cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Translational Molecular Imaging of Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a heterogeneous disease, and its management is now evolving to become more personalized and to incorporate new targeted therapies. With these new changes comes a demand for molecular imaging techniques that can not only detect disease but also assess biology and treatment response. This review article summarizes current molecular imaging approaches in prostate cancer (e.g. 99mTc bone scintigraphy and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography) and highlights emerging clinical and preclinical imaging agents, with an emphasis on mechanism and clinical application. Emerging agents at various stages of clinical translation include radiolabeled analogs of lipid, amino acid, and nucleoside metabolism, as well as agents more specifically targeting prostate cancer biomarkers including androgen receptor, prostate-specific membrane antigen and others. We also highlight new techniques and targeted contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy. For all these imaging techniques, a growing and important unmet need is for well-designed prospective clinical trials to establish clear indications with clinical benefit in prostate cancer.
Stream depletion predictions using pumping test data from a heterogeneous stream–aquifer system (a case study from the Great Plains, USA)

Abstract This uniquely designed study investigates a fundamental issue—the feasibility of predicting stream depletion rates using linear uniform two-dimensional models. Required input for these models includes the hydraulic parameter estimates of the aquifer and the stream–aquifer interface, which may be obtainable through pumping test data analysis. This study utilizes pumping test data collected near the naturally meandering Prairie Creek, Platte River watershed, Nebraska, USA. Drawdown data were obtained in eight piezometer clusters, located on both sides of the stream, each containing three piezometers screened at different aquifer depths. Parameter estimates and, thus, stream depletion predictions varied over a wide range. Large parameter variance and a low degree of goodness of fit between the calculated and measured data encountered during the analysis suggest deficiencies of the uniform aquifer models in describing significant physical processes. This was also shown by additional field experiments that indicate lateral and vertical aquifer heterogeneity. Hydrogeological and sedimentological considerations of the meandering stream architecture (point bar versus cut bank) and the application of a linear piecewise-homogeneous model yielded a higher degree of goodness of fit and higher confidence in stream depletion predictions. Aquifer heterogeneity appears to be the major reason for uncertainty in stream depletion predictions, though other possible sources of uncertainty should be considered. These include the model linearity, the Dupuit assumption, the simplified representation of the stream–aquifer interface, the approximation of the stream as a straight line or a strip, and the impact of regional groundwater flow.
Treatment of Hypertension and Other Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a concurrence of hypertension, abdominal obesity, impaired fasting glucose, and dyslipidemia, has been shown to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Insulin resistance has been thought to be one of the pathophysiologies of the syndrome. Reduction of the underlying causes of MetS, such as obesity, physical inactivity, and atherogenic diet, is first-line therapy. Treatment of hypertension and other cardiometabolic risk factors of MetS is also required. This article reviews the treatment of the metabolic syndrome with a focus on the importance of lifestyle changes and treatment of hypertension.
Catch-and-Release Mortality of Spotted Seatrout in Texas

Abstract Catch and release is becoming more common as a management tool in marine recreational fisheries. Clearly, a critical factor in determining different management scenarios that use this strategy is postcapture survival. We investigated the mortality associated with catch and release in the fishery for spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus in south Texas. Specifically, this study investigated the mortality for hook-and-line-captured spotted seatrout as a function of bait type, hook type, angler skill level, and fish size. Using a variety of angling techniques, we captured 448 spotted seatrout ranging from 250 to 760 mm total length (TL) and assessed mortality in replicate field enclosures. The overall short-term mortality for all treatments was relatively low (11%); the majority of fish survived. The exception was angler skill level. Angling by novices produced a significantly higher mortality rate than angling by skilled anglers; however, mortality averaged only 18% even for inexperienced anglers. T...
Experimental measurements of dimensionality and spatial coherence in the dynamics of a flexible-beam impact oscillator

Experiments on a flexible-beam impact oscillator are described in which the spatial structure of typical motions is explored. The beam is held in a fixed mount with clamped-free boundary conditions, and the beam is driven by impacts between its free end and a sinusoidally driven impactor. Bifurcation diagrams using impactor frequency and offset as the bifurcation parameter are obtained using a computer-driven data acquisition system. The dimensionality of the system is studied by analysis of delay-reconstructed time series of experimental data. Valid delay reconstructions are obtained using mutual information and false nearest neighbour algorithms, and the correlation dimensions is estimated for the resulting experimental attractors. The relation of these topological characterizations of the system to the spatial structure of the vibrations is studied using two-point spatial correlation measurements and the proper orthogonal decomposition. It is shown that over 90% of the mean square response amplitude is captured by the first proper orthogonal mode for the cases examined and that the spatial coherence measurements can be used to distinguish between responses with similar dimensionality.
Controlling the release and production of renin

