cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cross-sectional analysis of place-based and racial disparities in hospitalisation rates by disease category in California in 2001 and 2011.

Objectives To study the association of place-based socioeconomic factors with disease distribution by comparing hospitalisation rates in California in 2001 and 2011 by zip code median household income. Design Serial cross-sectional study testing the association between hospitalisation rates and zip code-level median income, with subgroup analyses by zip code income and race. Participants/setting Our study included all hospitalised adults over 18 years old living in California in 2001 and 2011 who were not pregnant or incarcerated. This included all acute-care hospitalisations in California including 1632 zip codes in 2001 and 1672 zip codes in 2011. Primary and secondary outcomes We compared age-standardised hospitalisations per 100 000 persons, overall and for several disease categories. Results There were 1.58 and 1.78 million hospitalisations in California in 2001 and 2011, respectively. Spatial analysis showed the highest hospitalisation rates in urban inner cities and rural areas, with more than 5000 hospitalisations per 100 000 persons. Hospitalisations per 100 000 persons were consistently highest in the lowest zip code income quintile and particularly among black patients. Conclusion Hospitalisation rates rose from 2001 to 2011 among Californians living in low-income and middle-income zip codes. Integrating spatially defined state hospital discharge and federal zip code income data provided a granular description of disease burden. This method may help identify high-risk areas and evaluate public health interventions targeting health disparities.
Making Construction Cost Estimate of Nuclear Power Plants Credible: Assessing Impact of Unknown Unknowns

Credibility requires predictability. Nuclear power plant (NPP) construction projects tend to be large and expensive, sometimes with high cost overruns far beyond those that might have been expected...
Association Between Preoperative Radiographic Severity of Osteoarthritis and Patient-Reported Outcomes of Total Knee Replacement.

Background The goal of this study was to investigate the association between preoperative radiographic severity of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and patient-reported outcomes following total knee replacement. Methods We used data from a prospective cohort study of individuals who underwent total knee replacement at a high-volume medical center. Patient-reported outcomes included the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain score and the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) activities of daily living (ADL) subscore, assessed preoperatively and 2 years postoperatively. We measured preoperative radiographic OA severity using the Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) Atlas score, dichotomized at the median. We assessed the association between radiographic OA severity and postoperative patient-reported outcomes in bivariate analyses and in multivariable linear regression, with adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, and comorbidity score. Results The analytic cohort included 240 patients with a mean age at surgery of 66.6 years (standard deviation, 8 years); 61% were female. The median total OARSI radiographic severity score was 10 (range, 3 to 17). The cohort improved substantially at 2 years following total knee replacement, with WOMAC pain and KOOS ADL score improvements on the order of 30 points. We did not observe significant or clinically important differences in pain relief or functional improvement between patients with milder and more severe radiographic OA. Sensitivity analyses using other radiographic assessment measures yielded similar findings. Conclusions Total knee replacement offers substantial symptomatic relief and functional improvement regardless of preoperative radiographic OA severity. Level of evidence Prognostic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Review of Three National Issues Forums Issue Guides for Deliberative Forums

Deliberation is an activity in which decision-makers try to reach a well-reasoned conclusion about what course of action to take to solve a problem or improve a situation. Deliberation has been rec...
Assessment of Preoperative Opioid Use Prevalence and Clinical Outcomes in Pulmonary Resection

Background Preoperative opioid use is associated with increased health care use after elective abdominal surgery. However, the scope of preoperative opioid use and its association with outcomes have not been described in elective pulmonary resection. This study aimed to characterize prevalent preoperative opioid use in patients undergoing elective pulmonary resection and compare clinical outcomes between patients with and without preoperative opioid exposure. Methods The study investigators assembled a retrospective cohort of adult patients undergoing elective pulmonary resection by using the IBM Watson Health MarketScan Database (2007 to 2015). The study compared opioid-naive patients with patients with a history of preoperative opioid exposure (>0 morphine milligram equivalent prescription filled within 90 days before surgery). Multivariable logistic and linear regressions adjusting for patient sociodemographic, comorbidity, and operative characteristics were used to compare odds of postoperative complication, prolonged length-of-stay (>14 days), 30-day postdischarge emergency department visits, 90-day readmissions, and 90-day costs. Results The study identified 14,373 patients, 4502 (31.3%) of whom had opioid exposure before pulmonary resection. In multivariable regression, patients with preoperative opioid exposure had significantly higher odds of experiencing a prolonged length of stay (odds ratio [OR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11 to 1.58), 30-day emergency department visits (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.41), and 90-day readmissions (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.28 to 1.55). Adjusted 90-day costs were approximately 5% higher for patients with preoperative opioid use (P Conclusions One-third of patients who underwent pulmonary resection used opioids preoperatively and were at risk of experiencing adverse outcomes and having significantly higher health care use. They represent a unique high-risk population that will require novel, targeted interventions.
LOA Management Tool Development

