cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pseudotumor cerebri as a cardinal sign of the polyangiitis overlap syndrome

Pseudotumor cerebri is usually thought of as an idiopathic disorder of obese young women. A variety of systemic illnesses have been described as having pseudotumor cerebri as an associated condition. This syndrome has been infrequently reported as a primary feature of central nervous system involvement by vasculitides or collagen vascular disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus. The authors report a nine-year-old child who presented with pseudotumor cerebri as a major sign of systemic vasculitis. Although a vasculitis was suspected and high dose gluco-corticosteroids administered, it was only after a sudden fatal pulmonary hemorrhage that the postmortem examination revealed the overwhelming nature of the vasculitis, consistent with the polyangiitis overlap syndrome. This is the first reported case of pseudotumor cerebri in association with the polyangiitis overlap syndrome. Familiarity with ocular signs of vasculitides may facilitate early diagnosis and specific treatment.
The effect of a teacher's presence on the classroom behavior of conduct-problem children.

Six institutionalized conduct-problem children performed in a classroom under three reinforcement conditions: (1 j noncontingent reinforcement; (2) reinforcement for being on task and (3) reinforcement for the accuracy and rate of their academic behavior. Within each of these conditions, the teacher was either present throughout the class session or absent for a portion of the session. In the teacher's absence, on task behavior was markedly reduced and disruption was markedly increased, regardless of the reinforcement condition in operation. In contrast, the teacher's absence had no effect on academic accuracy and had a major effect on academic rate only when reinforcement was delivered noncontingently. Furthermore, the extent to which the children became disruptive in the teacher's absence was reduced when reinforcement was contingent upon academic accuracy and rate, instead of being contingent upon being on task or delivered noncontingently. It is suggested that the reinforcement of academic behavior, rather than on-task behavior or classroom social behavior, not only will improve the latter behaviors as well, but possibly also make them less dependent upon the presence and continued surveillance of the teacher.
Material optimization for hard x-ray Fresnel zone plates

Fresnel zone plates have recently been used as the focusing optic for hard x-ray (5 - 11 keV) microscopy techniques. Fresnel zone plates used in the hard x-ray regime focus by constructive interference effects based on the phase modulation of the incident x-ray beam and have experimentally been shown to focus 20 - 30% of the incident photons to less than a one- micron focal spot. The materials of choice for these zone plates have been Al, Cu, Ni, and Au. The focus of this work is the theoretical optimization of the focusing efficiency of phase- modulating Fresnel zone plates in the hard x-ray regime by appropriate material selection. The optimal materials for three different energy ranges will be examined (1 - 5 keV, 5 - 20 keV, and > 20 keV) and a discussion of the selection criteria involved will be presented.
Supervised weekly rinsing with a 0.2% neutral NaF solution: results after 5 years.

The effect on caries prevalence of the permanent dentition was evaluated after 5 years of weekly rinsing (130 scheduled rinses) with a 0.2% neutral NaF solution. The program was conducted in the Three Village Central School District, New York, U.S.A. (F less than or equal to 0.1 part/10(6). First to sixth grade children who rinsed from 1 to 5 years respectively had a caries prevalence reduction of 45.3% (DMFT) and 47.4% (DMFS) compared to baseline scores of children who were examined before the rinsing program began. The highest caries reduction, 81.3%, was found on proximal surfaces. Two variables influenced the cariostatic benefits associated with fluoride rinsing. The younger that children entered the program and the longer that they rinsed, the greater were the accumulated benefits.
Strategies for adding the emerging PDC curriculum recommendations into CS courses

The new CS curricular recommendations call for a heightened emphasis on parallel and distributed computing (PDC), in response to the explosive growth of multicore processors and "cloud" distributed computing. How can an educator incorporate this urgent priority into undergraduate CS courses? This panel describes four approaches: exploring GPU architecture and programming in a Computer Organization course; incorporating shared memory parallelism into several core courses; adding the PDC notion of reduction to multiple CS courses; and inserting short PDC modules into many courses at multiple curricular levels. We will illustrate how these contrasting approaches all respond to PDC recommendations within the feasibility constraint of incrementally modifying individual courses.
Univariate Genetic Analysis of Oxygen Transport Regulation in Children: The Medical College of Virginia Twin Study

