve the intended outcomes. We find 25,885 projects asking for donations on GitHub, often to support engineering activities; however, we also find no clear evidence that donations influence the activity level of a project. In fact, we find that donations are used in a multitude of ways, raising new research questions about effective funding.
“You Will Be Surprised that Fiction Has Become an Art”: The Language of Craft and the Legacy of Henry James

As some scholars have noted, the technical principles that modern creative writing workshops identify as “the craft of fiction” owe a great deal to Henry James and the prefaces to the New York edition of his novels, later published in a single volume as The Art of the Novel. However, James, far from setting out to help aspiring writers to develop their technical knowledge, was in fact fairly hostile to the very idea of craft, famously declaring that he “cannot imagine composition existing in a series of blocks.” The prefaces were instead intended to provide a sort of Cliff’s Notes to his own work, naming the tricks of his trade for the edification of his most dedicated readers, and it was these readers, most notably including Percy Lubbock, Joseph Warren Beach, and Caroline Gordon, who adapted James’s principles in some of the first literary handbooks used in the creative writing classroom. Though Lubbock, Beach, and Gordon borrowed significantly from James, they balanced his emphasis on aesthetics with the more accessible and egalitarian approach of earlier authors of fiction-writing handbooks, including the work of Walter Besant. This essay argues that a scholarly examination of the historical development of the discourse of the craft of writing serves not only to correct an over-emphasis on James’s influence, but also to address the equally erroneous assumption that principles of technique are eternal and universal, and thus exist apart from subject position and historical contingency.
Calculation of Millimeter Wave Oxygen Absorption Spectra on a Small Microcomputer

Millimeter wave propagation exhibits high absorption behavior near the band centered at 60 GHz and the single line around 118.75 GHz. In this paper, quantum theory will be used to predict line frequencies. A solution for atmospheric attenuation that is amenable to implementation on a very small microcomputer is obtained by using a normalized line shape form.
How Do Scientists Know? Answering High School Students' Questions with an Ecological Sampling Unit

What do animals eat? What animals are present in a habitat? How many animals are present? How was the habitat different years ago? How old is this animal? These are all questions that scientists want to answer. We know the answers to questions like these from data collected by scientists in a variety of ways. Science is evidence based, and conclusions are arrived at after multiple replicable experiments. Presented here are six ecological scenarios that demonstrate how scientists arrive at answers to population ecology questions. These lessons can be implemented as single activities that supplement a high school ecology or environmental science curricular unit or as a multiday rotation of stations in which students practice field sampling techniques used in population and community ecology, designed to answer ecological questions. Student scientists learn how to use indirect sampling methods to estimate abundance, density, age, and population size using mark–recapture, transects, and quadrats to model authentic field methods. They calculate species richness and biodiversity with a simplified Simpson's diversity index and describe species age structure and distribution using tree rings, sheep horns, and camera trap images. Students also learn to display population data appropriately, graphing survivorship and richness vs. area and studying trophic pyramids.
Headlight and loupe-based fluorescein detection system in brain tumor surgery; a firstin-human experience.

Background Fluorescein is an agent that accumulates in areas of blood-brain barrier breakdown and is commonly used in neurosurgical oncology to assist with lesion localization and visualizing the extent of resection. It is considered to be cost-effective and has a favorable safety profile. Studies on the utilization of fluorescein demonstrate an improved extent of tumor resection and increased overall survival. Currently, fluorescein detection systems are all microscope based, leading to limitations such as decreased maneuverability, limited visualization of the entire operative field, and significant cost associated with obtaining and maintaining a neurosurgical operating microscope. Methods Three consecutive craniotomy patients for tumor resection were included, and surgery was carried out under loupe fluorescence guidance using the ReVeal 450 System, and also a surgical microscope for comparison. Results Loupe-mounted fluorescence system enabled excellent visualization of fluorescence in all three cases. Conclusions In this manuscript, we describe our experience with a loupe-mounted fluorescein detection system in 3 patients with malignant gliomas. We found that the loupe-mounted system offered excellent ability to visualize fluorescein fluorescence. Although loupe-mounted systems are not an alternative to surgical microscopes, they could be a useful surgical adjunct for superficial lesions and in low-middle income counties.
Renal Transplantation in Patients with Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction

Lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction is a leading cause of pediatric end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It is estimated that 15–25 % of children with ESRD have associated anatomic urological abnormalities that result in LUT dysfunction [1]. These problems may persist into adulthood and also comprise an important cause of ESRD in approximately 6 % of the older population [2]. It was previously thought that renal transplantation in the setting of an abnormal LUT was unfeasible and these patients were generally considered poor candidates for transplantation [1, 3–5].
“Deliberative Disagreement” in U.S. Health Policy Committee Hearings

The exchange of rationales among debate participants is necessary for legitimacy in a deliberative democracy. I show that witnesses in congressional committee hearings tend to use falsifiable rationales when they encounter moderate levels of disagreement and shift to nonfalsifiable rationales when they encounter extreme disagreement. I use data from a coding of hearings testimony on the Medicare program, held between 1990 and 2003, as well as from a survey of participating witnesses measuring their perceptions of disagreement at the hearing. The results identify conditions that enhance falsifiable discourse and help to establish the empirical grounding deliberative democratic theory.
Long-Range Underwater Sound Propagation: Environmental Variability, Signal Stability and Signal Coherence

Abstract : Our long-term scientific goal is to understand the basic physics of low-frequency long-range sound propagation in the ocean, and the effects of environmental variability on signal stability and coherence. We seek to understand the fundamental limits to signal processing imposed by ocean variability to enable advanced signal processing techniques, including matched field processing and other adaptive array processing methods.
Glycogenosis type VII (Tarui disease) in a Swedish family : Two novel mutations in muscle phosphofructokinase gene (PFK-M) resulting in intron retentions

Phosphofructokinase (PFK) plays a major role in glycolysis. Human PFK is composed of three isoenzyme subunits (muscle [Ml, liver [L], and platelet [P]), which are encoded by different genes. Deficiency of muscle isoenzyme (PFK-M), glycogenosis type VII (Tarui disease), is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by an exertional myopathy and hemolytic syndrome. Several disease-causing mutations have been identified in the PFK-M gene in Japanese, Ashkenazi Jewish, Italian, French Canadian, and Swiss patients. We describe the genetic defect in a Swedish family with affected individuals in two generations. The patients are compound heterozygotes: two different mutations result in retention of intron 13 or intron 16 sequences into mRNA. A G1127A transition destroys the 5' donor site of intron 13, resulting in a 155-nt retention of the intronic sequence. An a-to-g base change in intron 16 creates a new acceptor splice site, resulting in a 63-nt retention of intronic sequence. Both mutations are predicted to result in premature termination of translation. Some of the transcripts generated from the intron 16 mutated allele also contain intron 10 sequence unspliced.
Histidinol Dehydrogenase from Salmonella typhimurium CRYSTALLIZATION AND COMPOSITION STUDIES

Abstract Crystalline preparations of histidinol dehydrogenase from Salmonella typhimurium LT-7 have been obtained by modification of a previously reported purification procedure. This material has been examined for amino acid composition, including sulfhydryl content. The nature of subunit structure has been examined through ultracentrifugal and chromatographic analysis. These analyses indicate that histidinol dehydrogenase is a dimer with subunits of similar, perhaps identical, size and composition.
Towards Formal Specification of Client-Server Interactions for a Wide Range of Internet Applications

Traditional way of designing Internet applications involves writing code for programming the sequence of pages presented to the client and associated decision-making logic. This makes the interaction flow of an application unclear and reduces its maintainability. A formal method of expressing interactions in an Internet application that is based on the notion of Interaction Machine is proposed. Such formalism can be mapped to interaction specifications expressed in XML that can be interpreted by an application-neutral universal controller. Additional advantages of the proposed universal controller include full synchronization between the client and the server (a well-known problem for Internet applications), preservation of complete history of application context that allows for true rollbacks and resumption of long-suspended applications. The approach can be used for implementing a wide range of applications including standard HTML-based applications, WML-based WAP and Business-to-Business XML-based applications.
A Longitudinal Study of Religious Identity and Participation During Adolescence