Abstract : The long-term goal of this project is to enable the SYSCOM community to efficiently and effectively manage incidental take permits under the Marine Mammal Protection Act Letters of Authorization (LOA). The specific objective of the project is the development of a software-based tool that allows SYSCOMs to manage hours and/or counts of impulsive and nonimpulsive sources permitted under the LOAs associated with Phase II environmental planning documents. ONR funding is only part of the overall funding for development of the LOA Management Tool. NAVSEA, NAVAIR, and SPAWAR also have contributed funding for the development of this management tool. Peter Hulton is the Marine Species Modeling Team (MSMT) Team Lead responsible for the development of the LOA Management Tool. The MSMT will develop a web-based solution with an SQL server back end. The web solution enables a centralized management strategy in which all LOA users will submit their usage data. The SQL database server enables transaction integrity. Submittals will have an immediate affect on the LOA reports. A workflow will be built into the application that allows proposed events to be approved by a designated authority. To date, a fundamentally usable tool has been developed. The tool will be available to the SYSCOM/ONR community in early FY14 for testing and critique. The LOA Management tool completion date is scheduled for December 2013. The web application BETA release was successfully completed in FY13. Technically, the use of Microsoft advanced web and database technology (specifically dotnet) enabled the application to be fielded rapidly with short, agile style, development sprints that enabled stakeholders to provide feedback during the development process. The ability to trade allocation remains to be done. Report functionality needed by stakeholders should be developed, based on their usage of the tool.
Evaluation of free-hand screw placement in cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine by neurosurgical residents

Abstract Background Knowledge of free-hand screw technique remains critical to adequately train neurosurgical residents. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of screw placement via the free-hand technique in lumbar, thoracic, and cervical spine by neurosurgical residents completing an enfolded spine fellowship. Methods Medical records of all patients who underwent free-hand screw placement at all spinal levels over a 6-month period by senior neurosurgical residents enrolled in an in-folded spine fellowship were retrospectively reviewed. Postoperative CT images were assessed for presence and direction of cortical breach. Results Twenty-six patients underwent 162 free-hand screw placements. The most commonly placed screws were cervical lateral mass screws (n = 69), thoracic (n = 41), and lumbar pedicle screws (n = 41). The most common indication for surgery was deformity (n = 22), followed by infection (n = 2) and trauma (n = 2). Fifty-five breaches were identified in 44 (27 %) screws placed in 21 patients (81 %). Anterior breach was identified in 22 cases (40.0 %), lateral in 12 (23.6 %), superior in 7 (12.7 %), and inferior in 7 (12.7 %), and medial in 6 (10.9 %). The most common level of breach was observed in cervical lateral mass screws (n = 19, 43 %) and least common in C2 pars screws (n = 1, 2%). With an average length of follow up of 12.1 ± 7.7 months of follow-up, no clinical sequalae of screw breach was observed. Conclusions Despite the high prevalence of screw breach using the free-hand technique by neurosurgical residents, the absence of clinical sequelae implies safety and emphasizes the importance of early exposure to this technique during neurosurgical residency training.
The Valley in the Time of Trump, or Why the Border Stereotype is So Durable

This chapter focuses on stories about the Rio Grande Valley in national news during the run-up and aftermath of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The durability of the U.S.–Mexico border imaginary in national political discourse is due to its utility as a concept-metaphor, a kind of shared domain of understanding for the American public. Donald Trump’s successful campaign for the American presidency rested largely in his ability to mobilize and constrain an abiding national narrative of the U.S.–Mexico border, using the Rio Grande Valley and its miles of border wall as the common reference point. Trump and national media alike reborder, or reinscribe social difference of the borderlands region, layering ideas on top of a 150-year-old colonial discourse about Mexico and Mexicans. The discussion addresses tensions inherent in attending to the lived experiences of all borderlands constituencies without reinforcing national ideas that produce these problems or validate additional militarization of our southern border.
Clusterin secreted from astrocyte promotes excitatory synaptic transmission and ameliorates Alzheimer's disease neuropathology.

