cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determination of the Temporal Relationship Between Porcine Growth Hormone, Serum IGF-1 and Cortisol Concentrations in Pigs

We found previously that porcine growth hormone (pGH) causes an increase in growth rate with a concurrent improvement in carcass composition in pigs. The somatomedin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), is though to play a major role in mediating some of the anabolic actions of GH, while the glucocorticoid hormones are potential counter-regulators of these effects. The present study was conducted to determine the temporal and dose-response relationship between GH administration and serum IGF-1 and cortisol concentrations in pigs. Twelve Yorkshire barrows, fitted with femoral artery catheters, were injected (im) with either 0, 10, 100 or 1,000 micrograms/kg pGH. Blood sampling began 40 min prior to pGH injection and was continued for 37 h. Serum GH, IGF-1 and cortisol concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. In control animals, serum GH concentrations ranged from 1.6 to 5.7 ng/ml over 37 h. In the animals treated with increasing doses of pGH, peak serum GH concentrations reached 28, 112 and 286 ng/ml and levels remained elevated for 4, 12 and 24 h, respectively. Serum IGF-1 concentrations were elevated by pGH after a lag time of 4 to 6 h. When the IGF-1 concentrations were integrated over time, the response appeared to be dose-dependent, with an ED50 of 710 micrograms/kg body weight (BW). Data for serum cortisol concentrations showed a great deal of individual variation. A transient increase in cortisol was observed, but only in the group treated with 1,000 micrograms pGH/kg BW. Cortisol levels returned to baseline 2 h after pGH injection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Ultrasound has limited diagnostic utility in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia developing pancreatitis.

Purpose Acute pancreatitis (AP) due to chemotherapy-induced pancreatic injury is a common side effect of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood malignancy. The American College of Radiology recommends ultrasound (US) for initial imaging of AP in all populations to assess for ductal obstruction. However, US may be insensitive to diagnose and assess chemotherapy-associated AP. Methods and materials The institutional review board approved this retrospective study. Patients with ALL and AP were identified from protocol databases, using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 3. Chemotherapy dosing, amylase/lipase levels, clinical symptoms, and US/computed tomography (CT) reports within 10 days of diagnosis were recorded. All CT images were reviewed for revised Atlanta classification and CT severity index (CTSI). Results Sixty-nine patients, aged 2-21 years, experienced 88 episodes of AP, undergoing 98 US and 44 CT. Seventy-two events (82%) occurred within 30 days of asparaginase administration. Sixty-nine episodes (78%) were initially diagnosed by the presence of abdominal pain and pancreatic enzyme elevation. Overall sensitivities for AP detection were 47% using US and 98% for CT. US sensitivity was greatest in CTCAE grade 4 (86%) and necrotizing pancreatitis (67%). Conclusions Most cases of AP in children with ALL can be diagnosed with clinical history and labs. US has limited sensitivity in detecting pancreatitis in this population. Imaging to diagnose AP in this patient population could be limited to clinically equivocal cases.
Assessment of US Public School District Policies for Pandemic Preparedness and Implications for COVID-19 Response Activities.

OBJECTIVES: To describe school district preparedness for school closures and other relevant strategies before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: A stratified random sample of 957 public school districts from the 50 US states and the District of Columbia were surveyed between October 2015 and August 2016. The response rates for the questionnaires were as follows: Healthy and Safe School Environment, Crisis Preparedness Module (60%; N = 572), Nutrition Services (63%; N = 599), and Health Services (64%; N = 613). Data were analyzed using descriptive and regression techniques. RESULTS: Most school districts had procedures that would facilitate the implementation of school closures (88.7%). Fewer districts had plans for ensuring continuity of education (43.0%) or feeding students during closure (33.8%). The prevalence of continuity of education plans was lower in the Midwest than the Northeast (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.51-0.90). Presence of plans for feeding students was higher in high-poverty than low-poverty districts (aPR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.01-1.99) and in large districts than small districts (aPR = 2.06; 95% CI: 1.37-3.09). CONCLUSIONS: Understanding factors associated with having comprehensive emergency plans could help decision makers to target assistance during the current COVID-19 pandemic and for future planning purposes.
Abdominal Pain in the Emergency Department: Missed Diagnoses

Abdominal pain is the most common chief complaint in the Emergency Department. Abdominal pain is caused by a variety of gastrointestinal and nongastrointestinal disorders. Some frequently missed conditions include biliary pathology, appendicitis, diverticulitis, and urogenital pathology. The Emergency Medicine clinician must consider all aspects of the patient's presentation including history, physical examination, laboratory testing, and imaging. If no diagnosis is identified, close reassessment of pain, vital signs, and physical examination are necessary to ensure safe discharge. Strict verbal and written return precautions should be provided to the patient.
Conservation of Energy Yields the Incubation Time and Embryonic Metabolism in Birds and Tyrannosaur Dinosaurs from the Geometry of the Egg

Exciting examples of physics principles illuminate the power and scope of our discipline. In this paper, we discuss a conservation of energy example for an introductory course. Energy conservation is applied to bird and dinosaur eggs to derive a method to predict the incubation period and the embryonic metabolism solely from the egg geometry. The power of this fundamental principle to yield insights into a biological example helps to demonstrate the utility of conservation of energy.
Medical Outcomes of Oncology Inpatients With and Without Chaplain Spiritual Care Visit: The Yale New Haven Hospital Experience.

