cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A mortality index for postmarketing surveillance of new medications

The rate of introduction of new pharmaceuticals is growing as a result of advances in molecular pharmacology and targeted drug development. The Fatal Toxicity Index (FTI) has been proposed as a means for monitoring drug toxicity through post-marketing surveillance. The FTI requires data regarding the general availability of a particular agent in the community which, in the US, is proprietary. The authors propose a Mortality Index as an alternative method for calculating relative lethality that does not rely on proprietary information for postmarketing surveillance. Using data from the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System (TESS) a Mortality Index was calculated from the proportion of deaths occurring among all patients who present to a health care facility with an overdose on the same agent or class of agents. The average Mortality Index for various drugs or drug classes for the years 1989 to 1997 is reported. Because the Mortality Index for desipramine appeared much greater than that for the other tricyclics, a chi-squared analysis was performed. The authors conclude, based on this analysis, that desipramine is significantly more likely to lead to death after overdosage than any other tricyclic antidepressant in the study. Also, the Mortality Index appeared to identify the impact of pediatric formulations on overdose lethality. We conclude that the Mortality Index may be a useful tool for determining the safety of agents during the postmarketing surveillance phase.
Unusual granulomatous variant of scleromyxedema

Scleromyxedema is notable for significant morbidity and mortality. A generalized eruption of waxy papules in the absence of thyroid disease with histologic findings of mucin deposition, increased fibroblast proliferation, and fibrosis are the characteristic features of scleromyxedema. We report a case of scleromyxedema that, on histology, was associated with interstitial granuloma annulare-like features. Based on our literature review, this is a rare presentation of this disease. Familiarity with the histologic aspects of scleromyxedema, as described in this report, can help to improve the accuracy of this diagnosis, particularly in atypical presentations.
Spatial unmasking of birdsong in human listeners: Energetic and informational factors

Spatial unmasking describes the improvement in the detection or identification of a target sound afforded by separating it spatially from simultaneous masking sounds. This effect has been studied extensively for speech intelligibility in the presence of interfering sounds. In the current study, listeners identified zebra finch song, which shares many acoustic properties with speech but lacks semantic and linguistic content. Three maskers with the same long-term spectral content but different short-term statistics were used: (1) chorus (combinations of unfamiliar zebra finch songs), (2) song-shaped noise (broadband noise with the average spectrum of chorus), and (3) chorus-modulated noise (song-shaped noise multiplied by the broadband envelope from a chorus masker). The amount of masking and spatial unmasking depended on the masker and there was evidence of release from both energetic and informational masking. Spatial unmasking was greatest for the statistically similar chorus masker. For the two noise maskers, there was less spatial unmasking and it was wholly accounted for by the relative target and masker levels at the acoustically better ear. The results share many features with analogous results using speech targets, suggesting that spatial separation aids in the segregation of complex natural sounds through mechanisms that are not specific to speech.
Research Note: Performance of Turkey Poults When Fed Two Levels of Methionine With and Without Ipronidazole

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of adding ipronidazole to the diet of turkey poults containing two different levels of methionine. A corn-soybean meal diet with 0 or .18% supplemental methionine was fed to Nicholas Large White poults from 1 to 21 days of age. The addition of .18% supplemental methionine significantly improved body weight and feed efficiency. The addition of ipronidazole to the diet with either level of methionine did not influence body weight, feed efficiency, or grams of sulfur amino acid required to produce a gram of weight.
Aerosol distributions and an Arctic aerosol front during AGASP: Norwegian Arctic

Vertical profiles of aerosol characteristics obtained near Svalbard, Norway, during the Arctic Gas and Aerosol Sampling Program indicate that high aerosol concentrations and strong visible haze were distributed throughout the troposphere. Layers of Arctic haze were observed in both dry air and moist air. A research flight on March 31, 1983, crossed a previously undocumented Arctic aerosol front structure. Condensation nucleus concentrations of 450/cu cm within the polluted continental air mass south of the front decreased to 80/cu cm within the clean Arctic air north of the front. Aerosols above the Aitken size range decreased one order of magnitude in both number and mass across this same air mass boundary.
Do satisfied customers bad‐mouth innovative products?

