cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TIRF Microscope Image Sequences of Fluorescent IgE-FcεRI Receptor Complexes inside a FcεRI-Centric Synapse in RBL-2H3 Cells.

Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscope image sequences are commonly used to study receptors in live cells. The dataset presented herein facilitates the study of the IgE-FceRI receptor signaling complex (IgE-RC) in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells coming into contact with a supported lipid bilayer with 25 mol% N-dinitrophenyl-aminocaproyl phosphatidylethanolamine, modeling an immunological synapse. TIRF microscopy was used to image IgE-RCs within this FceRI-centric synapse by loading RBL-2H3 cells with fluorescent anti-dinitrophenyl (anti-DNP) immunoglobulin E (IgE) in suspension for 24 h. Fluorescent anti-DNP IgE (IgE488) concentrations of this suspension increased from 10% to 100% and corresponding non-fluorescent anti-DNP IgE concentrations decreased from 90% to 0%. After the removal of unbound anti-DNP IgE, multiple image sequences were taken for each of these ten conditions. Prior to imaging, anti-DNP IgE-primed RBL-2H3 cells were either kept for a few minutes, for about 30 min, or for about one hour in Hanks buffer. The dataset contains 482 RBL-2H3 model synapse image stacks, dark images to correct for background intensity, and TIRF illumination profile images to correct for non-uniform TIRF illumination. After background subtraction, non-uniform illumination correction, and conversion of pixel units from analog-to-digital units to photo electrons, the average pixel intensity was calculated. The average pixel intensity within FceRI-centric synapses for all three Hanks buffer conditions increased linearly at a rate of 0.42 ± 0.02 photo electrons per pixel per % IgE488 in suspension. RBL-2H3 cell degranulation was tested by detecting β-hexosaminidase activity. Prolonged RBL-2H3 cell exposure to Hanks buffer inhibited exocytosis in RBL-2H3 cells.
Tailoring a Global Iron Regulon to a Uropathogen.

ABSTRACT Pathogenicity islands and plasmids bear genes for pathogenesis of various Escherichia coli pathotypes. Although there is a basic understanding of the contribution of these virulence factors to disease, less is known about variation in regulatory networks in determining disease phenotypes. Here, we dissected a regulatory network directed by the conserved iron homeostasis regulator, ferric uptake regulator (Fur), in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strain CFT073. Comparing anaerobic genome-scale Fur DNA binding with Fur-dependent transcript expression and protein levels of the uropathogen to that of commensal E. coli K-12 strain MG1655 showed that the Fur regulon of the core genome is conserved but also includes genes within the pathogenicity/genetic islands. Unexpectedly, regulons indicative of amino acid limitation and the general stress response were also indirectly activated in the uropathogen fur mutant, suggesting that induction of the Fur regulon increases amino acid demand. Using RpoS levels as a proxy, addition of amino acids mitigated the stress. In addition, iron chelation increased RpoS to the same levels as in the fur mutant. The increased amino acid demand of the fur mutant or iron chelated cells was exacerbated by aerobic conditions, which could be partly explained by the O2-dependent synthesis of the siderophore aerobactin, encoded by an operon within a pathogenicity island. Taken together, these data suggest that in the iron-poor environment of the urinary tract, amino acid availability could play a role in the proliferation of this uropathogen, particularly if there is sufficient O2 to produce aerobactin. IMPORTANCE Host iron restriction is a common mechanism for limiting the growth of pathogens. We compared the regulatory network controlled by Fur in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) to that of nonpathogenic E. coli K-12 to uncover strategies that pathogenic bacteria use to overcome iron limitation. Although iron homeostasis functions were regulated by Fur in the uropathogen as expected, a surprising finding was the activation of the stringent and general stress responses in the uropathogen fur mutant, which was rescued by amino acid addition. This coordinated global response could be important in controlling growth and survival under nutrient-limiting conditions and during transitions from the nutrient-rich environment of the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract to the more restrictive environment of the urinary tract. The coupling of the response of iron limitation to increased demand for amino acids could be a critical attribute that sets UPEC apart from other E. coli pathotypes.
Chapter 27 – Motorcyclists

Publisher Summary Motorcyclists are the most vulnerable motorized vehicle users on the road. The purpose of this chapter is to identify key issues relevant to motorcyclist safety with special attention to theoretical developments in transport psychology. To better understand why crashes occur, the most frequent types of crashes are presented with descriptive correlates of these crashes. The most common involves a motorcyclist running off the road and overturning or striking an off-road object. The second most common type involves another vehicle that failed to stop or yield the right-of-way to a motorcyclist. The third type of crash involves a head-on collision, usually a rider who crossed over into oncoming traffic. A fourth type of crash involves one vehicle turning across the path of another, which occurred in 9% of the cases. Early periods of motorcycle safety research focused on crash analysis and the technical facets of motorcycle travel. As a result, much has been learned about factors that contribute to crashes and the characteristics of the individuals and behaviors involved. This knowledge has suggested the need to engineer safer motorcycles, to redesign roads that more safely accommodate riders alongside other vehicles, and to design safety equipment to protect riders involved in a crash. The emphasis of this most recent period of research has been to understand why motorcyclists engage in risky behaviors. Toward this end, the field of transport psychology has begun to identify the psychosocial determinants of unsafe riding behavior.
Leveraging the Electronic Medical Record Improves Prostate Cancer Clinical Staging in a Community Urology Practice