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a pivotal role for a variety of cardiovascular functions. The diversity of renin actions is reflected by its complex control. The major stimulus for the release of renin from the vesicles in juxtaglomerular cells is determined by stretch, as induced by changes in arterial pressure. The production of renin underlies a vastly complex control network, which takes place at different levels, such as transcription and translation. With regard to transcription, important regions for binding transcription factors have been identified several years ago, but the conservation of nucleotide sequences throughout different species suggests that there might be additional binding regions of importance. At the post-transcriptional level, the modulation of renin mRNA stability is seems pivotal. The half-life of renin mRNA appears to be controlled by the interaction between several regulatory proteins, most of which are well known in other systems. Moreover, in addition to the modulation of mRNA stability, the translation efficiency seems to play a key role in determining the amount of renin to be produced.
Reading Instruction By Classroom, Remedial, And Resource Room Teachers:

Reading instruction provided by classroom, remedial, and resource teachers in six schools was observed, in order to determine (a) whether remedial and resource teachers provided more proactive instruction than classroom teachers, (b) whether resource and remedial reading teachers engaged individuals more often than classroom teachers, and (c) whether there was congruence in the curriculum used by the three teacher groups. A time sampling procedure used to collect data indicated that, although resource teachers spent the most reading time on other academic subjects, the three groups did not differ in the proportion of time devoted to management, discipline, or proactive teaching techniques such as purpose setting, demonstration, or explaining how to do a reading task. Of the three teacher groups, remedial teachers were found to interact most often with individuals and least often with groups. Congruence in the curriculum used by the three teacher groups was supported by the finding that comparable time was...
Comment on `Lower and Early Middle Pleistocene Acheulian in the Indian sub-continent' by Gaillard et al. (2009) (Quaternary International)

Abstract This paper addresses the recent publication in this journal by Gaillard et al. (2010) who discuss several Early Acheulean occurrences from the Indian subcontinent in relation to their age, context and lithic assemblages. A critique of the associated data shows that their acquiescence of Acheulean occupation in the Indian Subcontinent as being older than the late Middle Pleistocene is based entirely on circumstantial and inconclusive evidence. Each of the sites discussed by them (Isampur, Bori, Morgaon, Chirki-Nevasa, Singi Talav, Atbarapur) have variably yielded limited contextual and chronometric data that is ambiguous, controversial or only preliminary at this stage. Although one or two occurrences may be as old as they claim, a more rigorous scientific approach is required to first address the problematic issues of stratigraphic interpretation, precise context and absolute age. The current temporal framework of the South Asian Paleolithic renders the earliest Acheulean assemblages simply as being older than ∼400 ka, due primarily to the limitations of the 230Th–234U dating method used earlier. Whilst it is probable that future dating attempts will extend the earliest South Asian Acheulean occupation up to the Brunhes–Matuyama boundary or even beyond, convincing geochronological support for such a scenario is currently lacking at all of the ‘typologically-earliest’ sites.
The specificity of expertise: For whom is the clave pattern the “key” to salsa music? ☆

Abstract Each Latin salsa music style is associated with a characteristic clave pattern that constitutes an essential structure for performers. In this article we asked what types of expertise are needed to detect the correct salsa–clave pairing. Using two clave patterns (the 3–2 and 2–3 son clave) and three manipulated alternatives, we asked listeners to choose the correct clave pattern for a variety of bomba , calypso , mambo and merengue excerpts. The results of Studies 1 and 2 show that listeners unfamiliar with salsa were unable to detect the correct salsa–clave pairing. Listeners who had some music training or were familiar with salsa detected the need for syncopation but not the specific pairing. Only musicians well-acquainted with salsa correctly detected the salsa–clave pairing. Studies 3 and 4 showed that incorrect choices were not due to an inability to distinguish between the alternatives: both adults and five-year-olds could easily tell apart the various patterns we used. We conclude that the distinction between the 2–3 and 3–2 claves is not inherent in the music itself, but rather is a convention to be learned through exposure and training. We discuss the results using an analogy to language learning.
Effect of outdoor temperature, heat primes and anchoring on belief in global warming

Abstract It is generally acknowledged that global warming is occurring, yet estimates of future climate change vary widely. Given this uncertainty, when asked about climate change, it is likely that people’s judgments may be affected by heuristics and accessible schemas. Three studies evaluated this proposition. Study 1 revealed a significant positive correlation between the outdoor temperature and beliefs in global warming. Study 2 showed that people were more likely to believe in global warming when they had first been primed with heat-related cognitions. Study 3 demonstrated that people were more likely to believe in global warming and more willing to pay to reduce global warming when they had first been exposed to a high vs. a low anchor for future increases in temperature. Together, results reveal that beliefs about global warming (and willingness to take actions to reduce global warming) are influenced by heuristics and accessible schemas. Several practical implications are discussed.
Factors Determining Hydrogel Permeability