For many years marketing academics have recommended, and practitioners have implemented, organization-wide programs that measure customers' levels of satisfaction with a firm's offerings because it is believed that satisfied customers are both more likely to continue using a previously adopted product and less likely to engage in negative word-of-mouth communication. Given the ubiquity of product-review forums resulting from today's increasing levels of e-commerce, this paper pairs cause constructs from the diffusion literature with effect constructs from the satisfaction and services literatures to reconsider that perspective. Specifically, it examines the relationships bet-ween six perceived innovation attributes known to influence a new product's diffusion process and two post-adoption behaviors, satisfaction and negative word-of-mouth communication. The results quash previous assumptions that satisfaction mediates negative word-of-mouth communication and reveal that satisfied customers do speak ill of previously adopted products. Implications for both theory and practice are also presented. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Substitution of lysine-362 in a putative proton-conducting channel in the cytochrome c oxidase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides blocks turnover with O2 but not with H2O2

The recently reported X-ray structures of cytochrome oxidase reveal structures that are likely proton-conducting channels. One of these channels, leading from the negative aqueous surface to the heme a3/CuB bimetallic center, contains a lysine as a central element. Previous work has shown that this lysine (K362 in the oxidase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides) is essential for cytochrome c oxidase activity. The data presented demonstrate that the K362M mutant is impeded in the reduction of the heme a3/CuB bimetallic center, probably by interfering with the intramolecular movement of protons. The reduction of the heme-copper center is required prior to the reaction with dioxygen to form the so-called peroxy intermediate (compound P). This block can be by-passed to some extent by the addition of H2O2, which can react with the enzyme without prereduction of the heme-copper center and can then be reduced to water using electrons from cytochrome c. Hence, the K362M mutant, though lacking oxidase activity, exhibits cytochrome c peroxidase activity. Rapid mixing techniques have been used to determine the kinetics of this peroxidase activity at concentrations of H2O2 up to 0.5 M. The Km for peroxide is about 50 mM and the Vmax is 50 electrons s-1, which is considerably slower than the turnover that can be obtained for the oxidase activity of the wild-type enzyme (1200 s-1). The turnover of the mutant oxidase with H2O2 appears to be limited by the rate of reaction of the enzyme with peroxide to form compound P, rather than the rate of reduction of compound P to water by cytochrome c. The data require a reexamination of the proposed roles of the putative proton-conducting channels.
MULTILISP: a language for concurrent symbolic computation

Multilisp is a version of the Lisp dialect Scheme extended with constructs for parallel execution. Like Scheme, Multilisp is oriented toward symbolic computation. Unlike some parallel programming languages, Multilisp incorporates constructs for causing side effects and for explicitly introducing parallelism. The potential complexity of dealing with side effects in a parallel context is mitigated by the nature of the parallelism constructs and by support for abstract data types: a recommended Multilisp programming style is presented which, if followed, should lead to highly parallel, easily understandable programs.Multilisp is being implemented on the 32-processor Concert multiprocessor; however, it is ultimately intended for use on larger multiprocessors. The current implementation, called Concert Multilisp, is complete enough to run the Multilisp compiler itself and has been run on Concert prototypes including up to eight processors. Concert Multilisp uses novel techniques for task scheduling and garbage collection. The task scheduler helps control excessive resource utilization by means of an unfair scheduling policy; the garbage collector uses a multiprocessor algorithm based on the incremental garbage collector of Baker.
Localization of Inelastic Tunneling and the Determination of Atomic-Scale Structure with Chemical Specificity

The orientation of individual $\mathrm{C}{}_{2}\mathrm{HD}$ molecules adsorbed on the Cu(100) surface at 8 K was determined from inelastic tunneling images obtained with a scanning tunneling microscope. The simultaneously recorded constant-current images showed that the deuterium end of the molecule appears $0.006\AA{}$ lower than the hydrogen end, which was further substantiated by quantitative measures of the molecular rotation. Extension of the study to $\mathrm{C}{}_{2}\mathrm{HD}$ on Ni(100) revealed that the orientation of the molecule relative to the molecule's shape in the constant-current images contrasts sharply between the two surfaces.
Equations of Finite Differences Applied to Torsional Oscillations of Crankshafts

From the viewpoint of torsional oscillations an internal combustion engine with a long crankshaft is generally considered to be equivalent to a uniform shaft carrying equidistant identical disks. It is here shown that advantage can be taken of the regularity of such a system to simplify the calculation of torsional oscillations. This is done by applying a mathematical method known as the calculus of finite differences. The procedure leads to a frequency equation (2.7) of remarkable symmetry in which appear as parameter the number n of cylinders in line and two simple functions K 1 and K 2 of the frequency which characterize the dynamical properties of the machines coupled at both ends of the crankshaft. These characteristic functions are of the nature of mechanical impedances, but due to their physical interpretation as a spring modulus (or spring constant) generalized to dynamic phenomena, the appellation dynamic modulus is being preferably used in the present paper. The concept of dynamic modulus is briefly introduced in the first section, while the second deals with the establishment of the frequency equation and an artifice for its rapid graphical solution avoiding the necessity of plotting an oscillatory function. Numerical applications to Diesel engines are treated in the last section. An example is also given of an extreme case where the fundamental frequency has a very low value and a special method is used for the calculation of this frequency.
Relativistic stellar stability - Preferred-frame effects