Genome-wide association studies have established clusterin (CLU) as a genetic modifier for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Both protective and risk alleles have been identified which may be associated with its expression levels. However, the physiological function of clusterin in the central nervous system remains largely unknown. We examined Clu expression in mouse brains by immunohistochemistry and high-resolution imaging. We performed electrophysiological recordings and morphological analysis of dendritic spines in wild-type and Clu knockout mice. We tested synaptic function of astrocytic Clu using neuron-glia co-cultures and by AAV-mediated astroglial Clu expression in vivo. Finally, we investigated the role of astrocytic Clu on synaptic properties and amyloid pathology in 5xFAD transgenic mouse model of AD. We show that astrocyte secreted Clu co-localizes with presynaptic puncta of excitatory neurons. Loss of Clu led to impaired presynaptic function and reduced spine density in vivo. Neurons co-cultured with Clu-overexpressing astrocytes or treated with conditioned media from HEK293 cells transfected with Clu displayed enhanced excitatory neurotransmission. AAV-mediated astroglial Clu expression promoted excitatory neurotransmission in wild-type mice and rescued synaptic deficits in Clu knockout mice. Overexpression of Clu in the astrocytes of 5xFAD mice led to reduced Aβ pathology and fully rescued the synaptic deficits. We identify Clu as an astrocyte-derived synaptogenic and anti-amyloid factor; the combination of these activities may influence the progression of late-onset AD.
LI-RADS Treatment Response Algorithm: Performance and Diagnostic Accuracy With Radiologic-Pathologic Explant Correlation in Patients With SBRT-Treated Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose Our purpose was to evaluate the accuracy of LI-RADS Treatment Response Algorithm (LR-TRA) for assessing the viability of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), using explant pathology as the gold standard. Methods and Materials This retrospective study included patients who underwent SBRT for locoregional treatment of HCC between 2008 and 2019 with subsequent liver transplantation. Five radiologists independently assessed all treated lesions by using the LR-TRA. Imaging and posttransplant histopathology were compared. Lesions were categorized as either completely (100%) or incompletely ( Results A total of 40 treated lesions in 26 patients (median age, 63 years [interquartile range, 59.4-65.5]; 23 men) were included. For lesions treated with SBRT, sensitivity for incomplete tumor necrosis across readers ranged between 71% and 86%, specificity between 85% and 96%, and positive predictive value between 86% and 92%, when the LR-TR equivocal category was treated as nonviable, accounting for subject clustering. When the LR-TR equivocal category was treated as viable, sensitivity of complete tumor necrosis for lesions treated with SBRT ranged from 88% to 96%, specificity from 71% to 93%, and negative predictive value from 85% to 96%. Interreader reliability was fair (k = 0.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.13-0.33). Although a loss of arterial phase hyperenhancement (APHE) was highly correlated with pathologically nonviable tumor on explant, almost half of the patients with APHE had pathologically nonviable tumor on explant. Conclusions LR-TRA v2018 performs well for predicting complete and incomplete necrosis in HCC treated with SBRT. In contrast to other locoregional therapies, the presence of APHE after SBRT does not always indicate viable tumor and suggests that observation may be an appropriate strategy for these patients.
Knowledge Gaps: A Challenge for Agent-Based Automatic Task Completion.

The study of human cognition and the study of artificial intelligence (AI) have a symbiotic relationship, with advancements in one field often informing or creating new work in the other. Human cognition has many capabilities modern AI systems cannot compete with. One such capability is the detection, identification, and resolution of knowledge gaps (KGs). Using these capabilities as inspiration, we examine how to incorporate detection, identification, and resolution of KGs in artificial agents. We present a paradigm that enables research on the understanding of KGs for visual-linguistic communication. We leverage and enhance and existing KG taxonomy to identify possible KGs that can occur for visual question answer (VQA) tasks and use these findings to develop a classifier to identify questions that could be engineered to contain specific KG types for other VQA datasets. Additionally, we examine the performance of different VQA models through the lens of KGs.
Radiotherapy alone or combined with carbogen breathing for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a prospective, randomized trial.

BACKGROUND The current study was performed to investigate the efficacy of carbogen (95% oxygen [O2] and 5% carbon dioxide [CO2]) breathing during definitive radiotherapy (RT) to enhance local control. METHODS Between November 1996 and November 2002, 101 patients with previously untreated T2 to T4 squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx, larynx, and hypopharynx were entered onto a prospective trial and randomized to receive definitive hyperfractionated RT alone or combined with carbogen breathing. Patients were stratified according to T classification and primary tumor site. Follow-up ranged from 1–91 months (median, 38 months). All living patients had follow-up for more than 2 years. Outcomes analyses were performed according to intent to treat. RESULTS Definitive RT alone was completed as planned in 50 of 51 patients (98%); 49 of the 50 patients (98%) who were randomized to receive carbogen breathing were able to complete the RT as planned. Three patients randomized to receive carbogen breathing declined carbogen. The 5-year outcomes after RT alone or combined with carbogen were as follows: local control, 83% versus 88% (P = 0.5155); locoregional control, 81% versus 83% (P = 0.7174); distant metastasis-free survival, 82% versus 86% (P = 0.5184); cause-specific survival, 73% versus 77% (P = 0.5866); and absolute survival, 53% versus 58% (P = 0.4856). CONCLUSIONS The addition of carbogen breathing to definitive RT did not appear to improve the likelihood of local control significantly. However, because of the limited size of the current study, the authors cannot definitively conclude that carbogen breathing is ineffective. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Spectral analysis of stochastic models of large-scale complex dynamical networks