PURPOSE:Although there exists some literature on the psychosocial elements of health between patients with and without spiritual care, less information is available on hospital health outcomes. Hen...
In Search of Recovered Memories

Publisher Summary This chapter surveys the legal status of repression and the present trends toward third-party liability for clinicians diagnosing or misdiagnosing repressed memory. The scientific evidence for the phenomenon is reviewed and suggestions for practice and research are proposed. The question of whether repressed memories exist is not just one of scientific interest. Real lives are affected when people claim to recover such memories of childhood abuse. At trial, a jury may have to decide whether abuse, and repression of that abuse, occurred or not. Before the case is brought to trial, however, the court must first determine whether the repressed memory claim can be heard at all. If there is no core set of symptoms that can accurately predict when someone has been abused, then clinicians face a formidable task if they wish to ascertain whether a patient might have a repressed memory of abuse. This is a different problem from determining how best to treat someone who has known from the beginning that he or she was abused, where the malleability of memory may be a nonissue.
Price instability and inflation: Some tests based on rational expectations models

Abstract We test for a group of fourteen Latin American countries the hypothesis that as inflation accelerates, it also becomes more volatile. Our analysis uses time series data, a less arbitrary measure of inflation volatility, rational expectations models, and seemingly unrelated regressions. The empirical evidence supports the above hypothesis and strengthens the case against inflationary policies in Latin America.
The “least intrusive intervention” strategy for behavior change procedures: The use of public and private feedback in school classrooms

Many classroom behavior modification procedures have failed to be adopted by practicing classroom teachers because the procedures are overly intrusive into the regular classroom routine. A strategy for teachers and consultants which moves from less to more intrusive interventions is described and demonstrated with a case example. Private feedback was ineffective in reducing a child's inappropriate behavior, but the introduction of public feedback resulted in a decrease in inappropriate behavior to below the class average. Attitudinal measures of the teacher's evaluation of the child and his selfevaluation were related to the child's behavior during the public feedback procedure.
Three-dimensional preservation of foot movements in Triassic theropod dinosaurs

Dinosaur footprints have been used extensively as biostratigraphic markers, environmental indicators, measures of faunal diversity and evidence of group behaviour1,2,3,4,. Trackways have also been used to estimate locomotor posture, gait and speed6,7,8,9,10,11, but most prints, being shallow impressions of a foot's plantar surface, provide little evidence of the details of limb excursion. Here we describe Late Triassic trackways from East Greenland, made by theropods walking on substrates of different consistency and sinking to variable depths, that preserve three-dimensional records of foot movement. Triassic theropod prints share many features with those of ground-dwelling birds, but also demonstrate significant functional differences in position of the hallux (digit I), foot posture and hindlimb excursion.
Theory of Self-Phase Modulation and Spectral Broadening

Self-phase modulation refers to the phenomenon in which a laser beam propagating in a medium interacts with the medium and imposes a phase modulation on itself. It is one of those very fascinating effects discovered in the early days of nonlinear optics (Bloembergen and Lallemand, 1966; Brewer, 1967; Cheung et al., 1968; Lallemand, 1966; Jones and Stoicheff, 1964; Shimizu, 1967; Stoicheff, 1963). The physical origin of the phenomenon lies in the fact that the strong field of a laser beam is capable of inducing an appreciable intensity-dependent refractive index change in the medium. The medium then reacts back and inflicts a phase change on the incoming wave, resulting in self-phase modulation (SPM). Since a laser beam has a finite cross -section, and hence a transverse intensity profile, SPM on the beam should have a transverse spatial dependence, equivalent to a distortion of the wave front. Consequently, the beam will appear to have self-diffracted. Such a self-diffraction action, resulting from SPM in space, is responsible for the well-known nonlinear optical phenomena of self-focusing and self-defocusing (Marburger, 1975; Shen, 1975). It can give rise to a multiple ring structure in the diffracted beam if the SPM is sufficiently strong (Durbin et al., 1981; Santamato and Shen, 1984). In the case of a pulsed laser input, the temporal variation of the laser intensity leads to an SPM in time. Since the time derivative of the phase of a wave is simply the angular frequency of the wave, SPM also appears as a frequency modulation. Thus, the output beam appears with a self-induced spectral broadening (Cheung et al., 1968; Gustafson et al., 1969; Shimizu, 1967).
Can Surveillance Systems Identify and Avert Adverse Drug Events? A Prospective Evaluation of a Commercial Application