Possible preferred-frame effects on stellar stability were examined and no new instabilities were found. In particular, it is shown that: (1) Although terms linear in the preferred-frame velocity w (time-odd terms, analogous to viscosity and energy generation) change the shapes of the normal modes, their symmetry properties prevent them from changing the characteristic frequencies. Thus, no new vibrational or secular instabilities can occur. (2) Terms quadratic in w do not change either the shapes of the normal modes or the characteristic frequencies for radial pulsations. Thus, they have no influence on radial stability. (3) Terms quadratic in w do change both the normal modes and the characteristic frequencies of nonradial pulsations; but in the limit of a neutral mode these changes vanish. Hence, there is no modification of the criterion for convective stability, i.e., the standard Schwarzschild criterion remains valid.
Learning and adaptation in cortical control of arm movement

We investigated the motor adaptation and learning in cortical neuron populations as they respond to external perturbations and reinforcement training. We implanted 64 fine-wire electrodes chronically in the sensory-motor cortex of rhesus monkeys. The monkeys were trained to perform a reaching movement in 3D space before we investigated their cortical neurons: (1) adaptation to repeated perturbations; (2) control of a robot; and (3) responses to training. The issues addressed included: (1) the time course of neuronal response changes as the monkey learned to anticipate an external perturbation; (2) the control strategies used by the CNS to compensate for this perturbation; and (3) the relationship between modified cortical activity and adaptation in arm movement. The perturbation evoked large (excitatory) reflex responses in each area of cortex, and was the dominant feature in the perturbation response. The latency of the reflex response peak did not change significantly during adaptation. However, the response gain (reflex peak/volitional peak) decreased, because the volitional component of the response increased during adaptation. The reduction in the reflex gain resulted in a negative correlation between the perturbation induced displacement (PID) which increased, and the reflex gain which decreased during adaptation. Conversely, the response in sensory areas of cortex scaled linearly with the PID, which indicates that the activity in sensory cortex provided a stable measure of the trajectory error introduced by the perturbation. After adaptation, neurons in the motor cortex showed changes in activity that preceded the onset of the stimulus (perturbation). Concurrently, the perturbation response in motor cortex became more target-specific after learning. These results reflect the transition to a feedforward, goal-directed strategy for perturbation compensation.
SINGLE-SPAN PRESTRESSED GIRDER BRIDGE: LRFD DESIGN AND COMPARISON

This report summarizes the comparative design of a single-span AASHTO Type III girder bridge under the AASHTO Standard Specification for Highway Bridges, 16th Edition, and the AASHTO LRFD Bridge De...
Reopening the solar neutrino question

A surprising new measurement confirms that the Sun shines but, confusingly, supports all plausible solutions of the long-standing solar neutrino problem.
Functional analysis of the DNA-packaging/terminase protein gp17 from bacteriophage T4.

In bacteriophage T4, the terminase complex constituted by the large subunit gp17 (69 kDa) and the small subunit gp16 (18 kDa) is a critical component of the ATP-driven DNA-packaging pump that translocates DNA into an empty capsid shell. Evidence suggests that the large subunit gp17 is the critical component and consists of a number of the functional sites required for DNA-packaging. It exhibits a terminase activity that introduces non-specific cuts into DNA, a portal vertex binding site that allows linkage of cleaved DNA to an empty prohead, an in vitro DNA-packaging activity, and an ATPase activity. In addition, a consensus metal-binding motif and two consensus ATP-binding sites have been identified by sequence analysis. In order to understand the mechanism of action of the multifunctional gp17, we developed an expression-based selection strategy to select for mutants that are defective in terminase function. Characterization of one of the mutants revealed a unique phenotype in which a single H436R mutation resulted in a dramatic loss of both the terminase and the DNA-packaging functions. Indeed, in vivo substitution of H436 with any of the 12 amino acids for which a suppressor is available was lethal to T4 development. According to one hypothesis, H436 is part of a metal-binding motif that is essential for gp17 function. This hypothesis was tested by introducing mutations at each of the three histidine pairs, the H382-X2-H385 pair, the H411-X2-H414 pair and the H430-X5-H436 pair, which constitute the histidine-rich region near the C terminus of gp17. A mutation at either the H411 pair or the H430 pair resulted in a loss of gp17 function, whereas a mutation at the H382 pair had no effect. In addition to the putative metal-binding motif, substitutions at residue K166 within the putative N terminus-proximal ATP-binding site also resulted in a loss of gp17 function. We propose that a metal-binding motif involving the histidine residues within the sequence H411-X2-H414-X15-H430-X5-H436 is essential for gp17 function. Metal-terminase interactions may be required for structural alignment and stabilization of functional sites in phage T4 terminase and other double-stranded DNA phage terminases.
Lipid composition of fat trimmings from farm-raised alligator.