Developing hydrogel membranes and coatings of appropriate permeability characteristics is key to the success of a number bioartificial organ technologies. Key principles relevant to the design and application of hydrogels for such applications were reviewed. The first key point is that permeability is a function of both transport and thermodynamic properties, the diffusion coefficient and partition coefficient, respectively, and that these parameters can be evaluated separately. Although the aspect of partitioning often emphasized is size exclusion, this review points out that many other relevant interactions come into play, especially hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, and that these phenomena can dominate size exclusion. Similarly, while the diffusion coefficient also is strongly dependent upon size, other interactions can also cause diffusivity to deviate from theories which consider only solute size and gel swelling. For example, the heterogeneity of hydrogel networks can result in permeabilities that fail to decline as much as might be anticipated if networks were uniform.
Deformation and annealing behavior. III. thin films of polycarbonate, isotactic polymethyl methacrylate, and isotactic polystyrene

Abstract The morphology of thin films of polycarbonate (PC), isotactic polymethyl methacrylate (i-PMMA), and isotactic polystyrene (i-PS) were studied by bright field, diffraction, and dark field transmission, electron microscopy. The films were thermally annealed both before and after uniaxial deformation. The undrawn i-PMMA did not develop a crystalline texture upon annealing whereas the undrawn i-PS developed a random arrangement of lamellae. Thermal crystallization of undrawn PC has been shown to occur through the growth and merging of a nodular structure into fibrillar spherulites. Deformation of gold-decorated samples indicated a nonhomogeneous structure in the amorphous polymer on the 200-500 A scale. Thermal annealing of drawn samples resulted in fibrillar lamellae arranged perpendicular to the draw direction for all three polymers, indicating the straining has a marked influence on the crystalline morphology. This morphology is compared to similar morphologies reported in the literature for cryst...
Discovering High-Order Periodic Patterns

Discovery of periodic patterns in time series data has become an active research area with many applications. These patterns can be hierarchical in nature, where a higher-level pattern may consist of repetitions of lower-level patterns. Unfortunately, the presence of noise may prevent these higher-level patterns from being recognized in the sense that two portions (of a data sequence) that support the same (high-level) pattern may have different layouts of occurrences of basic symbols. There may not exist any common representation in terms of raw symbol combinations; and hence such (high-level) pattern may not be expressed by any previous model (defined on raw symbols or symbol combinations) and would not be properly recognized by any existing method. In this paper, we propose a novel model, namely meta-pattern, to capture these high-level patterns. As a more flexible model, the number of potential meta-patterns could be very large. A substantial difficulty lies in how to identify the proper pattern candidates. However, the well-known Apriori property is not able to provide sufficient pruning power. A new property, namely component location property, is identified and used to conduct the candidate generation so that an efficient computation-based mining algorithm can be developed. Last, but not least, we apply our algorithm to some real and synthetic sequences and some interesting patterns are discovered.
Stereo Image Ranging For An Autonomous Robot Vision System

The principles of stereo vision for three-dimensional data acquisition are well-known and can be applied to the problem of an autonomous robot vehicle. Coincidental points in the two images are located and then the location of that point in a three-dimensional space can be calculated using the offset of the points and knowledge of the camera positions and geometry. This research investigates the application of artificial intelligence knowledge representation techniques as a means to apply heuristics to relieve the computational intensity of the low level image processing tasks. Specifically a new technique for image feature extraction is presented. This technique, the Queen Victoria Algorithm, uses formal language productions to process the image and characterize its features. These characterized features are then used for stereo image feature registration to obtain the required ranging information. The results can be used by an autonomous robot vision system for environmental modeling and path finding.
Fluorescent Probes for Tracking the Transfer of Iron?Sulfur Cluster and Other Metal Cofactors in Biosynthetic Reaction Pathways

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are protein cofactors that are constructed and delivered to target proteins by elaborate biosynthetic machinery. Mechanistic insights into these processes have been limited by the lack of sensitive probes for tracking Fe-S cluster synthesis and transfer reactions. Here we present fusion protein- and intein-based fluorescent labeling strategies that can probe Fe-S cluster binding. The fluorescence is sensitive to different cluster types ([2Fe-2S] and [4Fe-4S] clusters), ligand environments ([2Fe-2S] clusters on Rieske, ferredoxin (Fdx), and glutaredoxin), and cluster oxidation states. The power of this approach is highlighted with an extreme example in which the kinetics of Fe-S cluster transfer reactions are monitored between two Fdx molecules that have identical Fe-S spectroscopic properties. This exchange reaction between labeled and unlabeled Fdx is catalyzed by dithiothreitol (DTT), a result that was confirmed by mass spectrometry. DTT likely functions in a ligand substitution reaction that generates a [2Fe-2S]-DTT species, which can transfer the cluster to either labeled or unlabeled Fdx. The ability to monitor this challenging cluster exchange reaction indicates that real-time Fe-S cluster incorporation can be tracked for a specific labeled protein in multicomponent assays that include several unlabeled Fe-S binding proteins or other chromophores. Such advanced kinetic experiments are required to untangle the intricate networks of transfer pathways and the factors affecting flux through branch points. High sensitivity and suitability with high-throughput methodology are additional benefits of this approach. We anticipate that this cluster detection methodology will transform the study of Fe-S cluster pathways and potentially other metal cofactor biosynthetic pathways.
Diastereoselectivity in non-aldol aldol reactions: silyl triflate-promoted Payne rearrangements