ABSTRACT: We investigated the relative contributions of genetic, individual environmental, and shared environmental effects on 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG) regulation in preadolescent children. In a population of 165 early pubescent boy and girl twin pairs (11.4 y old), of whom 63 were passive smokers, we asked: 1) Are there differences in the control of DPG levels between early pubertal boys and girls? 2) If present, are these differences influenced by exposure to passive cigarette smoke? Non-passive-smoking boys and girls had similar DPG levels. With exposure to passive smoke, DPG levels increased in boys (p = 0.02) but not in girls. Analysis of variance on DPG demonstrated a parental smoking effect (p = 0.008) and suggested an interactive effect between parental smoking and sex of the child (p = 0.08). Univariate genetic analyses suggested that genes operated at different magnitudes in boys (9%) and girls (39%) in explaining a significant portion of the variance in DPG. The magnitude of shared environmental influences was greater in boys (62%) than in girls (34%), whereas individual environmental effects were similar in boys (29%) and girls (26%). Early pubertal boys differ from girls in their regulation of DPG. Environmental stres-sors such as passive cigarette smoke may elicit different responses in males and females, even at an early age. The use of path analysis may provide important insights into the mechanisms and interactions of genetic and environmental effects that underly the childhood antecedents of atherosclerotic heart disease.
Convergence rates for Pade´-based iterative solutions of equations

Abstract Convergence rates for iterative solutions of equations are given when the iterates are Pade approximants. A new theorem for the univariate case is extended to the use of multivariate Pade approximants for systems of nonlinear equations.
SOLVENT EFFECTS ON REACTIONS OF HYDROXIDE AND OXIMATE IONS WITH PHOSPHORUS(V) ESTERS

Second-order rate constants of reactions of OH−, 2,3-butanedionemonooximate and 2-hydroxybenzaldoximate ions with aryl phosphate, phosphinate and thioarylphosphinate esters go through minima with decreasing water content of aqueous acetonitrile, tert-butyl alcohol and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. For reactions in H2O–MeCN the solvent effects are analyzed in terms of activity coefficients of the anionic nucleophiles and transition states. In the drier solvents partial desolvation of the nucleophiles increases rates. Nucleophilicities of several oximates and inorganic anions are compared in water. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The movement of the spinel-NiO interface in thin films

Abstract The effect of heat-treatment on precipitate morphology has been studied by transmission electron microscopy. In this study, a thin-film sample was prepared from bulk material in which spinel (NiFe2O4) particles had been precipitated within a NiO matrix. Individual precipitates were then characterized by dark-field imaging in the electron microscope between a series of annealing treatments. These coherent precipitates transform from dendrites, which have “arms” in the 〈001〉 directions bounded by {111} and {011} planes, to octahedra bounded by {111} planes. In addition, smaller precipitates have also been observed to shrink and even disappear between a series of anneals.
The influence of thiocarbonamides and certain other sulfur compounds on alloxan diabetes in rats.

SINCE it has been known that insulin has a high cystine content and that the integrity of the disulfide linkage is essential for its physiological action, the relationship of sulfhydryl-disulfide systems to carbohydrate metabolism and diabetes mellitus has been the subject of speculation. Interest in this problem increased when it was reported that alloxan diabetes in rats could be prevented by the injection of large amounts of glutathione or cysteine intravenously very shortly prior to the intravenous administration of ordinarily diabetogenic doses of alloxan (Lazarow, 1946a). 2, 3-dimercaptopropanol (BAL) orally or parenterally also protected rats against alloxan (Chesler and Tislow, 1947). More recently, Houssay and his associates observed that the oral administration to rats of cysteine, thiouracil, and 5-methylthiouracil for twelve to thirty days also protected them from the effects of alloxan subsequently injected (1948a), and prevented the onset of diabetes in a significant proportion of partially ...
Stress and the Adolescent Brain