Abstract Increased utilization of alligator as a food source created an interest in the compositional character of this food product. In particular, alligator farmers wanted to know if presently discarded fat trimmings have profitable uses. In this study fatty acid composition of lipids from farm-raised, 2.5-year-old, American alligators ( Alligator mississippiensis ) was determined. Fat trimmings from two animals from each of six farms were collected each week for 3 weeks and analyzed. Qualitative data on diets from each farm were obtained. Small variations between harvests, animals and body parts were observed. However, there were larger and more significant variations between farms which were possibly associated with diet differences. Of the fatty acids analyzed, fish-fed alligators had greater amounts of fatty acid chains C20:1 or longer than had beef-fed alligators. Lipids in animals fed fish diets contained 11.1% docosahexaenoic acid and 4.0% eicosapentaenoic acid, while animals fed beef diets contained negligible amounts of these fatty acids. Examination of lipid classes from alligators fed fish and beef diets showed a predominance of triglycerides at 77% and 85%, respectively, and low levels of cholesterol.
Introduction: Understanding the Relationships Between Nonprofit Organizations and Local Governments

In the past two decades governments at all levels in the United States haveincreased their involvement with nonprofit organizations. As state and localgovernments deal with devolution of service responsibilities from state andfederal governments, they confront the challenges of providing more andbetter service while operating within fiscal constraints. To address thesechallenges, local governments increasingly involve nonprofits in servicedelivery. Local governments can draw on nonprofit organizations’ volun-teers and private financial resources, as well as their greater flexibility ofaction. Nonprofits have also become increasingly skilled advocates for theirclients, arguing persuasively for public resources to support their activitiesand seeking to influence governmental agendas and priorities. Increasingly,nonprofits and local governments have partnered to jointly develop andimplement programs.
Pilot expertise and instrument failure: detecting failure is only half the battle

The present research examined novice and expert flight performance in simulated routine and announced instrument failure flight conditions. Pilots flew routine flight segments under simulated instrument flight rules, and were informed there would be an instrument failure at some point. Microsoft Flight Simulator was used to simulate a slow vacuum failure that impacted the attitude indicator and the failure was explicitly displayed in large letters on the instrument panel throughout the failure segment. Although novices and experts showed minimal axis deviations from optimal during routine flight maneuvers, the novice deviations increased significantly in the announced failure condition. The results have implications for the efficacy of instrument failure indicators for novice pilots with approximately ninety-five hours of flight experience. Language: en
Kinematics of Herbig-Haro Objects in the Protostellar Outflow L1551 as Mapped by Fabry-Perot Spectroscopy

We present new velocity-resolved Fabry-Perot images in [S II] λ6731 and Hα of the blueshifted portion of the protostellar outflow L1551. These new data isolate the line emission from the reflected continuum and make it possible to visualize the kinematics of the shock waves in the outflow clearly for the first time on large scales with subarcsecond spatial resolution. Velocity images of the L1551 jet confirm that a fainter, slower jet lies a few arcseconds below the main jet. Emission from the main jet decreases sharply in radial velocity and the emission-line width increases suddenly as the jet encounters bright knot 3, in agreement with bow shock models. This knot must move into previously ejected material to account for the observed radial velocities, supporting the idea that shocks in Herbig-Haro (HH) flows form as the result of variable velocity ejections from the embedded protostar. However, a velocity gradient observed along the entire edge of the bow shock is spatially larger than expected if the bow shock alone were responsible for all the line emission. Deviations from the simple model are most easily explained if a Mach disk alters the emission and kinematics within the bow shock region, though a precursor to the bow shock is an alternate possibility. The spatial distribution of radial velocities and emission-line widths across HH 29 implies that this object is a slower portion of the outflow currently being overtaken by faster material. New proper-motion images of HH 29 independently confirm this result. The large-scale velocity structure of the L1551 outflow is complex but can generally be understood if faster material drives shock waves into slower material around the edge of a cavity. A striking circular feature whose center lies near the intersection of the axis of the bright jet and the cavity resembles similar structures in the Orion Nebula and could define a hole through which a fast jet has penetrated. The velocity structure along a string of HH objects to the southwest of HH 29 is consistent with the recent result of Devine et al. that L1551 NE drives this portion of the outflow. Linear features that cross the L1551 flow may be associated with separate, unrelated jets from the HH 30 region or elsewhere within L1551.
Ratios of force and escalation in a game situation

The game is a contest in which subjects attempt with as few moves as possible to light five lights on a panel before them. Three panels are used in the experiment-one panel for each subject and a control panel for the experimenter. Each of the five lights on a subject's panel can be turned on or off, individually, by a switch located beneath each of them. The subjects are instructed to attempt to turn on one light, going from Light 1 to Light 5, each time the "game light" on their panel is illuminated. The game light is operated by the experimenters. Each subject is told
Mediators of acute inflammation in leucocyte lysosomes.