The non-aldol aldol process exhibits diastereoselectivity such that one isomer of a secondary epoxy silyl ether gives only the expected ketone product while the other affords both ketone and aldehyde. We present evidence for a novel silyl triflate-promoted Payne rearrangement of silyloxy epoxides, e.g. D3↔E3. Additional examples of the non-aldol aldol process are presented including cyclic examples and one in which an aryl ring participates to give unusual products.
Cerebral hemidecortication alters expression of transforming growth factor alpha mRNA in the neostriatum of developing rats.

Transforming growth factor α (TGFα) is a mitogenic polypeptide which acts at the epidermal growth factor receptor to produce its biologic effects. Recent studies have demonstrated that TGFα may act as a neurotrophic factor. Cerebral hemispherectomy (hemidecortication) is performed on some children with intractable epilepsy. Prior studies have demonstrated improved functional recovery in both children and animals when the surgery is performed at a very early age. In order to test whether TGFα may be involved in the functional recovery of the neostriatum following cerebral hemidecortication, we performed in situ hybridization for TGFα mRNA on brains of rats which underwent hemispherectomy at postnatal day (P) 6 or P12 or in adulthood, and sacrificed one, 7, or 30 days following surgery. Normal striatal expression in control animals was very high at P6 and then decreased throughout development. In animals undergoing lesion at earlier ages (P6 and P12), TGFα mRNA expression was first depressed in the ipsilateral neostriatum one day after surgery and then elevated to supranormal levels 7 and 30 days after surgery. Maximal decreases (40% below contralateral neostriatum) were seen in animals lesioned at P12 and sacrificed the next day. Maximal elevations (60% greater than opposite neostriatum) were seen in animals operated on at P6 and sacrificed 30 days post surgery. Expression in the adult animal was only mildly affected, with a 20% increase found in the ipsilateral caudate 7 days after the lesion, but no significant changes after one or 30 days survival. These data indicate that altered TGFα expression may play a role in the functional recovery of the neostriatum following cerebral hemispherectomy.
A problem without initial conditions for a nonlinear ultraparabolic equation with degeneration

We consider the mixed problem for a second-order nonlinear degenerate ultraparabolic equation. We investigate the existence of generalized solutions of this problem in a bounded domain as well as of weak solutions (in the sense of a limit of sequences) of the problem without initial conditions for this equation.
Source Identification for Parabolic Equations

This paper treats an inverse problem of source identification in systems modeled by partial differential equations of parabolic type. Regularization procedures and recursive estimation algorithms are developed to estimate the location and the intensity of the source.
Thermal gravimetric analysis of graphite-bromine compounds

Abstract Thermal gravimetric analysis was applied for the first time to the study of graphite intercalation compounds. The gravimetric measurements were carried out on graphite-bromine compounds in the temperature range from room temperature to 140 °C. Intercalate desorption was found to be thermally activated. Its rate is anomalously high near the intralayer intercalate position order-disorder transformation temperature (100 °C) and the exfoliation temperature. This rate was also found to increase with increasing intercalate concentration. The mechanism of desorption depends on the intercalate concentration. At high intercalate concentrations, desorption appears to be dominated by a diffusion process and has an activation energy of 14 kcal (mol Br 2 ) −1 , in good agreement with the activation energy for the diffusion of bromine in graphite. As desorption ends, the intercalate concentration approaches a minimum value which depends on the desorption temperature. Much of the retained intercalate is ordered. Below the intralayer order-disorder transformation temperature an initially saturated graphite-bromine sample has a minimum concentration of 18 – 19 wt.% Br 2 . Above the order-disorder transformation temperature the minimum concentration is smaller. The energy of the desorption process is utilized mainly for the vaporization of the intercalate, as suggested by our differential scanning calorimetry results.
New Considerations in the Use of Vaginal Mesh for Prolapse Repair