To examine the development of religious identity during the teenage years, adolescents (N = 477) from Latin American, Asian, and European backgrounds completed questionnaires in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades (10th grade age: M = 15.81, SD = 0.36). Results indicated that religious identity remained stable across high school whereas religious participation declined. Even after controlling for ethnic differences in religious affiliation, socioeconomic background, and generational status, adolescents from Latin American and Asian backgrounds reported higher levels of religious identity and adolescents from Latin American backgrounds reported higher rates of religious participation. Within individual adolescents, changes in religious identity were associated with changes in ethnic and family identities, suggesting important linkages in the development of these social identities during adolescence.
A learning drift homotopy particle filter

In this paper, we design a learning drift homotopy particle filter algorithm. We employ the drift homotopy technique in the extra Markov Chain Monte Carlo move after the resampling step of the generic particle filter algorithm to efficiently resolve the degeneracy of the algorithm. In this work, we use the effective sample size as a learning parameter to control the levels of drift homotopy which need to be considered in each time step. The proposed algorithm adjusts the number of levels of drift homotopy and reduces its computational time without undermining the accuracy of estimation. We test the algorithm on two synthetic problems, a partially observed diffusion in a double well potential and a multi-target tracking setting.
The Heisenberg Uncertainty of Test

As integrated circuit geometries become smaller, distinguishing good parts from bad is becoming increasingly difficult. Quantum mechanical effects such as tunneling are becoming more evident, affecting leakage and reliability, amongst others. As the variance of circuit parameters increases, it is becoming progressively more difficult to retain only traditional tests, which for digital circuits, base passing or failing on what are effectively fixed thresholds: is the output the correct logic one or zero?
Successful anterior fusion following posterior cervical fusion for revision of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion pseudarthrosis

Pseudarthrosis occurs after approximately 2-20% of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) procedures; it is unclear if posterior or anterior revision should be pursued. In this study, we retrospectively evaluate the outcomes in 22 patients with pseudarthrosis following ACDF and revision via posterior cervical fusion (PCF). Baseline demographics, preoperative symptoms, operative data, time to fusion failure, symptoms of pseudarthrosis, and revision method were assessed. Fusion outcome and clinical outcome were determined at last follow-up (LFU). Thirteen females (59%) and 9 (41%) males experienced pseudarthrosis at a median of 11 (range: 3-151)months after ACDF. Median age at index surgery was 51 (range: 33-67)years. All patients with pseudarthrosis presented with progressive neck pain, with median visual analog scale (VAS) score of 8 (range: 0-10), and/or myeloradiculopathy. Patients with pseudarthrosis 12 months after index surgery were older (p=0.013), had more frequent preoperative neurological deficits (p=0.064), and lower baseline VAS scores (p=0.006). Fusion was successful after PCF in all patients, with median time to fusion of 10 (range: 2-14)months. Eighteen patients fused both anteriorly and posteriorly, two patients fused anteriorly only, and two patients fused posteriorly only. Median VAS neck score at LFU significantly improved from the time of pseudarthrosis (p=0.012). While uncommon, pseudarthrosis may occur after ACDF. All patients achieved successful fusion after subsequent posterior cervical fusion, with 91% fusing a previous anterior pseudarthrosis after posterior stabilization. Neck pain significantly improved by LFU in the majority of patients in this study.
Die Effektengeschäfte der Kreditinstitute

Ein Wertpapier ist eine Urkunde, die private Vermogensrechte verbrieft. Recht und Urkunde stellen eine Einheit dar. Ohne die Urkunde konnen die Rechte weder ausgeubt noch ubertragen werden.
Oscillatron-1: a connectionist unified theory of cognition

A novel artificial neural network architecture is introduced that implements declarative as well as procedural memory. This network contains an internal clock of central pattern generators that oscillates in synchrony with feature detector neurons. These properties allow the network to associatively store and replay moving sensory images by storing a time stamp with each snapshot within high-order correlation synapses. When combined with conventional neural procedural memory and the dynamics of a blackboard system, this architecture should be able to recognize and mentally manipulate images and their abstractions and to remember its own thought processes. The first results from simulations demonstrate that it can photographically memorize and replay moving images of single lines when given visual clues about one snapshot from the sequence. >
THE FUTURE OF CEREBRAL SURGERY: A KALEIDOSCOPE OF OPPORTUNITIES