It may be that a substance from polymorphonuclear leucocytes attacks mast cells and releases histamine into the area of inflammation
Digital Endotracheal Intubation

Expertise in all aspects of airway management is crucial to providing successful prehospital patient care. Techniques used by air medical crews to preserve airway integrity include the use of oral and nasal airways and endotracheal intubation. In some cases, the latter procedure may be difficult to perform due to foreign material in the airway, excessive pharyngeal secretions, patient anatomy, known or suspected presence of head or neck injury, or poor technique on the part of the caregiver. This article presents a case in which the need for aggressive airway management dictated the use of a digital technique of endotracheal intubation.
Principles of evaluation of soil water residence time using queueing disciplines with water budget data (theoretical background. I)

Abstract Soil water residence time is an important aspect of soil hydrology. It is an important factor affecting the chemical composition of water in the soil. Water that makes up recharge and discharge to and from a hydrologic reservoir can be considered to consist of individual increments of water called fluid elements. Queueing disciplines can be used to describe the order in which the fluid elements move through the reservoir. Possible queueing disciplines that can be related to soil water movement are last-in-first-out (LIFO), first-in-first-out (FIFO), and a combination of LIFO and FIFO. When water budget records are available, the queueing disciplines can be used as models to allow the calculation of residence time estimates. Computer algorithms have been written for the purpose of making estimates of soil water residence times in a weighable monolith lysimeter.
SU‐FF‐I‐93: Comparison of Seven Similarity Measures for Intensity‐Based 3D/3D Image Registrations On CBCT

Purpose: The goal of this study is to evaluate seven similarity measure functions for an intensity‐based rigid‐body 3D/3D image registration. The registration method was specifically designed to localize prostates on cone‐beam CT(CBCT)images, acquired for the use of daily patient setup, accomplished by maximizing the similarity from the corresponding simulation CT in an iterative fashion. Methods and Materials: Registrations were conducted with seven different similarity measure functions (NCC‐normalized cross‐correlation, EOD‐entropy of difference, MI‐mutual information, CR‐correlation ratio, GC‐gradient correlation,GD‐gradient difference, and PI‐pattern intensity), three different transformations (translation only, translation plus couch rotation, and translation plus three rotations), and two preprocessing methods (window‐leveling and histogram equalization). For accuracy and robustness estimation, prostate calcifications were identified on the images from four prostate patients (4 simulation CTs + 27 CBCTs), and the average calcification distances (errors) were measured after registrations. Each registration was marked as “converged” if it had less than 5 mm error, and the average distance was used as an accuracy index. Results: In general the histogram equalization and higher degree of transformation freedom improved the accuracy. The only exception was NCC, which performed better without histogram equalization. In the order of better performance, we found the convergence rate and accuracy were (96%, 1.7±1.0mm) for GC, (96%, 1.8±1.0mm) for GD, (96%, 1.8±1.0mm) for PI, (93%, 2.0±1.0mm) for NCC, (81%, 2.9mm) for CR, (78%,2.5mm) for MI, (44%, 2.1mm) for EOD. Conclusions: Among the seven similarity measure functions, registrations utilizing GC, GD, and PI showed the least prostate localization error on daily CBCTimages. Such 3D‐3D image registration will be critical in order to make the future use of CBCT more objective, efficient, and accurate.
Influence of Flavor Variability in Skim Milk Powder on Consumer Acceptability of Ingredient Applications

Flavor variability in skim milk powder (SMP) has been documented by descriptive sensory analysis and instrumental analysis. However, research has not addressed how or if SMP flavor variability impacts consumer acceptance of ingredient applications. Twenty reconstituted low-heat SMPs were screened using a previously established defined sensory language. Two SMPs free of off-flavors (flavor similar to fresh fluid skim milk) and 2 SMPs exhibiting off-flavors (exhibiting flavors not found in fluid skim milk) were selected for further study. Volatile compounds were determined using solid phase microextraction (SPME) with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Each SMP was subsequently directly reconstituted or incorporated into standard formulas for vanilla ice cream, strawberry yogurt, hot cocoa mix, and white chocolate bars. Consumer acceptance testing was conducted. Descriptive panelists documented sweet aromatic and cooked flavors in the fresh-flavored SMP and these flavors as well as fatty/fryer oil and animal-like flavors in the off-flavored SMP. Concurrently, instrumental volatile analysis revealed higher relative abundances of lipid oxidation compounds in the off-flavored SMP. Consumer acceptance scores were lower for the off-flavored SMP than for the fresh-flavored SMP when evaluated directly reconstituted (P < 0.05) and for ingredient applications made using off-flavored SMP (P < 0.05). Off-flavors in SMP documented by descriptive analysis and trained panelists can carry through into ingredient applications with SMP and negatively affect consumer acceptability.
Differential mutagen sensitivity of peripheral blood lymphocytes from smokers and nonsmokers: effect of human cytomegalovirus infection.