The proliferation of mesh-based transvaginal prolapse surgical repair methods and products has generated increased scrutiny of the evidence-based foundation in support of these techniques. Recent developments in this arena include the publication of the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons Systematic Review Group, which concluded that supportive evidence for transvaginal mesh is limited, and a Public Health Notification from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), regarding "serious complications associated with transvaginal placement of surgical mesh in repair of pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence." This article reviews available literature regarding transvaginal mesh use, specifically regarding material, technique, and patient characteristics that may influence the rates of iatrogenic complications of transvaginal mesh prolapse repairs. Compliance with the FDA Public Health Notification is encouraged, and additional clinical practice guidelines are provided.
Near-Blowoff Dynamics of a Bluff-Body Stabilized Flame

Thispaperdescribesanexperimental investigation of thedynamicsof anear-blowoff, bluff-body stabilized flame. This work is motivated by a number of prior observations showing that near-blowoff flames exhibit enhanced unsteadiness. Laser sheet imaging studies and particle image velocimetry velocity field measurements show that the transient dynamics of these flames occur in two distinct stages before blowoff. The first stage is manifested by the presence of localized “holes” in the flame sheet, at locations where the instantaneous stretch rate exceeds the extinction stretch rate. During this stage, the overall flame and wake dynamics appear essentially unaltered and, moreover,the flamecanpersistindefinitely,althoughwithenhancedunsteadiness.Astheequivalenceratioisfurther decreased, the size of the flame region affected and the duration of these events increases monotonically. As the blowoff point is approached further, this leads to the second stage, large-scale alterations of the wake dynamics, violent flapping of the flame front, and even larger straining of the flame. In some cases, the flow in this second stage bears striking resemblance to the asymmetric von Karman type flowfield.
Developing Intercultural Science Education in Ecuador.

This article traces the recent development of intercultural science education in Ecuador. It starts by situating this development within the context of a growing convergence between Western and indigenous sciences. It then situates it within the larger historical, political, cultural, and educational contexts of indigenous communities in Ecuador, and goes on to explore ideas of interculturality in education and of native science as voiced by indigenous interviewees in Ecuador in 2004. The primary need voiced by native Ecuadorian leaders is that of defending their communities against various kinds of encroachment—economic as well as cultural—and the enterprise of education is viewed within this reality. The article goes on to describe a recently developed intercultural environmental studies curriculum unit and to indicate possible directions for expanding intercultural science education in Ecuador.
Distance perception in virtual environments

Virtual environments provide people with the opportunity to experience places and situations remote from their actual physical surroundings. However, we cannot expect spatial representation in virtual environments to be as accurate as spatial representation in physical environments. One reason for this is that perceived distance is systematically underestimated in virtual environments. The precise reasons for this are unknown. This work uses the bisection method shown in Bodenheimer et al. [2007] to study the perceived distance in virtual environments. In the virtual environment, distance bisection involves subjects adjusting an avatar using a joystick until they feel that the avatar bisects the distance between themselves and a target avatar. Bodenheimer et al. [2007] examine errors resulting from judging the bisection at 15m and 30m. We examine errors resulting from judging the bisection from five different distances: 3m, 7.5m, 15m, 22.5m, and 30m. We observe a linear relationship between the amount of foreshortening in judging the midpoint and distance. Additionally, perceiving a virtual representation of one's self in the virtual environment makes subjects significantly more accurate at judging the midpoint at 3m. However, for distances greater than 7.5m we find that asking people to use their virtual representation to judge the bisection leads to a significant increase in the amount of foreshortening.
A method for hydrolyzing and determining the amino acid compositions of picomole quantities of proteins in less than 3 hours

A method is described for quantitatively hydrolyzing proteins in 45 min and for analyzing the hydrolysates by high-performance liquid chromatography in an additional 52 min. The alpha-amino acids were detected by the fluorescence of their omicron-phthaldialdehyde derivatives. Ten picomoles of each of the commonly occurring alpha-amino acids could be reliably determined. The method described yielded OPA-ethanethiolamino acid derivatives that were stable for 1 1/2 h and the HPLC method produced a better separation than previously published methods.
A dynamic scheduling framework for emerging heterogeneous systems

A trend that has materialized, and has given rise to much attention, is of the increasingly heterogeneous computing platforms. Recently, it has become very common for a desktop or a notebook computer to be equipped with both a multi-core CPU and a GPU. Application development for exploiting the aggregate computing power of such an environment is a major challenge today. Particularly, we need dynamic work distribution schemes that are adaptable to different computation and communication patterns in applications, and to various heterogeneous configurations. This paper describes a general dynamic scheduling framework for mapping applications with different communication patterns to heterogeneous architectures. We first make key observations about the architectural tradeoffs among heterogeneous resources and the communication pattern of an application, and then infer constraints for the dynamic scheduler. We then present a novel cost model for choosing the optimal chunk size in a heterogeneous configuration. Finally, based on general framework and cost model we provide optimized work distribution schemes to further improve the performance.
Reduction in ventilator-associated pneumonia by bundling interventions in the intensive care units in a regional hospital