During adolescence the brain shows remarkable changes in both structure and function. The plasticity exhibited by the brain during this pubertal period may make individuals more vulnerable to perturbations, such as stress. Although much is known about how exposure to stress and stress hormones during perinatal development and adulthood affect the structure and function of the brain, relatively little is known about how the pubertal brain responds to stress. Furthermore, it is not clear whether stressors experienced during adolescence lead to altered physiological and behavioral potentials in adulthood, as has been shown for perinatal development. The purpose of this review is to present what is currently known about the pubertal maturation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the neuroendocrine axis that mediates the stress response, and discuss what is currently known about how stressors affect the adolescent brain. Our dearth of knowledge regarding the effects of stress on the pubertal brain will be discussed in the context of our accumulating knowledge regarding stress-induced neuronal remodeling in the adult. Finally, as the adolescent brain is capable of such profound plasticity during this developmental stage, we will also explore the possibility of adolescence as a period of interventions and opportunities to mitigate negative consequences from earlier developmental insults.
Corn stalk response to plant population and the bt-european corn borer trait

Current research indicates that plant populations should increase above the current Wisconsin recommendation of 74100 plants ha 21 for higher corn (Zea mays L.) grain yields. However, stalk lodging is a major constraint to increasing plant populations. One option growers have is using Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) hybrids, which are known to lodge less. A new method for assessing stalk lodging risk is needed. The objectives of this study were to (i) assess rind strength of corn hybrids with or without the Bt trait to increasing plant populations at natural levels of European Corn Borer (ECB, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner)), and (ii) determine the potential of rind strength measure- ments for predicting stalk lodging. In 2003 and 2004, rind penetrom- eter resistance (RPR) was used to measure rind strength for four Bt and five non-Bt hybrids with plant populations ranging from 64220 to 123500 plants ha 21 at 10 locations in Wisconsin. Stalk lodging increased from 6 to 18% as plant population increased, and only at one location, Arlington, did Bt hybrids lodge significantly less (20 vs. 42%) than non-Bt hybrids. The RPR of both Bt and non-Bt hybrids decreased from 3.9 to 3.7 load-kg plant 21 with increasing plant population. Plants with rind strength measurements , 3.9 load-kg plant 21 taken at physiological maturity showed more lodging. Thus, such measurements appear to be a good indicator of stalk lodging potential in a high plant population situation. This new method has potential to help growers prepare for grain harvest by identifying fields with plants having average RPR below a 3.9 load-kg plant 21 thresh- old, and adjusting harvest schedules of suspect fields earlier to avoid yield losses caused by stalk lodging. Further research using more hybrids across a range of environmental conditions and plant popu- lations will be necessary to fully understand the importance of this tool and its potential importance in understanding and identifying high lodging potential environments.
Medical students who decompress during the M-1 year outperform those who fail and repeat it: A study of M-1 students at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign 1988–2000

All medical schools must counsel poor-performing students, address their problems and assist them in developing into competent physicians. The objective of this study was to determine whether students with academic deficiencies in their M-1 year graduate more often, spend less time to complete the curriculum, and need fewer attempts at passing USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 by entering the Decompressed Program prior to failure of the M-1 year than those students who fail the M-1 year and then repeat it. The authors reviewed the performance of M-1 students in the Decompressed Program and compared their outcomes to M-1 students who failed and fully repeated the M-1 year. To compare the groups upon admission, t-Tests comparing the Cognitive Index of students and MCAT scores from both groups were performed. Performance of the two groups after matriculation was also analyzed. Decompressed students were 2.1 times more likely to graduate. Decompressed students were 2.5 times more likely to pass USMLE Step 1 on the first attempt than the repeat students. In addition, 46% of those in the decompressed group completed the program in five years compared to 18% of the repeat group. Medical students who decompress their M-1 year prior to M-1 year failure outperform those who fail their first year and then repeat it. These findings indicate the need for careful monitoring of M-1 student performance and early intervention and counseling of struggling students.
Dynamic Evaluation Of The Multimedia Interface In Computer Supported Learning

As information technology applications become widespread in education, new innovations in computer systems and communication technologies stimulate changes in students’ visual preferences. In a university environment each new cohort of students is more comfortable in the digital world, expecting that new technology will enhance teaching and learning. This study analyzes changes in perception on graphic user interfaces in a four-year period both by college students and instructors; the surveys were used to compare different formats of e-learning presentations designed accordingly to student preferences and curriculum requirements. Using factor analysis the principal characteristics of preferred multimedia interface in 2006 are compared with interface preferences four years earlier.
A cognitive model for assessing depression and providing nursing interventions in cardiac intensive care.