We used the mutagen sensitivity assay to test the hypothesis that human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection modifies the sensitivity of cells to genetic damage from genotoxic agents. Chromosome aberration (CA) frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) from 20 smokers who were matched with 20 nonsmokers by age (± 5 years), sex, and ethnicity was evaluated following in vitro exposure to bleomycin and/or HCMV infection. Bleomycin induced significant (P < 0.05) concentration-dependent increases in the frequency of aberrant cells, chromatid-type damage (breaks), and chromosome-type aberrations (deletions, rearrangements) in PBLs. The baseline (background) CA frequency was similar in both smokers and nonsmokers. Significantly higher frequencies of aberrant cells (P < 0.05) were observed in PBLs from smokers compared to nonsmokers at all bleomycin concentrations tested (10, 30 and 100 μg/ml). Infection of PBLs with HCMV induced a significant (P < 0.05) twofold increase in the frequency of CA (primarily chromatid breaks) in PBLs, regardless of the smoking status. PBLs from smokers and nonsmokers infected with HCMV prior to challenge with bleomycin demonstrated significant (P < 0.05) concentration-dependent increases in the levels of aberrant cells, chromatid-type damage (breaks), and chromosome-type aberrations (deletions, rearrangements) compared to noninfected cells challenged with bleomycin. The frequency of induced CA was consistently higher for PBLs derived from smokers relative to nonsmokers (P = 0.06 and 0.002). These data indicate that, individually, both smoking and HCMV infection significantly enhance the sensitivity of PBLs to bleomycin-induced genetic damage. More importantly, the data also suggest that smoking and HCMV infection interact synergistically to enhance the sensitivity of PBLs to such damage. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 43:169–178, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Incorporation of Amino-Acids into Protein and Ribonucleic Acid of the Lens of the Rat ; Effect of Heavy Metals

THE distribution of nucleic acids and proteins within the cell varies from organ to organ. Tissues rich in ribonucleic acid (RNA) are particularly active in protein synthesis, thus indicating a close association between protein synthesis and RNA concentration1–3. Work from several laboratories now clearly shows that RNA is one of the essential components for protein synthesis2,4. Because of the relatively high concentration of RNA5–7 and protein8, and the absence of enzyme systems to hydrolyse adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and guanosine triphosphate (GTP) in the ocular lens9,10, this organ may offer certain advantages for the investigation of protein biosynthesis as compared with a more complex organ such as the liver.
An electrochemical thin-layer cell for spectroscopic studies of photosynthetic electron-transport components

Abstract An electrochemical thin-layer cell, 0.5 ml in volume and 0.25 mm in pathlength, employing an optically transparent gold minigrid electrode has been constructed and used in redox studies of photosynthetic electron-transport components. Light-induced absorption changes accompanying P700 photo-oxidation in photosystem-I subchloroplasts were measured at a series of electrochemically poised potentials at 88°K. The fluorescence-yield changes in photosystem-II subchloroplasts were measured as the poised potential was varied electrochemically. The utility of the cell was further demonstrated by a redox titration of soluble (spinach) ferredoxin using circular dichroism to monitor changes in the redox state. One important advantage of electrochemical vs chemical titration of photosynthetic electron-transport components is that it is possible to attain much more negative potentials than is thermodynamically possible in chemical titrations. This permits the exhaustive titration of certain components at physiologically reasonable pH values not possible chemically.
Limbic projections to the thalamus.

Degeneration density and topography in the thalamus of the squirrel monkey was studied following lesions in the septal area, fornix, and cingulate gyrus. It was found that the hippocampus projects more fibers to the anteroventral nucleus of the thalamus and the cingulate gyrus projects fewer fibers to it than does the septal area. The septal fibers to the anteromedial nucleus were more marked than were its projections to the anteroventral nucleus. The hippocampus and cingulate gyrus did not show this preferential projection. The thalamus is a more prominent target of limbic connections than heretofore realized. They appear to quantitatively rival known limbic-hypothalamic pathways. Therefore, in order to understand the total influence of the limbic system on cerebral function, one must consider its effects on thalamic perceptive mechanisms as well as effects on the hypothalamus.
CBAL: Results From Piloting Innovative K–12 Assessments

CBAL, an acronym for Cognitively Based Assessment of, for, and as Learning, is a research initiative intended to create a model for an innovative K–12 assessment system that provides summative information for policy makers, as well as formative information for classroom instructional purposes. This paper summarizes empirical results from 16 CBAL summative assessment pilots involving almost 10,000 online administrations conducted between 2007 and 2010. The results suggest that, on average, the CBAL initiative was successful in building innovative assessments in reading, writing, and mathematics that worked as intended. However, there was considerable variation in the functioning of test forms, especially in writing and math. That variation might suggest that the knowledge needed to produce high-quality forms of these innovative tests in a replicable and scalable manner is not yet at hand. Further, although the results described offer a significant start, many critical questions must be answered before CBAL assessments (or ones like them) are ready for high-stakes operational use.
Solid-phase synthesis and biochemical evaluation of conformationally constrained analogues of deglycobleomycin A5.