THE EMERGING FUTURE of cerebral surgery will witness the refined evolution of current techniques, as well as the introduction of numerous novel concepts. Clinical practice and basic science research will benefit greatly from their application. The sum of these efforts will result in continued minima
ARE SEX OFFENDERS DANGEROUS

Research Summary: Current legislation mandating DNA collection, civil commitment, registration, and community notification of sex offenders is predicated on the assumption that sex offenders are simply more dangerous than other types of offenders in that they inevitably re-offend. Moreover, many states are moving to expand sex offender legislation to include non-sexual offenders on the assumption that some offense types, such as burglary and robbery, serve as “gateway” offenses to sex crimes. The purpose of this research is to highlight two of the common perceptions underlying sex offender laws, and the extension thereof, and examine them in light of current empirical evidence. We employ analysis of variance techniques on Illinois arrest data from 1990 to 1997 to examine the degree to which sex offenders have higher proportions of repeat offending than other criminal categories and if some offense types serve as “gateway” or predicate offenses to sex crimes. Policy Implications: Our results suggest that the extension of sex offender laws to non-sexual offenders will likely have little effect on sexual victimization rates. More importantly, our results illustrate that policies can be founded on misconceptions, and these misconceptions not only have financial consequences, but also can affect the likelihood that the policies enacted will achieve their goals. If nothing else, this research suggests that policy makers need to become better informed on the issues they subject to far-reaching and costly legislation.
Upbeat Nystagmus and Internuclear Ophthalmoplegia With Brainstem Glioma

• We describe the unusual association of two ocular motor abnormalities: upbeat nystagmus and internuclear ophthalmoplegia in a young woman originally believed to have demyelinating disease. Quantitative eye movement recordings documented a unidirectional defect in upward visual pursuit with preservation of the vertical vestibulo-ocular reflexes. The ocular oscillation was characterized as a type of "pursuit defect" nystagmus. An enhancing lesion of the upper brainstem seen on computerized tomography was primarily localized to the midbrain on pneumoencephalography. Biopsy of the lesion disclosed a malignant glial tumor. The patient's course initally progressed but became stable following radiotherapy and chemotherapy during the next eight months. We believe the association of upbeat nystagmus and internuclear ophthalmoplegia should prompt a detailed search for a structural lesion.
The role of modality in virtual manipulative design

The current study examines aspects of multimedia design in virtual learning environments. It compares touch and mouse input methods in conjunction with audio and visual feedback in an effort to improve young children's math learning. Fifty-nine (N=59) second grade students played Puzzle Blocks (PBs), a virtual manipulative designed to introduce students to the concept of multiplication through repetitive addition. All participants showed significant learning outcomes after playing PBs for five sessions. The results show that having auditory feedback is a more influential factor than input method. Implications are discussed.
Transplantation of adult and pediatric cancer patients with ex vivo expanded cord blood