Depression is an emotion experienced by each individual at some point in his or her lifetime. For some, the feelings are temporary, such as when one feels momentarily let down. For others, the feelings are deeper and may last for longer periods of time. Deeper and longer lasting depression may occur when individuals are confronted by certain unfavourable types of life situations such as a major physiological loss. For a once healthy individual, the depression associated with a physiological loss has penetrated through the individual's prior coping process and defences. Depression is a particularly common problem in individuals with a medical illness ( Cavanaugh 1983 ). Heart disease is often experienced as a major loss for patients. Reports of depression in patients with coronary artery disease have ranged from 18% to 60% ( Clark 1990 ). A broad range of physical disorders are commonly associated with depression. Among the most prominent disorders is congestive heart failure ( Buckwalter & Babich 1990 ). For depressed congestive heart failure (CHF) patients, a critical care nurse needs to assess the factors contributing to depression and recognise behaviours reflective of depression to be able to make appropriate nursing diagnoses and devise a plan to manage the patient's depression. To help critical care nurses accomplish this goal, this article contains an examination of depression as it applies to CHF patients according to Beck's cognitive triad (Ulerman et al 1984).
Matching and recognition using deformable intensity surfaces

We describe a novel approach for matching and recognition, based on deformable intensity surfaces. In this approach, the intensity surface of the image is modeled as a deformable thin plate, and its strain energy while deforming to a new image is measured for recognition. Each surface point has 3 degrees of freedom, thus capturing fine surface changes. The method is validated for recognition and interactive search in a large-scale face database.
Effects of damping on the performance of resonant harmonic filters

The effectiveness of resonant harmonic filters (RHFs) in harmonic suppression is the resultant of two different types of resonance that affect the filters' effectiveness in an opposite manner. They are the resonance of the filter branches and the resonance of the entire filter with the distribution system inductance. Damping these resonances by reduction of the filter Q-factor affects the filter performance in a complex way. There are suggestions in the literature on RHFs that such a damping would improve the filter effectiveness. Unfortunately, no quantitative information to support such a suggestion is available. This paper presents the results from a study of the effect of the Q-factor on the filter effectiveness and on the loss of active power in the filter.
Systematic correlation of cardiac chamber size and ventricular performance determined with echocardiography and alterations in heart rate in normal persons

Abstract No systematic correlation is available regarding the effect of heart rate on cardiac size and performance in man. Thus echocardiograms were performed in 25 normal subjects at 10 beat increments of heart rate from 50 to 150 beats/min during atrial pacing. Blood pressure as obtained with sphygmomanometer did not change significantly during pacing (group mean systolic 125, diastolic 81 and mean 96 mm Hg). Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and end-systolic dimension decreased with increasing heart rate from a group mean of 4.8 and 3.0 cm, respectively, at a rate of 70/min to 3.0 and 2.3 cm at a rate of 150/min. The percent reduction in left ventricular dimensions was linear and was related to heart rate as end-diastolic dimension = −0.0027 heart rate + 1.26, r = 0.90 and end-systolic dimension = −0.0026 heart rate + 1.24, r = 0.72. Mean fiber shortening velocity increased with a greater heart rate from 1.09 at a rate of 70/min to 1.63 circumference/sec at a rate of 150 beats/min, and the percent increase was also linearly related to rate as velocity = 0.0047 heart rate + 0.56, r = 0.67. Echocardiographic shortening fraction did not change during pacing (mean 0.38). Interventricular septal and posterobasal wall thickness measured at end-diastole increased with accelerated pacing rates from 9.2 and 8.7 mm, respectively, at a rate of 70/min to 11.3 and 10.2 mm at a rate of 150/min. The percent increase in septal and posterobasal wall thickness was linearly related to rate as septal thickness = 0.0036 heart rate + 0.66, r = 0.82 and posterobasal thickness = 0.0027 heart rate + 0.75, r = 0.70, respectively. Left atrial dimension diminished with increased pacing rate to a rate of 120/min but reached a plateau at rates of greater than 120/min. These data indicate that cardiac size is significantly affected by alterations in heart rate. Although velocity of circumferential fiber shortening is augmented by accelerated heart rate, shortening fraction is not influenced by changes in heart rate. These data provide guidelines by which to account for alterations in heart rate in the measurement of echocardiographic variables of cardiac size and performance.
Increased risk of local recurrence is associated with allelic loss in normal lobules of breast cancer patients.