Abstract Objective Computerized monitors can effectively detect and potentially prevent adverse drug events (ADEs). Most monitors have been developed in large academic hospitals and are not readily usable in other settings. We assessed the ability of a commercial program to identify and prevent ADEs in a community hospital. Design and Measurement We prospectively evaluated the commercial application in a community-based hospital. We examined the frequency and types of alerts produced, how often they were associated with ADEs and potential ADEs, and the potential financial impact of monitoring for ADEs. Results Among 2,407 patients screened, the application generated 516 high priority alerts. We were able to review 266 alerts at the time they were generated and among these, 30 (11.3%) were considered substantially important to warrant contacting the physician caring for the patient. These 30 alerts were associated with 4 ADEs and 11 potential ADEs. In all 15 cases, the responsible physician was unaware of the event, leading to a change in clinical care in 14 cases. Overall, 23% of high priority alerts were associated with an ADE (95% confidence interval [CI] 12% to 34%) and another 15% were associated with a potential ADE (95% CI 6% to 24%). Active surveillance used approximately 1.5 hours of pharmacist time daily. Conclusions A commercially available, computer-based ADE detection tool was effective at identifying ADEs. When used as part of an active surveillance program, it can have an impact on preventing or ameliorating ADEs.
A neural network for breast cancer detection using fuzzy entropy approach

Proposes a novel texture analysis technique based on fuzzy cooccurrence matrix concept, and uses it to deal with early and accurate breast cancer diagnosis by analyzing the microscope-slide biopsy images. A newly proposed feature extraction algorithm is employed to extract the features from the digitized images, then the features are input to a multilayer back-propagation neural network to classify the images into three risk groups. Finally, a resultful comparison of breast cancer diagnosis between the conventional method and the proposed approach is conducted and the conclusion is reached that the proposed method is much superior to the existing methods. The proposed method may have wide applications in the areas of pattern recognition and image processing.
Indexing XML data stored in a relational database

As XML usage grows for both data-centric and document-centric applications, introducing native support for XML data in relational databases brings significant benefits. It provides a more mature platform for the XML data model and serves as the basis for interoperability between relational and XML data. Whereas query processing on XML data shredded into one or more relational tables is well understood, it provides limited support for the XML data model. XML data can be persisted as a byte sequence (BLOB) in columns of tables to support the XML model more faithfully. This introduces new challenges for query processing such as the ability to index the XML blob for good query performance. This paper reports novel techniques for indexing XML data in the upcoming version of Microsoft® SQL ServerTM, and how it ties into the relational framework for query processing.
The Open Source Software Paradigm

A lot misinformation and mystery surrounds the topic of Open Source software. The conceptual misunderstanding of software is fostered, in some respects, by a lack of understanding within the professional ranks of the computer field. There are many different views of Open Source software today, based upon ones perspective. After about 20 years of evolution, the position of Open Source in our economy still has not coalesced. Few seems to understand whether Open Source is free software for running a computer (i.e., Linux) or just a way to obtain some software products without giving Microsoft ones money. “There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world and that is an idea whose time has come” - Victor Hugo any view Open Source (OS) software as just a free alternative to proprietary software. The term does not mean that there is no cost associated with its procurement, although some vendors do provide free versions. The word “free” usually means the freedom to copy, modify, or distribute the software. One must be very careful when applying this broad, general meaning to Open Source software. There are many different Open Source licenses in use and it is imperative that users acquaint themselves with the legal ramifications of dealing with intellectual property rights. ` Open Source software should be viewed as a viable alternative in many software selection processes. Recently, the news has portrayed the report of India's Kerala state moving to Linux and OpenOffice for its 2,724 high schools. Likewise, OpenOffice is replacing Microsoft Office in many schools districts around the US. With tight school budgets, school superintendents are realizing significant cost savings by using the OpenOffice products for their campuses. Products such as OpenOffice may not be 100% compatible with their current proprietary counterpart, but for many applications, compatibility is not the issue. The price and the software license management of proprietary packages may be overwhelming.
Biodegradation of Cyanuric Acid

Cyanuric acid biodegrades readily under a wide variety of natural conditions, and particularly well in systems of either low or zero dissolved-oxygen level, such as anaerobic activated sludge and sewage, soils, muds, and muddy streams and river waters, as well as ordinary aerated activated sludge systems with typically low (1 to 3 ppm) dissolved-oxygen levels. Degradation also proceeds in 3.5% sodium chloride solution. Consequently, there are degradation pathways widely available for breaking down cyanuric acid discharged in domestic effluents. The overall degradation reaction is merely a hydrolysis; CO2 and ammonia are the initial hydrolytic breakdown products. Since no net oxidation occurs during this breakdown, biodegradation of cyanuric acid exerts no primary biological oxygen demand. However, eventual nitrification of the ammonia released will exert its usual biological oxygen demand.
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates: global efforts in graduate medical education