Abstract Cord blood (CB) cells are being used increasingly as a source of allogeneic hematopoietic support, but have been associated with delays in engraftment. In this study we evaluated ex vivo expansion of CB from unrelated donors in 29 patients (21 adult, 8 children) with AML (n = 5), ALL (n = 8), CML (n = 3), CLL (n = 3), NHL (n = 5), HD (n= 2), and breast ca (n = 3). The patients received high-dose melphalan and ATG plus TBI (n = 17) or busulfan (n = 4), or TBI-cytoxan-ARA-C (n = 8 children). Strata A patients (n = 22) had CB frozen in one fraction (fx). On day 0 to transplant, the CB was thawed and 60% of the CB was infused without manipulation. The CD34+ cells in the remaining 40% of the CB were isolated and expanded in teflon bags in 800 ml of media containing 100 ng/ml each of rhSCF, rhG-CSF and rhMGDF. After 10 days in culture the expanded product was harvested, washed and reinfused. Strata B patients (n = 7), whose CB was frozen in two fx, had the 40% fx thawed on day −10 and cultured for 10 days as described above. Both the expanded and the unmanipulated CB were infused on day 0. The cultures generated a median 89 (range 42-270) fold expansion of cells and 4 (range 2-13) fold expansion of CD34+ cells. To date, all 19 of 20 (95%) patients, evaluable for engraftment, achieved recovery of neutrophils (ANC ≥500/mm 3 ) in a median of 26 (range 15–45) days. Fourteen of 15 (93%) patients engrafted platelets (≥20,000/mm 3 , unsupported) in a median of 58 (range 27–380) days. All patients tested at day +60 (n = 11) have been 98–100% donor. Eight of 13 patients (62%) experienced acute and 7/10 (70%) extensive chronic GVHD. Preliminary analysis suggests that the neutrophil engraftment failure rate of 5% in our patients may be lower than the 15–60% failure rate reported for recipients of unexpanded CB transplants. The median time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment rates in adult patients appears to be comparable to that in smaller pediatric patients despite significantly lower CB cell doses.
Reflections on living with HIV over time: exploring the perspective of HIV-infected women over 50.

Objectives: Approximately 32.7% of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in the USA are now over the age of 50. Women comprise a significant percentage of the US HIV epidemic and the percentage of women diagnosed with HIV continues to grow; however, little is known about women's experiences living and coping with HIV over time. The goal of this study was to explore the experiences of US women over 50 living with HIV to better understand how they make sense of their diagnosis and cope with their illness over time and during the aging process.Method: Nineteen women (mean age = 56.79, SD = 4.63) referred from Boston-area organizations and hospitals completed one-time, in-depth individual interviews, out of which 47% of the participants were identified as Black/African Americans, and 37% as White. The average time since diagnosis was 16.32 years (SD = 5.70). Inclusion criteria included: (1) female sex, (2) aged 50 or older, (3) HIV diagnosis, and (4) English speaking. Transcribed interviews were analyzed using ...
Ecological Risk Assessment at the Department of Energy: An Evolving Process

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has facilities in 34 states, and many of these have chemical or radiological contamination that provides a potential risk to human or ecological health. Over the next few decades many of these sites will be cleaned up, and ecological risk assessment will be one tool used to make decisions about remediation and future land use. The DOE has developed an overall strategy for making remediation decisions that involves using risk assessment, with stakeholder input, although the final decisions are the Department's. The key elements of its ecological risk assessments involve valuing the severity and likelihood of occurrence of adverse ecological effects. It is currently using a process that incorporates descriptions of the environmental risk, and valuations of the severity and likelihood of an adverse outcome before, during, and after any remedial activity. The primary difficulty with the current DOE approach to risk has been a failure to use existing information to identify either species of concern or unique habitats at risk, and a lack of uniformity across the DOE complex. Nonetheless, the inclusion of ecological risk assessment in the decision-making process will help achieve one of the new missions of DOE: the protection and maintenance of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems at sites under its control.
Myocardial Protection: Entering the New Millennium

Abstract Dual objectives at operation are technical success and absence of iatrogenic injury due to inadequate myocardial protection. We enter a new millennium, and the spectrum of surgical procedures used to correct abnormal structure is expanding. We need longer intervals of aortic clamping to make the correct diagnosis, and to implement a more natural correction (i.e., mitral valve repair, Ross procedure, aortic recontruction with stentless valves, homografts). Simultaneously, our patients have increased vulnerability to injury, so that growth is needed to advance our methods of protection, in the same way as we learn new operative techniques. This manuscript deals both with evolution of current methods and recognition of newer methods of protection, so that the dual relationship between protection and procedures will not separate.
Lipid nutrition of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei. I. Dietary cholesterol and de-oiled soy lecithin requirements and their interaction