Research on large-scale complex networks has important applications in diverse systems of current interest, including the Internet, the World-Wide Web, social, biological, and chemical networks. The growing availability of massive databases, computing facilities, and reliable data analysis tools has provided a powerful framework to explore structural properties of such real-world networks. However, one cannot efficiently retrieve and store the exact or full topology for many large-scale networks. As an alternative, several stochastic network models have been proposed that attempt to capture essential characteristics of such complex topologies. Network researchers then use these stochastic models to generate topologies similar to the complex network of interest and use these topologies to test, for example, the behavior of dynamical processes in the network. In general, the topological properties of a network are not directly evident in the behavior of dynamical processes running on it. On the other hand, the eigenvalue spectra of certain matricial representations of the network topology do relate quite directly to the behavior of many dynamical processes of interest, such as random walks, Markov processes, virus/rumor spreading, or synchronization of oscillators in a network. This thesis studies spectral properties of popular stochastic network models proposed in recent years. In particular, we develop several methods to determine or estimate the spectral moments of these models. We also present a variety of techniques to extract relevant spectral information from a finite sequence of spectral moments. A range of numerical examples throughout the thesis confirms the efficacy of our approach. Our ultimate objective is to use such results to understand and predict the behavior of dynamical processes taking place in large-scale networks. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Membrane Binding of Input Arbovirus Ribonucleic Acid: Effect of Interferon or Cycloheximide

By 1 hr after infection, 36% of input Semliki Forest virus ribonucleic acid (RNA) which was cell associated was found in a membrane structure. This structure had many similarities to the membrane-associated replication complex (MRC) which had previously been identified in arbovirus infections. Interferon treatment did not affect the association of viral RNA with the MRC structure, but cycloheximide treatment inhibited it.
Comment: The Gideon Split: Preconviction Indigent Defense Reform Litigation in Hurrell-Harring and Duncan

Forty-nine years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Gideon v. Wainwright, many states continue to fail to effect its guarantee. Recently, some indigent defendants have challenged states’ systemic neglect of indigent defense through pre-conviction class action suits seeking prospective relief, like Hurrell-Harring v. State, in New York, and Duncan v. State, in Michigan. This Comment argues that pre-conviction civil claims alleging systemic Sixth Amendment deprivations and seeking prospective relief are not properly treated as ineffective assistance of counsel claims. Rather, such claims present the justiciable question of whether the state has enabled Gideon’s guarantee at all. In essence, when states systemically neglect indigent defense, thereby preventing public defenders from fulfilling their ethical obligations in individual cases, those states categorically deprive indigent defendants of their Sixth Amendment right to counsel, and courts must intervene.
Analytic solutions to Maxwell's equations: sinusoidal steady-state and transient space-time problems in transverse magnetic and transverse electric field analysis

Maxwell's equations form the basis in electromagnetic field theory. The electromagnetic field, if it exists, satisfies Maxwell's equations and the boundary conditions associated. These equations are simple in the form but contain the variations of the field quantities throughout three-dimensional space (rectangular, cylindrical, and spherical coordinate systems are used) and time. The general solution to Maxwell's equations is usually difficult to, find. However, analysis of electromagnetic fields requires one to find the general solution without simplifications and assumptions, and our goal is to obtain explicit analytic solutions to Maxwell's equations with the corresponding boundary conditions. This paper researches methods and reports a straightforward mathematical foundation for solving Maxwell's equations in analysis of transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) fields.
Assessment of myocardial perfusion defect size after early and delayed SPECT imaging with technetium-99m-hexakis 2-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile after stress

It is thought that the distribution of 99mTc-sestamibi undergoes minimal change during the first 4 hr after injection. Thus [99mTc] sestamibi unlike 201Tl should not demonstrate significant redistribution in ischemic myocardium. We tested this assumption by quantifying perfusion defect size in early and delayed clinical SPECT images obtained after exercise stress or after dipyridamole infusion using an automated algorithm. Twenty patients with coronary artery disease aged 55 +/- 10 yr (13 male and 7 female) underwent stress imaging. Technetium-99m-sestamibi was injected at peak exercise stress in 12 patients and after an intravenous infusion of dipyridamole in 8 patients; SPECT images were obtained 1 and 4 hr later. All patients underwent rest imaging with a second dose of 99mTc-sestamibi 1-3 days after the stress studies. Total left ventricular mass and left ventricular defect mass were quantified with an automated algorithm previously validated in animal and patient studies. Estimates of total left ventricular mass from studies obtained 1 hr after stress (341 +/- 90 g) were comparable to values obtained after 4 hr (336 +/- 89 g), with a correlation of r = 0.97; p < 0.0001. The left ventricular defect size 1 hr after exercise or dipyridamole infusion (149 +/- 74 g) was similar to that observed after 4 hr (151 +/- 73 g). The two measurements of hypoperfusion with stress were highly correlated (r = 0.91; p < 0.0001) and were significantly larger than the defect size at rest (121 +/- 70 g). These observations support the conclusion that 99mTc-sestamibi does not redistribute significantly in ischemic myocardium between 1 and 4 hr after injection.
Postcoincidence trajectory duration affects motion event perception.