In addition to its certification programme, which assesses the readiness of foreign medical graduates to enter graduate medical education programmes in the USA, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) is involved in a number of other programmes in international medical education. These include: (1) continuing to provide sponsorship for exchange visitors in graduate medical education programmes in the USA; (2) the development of a clinical skills assessment that is currently being introduced in pilot projects in the USA and abroad and will eventually become a component of the ECFMG certification process; (3) funding and administration of two fellowship programmes that provide foreign scholars (clinicians and basic scientists) with the opportunity to spend up to one year in a US medical school; (4) collaboration with the World Health Organization on the upcoming revised edition of the World Directory of Medical Schools; and (5) co-sponsorship, with the World Health Organization, of a consultation on quality medical education oriented towards attaining a global consensus on the definition and the elements of quality in medical education and on the most appropriate ways to evaluate quality.
The filamentous fungal gene expression database (FFGED)

Filamentous fungal gene expression assays provide essential information for understanding systemic cellular regulation. To aid research on fungal gene expression, we constructed a novel, comprehensive, free database, the filamentous fungal gene expression database (FFGED), available at http://bioinfo.townsend.yale.edu. FFGED features user-friendly management of gene expression data, which are assorted into experimental metadata, experimental design, raw data, normalized details, and analysis results. Data may be submitted in the process of an experiment, and any user can submit multiple experiments, thus classifying the FFGED as an "active experiment" database. Most importantly, FFGED functions as a collective and collaborative platform, by connecting each experiment with similar related experiments made public by other users, maximizing data sharing among different users, and correlating diverse gene expression levels under multiple experimental designs within different experiments. A clear and efficient web interface is provided with enhancement by AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) and through a collection of tools to effectively facilitate data submission, sharing, retrieval and visualization.
NPAS3 is a trachealess homolog critical for lung development and homeostasis.

Trachealess (Trh) is a PAS domain transcription factor regulating Drosophila tracheogenesis. No other Trh homolog has been associated with a respiratory phenotype. Seeking homolog(s) regulating lung development, we screened murine genomic DNA using trh oligonucleotides, identifying only Npas3. Npas3 mRNA peaks in lung from E10.5 to E13.5, verified by sequencing, with immunostaining in airway epithelial cells. Npas3-null mice have reduced lung branching morphogenesis but are viable prenatally. Npas3-null newborns die in respiratory distress, with diminished alveolarization, decreased Shh, Fgf9, Fgf10, and Bmp4 mRNAs, and increased Spry2, consistent with reduced FGF signaling. Exogenous FGF10 rescues branching morphogenesis in Npas3-null lungs. In promoter reporter assays, NPAS3 directly upregulates Shh and represses Spry2. Npas3+/− mice have a milder lung phenotype, surviving postnatally, but develop emphysema. Therefore, absence of a developmentally expressed transcription factor can alter downstream gene expression and multiple signaling pathways in organogenesis. NPAS3 haploinsufficiency may also lead to emphysema.
What works in foster care?: Key components of success from the Northwest Foster Case Alumni Study, by Peter J. Pecora et al.

Pecora, Peter J., et al. (2010). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 311 pp., $55.00 (hardcover), ISBN: 978019517591. The American foster care system has become an enduring feature in the lives ...
Family assets, postsecondary education, and students with disabilities: Building on progress and overcoming challenges

Abstract Students with disabilities are increasingly enrolling and participating in two-year, four-year, and other institutions of higher education. Federal policies and initiatives addressing the educational needs of students and adults with disabilities provided impetus for these increases. For example, mandates within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2004) have resulted in K-12 public schools increasingly preparing students for postsecondary education. Nonetheless, students with disabilities continue to face financial challenges as well as low educational expectations in their pursuit of postsecondary education. Family assets may provide a framework for addressing these challenges and provide specific implications for policy as well as educational practice.
Acupuncture for the treatment of obesity: a review of the evidence

Although acupuncture is being utilized to treat a variety of important health problems, its usefulness in obesity management has not yet been fully evaluated. The aim of this review paper was to survey and critically evaluate the descriptive and controlled trials of acupuncture for enhancing weight loss. The underlying principles of acupoint stimulation are described, with an emphasis on auricular (ear) acupuncture, the method most often chosen for obesity studies. The difficulties of selecting suitable placebo controls are highlighted. To date, most trials have been descriptive in nature, of short duration (< or = 12 weeks), and designed using nonstandard treatment protocols. Despite the unique challenges involved, further careful study of acupuncture's potential usefulness as an adjunct in weight management is recommended. An agenda for future research in this area is provided.
Internet pornography exposure and risky sexual behavior among adult males in the United States