AbstractIntroduction:Clinical tumor staging is an important component of risk stratification, which is central in assessment and treatment of patients with prostate cancer. We evaluated the potenti...
Doubling down on austerity: Framing and coronavirus response

Even amid a global pandemic, the ideologies, thought processes, and motivations of public actors can be explained through theory, particularly framing. We argue that the words and symbols used or n...
Who helps the unemployed? Workers’ receipt of public and private transfers

I use longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) to measure the extent to which an unemployment spell increases the likelihood that a worker receives a cash transfer from family. I examine the prevalence of cash transfers from family, the demographic distribution of unemployed receivers, and the variation between family supported and not family supported spells. I further investigate how this informal, private assistance relates to public transfers from Unemployment Insurance using state-by-year variation in the UI program. I find that unemployment increases the probability a worker receives financial assistance from their family, inclusive of all demographic subgroups, that family cash transfer receipt is growing over time, and is weakly related to UI availability.
Race, Place, and Information Technology

Technology inequalities based on race and ethnicity present a paradox. African-Americans and Latinos have lower rates of access and skill, even controlling for socioeconomic factors. Yet African-Americans, and to a lesser extent, Latinos, also have more positive attitudes toward information technology than similarly situated whites. Because attitudes cannot explain lower rates of access and skill, we hypothesize that racial segregation and concentrated poverty have restricted opportunities to learn about and use technology. Using hierarchical linear modeling and multilevel data to control for both community-level socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and individual-level factors, we find that disparities among African-Americans are due to place effects rather than race. Ethnicity still exercises an independent influence for Latinos. These findings contribute to our understanding of the “digital divide,” and to research on the effects of concentrated poverty.
A Microbiome Engineering Framework to Evaluate Rhizobial Symbionts of Legumes

For well over a century, rhizobia have been recognized as effective biofertilizer options for legume crops. This has led to the widespread use of rhizobial inoculants in agricultural systems, but a recurring issue has emerged: applied rhizobia struggle to provide growth benefits to legume crops. This has largely been attributed to the presence of soil rhizobia and has been termed the ‘rhizobial competition problem.’ Microbiome engineering has emerged as a methodology to circumvent the rhizobial competition problem by creating legume microbiomes that do not require exogenous rhizobia. However, we highlight an alternative implementation of microbiome engineering that focuses on untangling the complexities of the symbiosis that contribute to the rhizobial competition problem. We outline three approaches that use different starting inocula to test hypotheses to overcome the rhizobial competition problem. The approaches we suggest are targeted at various stages of the legume-rhizobium symbiosis and will help us uncover underlying molecular mechanisms that contribute to the rhizobial competition problem. We conclude with an integrative perspective of these different approaches and suggest a path forward for future research on legumes and their complex microbiome.
Deriving corn and soybeans fractions with Land Remote-Sensing Satellite (System, Landsat) imagery by accounting for endmember variability on Google Earth Engine

Timely mapping of corn and soybean plays an important role in food security in the USA. A subpixel fraction derived from Land Remote-Sensing Satellite (System, Landsat) imagery during growing seaso...
FIB-4 and Severe Liver Disease Outcomes in Primary Care: A Stratified Cox Analysis

Background: The Fibrosis-4 Index (FIB-4) non-invasively assesses fibrosis risk in chronic liver disease, but underdiagnosis limits FIB-4’s application in primary care. This study evaluates the association of FIB-4 risk with severe liver outcomes in primary care patients with and without diagnosed chronic liver disease. Methods: This retrospective cohort study of primary care data from 2007 to 2018 Included adult patients with qualifying aminotransferase and platelet count results. A single FIB-4 score was calculated for each patient using the first of these values. Patients with a chronic liver disease diagnosis or outcome prior to their FIB-4 score were excluded. FIB-4 advanced fibrosis risk categorization (low, indeterminate, and high) was the primary predictor variable. Patients were followed from FIB-4 score to a severe liver outcome, a composite of cirrhosis, liver transplantation, and hepatocellular carcinoma. We analyzed the association of FIB-4 with hazard risk of a severe liver outcome using stratified Cox regression models, stratifying patients by known chronic liver disease. Findings: 20,556 patients were followed for a mean 2,978 days (8·2 years; SD 1,201 days), and 4% of patients experienced a severe liver outcome. Of patients with low, indeterminate, and high risk FIB-4 scores, 2%, 4%, and 20% suffered a severe liver outcome, respectively. In the overall adjusted model, high risk FIB-4 scores were associated with hazard of severe liver disease (HR 6·54; 95% CI 5·49-7·77). High risk FIB-4 scores were associated with severe liver outcomes for patients with known NAFLD (HR 7·71; 95% CI 3·62-16·45), other liver disease (HR 11·12; 95% CI 8·33-14·82), and no known chronic liver disease (HR 4·04; 95% CI 3·10-5·28). Interpretation: High risk FIB-4 scores were strongly associated with risk of severe liver outcomes in patients with and without known chronic liver disease. Comprehensive FIB-4 application in primary care may signal silently advancing liver fibrosis. Funding Information: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH/NIDDKK23DK118200 PI: Schreiner). Declaration of Interests: All authors report no conflicts of interest with this work. Ethics Approval Statement: The Institutional Review Board at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) approved this study.
Case 21: Postoperatively You Can’t Communicate with the Patient