Abstract Two 6-week experiments were conducted in recirculating systems to determine dietary requirements of Litopenaeus vannamei for phospholipids (PL) and cholesterol, and their potential interaction. A 3×4 factorial design consisting of three cholesterol levels (0%, 0.2%, and 0.5% of diet) and four PL levels (0%, 1.5%, 3.0%, and 5.0% of diet) provided by de-oiled soybean lecithin (SL) was applied. Overall survival was 97.7% with no significant difference among dietary treatments. There was a highly significant interaction between PL and cholesterol on shrimp growth ( P =0.0001). Dietary cholesterol at 0.2% or 0.5% gave similar shrimp growth at any given level of PL. In a second factorial experiment, the same four levels of PL were evaluated in conjunction with smaller intervals between dietary cholesterol levels, 0%, 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.4%, in an attempt to define dietary requirements and interaction better. Overall survival was 99.7%. A highly significant interaction between dietary PL and cholesterol on growth of shrimp was detected again ( P =0.0001). The cholesterol requirement was estimated to be 0.35% of diet in the absence of supplemental PL. At 1.5% and 3% PL, dietary cholesterol requirements were reduced to 0.14% and 0.13% of diet, respectively. When PL were provided at 5% of diet, 0.05% dietary cholesterol was needed for optimal growth. Shrimp growth was significantly enhanced as level of PL increased, but as the level of dietary cholesterol level increased, the growth-promoting effect of PL was diminished. Lipid composition of hepatopancreas (mid-gut gland) and muscle tissue of shrimp fed the different diets was also analyzed. Diets supplemented with PL resulted in higher total lipid in hepatopancreas and lower total lipid in muscle of shrimp than those of shrimp fed diets without supplemental PL. Interaction between dietary PL and cholesterol also affected total lipid and triglycerides (TG) in the hepatopancreas, as well as cholesterol concentration in the muscle.
Growth effects and assimilation of organic acids in chemostat and batch cultures of Acidithiobacillus caldus

The ability of Acidithiobacillus caldus to grow aerobically using pyruvate, acetate, citrate, 2-ketoglutarate, succinate, and malate as either an electron donor and carbon source (heterotrophic growth), or as a carbon source when potassium tetrathionate was added as an electron donor (mixotrophic growth), was tested in chemostat cultures. Under both heterotrophic and mixotrophic conditions, organic acids were added to a sub-lethal concentration (50 μM). Under mixotrophic conditions, potassium tetrathionate was added to an excess concentration (10 mM). No cell growth was observed under heterotrophic conditions; however, effluent cell concentrations increased over threefold when pyruvate was coupled with potassium tetrathionate. Under these conditions, the effluent pyruvate concentration was reduced to below the detection limit (2 μM), and oxygen consumption increased by approximately 100%. Although pyruvate provided a carbon source in these experiments, ambient carbon dioxide was also available to the cells. To test whether At. caldus could grow mixotrophically using pyruvate as a sole carbon source and potassium tetrathionate as an electron donor, cells were batch cultured in a medium free of dissolved inorganic carbon, and with no carbon dioxide in the headspace. These experiments showed that At. caldus was able to convert between 65 ± 8 and 82 ± 15% of the pyruvate carbon to cellular biomass, depending on the initial pyruvate concentrations. This work is the first to identify a defined organic-carbon source, other than glucose, that At. caldus can assimilate. This has important implications, as mixotrophic and heterotrophic activity has been shown to increase mineral leaching in acidic systems.
Long-Term Returns and Risk for Bonds

CHARLES P. JONES is GLU professor of 6nance at the College of Management of North Carolina State University in Raleigh (NC 27695). D espite the vast amount of information available about bond yields and returns, there are differences in the data series involving this important asset class. A good example is seen in the Treasury bond data for 1994. For long-term Treasuries for 1994, Ibbotson Associates reports the yield increasing from 6.54% to 8.09%, for a total return of -7.77%. In contrast, the Lehman Brothers long-term Treasury index shows yields rising from 6.42% to 7.98%, for a total return of -6.94%, a substantial difference in reported results. Some vendors of bond data complain about the validIty and usefulness of competing sources of data supplied to users. There are also gaps in bond data when compared to common stocks, for which we have reconstructed the SP Schwert [1990] has extended market data even farther back. Meanwhde, the experience of bondholders over the years provides strong evidence that bonds are a risky asset for whch reliable, long-term information is needed. This article provides an independent estimate of monthly yields and returns for both government and corporate bonds over a very long period of time. These data are consistent and reliable, and can easily be updated by users of such data on a real-time basis with the methodology outhned here. This data series provides additional insights into the long-term returns and risks from bonds; furthermore, the data are realistic estimates of the actual
Baseline Sensitivities for New Postharvest Fungicides Against Penicillium spp. on Citrus and Multiple Resistance Evaluations in P. digitatum.