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to pose a threat to the public health in the United States. Many sexual behaviors increase an individual's risk of STI contraction. Chief among these are having unprotected sex, having sex with multiple partners, and either paying for sex or having sex for pay. The present study used General Social Survey (GSS) data from 2000, 2002, and 2004 to explore the association between exposure to internet pornography and these STI risk behaviors among adult US males. After controlling for demographic and individual difference covariates, internet pornography consumption was positively associated with having sex with multiple partners, engaging in paid sex, and having had extramarital sex. Internet pornography consumption was unrelated to having unprotected sex. Subsequent GSSs have not asked participants about exposure to internet pornography. As the GSS is the only ongoing, full-probability, national survey assessing social beliefs and behaviors, the present report provides unique insight into the risky sexual behavior patterns of adult male internet pornography consumers in the United States.
Gelfand theory of certainC*-algebras on nonasymptotically flat manifolds

Let Ω be a Riemannian manifold with finitely many conical ends. Under certain conditions which do not require Ω to be asymptotically flat, we study aC*-algebra containing pseudodifferential operators on Ω. Results on compact commutators and the Gelfand space are presented. Criteria for differential operators or systems within reach to be Fredholm are just simple consequences of Atkinson's theorem and our results.
Cardiovascular, Humoral, and Renal Effects of Phenoxybenzamine in Hypertension

We examined the effects of alpha adrenergic receptor blockade with phenoxybenzamine on various parameters related to blood pressure regulation in 10 normotensive and 12 essential hypertensive subjects. The responses were observed before and after phenoxybenzamine treatment during standardized maneuvers of volume expansion with saline infusion and volume contraction with a diuretic. Alpha adrenergic blockade produced a significantly greater (P less than 0.02) reduction in blood pressure in the hypertensive group than in the normotensive subjects. The baroreceptor response, evaluated by comparing the change in plasma norepinephrine concentration in relation to the change in blood pressure, was significantly reduced (P less than 0.05) in hypertensives compared to normal subjects. Plasma and urinary norepinephrine concentration, which were similar in the two groups, increased in both during phenoxybenzamine treatment. There was no significant change in the mean levels of plasma renin activity or plasma aldosterone concentration in either group after phenoxybenzamine treatment. However, the relationship between plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone levels, as judged by linear regression analysis, was significantly altered (P less than 0.05) by phenoxybenzamine therapy in both groups. The latter may reflect an effect of phenoxybenzamine on the metabolism or secretion of aldosterone. These results, utilizing an alpha adrenergic antagonist, confirm the enhanced vascular reactivity and diminished baroreceptor function in essential hypertension; no evidence for an alpha adrenergic effect on plasma renin activity could be demonstrated in normotensive or hypertensive subjects.
Effects of Cardiac Sympathetic Nerve Stimulation on Conduction in the Heart

The influence of cardiac sympathetic nerve stimulation on certain aspects of ventricular excitation was examined in dogs at constant heart rate. Bipolar electrodes were used to record electrical activity from atrium, His bundle, right Purkinje papillary muscle junction, basal interventricular septum and the epicardial surface of the ventricles. Stimulation of the left stellate ganglion reduced markedly the A-V nodal delay, but produced little or no change of conduction velocity in the Purkinje system or in the pattern of epicardial depolarization. Conduction in muscle was enhanced slightly by stellate stimulation and appears to account for the observed decrease of 2 to 3 msec in ventricular activation time. These data indicate that cardiac sympathetic nerve stimulation does not result in major changes in the sequence of ventricular excitation.
Approximation of the solution of a fourth order boundary value problem with nonsmooth coefficient

A class of generalized finite element methods for the approximate solution of fourth order two point boundary value problem with nonsmooth coefficient is presented. The methods are based on the use of problem dependentL-splines incorporating the nonsmoothness of the coefficient. Stability is proved and optimal error estimates in theH 2 norm are derived for the solution and postprocessed solution, under the assumption that the coefficient is of bounded variation. The relation of these methods to mixed methods is discussed.
Multiple imputation of missing fMRI data in whole brain analysis