You find yourself in a mission hospital in Mali, as one of two anesthesiologists. The hospital that you are working in has many different ethnic groups who speak different languages, and it covers a large geographic area. Many of the patients must travel for hours to get to your hospital.
The Discourse of Human Rights and the Reality of Man

"Human Rights" is the fruition of self-founded intellect of modern man as well as the result of his phenomenological view; however, the main sources of "Islam" (Qur'an and Sunnah) are product of divine revelation and a noumentalistic view to the man. The first view has close affinity with realism and is a bottom to top view, but second one has relationship with idealism and is a top to bottom view, and eventually religion seeks to realize man's transcendent reality, but human rights is after providing basic facilities necessary for human life. Due to these fundamental differences in the principles and epistemic origins (reason or revelation), goals (training or guidance), processing methods (different languages) and perspectives (status quo or ideal status), one cannot speak easily of overlapping consensus between human rights and Islam. However, is it possible to neglect inconsistency and even independence regarding the relation between human rights and religion and think about "diologue" between them? The author has given a positive answer, based on self-founded intellect and the text of the Holy Qur'an to the above-mentioned question, and is to explain his aim of this dialogue. According to this view, in their confortation and diologue, human rights and religion both open new horizons as well as interweave these horizons. To this aim, the author has inevitably considered the concepts of rationality, piety, living and acting according to Qur'an, subjective interpretation of Qur'anic texts, humanity and the relationship between the truth and the rights related to guiding. The study concludes that belief in human rights prepares us to realize the ideals of the Qur'an; the observance of these principles makes our ears better in hearing the call of guidance and causes the realization of human reality promised in the Qur'an. Qur'anic guidance may create necessary enthusiasm to support human rights and to have respect for it.
Examining Delay Discounting of Condom-Protected Sex Among Men Who Have Sex with Men Using Crowdsourcing Technology.

Some men who have sex with men (MSM) have unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) in situations that put them at risk for HIV infection despite having the knowledge and skills to avoid these risks. The present study examined the potential role of delay discounting in sexual HIV risk behavior among MSM. Participants (n = 108) completed the Sexual Discounting Task and a questionnaire regarding UAI and other variables associated with HIV risk (e.g., age, socioeconomic status, substance use, psychiatric problems). MSM discounted the value of condom-protected anal intercourse in a manner that was orderly, hyperbolic, and sensitive to partner characteristics that likely influence realworld decisions about using condoms. Steeper discounting was associated with UAI, and other factors related to sexual HIV risk among MSM, including young age, socioeconomic disadvantage, substance use, sex under the influence of substances, and depression). Delay discounting is likely a critical, but underappreciated facet of HIV risk among MSM.
Incorporation of the Iron and Sulfur from NifB-co into the Iron-Molibdenum Cofactor of Dinitrogenase

NifB-co, the product of the nifB gene, is involved in the biosynthesis of the ironmolibdenum cofactor (FeMo-co) of dinitrogenase. Incorporation of 55Fe and 35S from NifB-co into FeMo-co was investigated using the in vitro FeMo-co synthesis system. Fe and S from NifB-co were incorporated into dinitrogenase only under conditions where all components required for FeMo-co synthesis were present. Incorporation of Fe and S from NifB-co into dinitrogenase was not observed in control experiments in which apodinitrogenase was initially activated with purified, unlabelled FeMo-co or in assays where NifB-co was oxygen-inactivated prior to addition to the synthesis system. These data clearly demonstrate that Fe and S from active NifB-co are specifically incorporated into FeMo-co of dinitrogenase and provide the first biochemical identification of an FeS donor for FeMo-co synthesis.
The Adrenal Gland in Dogs with Hyperadrenocorticalism; A Pathologic Study

Bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia was present in 24 of 27 dogs with hyperadrenocorticalism. Two dogs had a unilateral adenoma, and one had a carcinoma of the adrenal cortex.Bilateral cortical hyperplasia was diffuse or nodular. The difference between the two patterns of hyperplasia was not associated with any consistent varation in the clinical or endocrinologic features. In the three dogs with adrenal cortical neoplasia there was marked cortical atrophy of the contralateral adrenal gland. Extracapsular nodular hyperplasia was common in the adrenals of dogs with hyperadrenocorticalism and also in older control dogs without endocrine disease. Ten of the dogs with bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia were examined postmortem; two had a chromophobe adenoma of the pituitary, but no pituitary lesion was found in the others.
A quantitative study of the coexistence of peptides in varicosities within the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn of the rat spinal cord.