In a two-dimensional display, identical visual targets moving toward and across each other with equal, constant speed can be perceived either to reverse their motion directions at the coincidence point (bouncing percept) or to stream through one another (streaming percept). Although there is a strong tendency to perceive the streaming percept, various factors have been reported to induce the bouncing percept, such as a sound or a visual flash at the moment of the visual target coincidence. By changing duration of the postcoincidence trajectory (PCT), we investigated how long it would take for such bounce-inducing factors to be maximally effective after the visual coincidence. With bounceinducing factors, the percentage of the bouncing percept did not reach its maximal level immediately after the coincidence but increased as a function of PCT duration up to 150–200 msec. The results clearly reject the possibility of the cognitive-bias hypothesis about the bounce-inducing effect and suggest rather that the bounce-inducing factors have to interact with the PCT for some period after the coincidence to be maximally effective.
Occurrence and seasonal variation of 19-norcholest-4-EN-3-one and 3β-monohydroxy sterols in the Californian gorgonian, Muricea californica

Abstract The first natural occurrence of 19-norcholestenone is reported, together with 17 sterols and one other Δ4-3-ketone in the extracts of the Californian gorgonian, Muricea californica (Aurivillius). Six additional demethyl sterols and five additional 4-monomethyl sterols which remain unidentified were also detected. Lipid extracts of M. californica from a winter and summer collection were split by various chromatographic methods into free sterol, steryl ester, and steryl conjugate fractions. Sterol compositions (determined by GC and GC-MS) of each fraction, subsequent to hydrolysis, are tabulated and discussed with respect to plausible origins of observed variations. The possible relationship of the Muricea 19-nor-steroidal ketone to other naturally occurring 19-nor-steroids is discussed.
Biochemistry of Transglutaminases and Cross-Linking in the Skin

Transglutaminase is a calcium-dependent enzyme found widely in nature. It catalyzes the formation of α-(γ-glutamyl)lysine bonds that participate in processes varying from fibrin clot formation to epidermal cell envelope formation. Epidermal transglutaminase is localized to the granular layer of the epidermis. It catalyzes the covalent cross-linking of a soluble cytoplasmic substrate into large polymers to form the cornified envelope that lines the inner membrane of keratinocytes in the stratum corneum, The soluble precursor from epidermis has been named keratolinin , and from keratinocyte culture, it has been named involucrin . Hair follicle transglutaminase is biochemically and immunochemically distinct from its epidermal counters part. It has been localized to the inner root sheath and medulla of the hair follicle, The substrate of hair follicle transglutaminase has been poorly defined but appears to be rich in the amino acid citrulline, Transglutaminase has been shown to be an important marker of normal differentiation. There is a rise in its activity at the time of keratinization, and transglutaminase activity has been shown to be greatly decreased in basal cell epithelioma and in psoriasis. Keratinocyte cell culture has proven most helpful in delineating the processes of normal differentiation and keratinization, since the formation of the cell envelope in culture appears to parallel the formation in vivo.
Spatially efficient pseudo-random phase encoded JTC for fast target recognition

In this paper we present a multiple reference optoelectronic joint transfer correlator (JTC) in which the reference images are phase encoded using a pseudorandom phase sequence. The phase encoding is used to remove extraneous peaks from the correlation plane as well as improve the spatially efficiency of the JTC system. The reference images are phase encoded apriori making the system fast for real-time feedback. The optoelectronic joint transform correlator (JTC) is presented and analyzed as an effective optoelectronic correlator. The architecture of the proposed system is presented.
Computing the boxicity of a graph by covering its complement by cointerval graphs

Abstract If F is a family of sets, its intersection graph has the sets in F as vertices and an edge between two sets if and only if they overlap. This paper investigates the concept of boxicity of a graph G, the smallest n such that G is the intersection graph of boxes in Euclidean n-space. The boxicity, b(G), was introduced by Roberts in 1969 and has since been studied by Cohen, Gabai, and Trotter. The concept has applications to niche overlap (competition) in ecology and to problems of fleet maintenance in operations research. These applications will be described briefly. While the problem of computing boxicity is in general a difficult problem (it is NP-complete), this paper develops techniques for computing boxicity which give useful bounds. They are based on the simple observation that b(G)≤k if and only if there is an edge covering of G by spanning subgraphs of G , each of which is a cointerval graph, the complement of an interval graph (a graph of boxicity ≤1.).
Chemical modifications of escherichia colil-asparaginase and their effect on plasma clearance rate and other properties

Abstract Escherichia coli asparaginase ( l -asparagine amidohydrolase, EC 3.5.1.1) has been modified by succinylation, acetylation and the attachment of N,N-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine and glucuronic acid. The effect of these modifications on plasma clearance rates in mice and on other properties is compared to the effects of modification with lactose and N-acetylneuraminyl lactose studied previously. The t 1 2 values for the acylated enzyme samples (lower pI) were reduced, succinylated asparaginase sharply and the acetylated enzyme less so. The N,N-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine-modified samples (increased pI) also had lower t 1 2 values, but samples modified with glucuronic acid (reduced pI) showed little change in clearance time. The main conclusion is that the increased t t1 2 value found in the previous work for N-acetylneuraminyl-lactosylated enzyme is not due to the decreased pI value of the modified enzyme but must be attributed to interference by N-acetylneuraminyl-lactose residues, directly or indirectly, with the mechanism normally used by the mouse to clear itself of injected E. coli asparaginase.
Images of Germany in American Literature. By Waldemar Zacharasiewicz. (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2007. x, 253 pp. $39.95, ISBN 978-1-58729-524-9.)