Abstract Deglycobleomycin binds to and degrades the self-complementary oligonucleotide d(CGCTAGCG)2 in a sequence selective fashion. A previous modeling study [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 120, (1998), 7450] had shown that, during binding to double stranded DNA, the conformation of the methylvalerate domain of deglycoBLM approximated that of S-proline. In the belief that an analogue of deglycoBLM structurally constrained to mimic the DNA-bound conformation might exhibit facilitated DNA binding and cleavage, an analogue of deglycoBLM was prepared in which the methylvalerate moiety was replaced by S-proline. This deglycoBLM analogue, as well as the related analogue containing R-proline, was synthesized on a TentaGel resin. Both of the analogues were found to be capable of binding Fe2+ and activating O2 for transfer to styrene. However, both deglycoBLM analogues exhibited diminished abilities to effect the relaxation of supercoiled plasmid DNA, and neither mediated sequence selective DNA cleavage.
Mapping of Porcine Genetic Markers Generated by Representational Difference Analysis

Abstract Representational difference analysis (RDA) was performed using pig genomic DNA from a Landrace non‐selected control population and a Landrace population selected for increased loin muscle area (LMA) for five generations. Pigs used for the analysis differed phenotypically for various carcass traits and were divergent in genotype at the skeletal muscle ryanodine receptor 1 locus. Two RDA experiments were performed using BamHI and BglII. Fourteen BamHI and 37 BglII difference products were cloned and sequenced. Oligonucleotide primers were designed to amplify RDA difference products and sequence‐tagged sites (STS) were developed for 16 RDA fragments (two BamHI and 14 BglII). These 16 STS were mapped using the INRA‐Minnesota porcine Radiation Hybrid panel. Polymorphisms identified in nine of the STS were used to place these markers on the PiGMaP genetic linkage map. Sequence‐tagged sites were localized to 11 different chromosomes including three markers on chromosome 11 and four markers on chromosome...
Response of Nooksack potatoes to nitrogen fertilizer

The Nooksack cultivar because of differing characteristics may have different responses to grower management practices developed principally for Russet Burbank. This study was conducted to determine the effects of nitrogen on yield, grade, and specific gravity of the Nooksack cultivar. In irrigated field experiments, N fertilizer was sprinkler-applied daily on Quincy sand soil. In other experiments, on a Warden silt loam soil all N was broadcast and incorporated before planting. Fertilization rate did not significantly affect tuber grade or specific gravity. Short term shifts in N supply did not cause tuber deformities and poor grades as they commonly do with Russet Burbank. Nooksack, while responsive, did not have a strong positive response to N fertilization. Tuber yields were depressed at fertilizer plus residual N levels above 200 kg/ha on Warden silt loam and above 300 kg/ha on Quincy sand. This difference was because of variation in NO3 leaching and soil N mineralization and was reflected in calculation of optimum N rates. Nooksack may require less N fertilization than Russet Burbank partially because of the strong dormancy of Nooksack tubers that retards emergence and shortens growing season. Management to promote more rapid dormancy break and lower N nutrition during tuber initiation could result in earlier establishment, earlier tuber bulking, and greater yields of Nooksacks.
Spontaneous and Induced Variations in Serum Lipoproteins

The diurnal variability of several classes of serum lipoproteins and cholesterol has been measured in human subjects. The Sf 12-20 class of lipoprotein and the cholesterol were found stable in reference to the technical limitation of the method, but the Sf 20-100 class showed significant variation although without evidence of a trend. The effect of intravenous heparin treatment was described. The buccal administration of heparin had no effect. The heparinoid substance Treburon produced a decrease in the Sf 20-100 material at three and five hours and decrease in serum total cholesterol and phospholipids at five and seven hours when administered buccally.
Use of an innovative video feedback technique to enhance communication skills training.

Context Despite growing interest in medical communication by certification bodies, significant methodological and logistic challenges are evident in experiential methods of instruction. Objective There were three study objectives: 1) to explore the acceptability of an innovative video feedback programme to residents and faculty; 2) to evaluate a brief teaching intervention comprising the video feedback innovation when linked to a one-hour didactic and role-play teaching session on paediatric residents' communication with a simulated patient; and 3) to explore the impact of resident gender on communication change. Design Pre/post comparison of residents' performance in videotaped interviews with simulated patients before and after the teaching intervention. Individually tailored feedback on targeted communication skills was facilitated by embedding the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) within a software platform that presents a fully coded interview with instant search and review features. Setting/participants 28 first year residents in a large, urban, paediatric residency programme. Results Communication changes following the teaching intervention were demonstrated through significant improvements in residents' performance with simulated patients pre and post teaching and feedback. Using paired t-tests, differences include: reduced verbal dominance; increased use of open-ended questions; increased use of empathy; and increased partnership building and problem solving for therapeutic regimen adherence. Female residents demonstrated greater communication change than males. Conclusions The RIAS embedded CD-ROM provides a flexible structure for individually tailoring feedback of targeted communication skills that is effective in facilitating communication change as part of a very brief teaching intervention.
A cure for murine sickle cell disease through stable mixed chimerism and tolerance induction after nonmyeloablative conditioning and major histocompatibility complex-mismatched bone marrow transplantation