Results: We had training 1208 people in 37 education sections and set up a standard demonstrated video provides to E elearning teaching platform at network, about 97.02 % of staff were reading.1. largest aseptic area from 45*66 cm enlarged to 250*150 cm, 2. Set up standard instruments for catheterization, 3. Washing hands method improved of Compliance Rate from 84% to 90.2 %, accurated rate from 67.5% to 78.3 % , 4. Infection rate decreased to average 0.2 %, 5. Increased jugular vein for insert place from 30 to 40 %. Conclusions: We believe that using standard systemic combined care inserted procedures can reduce infection rate of intravenous catheterization demonstrate the effectiveness and safeness of patient parenteral therapy in a community hospital setting, and demonstrates the ability for this to be done at the standard CVC bundle of care expected at hospital.
Calcium in the pathogenesis and therapy of human hypertension

Abstract The contribution of calcium to normal regulation of blood pressure is reviewed. Epidemiologic data suggest that abnormal calcium homeostasis may play a role in dietary and environmental contributions to the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Recent studies in human and experimental hypertension point to one or more defects in cellular handling of calcium as contributing to the initiation and maintenance of increased vascular tone and, thereby, to abnormally elevated arterial blood pressure. By "correcting" some of these defects, calcium channel blockers may represent relatively specific therapy for hypertension. Data from human trials are still limited, but it is evident that, following oral administration of nifedipine and related compounds, an immediate decrease in peripheral vascular resistance and mean arterial pressure is produced. Cardiac output is not altered, and renal perfusion is maintained. In contrast to many currently used antihypertensive agents—including thiazide diuretics and beta blockers—which frequently Induce alterations in the patient's serum chemical values, long-term administration of calcium channel blockers does not produce significant adverse metabolic effects or substantive changes in biochemical parameters.
Inflammation is an Independent Risk Factor for Colonic Neoplasia in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis: a Case–Control Study

Background & Aims An association between inflammatory activity and colorectal neoplasia (CRN) has been documented in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). However, previous studies did not address the duration of inflammation or the effects of therapy on risk for CRN. We investigated the effects of inflammation, therapies, and characteristics of patients with UC on their risk for CRN. Methods We collected data from 141 patients with UC without CRN (controls) and 59 matched patients with UC who developed CRN (cases), comparing disease extent and duration and patients' ages. We used a new 6-point histologic inflammatory activity (HIA) scale to score biopsy fragments (n = 4449). Information on medications, smoking status, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and family history of CRN were collected from the University of Chicago Inflammatory Bowel Disease Endoscopy Database. Relationships between HIA, clinical features, and CRN were assessed by conditional logistic regression. Results Cases and controls were similar in numbers of procedures and biopsies, exposure to steroids or mesalamine, smoking status, and family history of CRN. They differed in proportion of men vs women, exposure to immune modulators, and primary sclerosing cholangitis prevalence. In univariate analysis, HIA was positively associated with CRN (odds ratio [OR], 2.56 per unit increase; P = .001), whereas immune modulators (including azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, and methotrexate) reduced the risk for CRN (OR, 0.35; P P = .001). Conclusions In a case–control study, we associated increased inflammation with CRN in patients with UC. Use of immune modulators reduced the risk for CRN, indicating that these drugs have chemoprotective effects. On the basis of these data, we propose new stratified surveillance and treatment strategies to prevent and detect CRN in patients with UC.
Directed Electric Field Z-Alignment Kinetics of Anisotropic Nanoparticles for Enhanced Ionic Conductivity

In this study, the fast transient evolution of the electric field assisted thickness Z-direction orientation and assembly of clay particles is studied using a instrumented real time system that simultaneously measures in-plane and out of plane birefringence. The optical anisotropy master curves are developed, connecting the exposure time and electric field strength with orientation, using a superposition principle. Z-oriented nanocomposite films manufactured through the R2R process show enhancement through thickness ionic conductivity, useful for membranes of batteries and fuel cells.
An advanced image fusion algorithm based on wavelet transform: incorporation with PCA and morphological processing