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in the Journal of American History following peer review. The version of record [Ethan J. Kytle (2007). Review of Images of Germany in American Literature, by Waldemar Zacharasiewicz. The Journal of American History. 94(3): 952-953. doi: 10.2307/25095209] is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/25095209.
Quaternion rational surfaces

Display Omitted Constructing quaternion rational surfaces by quaternion multiplication.Computing three special syzygies for quaternion rational surfaces.Implicitizing quaternion rational surfaces and calculating their singularities.Finding a µ-basis for quaternion rational ruled surfaces. A quaternion rational surface is a surface generated from two rational space curves by quaternion multiplication. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate how to apply syzygies to analyze quaternion rational surfaces. We show that we can easily construct three special syzygies for a quaternion rational surface from a µ-basis for one of the generating rational space curves. The implicit equation of any quaternion rational surface can be computed from these three special syzygies and inversion formulas for the non-singular points on quaternion rational surfaces can be constructed. Quaternion rational ruled surfaces are generated from the quaternion product of a straight line and a rational space curve. We investigate special µ-bases for quaternion rational ruled surfaces and use these special µ-bases to provide implicitization and inversion formulas for quaternion rational ruled surfaces. Finally, we show how to determine if a real rational surface is also a quaternion rational surface.
Efficiency of outpatient ECT

Objective: To compare the efficiency of acute-phase outpatient electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), maintenance ECT, and inpatient ECT regarding completion of scheduled treatments. Background: Psychiatric research suggests a trend toward greater use of outpatient ECT and that this modality may offer certain advantages over inpatient ECT. Possible concerns about outpatient ECT may be uncompleted treatments due to transportation problems, forgotten appointments, noncompliance with NPO status, or other variables more easily controlled in the inpatient setting. In addition, without the constant monitoring offered by the hospital setting, physicians prescribing outpatient ECT may less successfully gauge the number of required treatments. Methods: Completion rates of all scheduled ECTs in a tertiary care hospital setting were monitored prospectively for 8 months. Completed treatment totals were estimated by numbers of outpatient treatments billed for, institutional policy prohibiting charges for missed appointments. Outpatients scheduled for more than 1 treatment per week were considered acute-phase patients; maintenance therapy was defined as 1 or fewer treatments per week. Results: Of 257 scheduled outpatient maintenance treatments, 91% were completed compared with 65% of 456 scheduled inpatient treatments. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.0001; X 2 = 59.6; df= 1). Completion rate of acute outpatient treatments was 62% of 78 scheduled, showing a statistically significant difference from that of maintenance ECT (P < 0.0001; X 2 = 39.1; df= 1). No significant difference was detected between the completion rates of inpatient and acute outpatient ECT. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the efficiency of maintenance ECT is high, comparing favorably with that of convulsive therapy for the acutely ill, and further support maintenance ECT as a useful and cost-effective modality.
Diet and Travel Costs for Spider Monkeys in a Nonseasonal, Hyperdiverse Environment

I studied the effects of a nonseasonal environment with a high diversity of plant species in a community of white-bellied spider monkeys (Ateles belzebuth belzebuth) in the Yasuni National Park, Ecuador. During 10 2-wk follows of focal individuals across 1 yr, I collected 1268 h of observation data on ranging and foraging. The environment had strong effects on both the foraging and ranging behavior of the monkeys. Yasuni spider monkeys are similar to spider monkeys in more seasonal environments in that ripe-fruit consumption dominates the diet. However, Yasuni spider monkeys exhibit an extremely diverse diet that parallels the variety of foods available to them, consuming more than 238 species of fruits. The impressive dietary variety increased even more with increased observation time, as I had not previously observed in the spider monkeys’ diet 40% of the fruit species the subjects consumed during the final follow. Ripe fruits remain the most important item in the diet year-round, supplemented with decayed wood or leaf flush. Local rarity of plant species means that fruiting patches are an average of 420 m apart, and mean patch residence times are short, only 8.1 min. Visits to an average of 11.5 feeding patches/d lead to a mean daily path length of 3311 m, longer than reported for any other Ateles species, and long compared to most other primate species. The long daily paths of Yasuni spider monkeys reflect travel costs resulting from foraging in a hyperdiverse nonseasonal environment.
SLP-76 and Vav Function in Separate, but Overlapping Pathways to Augment Interleukin-2 Promoter Activity