While several peptides have been shown to coexist in perikarya within dorsal root ganglia of rat, coexistence of peptides has not been confirmed in axons associated with these neurons. In this study, the coexistence of substance P (SP) with somatostatin (SOM), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), dynorphin A 1–8 (DYN), neurotensin (NT), galanin (GAL), and 5-HT in varicosities was visualized using fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Densities of immunoreactive varicosities within laminae I and II of the dorsal horn of the rat spinal cord were quantified by computer-assisted image analysis. Decreases in densities of immunoreactive varicosities as a result of multiple unilateral dorsal rhizotomies were used to determine proportions of immunoreactive varicosities associated with primary afferent neurons. Three observations were made. (1) Dorsal rhizotomy depleted greater than one-third of the varicosities individually immunoreactive for SP, SOM, GAL, or DYN, confirming the association of these peptides with primary afferent neurons. (2) SP coexisted with CGRP, GAL, and DYN in varicosities within the dorsal horn of normal animals. (3) CGRP-, SP+CGRP-, and SP+GAL-immunoreactive varicosities were nearly depleted following dorsal rhizotomy. The depletion of these peptides, particularly in combination, indicates that they may be used as markers for varicosities of some primary afferent neurons within the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn of the rat spinal cord.
PI3K mediated activation of GSK-3β reduces at-level primary afferent growth responses associated with excitotoxic spinal cord injury dysesthesias.

Background Neuropathic pain and sensory abnormalities are a debilitating secondary consequence of spinal cord injury (SCI). Maladaptive structural plasticity is gaining recognition for its role in contributing to the development of post SCI pain syndromes. We previously demonstrated that excitotoxic induced SCI dysesthesias are associated with enhanced dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neuronal outgrowth. Although glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) is a known intracellular regulator neuronal growth, the potential contribution to primary afferent growth responses following SCI are undefined. We hypothesized that SCI triggers inhibition of GSK-3β signaling resulting in enhanced DRG growth responses, and that PI3K mediated activation of GSK-3β can prevent this growth and the development of at-level pain syndromes.
Migration of radar altimeter waveform data

[1] Wingham [1993] demonstrated that migration of radar waveforms appears to improve the images of ice sheet topography. We examine whether this qualitative improvement might lead to quantitative benefits in measuring ice sheet elevation change. We find, instead, that estimates based on migrated waveforms at cross-over points are degraded relative to unmigrated waveforms. Lack of cross-track data, which would allow true 3D migration, and migration “noise” related to the Kirchoff algorithm are likely contributors to the degradation. Additionally, lack of phase information in radar waveforms degrades the result. This problem is not encountered in seismic applications of migration and is a limitation of the current generation of radar altimeter data. We have not investigated whether other quantitative benefits may be derived from migrating altimeter waveforms. For example, improved resolution of smaller scale topography in migrated data may lead to better quantitative understanding of ice sheet dynamics.
Hsp90 as a capacitor for morphological evolution

The heat-shock protein Hsp90 supports diverse but specific signal transducers and lies at the interface of several developmental pathways. We report here that when Drosophila Hsp90 is mutant or pharmacologically impaired, phenotypic variation affecting nearly any adult structure is produced, with specific variants depending on the genetic background and occurring both in laboratory strains and in wild populations. Multiple, previously silent, genetic determinants produced these variants and, when enriched by selection, they rapidly became independent of the Hsp90 mutation. Therefore, widespread variation affecting morphogenic pathways exists in nature, but is usually silent; Hsp90 buffers this variation, allowing it to accumulate under neutral conditions. When Hsp90 buffering is compromised, for example by temperature, cryptic variants are expressed and selection can lead to the continued expression of these traits, even when Hsp90 function is restored. This provides a plausible mechanism for promoting evolutionary change in otherwise entrenched developmental processes.
STUDIES OF STREPTOCOCCAL CELL WALLS. VII. CARBOHYDRATE COMPOSITION OF GROUP B CELL WALLS.