The morbidity and mortality associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) is caused by hemolytic anemia, vaso-occlusion, and progressive multiorgan damage. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is currently the only curative therapy; however, toxic myeloablative preconditioning and barriers to allotransplantation limit this therapy to children with major SCD complications and HLA-matched donors. In trials of myeloablative BMT designed to yield total marrow replacement with donor stem cells, a subset of patients developed mixed chimerism. Importantly, these patients showed resolution of SCD complications. This implies that less toxic preparative regimens, purposefully yielding mixed chimerism after transplantation, may be sufficient to cure SCD without the risks of myeloablation. To rigorously test this hypothesis, we used a murine model for SCD to investigate whether nonmyeloablative preconditioning coupled with tolerance induction could intentionally create mixed chimerism and a clinical cure. We applied a well-tolerated, nonirradiation-based, allogeneic transplantation protocol using nonmyeloablative preconditioning (low-dose busulfan) and costimulation blockade (CTLA4-Ig and anti-CD40L) to produce mixed chimerism and transplantation tolerance to fully major histocompatibility complex–mismatched donor marrow. Chimeric mice were phenotypically cured of SCD and had normal RBC morphology and hematologic indices (hemoglobin, hematocrit, reticulocyte, and white blood cell counts) without evidence of graft versus host disease. Importantly, they also showed normalization of characteristic spleen and kidney pathology. These experiments demonstrate the ability to produce a phenotypic cure for murine SCD using a nonmyeloablative protocol with fully histocompatibility complex–mismatched donors. They suggest a future treatment strategy for human SCD patients that reduces the toxicity of conventional BMT and expands the use of allotransplantation to non–HLA-matched donors.
Decentering Rushdie: Cosmopolitanism and the Indian Novel in English, Pranav Jani, Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2010

Abstract Decentering Rushdie argues that postcolonial studies has consistently underestimated the investment of the English-language Indian novel in the nation by focusing on a handful of texts that conform to Western assumptions about the bankruptcy of the postcolonial nation-state. Taking Salman Rushdie’s work as the sign of a presumed homology between postcolonialism and a postmodern distrust of totality, Jani demonstrates that his novels are hardly representative of the range of Indian writing in English. Instead, in a series of expert readings of less well-known texts, he demonstrates the commitment to the decolonising project that exists even within the inevitably cosmopolitan worldview of Indians writing in a colonial language. Situating his work within foundational debates in postcolonial studies, this review demonstrates the fresh light he sheds on the vexed relations among historical location, political ideology and literary form.
Proposed diagnostic criteria and nosology of acute transverse myelitis

To the Editor: The Transverse Myelitis Consortium Working Group should be congratulated for the proposed diagnostic criteria and nosology of acute transverse myelitis (ATM).1 However, in the differential diagnosis only scarce attention was given to fibrocartilaginous embolization from nucleus pulposus embolism (NPE), a condition that is often undiagnosed and frequently confused—clinically and pathologically—with ATM.2 For instance, Bots et al.3 reexamined a teaching specimen of so-called ATM and found an acute transverse myelopathy due to NPE. Although the exclusion criterion of <4 hours from onset to nadir would effectively exclude most vascular cases, in our review of the natural history of NPE,2 we found that at least 42% of the cases had progressed for periods of ≥4 hours; furthermore, a prodromal history of intermittent back pain is not uncommon, lasting for periods of weeks to up to 4 months.4 …
New Media/Internet Research Topics of the Association of Internet Researchers

This study summarizes prior reviews of new media and Internet research, and the growth of the term Internet in academic publications and online newsgroups. It then uses semantic network analysis to summarize the interests and concepts of an interdisciplinary group of Internet researchers, as represented by session titles and paper titles and abstracts from the 2003 and 2004 Association of Internet Researchers conferences. In both years, the most frequent words appearing in the paper abstracts included Internet, online, community, social, technology, and research. The 2003 papers emphasized topics such as the social analysis/research of online/Internet communication, community, and information, with particular coverage of access, individuals, groups, digital media, culture; role and process in e-organizations; and world development. The 2004 papers emphasized topics such as access; news and social issues; the role of individuals in communities; user-based studies; usage data; and blogs, women, and search p...