ABSTRACT For the first time in over 25 years, three new fungicides (azoxystrobin, fludioxonil, and pyrimethanil), all belonging to different chemical classes, are being registered for postharvest use against Penicillium decays of citrus fruit in the United States. Baseline sensitivities of Penicillium digitatum and P. italicum were developed using isolates collected before the commercial use of these new fungicides. In a comparison of methods, EC50 values obtained using the spiral gradient dilution method were very similar to those obtained using traditional agar dilutions of fungicides. For azoxystrobin, the addition of salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) did not significantly affect EC50 values for mycelial growth of both species. In additional studies on conidial germination of P. digitatum, SHAM significantly reduced EC50 values for azoxystrobin. For pyrimethanil, the mean EC50 value for mycelial growth obtained using a minimum growth medium for anilinopyrimidine fungicides was significantly lower but compa...
Recent developments in the clinical activity of topoisomerase-1 inhibitors

Abstract Topoisomerase-1 is a key sub-cellular target for anti-cancer therapy. This intranuclear enzyme, responsible for DNA replication and repair, undergoes interaction with camptothecin and several semi-synthetic camptothecin analogs to produce cell-death. Preclinical studies on the mechanism of action and metabolism of these drugs are reviewed. Clinical activity including phases I–III studies is reviewed for topotecan (FDA approved for the indications of ovarian and small-cell lung cancers) and irinotecan (approved for colon cancer and non-small-cell lung cancer). Activity in numerous other settings is reviewed for these approved agents. Other topoisomerase-1 inhibitors currently being tested in the clinic including 9-amino and 9-nitro camptothecin, exatecan, lurtotecan and edotecarin are reviewed for both preclinical rationale and clinical trials. Topoisomerase-1 inhibition is a validated approach to cancer treatment and remains an area of active drug development.
Intestinal M cells: a pathway for entry of reovirus into the host

Thirty minutes after inoculation of reovirus type 1 into the intestinal lumen of the mouse, viruses were found adhering to the surface of intestinal M cells but not other epithelial cells. Within 1 hour, viruses were seen in the M cell cytoplasm and were associated with mononuclear cells in the intercellular space adjacent to the M cell. These findings suggest that M cells are the site where reovirus penetrates the intestinal epithelium.
The ultrastructure of sympathetic ganglia of the lizard Cnemidophorus neomexicanus

Sympathetic ganglia of six Cnemidophorus neomexicanus lizards were fixed by immersion with glutaraldehyde or a combination of glutaraldehyde and paraformaldehyde. All ganglia were post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide and embedded in Epon. Neuronal somata and processes of stellate ganglia were ensheathed typically by capsular cell cytoplasm and membranes; however, parts of some processes were invested only by basement membrane. Axo-somatic, axo-dendritic and axo-axonal synapses were observed. Pre- and post-synaptic processes contained 200 A neurotubules, 100 A neurofilaments, 225–500 A presumptive glycogen granules and occasional multivesicular bodies. Presynaptic endings contained 500–700 A “clear” vesicles and a few dense-cored vesicles of 600–1100 A. Aggregates composed of 225–500 A granules, presumably glycogen, were frequently found in peripheral perikaryal positions in intimate association with lipid droplets. Clusters of particles within somata were also found which resembled ribosomes but were not associated with endoplasmic reticulum or vesicular membranous elements. These clusters, perhaps “areticular Nissl substance,” were associated in some instances with fibrillar material or lattice-like granular structures. Abundant and frequently large lipid droplets were observed in proximity to the ribosomal-like particulate material.
Wang–Landau configurational bias Monte Carlo simulations: vapour–liquid equilibria of alkenes

We propose to combine the Wang–Landau (WL) sampling scheme with configurational-bias Monte Carlo (CBMC) simulations to study the phase behaviour of chain molecules. We apply the resulting WL–CBMC method to calculate an estimate for the canonical and isothermal–isobaric partition function for a series of alkene molecules. We assess the accuracy of the proposed method by showing that the phase equilibria and the critical properties of four alkenes (propene, butene, pentene and hexene) determined from the WL–CBMC simulations are in excellent agreement with the experimental data and simulation results from Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations.
Small Firm Mutual Funds: Additional Evidence on the Small Firm Effect.