Abstract Wittner, Masako K. (Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital, Chicago, Ill.), and James A. Hayashi. Studies of streptococcal cell walls. VII. Carbohydrate composition of group B cell walls. J. Bacteriol. 89:398–402. 1965.—Group B streptococcal cell walls contain 63% protein, 10% rhamnose, 18% hexose (mainly galactose, but also some glucose), 7% hexosamine (mainly glucosamine, but also galactosamine), and 3% muramic acid. The group and type antigens were extracted from isolated cell walls by acid treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis, and fractionated either with ethanol or on a diethylaminoethyl-cellulose column. Serological and chemical analyses of the fractions obtained in the two fractionation methods show that the group antigen is a rhamnose-rich polysaccharide and that the type antigen is rich in galactose and contains hexosamines.
An activity framework for fostering reflection in project-based engineering design classes

Employers of engineering school graduates frequently lament that their new employees do not have adequate design abilities. Such sentiments are echoed in almost all major reports on engineering education. Two approaches for addressing this issue are to provide students with more engineering design experiences and to find ways to enhance the learning the results from existing experiences. This paper focuses on the second approach since providing students with more design experiences can be costly and, at the same time, evidence suggests that students do not always capitalize effectively on the potential learning opportunities stemming from such experiences. This paper proposes a framework for reflective activities that students can perform in order to enhance their learning from engineering design experiences. More specifically, this paper presents 1) some data suggesting that learning opportunities may arise through project based engineering design experiences but may not go unpursued, 2) a framework for reflective activities designed to facilitate students in pursuing these learning opportunities, 3) two slightly different instantiations of that activity, and 4) the proposed evaluation.
The Next Generation of Global Competition Law

The Soviet Union dissolved on December 26, 1991. This accelerated a trend toward both the development of market economies and competition law to protect those economies. No one could have predicted that within twenty years most of the world’s trading economies would have adopted recognizable forms of competition law including the former nations of the Soviet Union, the centrally planned economies of Central and Eastern Europe, a host of transition economies in Africa, South America, and Asia, and such emerging economic giants as Brazil, China, and India. Bill Kovacic has played a key role in helping us move from the world of 1991 to the world of the present where over one hundred twenty jurisdictions have some recognizable form of competition law. This has been the one of the principal, but by no means the only, topic of his work as an academic, then as general counsel, commissioner, and chairman of the FTC, and now back in academia. Kovacic has studied competition systems around the world, advised many of them, traveled relentlessly to dozens of these jurisdictions, and represented the FTC in interacting with them in countless public and private fora for these same two decades. This essay focuses on the insights that Kovacic brought back from his travels and embodied in his scholarship. I also focus how his work has both documented and affected transition economies enacting and enforcing competition law for the first time, their advisers from more experienced jurisdictions, and the more mature competition jurisdictions themselves. Finally, I offer a brief outline of a research agenda to help evaluate how well both old and new jurisdictions have applied these insights over the past twenty years and suggestions for the next twenty years.
Vitamin D stimulated, calcium-dependent adenosine triphosphatase from brush borders of rat small intestine.

Abstract A calcium dependent-adenosine triphosphatase in the brush borders of rat small intestine is markedly increased after the administration of vitamin D to vitamin D deficient rats. This system may be responsible for the well-known vitamin D directed absorption of calcium in the intestine.
What Makes a Habitable Planet

Space missions help answer one of humanity's most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe? To begin to understand what makes a planet habitable, and thus where to look for life both within and outside of Earth's solar system, scientists need to understand what in planetary formation and what in its subsequent evolution combine to produce a habitable planet.
List Decoding in Average-Case Complexity and Pseudorandomness

This is a brief survey into the applications of list decoding in complexity theory, specifically in relating the worst-case and average-case complexity of computational problems, and in construction of pseudorandom generators. Since we do not have space for full proofs, the aim is to give a flavor of the utility of list decoding in these settings together with pointers to where further details can be found.
Simulation of graded video impairment by weighted summation: validation of the methodology

The investigation examines two methodologies by which to control the impairment level of digital video test materials. Such continuous fine-tuning of video impairments is required for psychophysical measurements of human visual sensitivity to picture impairments induced by MPEG-2 compression. Because the visual sensitivity data will be used to calibrate objective and subjective video quality models and scales, the stimuli must contain realistic representations of actual encoder-induced video impairments. That is, both the visual and objective spatio-temporal response to the stimuli must be similar to the response to impairments induced directly by an encoder. The first method builds a regression model of the Peak Signal-To-Noise Ratio (PSNR) of the output sequence as a function of the bit rate specification used to encode a given video clip. The experiments find that for any source sequence, a polynomial function can be defined by which to predict the encoder bit rate that will yield a sequence having any targeted PSNR level. In a second method, MPEG-2-processed sequences are linearly combined with their unprocessed video sources. Linear regression is used to relate PSNR to the weighting factors used in combining the source and processed sequences. Then the 'synthetically' adjusted impairments are compared to those created via an encoder. Visual comparison is made between corresponding I-, B-, and P-frames of the synthetically generated sequences and those processed by the codec. Also, PSNR comparisons are made between various combinations of source sequence, the MPEG-2 sequence used for mixing, the mixed sequence, and the codec-processed sequence. Both methods are found to support precision adjustment of impairment level adequate for visual threshold measurement. The authors caution that some realism may be lost when using the weighted summation method with highly compression-impaired video.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Pleuropulmonary and cardiovascular consequences of thoracoscopy performed in healthy standing horses