Allelic losses characteristic of tumor cells, when displayed by morphologically normal terminal ductal lobular units (TDLUs) adjacent to carcinoma [G. Deng et al. , Science (Wash. DC), 274: 2057–2059, 1996], may indicate an extended field of increased cancer susceptibility within the affected breast tissue. We investigated this possibility by asking whether the presence of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at chromosome 3p11–26 in histologically normal TDLUs ( 3pLOHn ) could lead to an increased risk of local tumor recurrence. We assessed LOHs in normal TDLUs adjacent to 48 informative cases of early-stage invasive breast cancer samples and found 3pLOHn in ∼25% (13 of 48) of patients whose tumors had 3pLOH in this region. Our analyses suggest that the most frequent region of LOH is localized at 3p24.3. We also demonstrate, using a Cox proportional hazards regression model, that the presence of 3pLOHn was the only variable significantly related to local tumor recurrence, leading to a 3.9–5.2-fold increase in the hazard ratio ( P < 0.05). The time to recurrence was longer in such cases than in those without 3pLOHn , suggesting de novo tumor development. These data provide a strong rationale to assess histologically normal breast tissue at the margins of surgically excised cancers for molecular predictors of local recurrence after breast-conserving treatment.
A monolithic 480 Mb/s parallel AGC/decision/clock-recovery circuit in 1.2 mu m CMOS

An approach to AGC (automatic gain control), decision, and clock-recovery functions in data communications receivers in which technology speed limitations are overcome by using parallel signal paths in the receiver in a specified manner is described. The concept is demonstrated with experimental results from a 480-Mb/s AGC/decision/clock-recovery block implemented using 1.2- mu m doubly-poly CMOS technology. In this experimental circuit, the ratio of data rate to effective device f/sub T/ is only about 1 to 5. Extrapolated to 0.8- or 1- mu m CMOS, the technique has potential for implementing the AGC/decision/clock-recovery part of receivers with rates in the range of 600 to 800 Mb/s in standard single-poly digital CMOS technology. >
Contributions of human hippocampal subfields to spatial and temporal pattern separation.

We sought to explore the roles of the hippocampal subregions and adjacent medial temporal lobe regions in pattern separation and any differential contributions based on sequential or spatial information. Young adults performed an incidental encoding task on a sequence of four objects presented on the screen in one of 8 locations while we collected high-resolution functional MRI brain scans. We employed 5 trials of interest: first presentations, exact repetitions, lures in which the same objects were repeated in different locations (spatial lures), lures in which the same objects were presented in a different sequential order (sequential lures), and lures in which both the spatial location and sequence were changed (both lures). We found no evidence for spatial or sequential specialization in the hippocampal subfields, consistent with the hypothesis that the dentate gyrus acts as a universal pattern separator. Likewise, we did not observe specialization for the perirhinal or parahippocampal cortices for spatial or sequential information, though both regions show evidence for associative processing in this task.
Bade/Ngizim vowels and syllable structure

Among the vowels of Bade and Ngizim, the short high vowels playa functional role different from the other vowels. Al­ though word final i and u are full-fledged phonemes (non­ predictable and contrastive), both the position of occurrence and the quality of the phonetic high vowels [i, a, uJ is pre­ dictable in medial position: the quality is determined by other segments in the environment; the position is determined by restrictions against certain groupings of consonants. Bade and Ngizim differ in one important respect in the placement of non-final short, high vowels, viz. through a change called PROTHESIS, original initial sequences of the type *ClaC2 ... (still realized as such in Ngizim) are now real­ ized as aC l C2 ... in Bade if Cl C2 is not an impermissible sequence. This is true for all words with no more than two consonants, though the situation is somewhat more complicated in longer words; tone of the .initial syllable is also seen to playa role. The permissible sequences of consonants, and as a consequence the environment for PROTHESIS, are discussed in the light of universal hierarchies of consonantal strength and principles of syllabification in conjunction with a restriction in Bade/Ngizim against two consonants occurring at a syllable margin.
Using mitral ‘annulus reversus’ to diagnose constrictive pericarditis