Returns generated with small firm mutual fund data are used to examine the extent to which identification of a “small firm effect” is due to the difficulty in measuring the direct and indirect transaction costs involved in investing in the common shares of small capitalization stocks. Little if any evidence of the excess risk-adjusted returns is obtained for either of the period 1978–1983, when the small firm effect was observed, or the period 1984–1989, when it was not. The “small firm effect” may therefore be attributed to (1) higher direct transaction costs including bid-ask spread and broker fees and (2) higher indirect transaction costs including portfolio management expenses and market impact costs.
The endogenous OFQ/N/ORL-1 receptor system regulates the rewarding effects of acute cocaine

Previous studies have shown that orphanin FQ/nociceptin (OFQ/N), the endogenous ligand of the opioid receptor-like (ORL-1) receptor, reduces the rewarding and addictive properties of cocaine and other drugs of abuse. In the present study, using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm, as an animal model of drug reward, we assessed whether the rewarding action of acute cocaine would be altered in mice lacking the ORL-1 receptor or in wild type mice treated with J-113397, an ORL-1 receptor antagonist, relative to their saline-treated controls. On day 1, mice were tested for their baseline place preferences, in which each mouse was placed in the neutral chamber of a three-chambered CPP apparatus, allowed to freely explore all the chambers and the amount of time that a mouse spent in each conditioning chamber was recorded for 15 min. On days 2–3, mice received once daily alternate-day saline/cocaine (15 or 30 mg/kg) conditioning for 30 min. On day 4, mice were tested for their postconditioning preferences, as described for day 1. In a subsequent study, the effect of J-113397 (3 mg/kg) on the rewarding action of acute cocaine (15 mg/kg) was also examined in wild type mice. Our results showed that mice lacking the ORL-1 receptor expressed greater CPP than their wild type littermates. Furthermore, the rewarding action of cocaine was enhanced in the presence of J-113397 in wild type mice. Together, the present results suggest that the endogenous OFQ/N/ORL-1 receptor system is involved in the rewarding action of acute cocaine.
The Physiological and Biochemical Bases of Functional Brain Imaging

Functional brain imaging is based on the display of computer-derived images of changes in physiological and/or biochemical functions altered by activation or depression of local functional activities in the brain. This article reviews the physiological and biochemical mechanisms involved.
The role of calmodulin in insulin secretion: the presence of a calmodulin-stimulatable phosphodiesterase in pancreatic islets of normal and pregnant rats.

Abstract Calmodulin-stimulatable phospodiesterase activity has been demonstrated to be present in islets of Langerhans. Under the conditions used in the present study, this activity contributes approximately 25% of the total cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity measureable in islet sonicates of normal rats. The addition of calcium alone to the sonicates resulted in a partial stimulation equivalent to approximately half that achieved by the addition of both calcium and calmodulin. This partial stimulation is attributed to the presence of endogenous calmodulin since the calcium-stimulated activity could be decreased to a similar basal level by the addition of either EGTA or phenothiazine. The possibility that changes in the activity of this enzyme might account for the increased insulin secretion seen in late preganancy was examined. Cyclic AMP phosphodiesteras activity was measured in sonicates of islets prepared from age-matched normal female and 20-day pregnant rats. There was no significant difference in the amounts of either the total or calmodulin-stimulated activity between pregnant and control animals. The presence of calmodulin-stimulatable cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase in pancreatic islets indicates that its role should be considered in models of calcium mediated regulation of insulin secretion. Although it does not appear that an alteration in the activity of this enzyme is involved in the increased insulin secretion which occurs late in pregnancy, changes in this enzyme may well occur in other states of altered insulin secretion.