Six healthy, awake, and pharmacologically restrained mature horses were studied in order to define the changes in cardiopulmonary function during and after exploratory thoracoscopy and to determine the presence of postoperative complications occurring 48 hours after thoracoscopy. In a randomised 3 x 3 latin square design with 2 replications, 18 procedures were performed: 6 right (RTH) and 6 left thoracoscopies (LTH) and 6 sham procedures (STH). Prior to each procedure a physical examination and a bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis were performed. During thoracoscopy and sham protocols, horses were sedated with a continual drip of detomidine HCl and data were collected at 6 time intervals: T1 (baseline), T2 (10 min detomidine administration), T3 (first 15 min pneumothorax), T4 (5 min recovery from pneumothorax), T5 (second 15 min pneumothorax), and T6 (10 min recovery from the second pneumothorax and detomidine). An endoscopic thoracic examination was conducted during the 2 pneumothorax periods. An identical protocol was followed for sham procedures without surgery or pneumothorax. Data were analysed by ANOVA with time and surgical procedure as main factors. Physical examinations, thoracic radiography and ultrasound, CBC and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis were performed 48 h after thoracoscopy. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and cardiac output decreased following detomidine administration. There was a trend for cardiac output to be lower during thoracoscopy. Mild systemic hypertension was associated with thoracoscopy although there was no effect on pulmonary arterial pressure. Total and pulmonary vascular resistances were increased following detomidine administration. Thoracoscopy caused a further increase in systemic and pulmonary vascular resistances especially during the second pneumothorax. Arterial O2 tension decreased following detomidine administration and was further decreased during the second pneumothorax period. PaO2 values were lower when thoracoscopy was performed on the left rather than the right hemithorax. No significant complications were found during the 48 h follow-up evaluation. A subclinical postoperative pneumothorax occurred in 2 horses, one of which had sustained a lung laceration by the trocar. Thoracoscopy performed in healthy, awake, and pharmacologically restrained horses did not have detrimental cardiopulmonary effects and did not cause postoperative complications within the first 48 h period.
A nonstandard finite difference scheme for the diffusionless Burgers equation with logistic reaction

A nonstandard finite difference scheme is constructed for the Burgers partial differential equation having no diffusion and a nonlinear logistic reaction term. This scheme preserves the positivity and boundedness properties of the original differential equation and includes the a priori requirement of being semi-explicit. Several other nonstandard discretizations are constructed and their mathematical structures discussed. All of these schemes can be used to calculate numerical solutions for traveling waves problems involving phenomena modeled by the original differential equation.
Response of Cats to Inhaled Mixtures of SO2 and SO2-NaCl Aerosol in Air

Twenty healthy, adult male cats were lightly anesthetized with pentobarbital (Nembutal) sodium and tracheotomized; respiration was maintained by pump, Medical-grade breathing air, with or without sulfur dioxide alone or in combination with sodium chloride aerosol was delivered in predetermined exposure sequencer Pulmonary flow resistance and lung compliance were evaluated. Pollutants were also delivered via endotracheal catheter or face mask, or both. Approximately 20 ppm of SO2 in air was required to evoke a significant change in pulmonary flow resistance in “reactors.” The majority of animals showed no response to this concentration of SO2 either alone or with NaCl aerosol (10 mg/cu m). An increased frequency of significant changes in pulmonary flow resistance was suggested when pollutants were delivered via endotracheal catheter or face mask. All alterations in parameters of response were reversible shortly after exposure ceased.
Study participation as a social group influencing sexual behaviours in an HIV-prevention trial for men who have sex with men.

Abstract Perceived group membership, perceptions about accompanying group norms and the degree to which a person identifies with a social group are predictive of a wide range of human behaviours. Behavioural clinical trials in general, and HIV-prevention intervention trials in particular, however, have not examined the degree to which individuals who join a large behavioural study (and hence, a group) may, in an unanticipated way, develop a sense of social identity related to the study, and how this identity or associated group norms may influence participants’ behaviours and, potentially, study outcomes. Project EXPLORE was a large-scale behavioural intervention trial in six US cities to prevent HIV seroconversion among men who have sex with men (MSM) (EXPLORE Study Team, 2004). We previously found that participants (examined at one study site) were more likely to engage in high-risk sexual activities with other MSM who were EXPLORE participants than other partners. The present ancillary study (n=271) so...
The Effects of Physical Activity on the Epiphyseal Growth Plates: A Review of the Literature on Normal Physiology and Clinical Implications