Aims To characterize mitral medial and lateral annular velocities in constrictive pericarditis or restrictive cardiomyopathy compared with normal subjects. Methods and results Tissue Doppler imaging peak systolic velocity (S′), peak early diastolic annular velocity (e′), and timing difference between mitral early flow and early annular movement were measured in 14 patients with constrictive pericarditis, 10 with restrictive cardiomyopathy, and 17 normal subjects using the apical four-chamber view lateral and medial mitral annulus. In controls, mitral lateral e′ velocity was 25% higher than medial e′ velocity (13.0 ± 3.1 vs. 10.7 ± 2.8 cm/s; P = 0.02), whereas with constrictive pericarditis, averaged lateral e′ velocity was 2% lower than medial e′ velocity (10.7 ± 2.5 vs. 11.2 ± 3.1 cm/s; P > 0.05). This relationship represented a reversal of lateral and medial e′ velocities compared with normal subjects ( P = 0.004). Differences in S′, E/e′, and timing intervals between normal subjects and patients with constrictive pericarditis were not statistically significant; however, restrictive cardiomyopathy could be distinguished from constrictive pericarditis and controls with all other parameters (S′, E/e′, medial and lateral e′ velocities, and timing interval differences; all P < 0.05). Conclusion Practical applications of tissue Doppler imaging for evaluation of possible constrictive pericarditis include reversal of the relationship between lateral and medial e′ velocities (i.e. ‘annulus reversus’).
The saturation of N cycling in Central Plains streams: 15N experiments across a broad gradient of nitrate concentrations

We conducted 15NO 3 − stable isotope tracer releases in nine streams with varied intensities and types of human impacts in the upstream watershed to measure nitrate (NO 3 − ) cycling dynamics. Mean ambient NO 3 − concentrations of the streams ranged from 0.9 to 21,000 μg l−1 NO 3 − –N. Major N-transforming processes, including uptake, nitrification, and denitrification, all increased approximately two to three orders of magnitude along the same gradient. Despite increases in transformation rates, the efficiency with which stream biota utilized available NO 3 − -decreased along the gradient of increasing NO 3 − . Observed functional relationships of biological N transformations (uptake and nitrification) with NO 3 − concentration did not support a 1st order model and did not show signs of Michaelis–Menten type saturation. The empirical relationship was best described by a Efficiency Loss model, in which log-transformed rates (uptake and nitrification) increase with log-transformed nitrate concentration with a slope less than one. Denitrification increased linearly across the gradient of NO 3 − concentrations, but only accounted for ∼1% of total NO 3 − uptake. On average, 20% of stream water NO 3 − was lost to denitrification per km, but the percentage removed in most streams was <5% km−1. Although the rate of cycling was greater in streams with larger NO 3 − concentrations, the relative proportion of NO 3 − retained per unit length of stream decreased as NO 3 − concentration increased. Due to the rapid rate of NO 3 − turnover, these streams have a great potential for short-term retention of N from the landscape, but the ability to remove N through denitrification is highly variable.
An Application of the Augmented Randomized Complete Block Design to Poultry Research

Avian health researchers are often faced with the need to evaluate large numbers of potential disease agents, but limited facilities and the desire to minimize animal usage and costs prohibit large, all-inclusive experiments. Plant breeders encounter a similar problem with variety screening experiments in which a large number of varieties must be evaluated, but the supply of seed may be limited. In that situation, the use of augmented experimental designs has proven effective for obtaining the replication needed for valid statistical analysis. Those designs rely on the use of multiple trials consisting of different sets of plant varieties; standard varieties are included as controls or checks in every trial to provide an estimate of experimental error. Although the comparisons among varieties are not all equally precise and the estimate of experimental error may be biased, use of augmented designs can reduce the time and number of experimental units needed to isolate the most promising new varieties for further in-depth study. Augmented designs can similarly be applied to screening experiments in poultry research. This paper describes the augmented randomized complete block design and its application in an avian health setting. Data collected in an exploratory study of infectious enteritis in chickens illustrate details of the statistical analysis. Suggestions for implementing this analysis using the SAS statistical analysis package are also given.
Development and applications of radioactive nanoparticles for imaging of biological systems.