Whole brain fMRI analyses rarely include the entire brain because of missing data that result from data acquisition limits and susceptibility artifact, in particular. This missing data problem is typically addressed by omitting voxels from analysis, which may exclude brain regions that are of theoretical interest and increase the potential for Type II error at cortical boundaries or Type I error when spatial thresholds are used to establish significance. Imputation could significantly expand statistical map coverage, increase power, and enhance interpretations of fMRI results. We examined multiple imputation for group level analyses of missing fMRI data using methods that leverage the spatial information in fMRI datasets for both real and simulated data. Available case analysis, neighbor replacement, and regression based imputation approaches were compared in a general linear model framework to determine the extent to which these methods quantitatively (effect size) and qualitatively (spatial coverage) increased the sensitivity of group analyses. In both real and simulated data analysis, multiple imputation provided 1) variance that was most similar to estimates for voxels with no missing data, 2) fewer false positive errors in comparison to mean replacement, and 3) fewer false negative errors in comparison to available case analysis. Compared to the standard analysis approach of omitting voxels with missing data, imputation methods increased brain coverage in this study by 35% (from 33,323 to 45,071 voxels). In addition, multiple imputation increased the size of significant clusters by 58% and number of significant clusters across statistical thresholds, compared to the standard voxel omission approach. While neighbor replacement produced similar results, we recommend multiple imputation because it uses an informed sampling distribution to deal with missing data across subjects that can include neighbor values and other predictors. Multiple imputation is anticipated to be particularly useful for 1) large fMRI data sets with inconsistent missing voxels across subjects and 2) addressing the problem of increased artifact at ultra-high field, which significantly limit the extent of whole brain coverage and interpretations of results.
Endometrial Indian hedgehog expression is decreased in women with endometriosis

Nuclear and cytoplasmic endometrial expression of Indian hedgehog increased from the late proliferative to mid and late secretory phases in 26 healthy volunteers compared with 30 women with endometriosis. The abnormal expression of Indian hedgehog protein in women with endometriosis suggests a resistance to P action.
Coping and the Stress-Induced Potentiation of Stimulant Stereotypy in the Rat

It has been shown that stressed rats display increased stereotypy in response to a subsequent amphetamine challenge. Evidence is presented showing that stress potentiates cocaine stereotypy as well. These effects of stress were found to be particular to stress that could not be controlled in that rats receiving an identical amount of stress from footshock, but allowed to control its duration, displayed no more stereotypy than did nonstressed rats. These findings have implications for the role of stress and coping in amphetamine and cocaine psychoses, endogenous psychoses, and some forms of schizophrenia.
Noninvasive spleen scanning in Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Abstract Spleens of fifty previously untreated lymphoma patients were examined by computerized tomography, ultrasonography and radionuclide spleen scans. Proof of diagnosis was obtained from pathological specimens. CT was the most useful and reliable test, thus warranting its use as initial procedure of choice for evaluation of spleen and splenic hilar lymph nodes. Nuclear spleen scans supplied unique additional information in selected instances. The role of ultrasound as secondary modality requires further investigation.
Stress-ING Out: Phosphoinositides Mediate the Cellular Stress Response

Phosphoinositides regulate numerous cellular processes required for growth, proliferation, and motility. Whereas phosphoinositide signal transduction pathways within the cytosol have been well characterized, nuclear signaling pathways remain poorly understood. Accumulating experimental data have now started to uncover critical functions for nuclear phosphoinositides. In particular, phosphoinositides modulate the activity of the tumor suppressor protein ING2 in response to extracellular stress. These findings highlight a previously uncharacterized function for phosphoinositides and implicate their metabolism in signaling pathways critical for cell survival.
Exogenous arachidonic acid is not converted to prostaglandin E2 by the lamb ductus arteriosus

Prostaglandin (PG) E2 regulates the patency of the ductus arteriosus (DA) in the fetus and preterm neonate. Numerous investigators have used exogenous arachidonic acid (aa), a precursor of PG synthesis, to study the biological effects of endogenous PG production. We have shown that 0.2 μg/m1 aa relaxes isometrically-constricted rings of lamb DA in vitro. Since inhibitors of PGE2 production block this relaxation, we postulated that the conversion of exogenous aa to PGE2 causes the relaxation of the DA. To test this hypothesis, we incubated rings of DA from 8 fetal lambs in buffer containing 0.2 μg/ml aa: 47±25 pg immunoreactive PGE2/mg wet weight/90 min incubation (±SEM, n=8) was measured. This is consistent with the above hypothesis. To see if the measured PGE2 is formed from the exogenous aa added to the incubation media or from the endogenous aa pools within the tissue, we incubated another group of rings in buffer containing 14C-labeled aa. We measured the conversion of 14C-aa to PGE2 and tissue phospholipids by radiochromatographic analysis. Only 0.048±0.019 pg radiolabeled PGE2/mg wet weight/90 min incubation (±SEM, n=9) was measured. Thus, only 0.1% of the PGE2 produced when aa is added to rings of DA is formed from the added aa. Although PGE2 mediates the relaxation caused by exogenous aa, the exogenous aa is not converted to PGE2. Rather, exogenous aa appears to be a potent stimulator of phospholipid breakdown in the DA; the subsequent endogenous aa released is the actual source of the PGE2 produced.
Water Quality Variation and Clam Growth: Is pH Really a Non-issue in Estuaries?