Background: Children need physical activity and generally do this through the aspect of play. Active play in the form of organized sports can appear to be a concern for parents. Clinicians should have a general physiological background on the effects of exercise on developing epiphyseal growth plates of bone. The purpose of this review is to present an overview of the effects of physical activity on the developing epiphyseal growth plates of children. Methods: A National Library of Medicine (Pubmed) search was initiated using the keywords and combinations of keywords “growth plate”, “epiphyseal plate”, “child”, “exercise”, and “physical activity.” Discussion: Bone is a dynamic tissue with a balance of osteoblast and osteoclast formation. The normal functioning of the epiphyseal growth plate is an important clinical aspect. Much of the physiology of the epiphyseal growth plate in response to exercise includes the important mechanical component. Growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor I, glucocorticoid, thyroid hormone, estrogen, androgen, vitamin D, and leptin are seen as key physiological factors. While there is a need for children to participate in physical activity, clinical consideration needs to be given to how the epiphyseal growth plate functions. Conclusions: Mechanical loading of the bone is important for epiphyseal plate physiology. Exercise has a healthy function on the normal growth of this important biomechanical feature. Clinically, over-exertion in the form of increased load bearing on the epiphyseal growth plate creates an ideal injury. There is a paucity of research on inactivity on the epiphyseal growth plate resulting in stress deprivation. Further research should take into consideration what lack of exercise and lessened mechanical load bearing has on the function of the epiphyseal growth plate. doi:10.4021/jocmr477w
Reasoning in Engineering Design

Peirce, the American philosopher of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, is credited with first observing the triple of reasoning (deductive, inductive, and abductive). These three types of reasoning are discussed as they relate to the engineering design process. The reasoning classes are based upon distinctions between what is given and what is derived with respect to the grounds, the warrants, and the conclusions. Simple definitions are synthesized that agree well with the literature, while distinctions are made where overlapping and often conflicting definitions are found. This distinction leads to the need for separating abductive reasoning and retroductive reasoning. A generalized description of design agrees well with the definition for retroductive reasoning, as is demonstrated in this paper. A brief survey of “traditional” design reasoning methods (rule based reasoning, analogy based reasoning, simulation based reasoning, and constraint based reasoning) is developed to show that these design methods are equivalent or decomposable into the fundamental reasoning classes. This paper provides a discussion in a common framework for comparing design reasoning strategies found in automation systems based upon the fundamental classes.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Active Stretch-Shorten Contractions of the M. Pectoralis in the European Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris): Evidence From Electromyography and Contractile Properties

An analysis of the contractile properties of the muscles that control the wing is requisite to an understanding of the mechanics and neural control of bird flight. It has been demonstrated that for starlings in flight, electrical activity (EMG) of the M. pectoralis begins during the upstroke prior to the beginning of downstroke (DIAL et al., 1987). In the present study, the isometric contractile properties of the sternobrachialis (SB) head of the M. pectoralis in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were measured. Electromechanical delays of 3-5 ms from EMG onset to force in isolated muscle suggest that the SB is actively stretched at the end of the upstroke; a finding with implications for the cost of flight. Average twitch contraction and relaxation times and times of force rise and fall during maximum tetanus do not possess a simple relationship to wingbeat frequency. Additional parameters of muscle arc suggested for study.
Cortisone-induced islet cell hyperplasia in hamsters

Pancreatic islet cell hyperplasia was studied in hamsters during one to eight weeks of cortisone treatment. Measurement of serum glucose and insulin; pancreatic insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide as well as islet tissue morphometry were performed. Serum glucose was highest at week 2, followed by mild to moderate hyperglycemia. Serum insulin was increasingly higher from week 1 to week 8. Pancreatic insulin was maximal at week 5 then declined through week 8 in the presence of beta cell neurosis in markedly hyperplastic islets. Pancreatic concentration of somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide moderately increased more than the control levels; however, compared with the controls, glucagon was reduced by cortisone treatment. Effect of cortisone in the four types of islet cells is discussed, particularly on beta cell hyperplasia, which appears to be a response to decreased insulin binding to the target organs with no changes in receptor concentration.
High rate of deletion of chromosomes 1p and 19q in insular oligodendroglial tumors