There are numerous applications for image fusion, some of which include medical imaging, remote sensing, nighttime operations and multi-spectral imaging. In general, the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and various pyramids (such as Laplacian, ratio, contrast, gradient and morphological pyramids) are the most common and effective methods. For quantitative evaluation of the quality of fused imagery, the root mean square error (RMSE) is the most suitable measure of quality if there is a “ground truth” image available; otherwise, the entropy, spatial frequency or image quality index of the input images and the fused images can be calculated and compared. Here, after analyzing the pyramids’ performance with the four measures mentioned, an advanced wavelet transform (aDWT) method that incorporates principal component analysis (PCA) and morphological processing into a regular DWT fusion algorithm is presented. Specifically, at each scale of the wavelet transformed images, a principle vector was derived from two input images and then applied to two of the images’ approximation coefficients (i.e., they were fused by using the principal eigenvector). For the detail coefficients (i.e., three quarters of the coefficients), the larger absolute values were chosen and subjected to a neighborhood morphological processing procedure which served to verify the selected pixels by using a “filling” and “cleaning” operation (this operation filled or removed isolated pixels in a 3-by-3 local region). The fusion performance of the advanced DWT (aDWT) method proposed here was compared with six other common methods, and, based on the four quantitative measures, was found to perform the best when tested on the four input image types. Since the different image sources used here varied with respect to intensity, contrast, noise, and intrinsic characteristics, the aDWT is a promising image fusion procedure for inhomogeneous imagery.
A modified somatotype method.

A new and improved somatotype method with universal application to both sexes, for all ages and which is reproducible, is justified, validated and described. Evidence is presented for extension of previous component rating scales. Data on 844 male and female subjects from selected samples were used to develop and validate anthropometric scales for estimating the Heath component ratings. The definitions and rating procedures for the new somatotype method are presented, with descriptions of the anthropometric somatotype and the combined photoscopic and anthropometric somatotype.
Potassium-wasting nephropathy secondary to chemotherapy simulating Bartter's syndrome

A patient with a potassium wasting nephropathy secondary to chemotherapy simulating Bartter's syndrome is described. A 64-year-old woman with diffuse histiocytic lymphoma developed persistent hypokalemia following a course of Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide), Adriamycin (doxorubicin), vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP)-Bleo. The diagnosis of a functional Bartter's syndrome was concluded following evaluation of serial plasma renins, aldosterone levels, and urinary electrolytes. Evidence is suggestive that a subpopulation of patients receiving chemotherapy may develop a functional Bartter's syndrome, and it is important to consider this diagnosis in patients who develop hypokalemia subsequent to chemotherapy introduction.
Experience with malleable objects influences shape-based object individuation by infants.

Abstract Infants’ ability to accurately represent and later recognize previously viewed objects, and conversely, to discriminate novel objects from those previously seen improves remarkably over the first two years of life. During this time, infants acquire extensive experience viewing and manipulating objects and these experiences influence their physical reasoning. Here we posited that infants’ observations of object feature stability (rigid versus malleable) can influence the use of those features to individuate two successively viewed objects. We showed 8.5-month-olds a series of objects that could or could not change shape, then assessed their use of shape as a basis for object individuation. Infants who explored rigid objects later used shape differences to individuate objects; however, infants who explored malleable objects did not. This outcome suggests that the latter infants did not take into account shape differences during the physical reasoning task and provides further evidence that infants’ attention to object features can be readily modified based on recent experiences.
A regulatory perspective on the abuse potential evaluation of novel stimulant drugs in the United States.

Abstract In the United States of America (USA), the abuse potential assessment of a drug is performed as part of the safety evaluation of a drug under development, and to evaluate if the drug needs to be subject to controls that would minimize the abuse of the drug once on the market. The assessment of the abuse potential of new drugs consists of a scientific and medical evaluation of all data related to abuse of the drug. This paper describes the regulatory framework for evaluating the abuse potential of new drugs, in general, including novel stimulants. The role of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the evaluation of the abuse potential of drugs, and its role in drug control are also discussed. A definition of abuse potential, an overview of the currently accepted approaches to evaluating the abuse potential of a drug, as well as a description of the criteria that applies when recommending a specific level of control (i.e., a Schedule) for a drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This article is part of the Special Issue entitled ‘CNS Stimulants’.
Effects of intracranial prolactin administration on maintenance of incubation readiness, ingestive behavior, and gonadal condition in ring doves

Abstract Systemic administration of prolactin (PRL) reportedly maintains readiness to sit on eggs, increases body weights and liver weights, and reduces gonadal and reproductive tract tissue weights in male and female ring doves. To determine if these effects are mediated by PRL-induced changes in the central nervous system, ring doves were isolated from their mates, nests, and eggs on Day 4 of incubation and given twice-daily intracerebroventricular injections of PRL (1 μg, 0.031 IU) or saline vehicle (2 μl) during the next 10 days. Food and water consumption were monitored daily during treatment and tests for incubation behavior and observation of organ weight changes were conducted at the end of the period. The incidence of incubation behavior in the PRL-treated group was not significantly different from that in the control group and was significantly lower than that reported in a previous study following subcutaneous PRL injections. However, gonadal and reproductive tract tissue weights were markedly reduced and food and water consumption were significantly elevated in PRL-treated birds. Body weights and liver weights were also increased following PRL administration. In contrast, crop sac weight did not increase in the PRL treated birds, thereby indicating that the effects of icv prolactin treatment were not mediated by increased plasma PRL levels and peripheral target organ stimulation. These results suggest that PRL can act directly on the brain to inhibit gonadotropin release and to stimulate ingestive behavior but central effects of PRL alone are not sufficient to maintain incubation readiness.
Stability of cardiac impedance measures: Aortic opening (B-point) detection and scoring