SLP-76 and Vav, two hematopoietic cell specific molecules, are critical for T cell development and activation. Following T cell antigen receptor stimulation, SLP-76 and Vav both undergo tyrosine phosphorylation and associate with each other via the SH2 domain of Vav and phosphorylated tyrosines of SLP-76. Furthermore, SLP-76 and Vav have a synergistic effect on interleukin (IL)-2 promoter activity in T cells. In this report, we show that two tyrosines, Tyr-113 and Tyr-128, of SLP-76 are required for its binding to Vav, both in vitro and in intact cells. Surprisingly, we find also that the interaction between SLP-76 and Vav is not required for their cooperation in augmenting IL-2 promoter activity, as the two molecules appear to function in different signaling pathways upstream of IL-2 gene expression. Overexpression of SLP-76 in the Jurkat T cell line potentiates the activities of both nuclear factor of activated T cells and AP-1 transcription factors. In contrast, overexpression of Vav leads to enhanced nuclear factor of activated T cells activity without affecting AP-1. Additionally, overexpression of Vav, but not SLP-76, augments CD28-induced IL-2 promoter activity. These findings suggest that the synergy between SLP-76 and Vav in regulating IL-2 gene expression reflects the cooperation between different signaling pathways.
Abstract 1375: Amlexanox inhibits FGF-mediated paracrine and autocrine activity of tumor-derived melanoma cell lines and cell strains

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Melanoma is a highly invasive disease characterized by widespread lymphatic and systemic metastases. Although angiogenesis is critical for this to occur, the responsible mechanisms within melanoma cells remain unclear. The purpose of this study is to identify factors secreted by tumor-derived melanoma cells which can mediate these processes. Serum-free conditioned medium (CM) isolated from two melanoma cell lines and four newly derived melanoma cell strains promote both the growth in culture and angiogenic outgrowth activity of HUVEC and HMEC1 in 3-dimensional (3-D) collagen gel culture. Substantial amounts of both FGF1 (acidic) and FGF2 (basic) are found in the conditioned medium (CM). The addition of neutralizing antibodies to FGF1 (5 μg/ml) and FGF2 (3 μg/ml) to the melanoma CM significantly decreased the proliferation of HUVEC and HMEC1 by (20%) and (40%), respectively, and the angiogenic activity of HMEC1 by (20%). Amlexanox (AMX) is an anti-inflammatory agent that binds intracellular S100A13, one component of the putative FGF1-secretion complexes. AMX suppresses constitutive release of FGF1, but not FGF2, from these melanoma cells. AMX-treated melanoma-CM results in significant reduction of: HUVEC mitogenic activity, endothelial migration into 3-D collagen gel as well as melanoma cell proliferation. These AMX-mediated effects correlate with a concomitant decrease of FGFR1 phosphorylation in melanoma cells. The sum of these results point to the importance of the FGF-1 pathway and nominate AMX as a significant anti-melanoma agent by virtue of its impact on both paracrine and autocrine activity. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1375.
UV Light B–Mediated Inhibition of Skin Catalase Activity Promotes Gr-1+CD11b+ Myeloid Cell Expansion

Skin cancer incidence and mortality are higher in men compared with women, but the causes of this sex discrepancy remain largely unknown. UV light exposure induces cutaneous inflammation and neutralizes cutaneous antioxidants. Gr-1 + CD11b + myeloid cells are heterogeneous bone marrow–derived cells that promote inflammation-associated carcinogenesis. Reduced activity of catalase, an antioxidant present in the skin, has been associated with skin carcinogenesis. We used the outbred, immune-competent Skh-1 hairless mouse model of UVB-induced inflammation and non-melanoma skin cancer to further define sex discrepancies in UVB-induced inflammation. Our results demonstrated that male skin had relatively lower baseline catalase activity, which was inhibited following acute UVB exposure in both sexes. Further analysis revealed that skin catalase activity inversely correlated with splenic Gr-1 + CD11b + myeloid cell percentage. Acute UVB exposure induced Gr-1 + CD11b + myeloid cell skin infiltration, which was inhibited to a greater extent in male mice by topical catalase treatment. In chronic UVB studies, we demonstrated that the percentage of splenic Gr-1 + CD11b + myeloid cells was 55% higher in male tumor-bearing mice compared with their female counterparts. Together, our findings indicate that lower skin catalase activity in male mice may at least in part contribute to increased UVB-induced generation of Gr-1 + CD11b + myeloid cells and subsequent skin carcinogenesis.
Synthesis, molecular structure, and validation of metalloprobes for assessment of MDR1 P-glycoprotein-mediated functional transport