It has been reported recently that oligodendroglial tumors arising in the insula rarely harbor co-deletions of chromosomes 1p and 19q, a molecular signature which is associated with a good prognosis and increased responsiveness to radiation and chemotherapy compared with tumors in which 1p and/or 19q is intact. In the context of this claim, we analyzed a series of insular oligodendroglial tumors in order to determine the frequency of 1p/19q co-deletion in tumors arising in this region. We identified 14 insular cases operated on after 2003 in which testing for losses of 1p and 19q was performed. Of these cases, co-deletion of 1p and 19q occurred in eight (57%). Four (50%) of eight oligodendrogliomas and four (67%) of six oligoastrocytomas demonstrated 1p/19q co-deletions. Seven of the eight tumors with co-deletion of 1p/19q were WHO grade II gliomas. There were no statistical differences between tumors with 1p/19q co-deletion compared to those with 1p and/or 19q intact in terms of age, preoperative KPS, presenting symptoms, left versus right lateralization, tumor location (purely insular versus extension into frontal or temporal lobe), preoperative tumor size. There was a preponderance of females in the co-deletion group, and a greater average extent of resection. In contradistinction to previous reports, loss of 1p/19q occurs commonly in insular oligodendroglial tumors. With respect to 1p/19q, insular gliomas do not appear to be distinct from gliomas arising elsewhere in the brain.
Follow-up of a Pretend Play Intervention: Effects on Play, Creativity, and Emotional Processes in Children

This study investigated the effects of a pretend play intervention on 45 first and second grade children 2–8 months post-intervention. It was hypothesized that pretend play would be improved in the intervention groups and that they would score higher than controls on measures of play, creativity, and emotional processes. Subjects were randomly assigned to an affect, imagination, or control group. The imagination group significantly increased on multiple play scores from baseline to follow up and compared with controls, scores on frequency of positive affect expression were significantly higher. Differences on other scores were not found. Results indicate that play skills can be improved and cognitive play skills may have a stronger impact on affective processes than anticipated.
Stratigraphic Frontiers in Petroleum Geology: ABSTRACT

Like other frontiers that change in location or nature, stratigraphy at beginning of the 1960s appropriately is subjected to reappraisal as an indispensable component of petroleum geology, not to say the most important single subscience applied to oil and gas exploration. Such recognition in no way belittles investigations in the fields of geophysics, geochemistry, sedimentation, petrology, paleontology, structural geology, and the like, because all of these are more or less closely linked with stratigraphical studies. The present paper is introduced by a brief analysis of the stratigraphic content of contributions published during the last two decades in two international journals devoted to petroleum geology and geophysics. This is followed by discussion of the current utlook relating to rock stratigraphy, timerock stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, Pleistocene stratigraphy, and Precambrian stratigraphy, only the last of which has little importance for the petroleum geologist. Finally, functions of the American Commission on Stratigraphy are stated and purposes of Stratigraphic Codes (a considerably revised North American Code now made ready for publication) are pointed out. End_of_Article - Last_Page 129------------
Isentropic one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic channel flow

It is usual in the analysis of one-dimensional channel flows to study the behaviour of the analogous isentropic flow since, first, it retains the essential features of flows of practical interest and, secondly, it is simpler to describe. Although in conventional channel flows it is sufficient to neglect heat addition and friction to ensure isentropicity, in the MHD case it is in addition necessary to neglect Joule heating. This is accomplished by considering the fluid as having infinite electrical conductivity. However, this procedure does not necessarily imply infinite currents, since the external resistance will limit current flow. In the conventional problem, if we assume an isentropic flow, we are able to obtain a once integrated form of the governing equations. Such once integrated solutions are not possible in the present isentropic MHD channel flow, but equally simple solutions can be found and are presented. Examples of application of these results to the crossed field MHD generator and accelerator are also given.
Long-term outcome of bosentan treatment in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension and pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with the scleroderma spectrum of diseases

Background Bosentan improves clinical outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), particularly in the idiopathic (IPAH) subset. Scant data are available regarding PAH associated with the scleroderma spectrum of diseases (APAH-SSD). Here we review our experience with bosentan in these 2 groups. Methods Included were all patients at our center with either IPAH or APAH-SSD in whom bosentan was the first-line, single-agent therapy with at least 6 months of follow-up. Changes in the World Health Organization (WHO) functional class from baseline to the most recent follow-up on monotherapy were compared between the 2 groups, as well as overall survival and time to a composite end point of hepatotoxicity requiring discontinuation, use of additional therapy, or death. Results Nineteen IPAH and 17 APAH-SSD subjects with similar baseline clinical characteristics and a median follow-up 9 months (range, 6–44) were analyzed. In IPAH subjects, WHO class improved from 3.1 ± 0.5 at baseline to 2.4 ± 0.8 ( p = 0.005). No change occurred in the APAH-SSD group: 2.9 ± 0.3 vs. 2.8 ± 0.8; p = 0.5. Hepatotoxicity requiring discontinuation developed in 6 patients (17%). Seven (37%) IPAH and 8 SSD patients (47%) reached the composite end point ( p = NS). Overall survival at 1 and 2 years was 100% and 100% vs 87% and 79% for IPAH and APAH-SSD patients, respectively ( p = 0.075). Conclusions First-line bosentan monotherapy is associated with long-term improvement in functional class and good overall survival in patients with WHO class III IPAH. Most APAH-SSD patients experienced stability or decline in functional class and tended to have a higher mortality.