A tandem deployment system was used to critically evaluate relationships between important water chemistry parameters (pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen) and biotic performance based on clam growth. The effects of environmental conditions on growth of juvenile clams,Mercenaria mercenaria, were determined after 7-day field deployments in cages at reference sites from 1998 to 2000. Continuous measurements of the overlying water chemistry parameters were monitored by deploying an in situ water quality instrument (Hydrolab Datasonde) at the same time. While salinity was identified as an important determinant of clam growth over wide salinity ranges (10–35‰), pH was also found to be a very important parameter, especially in low-salinity regimes (<25‰). Average pH measurements ranged from 7.2 to 7.8; minimal pHs ranged from 6.9 to 7.6. The results indicated that when average pH levels fell below 7.5 or minimum pH levels fell below 7.2, growth rates were <50% that of clams deployed under higher pH conditions. Estuarine systems are generally perceived as being well-buffered so pH is frequently assumed to be unimportant, but our results suggest that pH levels can decline in estuarine systems to levels that can adversely affect biological responses. The potential impacts on biological resources of even moderate decreases in pH, particularly in systems that naturally tend to have lower pH conditions, may be more important than previously realized.
Energy straggling eliminated as a limitation to charge resolution of transmission detectors

It is pointed out that detectors of the energy loss of penetrating charged particles are widely used for particle identification. These measurements are hampered, however, by fluctuations in the amount of energy deposited within the detector. It is shown that this limitation can be overcome with a new nuclear track detector, CR-39(DOP), and that the charge resolution of this detector exceeds that of any other, including semiconductor diodes.
Shots for Tots: Louisiana's Infant Immunization Initiative

purpose. To describe the “Shots for Tots” immunization initiative, a community-based approach to overcoming barriers to timely immunizations population. Children in southwest Louisiana, ages 1 month to 5 years, requiring immunizations conclusions. The “Shots for Tots” immunization initiative has been successful in improving immunization rates. practice implications. With the increase in community-based practice and the resurgence of many vaccine-preventable diseases, this program can serve as an example to pediatric nurses involved in prevention and primary care in their efforts to improve immunization rates.
d’Alembert’s and Wilson’s equations on Lie groups

Let G be a connected nilpotent Lie Group. We show that the solutions of the short and the long version of d’Alembert’s equation on G have the same form as on abelian groups. Furthermore we show that any solution of Wilson’s equation $$ f(xy) + f(xy^{-1}) = 2f(x)g(y) $$ in the case g ≠ 1 has the form $$ f = A(m + \check{m})/2 + B(m-\check{m})/2 $$ and $$ g = (m + \check{m})/2 $$ where $$ m : G \rightarrow {\mathbb C}^* $$ is a homomorphism and A and B are complex constants. Finally we solve Jensen’s equation $$ f(xy) + f(xy^{-1}) = 2f(x) $$ on a semidirect product of two abelian groups.
SU‐FF‐T‐380: Dose Mass Histogram and Its Application for 4D Treatment Planning

Purpose: In evaluating dose distributions of lung treated during respiration, dose volume histogram (DVH) may not be an appropriate term because of variable lung volume with respiration. The purposes of this work are to investigated the use of dose mass histogram (DMH) for lung and assess the differences between DVH and DMH for conventional and 4D treatment planning. Method and Materials: DMH was calculated based on a similar concept of DVH excepted mass of each voxel, which was calculated from CT number to density conversion, was used in tallying dose distributions. For conventional treatment planning, DVHs and DMHs of normal lung (excluding GTV) were calculated and compared for 51 lung cancer cases and 52 esophagus cancer cases. For 4D treatment planning, ten lung cancer cases were analyzed, each of which had 4DCT scans of full lung and optimal CT image quality. Total normal lung was delineated on CT images of all respiratory phases using auto-thresholding with a single CT number. Dose distributions were computed on all respiratory phases with DVH and DMH being calculated for the lung. Results: For conventional plans, difference between DMH and DVH existed for cases with highly inhomogenuous lung tissues. For a majority of cases, such differences were small and may not be clinically significant. For 4D treatment planning, lung volume changed on average by 16.3% between inspiration and expiration. As expected, variation of lung mass was much smaller, only by about 6.6% as assessed from the 4DCT. The change of lung DMH with breathing was often different from that of lung DVH, indicating that deformation of lung mass followed different patterns than that of the lung volume during breathing. Conclusion: DMH may be more relevant than DVH considering varying alveolar-cell density in lung and conservation of lung mass in 4D treatment planning.
ethnic conflict in the world today