The human genome is known to consist of 49 ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter genes. Among these ABC proteins, overexpression of multidrug resistance (MDR1) P-glycoprotein (Pgp/ABCB1) is the best characterized barrier to successful chemotherapeutic treatments, impacts pharmacokinetics of numerous recognized drugs, and is also quickly emerging as an important target in the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, there exists an urgent need to seek radiopharmaceuticals, incorporated with generator-produced radionuclides to assist their widespread deployment, for noninvasive assessment of Pgp-mediated functional transport activity in vivo. Methods: gallium(III) complexes (5a and 5b) possessing octahedral geometry were synthesized, analytically characterized, and evaluated for their potential to serve as probes of Pgp-mediated functional transport activity in cellulo and in vivo. While unlabeled compounds (5a and 5b) were examined via cell cytotoxicity assays, the 67Ga-labeled counterparts (6a and 6b) were evaluated via cell transport studies and quantitative biodistribution studies in mdr1a/1b(−/−) gene-deleted mice and their wild-type (WT) counterparts. Results: cytotoxicity data of 5a and 5b displayed profiles modified by the expression of Pgp in drug-resistant cells. 67Ga-metalloprobes (6a and 6b) showed high accumulation in human epidermal carcinoma drug-sensitive KB-3-1 cells (Pgp-), human breast carcinoma MCF-7 (Pgp-) cells; an inhibitor (LY335979, 1 μM) induced accumulation in multidrug resistant (MDR, Pgp+) KB-8-5, KB-8-5-11 cells, and stably transfected MCF-7/MDR1 cells, thus demonstrating their ability to interrogate Pgp-mediated functional transport activity in cellulo. In mdr1a/1b(−/−) gene-deleted mice, the 67Ga-metalloprobe (6b) showed 8-fold greater brain uptake and retention compared with WT counterparts and no significant difference in blood pharmacokinetics. Conclusion: molecular imaging of the functional transport activity of MDR1 Pgp (ABCB1) with 67/68Ga-metalloprobes could enable non-invasive monitoring of the blood-brain barrier, tumors, and tissues in vivo.
A Numerical Investigation of Lg Geometrical Spreading

This study is a comprehensive numerical investigation of the L g-wave geometrical spreading for vertically inhomogeneous media. I modeled a suite of source and path parameters and measured different L g amplitudes including root-mean-square (rms), peak-to-peak, third-peak (Nuttli, 1980; Patton, 2001), envelope-peak, and spectral amplitudes for analysis. The main result of this investigation is that the estimation of L g spreading rates from the rms amplitudes and from the spectral amplitudes yielded the most reliable estimates that are basically independent of almost all the source and path variables within the parameter ranges that I simulated. I obtained a spreading rate of Δ-1.0 for the rms amplitude and a rate of Δ-0.5 for the spectral amplitude across the frequency band of the data. The relationship between the two spreading-rate estimates is consistent with Parseval's theorem. Spreading-rate estimates from other amplitude measurements show larger variations with the variation of source and path parameters. These variations suggest that the behavior L g peak amplitudes might be more complex than that of a single-mode Airy phase. The decay of the third-peak amplitudes appears to be less rapid than the decay of the peak-to-peak and envelope-peak amplitudes. There are no systematic changes in the spreading rates due to the variation of variables such as velocity model, source depth, and source mechanism. The introduction of a gradient zone at the crust-mantle boundary and the earth-flattening transformation did not change the spreading rates significantly, at least not beyond certain source-receiver distances. The most important variable affecting the L g spreading appears to be the closeness of the source to major velocity discontinuities in the velocity models. Manuscript received 24 January 2001.
Development Prospect of Requirements Engineering for C4ISR System

With the construction of C4ISR system was changing from technology-dominated traditionally to requirements-dominated, C4ISR system requirements analysis has already developed into requirements engineering. The conceptual framework and connotation of C4ISR system requirements engineering was introduced, as well as the procedure and methods. Finally, the status of domestic and overseas and future development trend for C4ISR system requirements engineering were analyzed, which will provide guideline for the research of C4ISR system requirements engineering.
Syncing Bookmarks: An Overview of Current Options

Remembering Web addresses has never been easy. For almost as long as the Internet has been a popular, everyday destination for people, users have also been forgetting the addresses of websites they...
Direct Updating of Intertemporal Criterion Functions for a Class of Adaptive Control Problems

Previous papers demonstrate the feasibility of direct criterion function updating for a class of adaptive control problems with sequential myopic expected cost objectives. In contrast, the present paper demonstrates the feasibility ofdirect criterion function updating for a class of adaptive control problems with intertemporal expected cost objectives. Specifically, the proposed criterion filter sequentially updates an initial estimate for expected cost plus cost-to-go in a dynamic programming framework. The control law generated by the filtered expected cost plus cost-to-go estimates is tested against the optimal control law for a linear-quadratic system with random state coefficients. Computer simulation results indicate that the total costs realized under the filter control law are approximately on par with the total costs realized under the optimal control law for the tested range of time horizons, cost function coefficients, and mean and standard deviation values for the random state coefficients.