Abstract The accurate assessment of cardiac stroke volume measured by impedance cardiography depends on the reliable measurement of dZ dt max and the accurate detection of the relevant points on the impedance cardiogram. In one study, impedance cardiograms were collected for 75 subjects during resting conditions and during four psychologically challenging tasks, in two identical testing sessions. The reliability of stroke volumes calculated from dZ dt max measured from the electrical baseline and from the dZ dt B-point on the waveforms were assessed for the two testing sessions. Consistently higher (but not statistically different) test-retest correlations were observed for the measures calculated using values of dZ dt max measured from the B-point. In a second study, dZ dt waveforms with no B-point reversal from 21 subjects were scored using two alternative B-point detection algorithms: the reversal of the second derivative of ΔZ and the peak of the third derivative of ΔZ. Both algorithms demonstrated high reliability compared with an expert human operator. The reversal on the second derivative may better locate an inflection point on the dZ dt signal and the third derivative may provide a good B-point estimation in the absence of any inflection point.
Cutaneous Manifestations of Human T Cell Leukemia Virus Type I Infection in an Experimental Model

Skin diseases ranging from infective dermatitis to cutaneous lymphoma have been associated with human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV) type I. A generalized exfoliative papillated dermatopathy occurred in a rabbit 20 months into a course of chronic HTLV-I infection. Biopsies revealed epidermotropic T cell infiltrates, including Sezary-like cells, that resulted in a pattern mimicking cutaneous T cell lymphoma. HTLV-I was isolated from affected skin, and virus expression was detected in cutaneous cultures. Sezary-like cells also occurred in circulation. Interleukin-2-independent lymphocyte cultures, established from blood exhibiting elevated CD8 T cell levels and CD25 expression, had polyclonal integration of provirus. The findings are similar to those in evolving adult T cell leukemia lymphoma and may represent a prelymphomatous change. The cutaneous lymphoproliferative lesion resulted from HTLV-I infection and further establishes the New Zealand White rabbit inoculated with the RH/K34 T cell line as a suitable model for investigation of HTLV-I pathogenesis.
Anomalous void growth and swelling in materials at low temperatures for cyclic irradiation and background temperature

Peak swelling in irradiated materials occurs in a temperature range of 0.35 – 0.5 TM. Analytic studies using the fully dynamic rate theory for Al and Mo have shown that in materials undergoing temperature oscillations, whether externally applied or induced by cyclic irradiation, swelling is enhanced below the peak, swelling temperature and is retarded above it. Anomalous results seen in those studies for aluminum at low temperatures have Indicated that quite different trends relate swelling seen in steady vs cyclic irradiation far from the peak swelling region. The same behavior has now been seen in calculations done for molybdenum and in an expanded series of calculations done for aluminum. Although well below the peak swelling temperature (0.2 TM < T < 0.35 TM) pulsing is found to either slow void growth or induce void shrinkage. The different physics governing the two regimes has been identified — around the peak swelling temperature vacancies and interstitials are both mobile, responding faster in the higher-temperature perturbations and thus acting as though the material sees a raised ambient temperature; for low temperatures the vacancies are Immobile and the increased absorption of still-mobile interstitials by voids during the higher-temperature excursions dominates.
Proton structure corrections to electronic and muonic hydrogen hyperfine splitting

We present a precise determination of the polarizability and other proton structure-dependent contributions to the hydrogen hyperfine splitting, based heavily on the most recent data on proton spin-dependent structure functions from the EG1 collaboration experiment at the Jefferson Laboratory. As a result, the total calculated hyperfine splitting now has a standard deviation slightly under 1 part per million, and is about one standard deviation away from the measured value. We also present results for muonic hydrogen hyperfine splitting, taking care to ensure the compatibility of the recoil and polarizability terms.
Induction of Apoptosis of Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells by Shiga Toxin 1

Brain injury is the most frequent cause of mortality among patients with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Human brain endothelial cells (HBECs) are resistant to Escherichia coli-derived Shiga toxin (Stx); however, inflammatory cytokines markedly increase HBEC sensitivity to Stx cytotoxicity. HBECs were exposed to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, with and without Stx-1, and cell survival, (125)I-Stx1 binding, globotriaosylceramide content, cell necrosis, and cell apoptosis levels were determined. TNF greatly increased Stx-1 cytotoxicity, primarily through induction of apoptosis, in HBEC.