A somber reality and disillusionment of our epoch, which emerged from the ashes of the Second World War, is that although there have been successes in the push toward development and modernization, eradication of disease and the spread of literacy, economic and political development programs have generated and stimulated, whether by collusion or in reaction, in good faith and poor anticipation, massive civil war and gruesome interracial and inter-ethnic bloodshed. The same epoch has witnessed the rise of repressive authoritarianism in both military and democratic guises, fortified by Western weaponry, and inflamed by populist slogans and fundamentalist doctrines, and assisted by a flagrant manipulation of mass media which have vastly expanded their reach. The optimism of sociologists, political scientists and anthropologists who naively foretold the impending onset of the "integrative revolution" and inevitable decline of "primordial loyalties" such as kinship, caste and ethnicity in third world countries, has by now waned and dimmed with disenchantment. The introduction of constitutions and democratic institutions, enshrining human rights, universal franchise, the party system, elected legislature, majority rule and so on, has often resulted in strange malformations that are far removed from the goals of liberty, justice, tolerance, and freedom that were the ideological supports of Western European and North American "liberal-democratic" syntheses. Something has gone gravely awry with the center-periphery relations throughout the world, and a manifestation of this malaise is the occurrence of widespread ethnic conflict accompanied in many instances by collective violence amongst people who are not aliens but enemies intimately known. My book, Sri Lanka: Ethnic Fratricide and the Dismantling of Democracy (1986), attempted to grapple with this problem in my own country. In this essay I hope to address some general issues.' Ethnic identity above all is a collective identity: we are self-proclaimed Sinhalese, Malays, Ibos, Thais and so on. It is a self-conscious and vocalized identity that substantializes and naturalizes one or more attributes-the usual ones being skin color, language, religion, territorial occupation-and attaches them to collectivities as their innate possession and their mythohistorical legacy. The central components in this description of identity are ideas of inheritance, ancestry and descent, place or territory of origin, and the sharing of kinship, any one or combination of which may be invoked as a claim according to context and calculation of advantages. These ethnic collectivities are believed to be bounded and to be self-producing and enduring through time. Although the actors themselves, invoking these claims, speak as if ethnic boundaries are clear-cut and defined for all time, and think of ethnic collectivities as self-reproducing bounded groups, it is also clear that from a dynamic and processual perspective there are many precedents for "passing" and the change of identity, for incorporations and assimilations of new
Immunobiology of human vascular endothelium.

The author's laboratory studies interactions between human T lymphocytes and vascular endothelial cells (EC). Our work is organized around three hypotheses. First, we propose that vascular EC can initiate secondary (i.e., recall) immune reactions by presenting antigenic peptide-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) complexes to those circulating memory T cells whose cognate antigen is locally present within a peripheral tissue, e.g., as a consequence of infection or allogeneic transplantation. In this way, EC can increase the efficiency of immune surveillance. Second, we propose that T cell signals, both secreted (e.g., cytokines) and contact-dependent (e.g., CD40 ligand), activate new gene expression in EC that induce the capacity to perform new effector functions, such as leukocyte recruitment and activation or initiation of intravascular coagulation. In this way, EC can participate as effector cells for cell-mediated immune reactions. Third, we propose that EC are major targets of immune-mediated injury. Consequently, increasing resistance of endothelium to immune effector mechanisms may protect tissues from damage, e.g., in allograft rejection. These three hypotheses are explored through in vitro experiments, through analyses of human tissue specimens, and through in vivo studies employing novel human-mouse chimeric animals.
A Struggle for Certainty — Protecting the Vulnerable

A pediatrician who assesses children for possible abuse constantly grapples with uncertainty as she weighs the evidence to differentiate inflicted and accidental injury, refusing to let the gravity of her decisions or her emotions sabotage her actions.
El Niño–Southern Oscillation variability persisted in a warmer world

[1] Changes in the distribution of sea surface temperature associated with the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cause significant changes in weather. In the past 40 years it has been observed that the frequency and intensity of El Nino events have been increasing. Scientists would like to know what will happen to ENSO variability as the world's climate warms. To find out, some have looked to the mid-Piacenzian Warm Period (mPWP), a period about 3.26–3.03 million years ago that was approximately 3°C warmer than the present day and that may be analogous to what can be expected in the future if climate continues to warm. Some studies have suggested that during the mPWP, there was actually no ENSO variability but rather a permanent El Nino state. To learn more about ENSO variability during the mPWP, Scroxton et al. analyzed the isotopic composition of planktonic foraminifera from the eastern equatorial Pacific, as well as ENSO simulations conducted with a coupled ocean-atmosphere climate model. Their proxy and model data suggest that interannual ENSO variability did persist during the mPWP, with a mean state similar to a modern El Nino event. Furthermore, they found that during the mPWP, ENSO events may have been more regular and more intense. (Paleoceanography, doi:10.1029/2010PA002097, 2011)