Radioactive nanoparticles possess the ability to carry high payloads of radionuclides for noninvasive imaging of regions of interest inside the body. In this way, they can be used for nuclear imaging of systems such as normal physiology and disease states. Various methods have been developed to label nanoparticles using both radiometals and radiohalogens, for single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in laboratory animals. The use of imaging to develop radioactive nanoparticles with long circulation times and minimal reticuloendothelial uptakes led to the design of nanoparticle constructs for imaging animal models of chronic illnesses, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Further improvements in targeting were made by modifying these constructs with vectors having high affinity and specificity for diseased tissue. In addition, constructs containing more than one type of imaging material afforded nanoparticles with multimodal properties, such as those designed for nuclear, magnetic resonance, and/or optical detection. Given the close relationship between diagnosis and therapy, theranostic nanoparticles have also been developed both to deliver radiotherapy and monitor response by imaging. In this article, we review the use of radionuclides to label nanoparticles for development and applications involving noninvasive detection of normal and abnormal biological functions. WIREs Nanomed Nanobiotechnol 2014, 6:628–640. doi: 10.1002/wnan.1292 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Conflict of interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.
Blood concentration of catecholamines and their hemodynamic effects in man

Abstract 1. 1. By using the trihydroxyindole method to measure catecholamines in both control subjects and subjects with labile hypertension, no relationship could be demonstrated between changes in blood pressure, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance and catecholamines over a 10 minute period, from day to day, or following norepinephrine infusion. 2. 2. The explanation for this lack of correlation would appear to be largely a function of the multiple factors, in addition to the infusion rate, which determine the blood level of catecholamines, and possibly the lack of sensitivity of the method. 3. 3. A consistent hemodynamic effect could be demonstrated in response to norepinephrine infusion in both the control subjects and those with labile hypertension. Although the response was similar at the initial infusion rate, increasing the rate resulted in a fall in total peripheral resistance in the labile hypertensive subjects. The explanation for this appears to be the duration of infusion rather than the dose.
In situ microbial ecology for quantitative appraisal, monitoring, and risk assessment of pollution remediation in soils, the subsurface, the rhizosphere and in biofilms

Abstract Numerous studies have established a relationship between soil, sediment, surface biofilm and subsurface contaminant pollution and a marked impact on the in situ microbial community in both microcosms and in the field. The impact of pollution on the in situ microbial community can now be quantitatively measured by molecular `fingerprinting' using `signature' biomarkers. Such molecular fingerprinting methods can replace classical microbiological techniques that relied on isolation and subsequent growth of specific microbes from the in situ microbial community. Classical methods often revealed less than 1% of the extant microbial communities. Molecular fingerprinting provides a quantitative measure of the in situ viable microbial biomass, community composition, nutritional status, relative frequency of specific functional genes, nucleic acid polymers of specific microbes, and, in some cases, the community metabolic activity can be inferred. Current research is directed at establishing correlations between contaminant disappearance, diminution in toxicity, and the return of the viable biomass, community composition, nutritional status, gene patterns of the in situ microbial community towards that of the uncontaminated soil, sediment or subsurface material with the original uncontaminated microniche environments. Compared to the current reliance on disappearance of pollutants and associated potentially toxic products for detection of effective and quantitative bioremediation, assessment of the in situ microbial community will be an additional and possibly more convincing risk assessment tool. The living community tends to accumulate and replicate toxic insults through multiple interactions within the community, which may then effect viable biomass, community composition, nutritional status, community metabolic activities, and specific nucleic acid polymer patterns.
What Is Right? Ethics in Intellectual Disabilities Research

There are important benefits to including adults with intellectual disabilities in research. Calls for their increased partici- pation in research co-occur with notable discussion about how to conduct ethically strong research with adults with intellectual disabilities, a population widely considered vulnerable in the context of research. The authors systematically researched the peer- reviewed literature on ethical practices in research with adults with intellectual disabilities to identify and analyze conceptually and empirically supported ethical approaches to research in the area of research with adults with intellectual disabilities. They conducted a thematic analysis of the 37 articles that met inclusion criteria. They identified three overarching themes: (1) guiding frameworks and approaches; (2) strategies to promote accountability to ethics; and (3) making decisions about participation, including considerations for coercion, capacity to consent, surrogate decision-making, and promoting understanding. From the review, they noted diverse recommendations for ethical research practices, characterized by a lack of consensus, entrenched tensions in value orientations, and gaps in knowledge and practice. Attention to promising strands of scholarship that emphasize attention to strengths, autonomy, dignity of risk, and a contextually based framing of consent capacity may be particularly fruitful. Similarly, bringing to the forefront the role of accommodations in promoting participation, systematically studying diverse ethical aspects of research, and identifying and considering the perspectives of persons with intellectual disabilities may represent critical next steps. They suggest that research collaborations between academics and persons with intellectual disabilities present opportunities to further strengthen the ethical integrity of research in the field. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at http://youtu.be/5Oqx02Aw3xs.
Optimization of the safety and efficacy of interferon beta 1b and azathioprine combination therapy in multiple sclerosis

We conducted an open-label pilot clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of adding oral azathioprine to the treatment regimen of 15 multiple sclerosis patients breaking through monothera...
Chronic stressors and trauma: prospective influences on the course of bipolar disorder.

BackgroundExposure to life stress is known to adversely impact the course of bipolar disorder. Few studies have disentangled the effects of multiple types of stressors on the longitudinal course of bipolar I disorder. This study examines whether severity of chronic stressors and exposure to trauma are prospectively associated with course of illness among bipolar patients.MethodOne hundred and thirty-one participants diagnosed with bipolar I disorder were recruited through treatment centers, support groups and community advertisements. Severity of chronic stressors and exposure to trauma were assessed at study entry with in-person interviews using the Bedford College Life Event and Difficulty Schedule (LEDS). Course of illness was assessed by monthly interviews conducted over the course of 24 months (over 3000 assessments).ResultsTrauma exposure was related to more severe interpersonal chronic stressors. Multiple regression models provided evidence that severity of overall chronic stressors predicted depressive but not manic symptoms, accounting for 7.5% of explained variance.ConclusionsOverall chronic stressors seem to be an important determinant of depressive symptoms within bipolar disorder, highlighting the importance of studying multiple forms of life stress.
2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Privately-Held Companies Implementation Issues

Our research was designed to for two purposes: (1) if the provisions of SOX have merit on their own or whether it is just a mandate by legislators, and (2) to determine if privately-held companies currently not required to implement SOX have done so. In summary, the respondents, who were experienced financial executives with knowledge of SOX and other regulatory governance policies see SOX as an influential piece of legislation. They see some positive benefits to their organizations with implementation of some of the provisions of the act, such as better financing options, better credit opportunities, and opportunities to take the company public. Many of financial executives indicated their organizations are implementing provisions in areas where it cost effective as well making “good” business sense. For example, it is cost effective to implement a formal code of professional conduct for the executives and it does make good business sense. However they are not asking their CEOs or CFOs to certify the accuracy of financial statements nor to the internal control structure. Many of the financial managers indicated they are not implementing SOX on a full scale basis because of the cost, time, and that the lack of benefits derived from implementation.
Abstract W MP48: Post-stroke Administration of Exogenous Inter-alpha Inhibitor Proteins is Neuroprotective.

Background and Purpose: Current stroke therapies approved for human use are limited by time constraints and carry significant hemorrhagic risk. Down regulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, modulation of peripheral leukocyte infiltration and reduced microglial activation benefit the ischemic brain. A novel immunomodulator protein family extracted from human plasma (Inter-alpha Inhibitor Proteins - IAIP) has been developed that has desirable anti-inflammatory properties in addition to an advantageous long half-life (8-12 hours). Methods: C57BL/6 mice were subjected to transient focal ischemia by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 90 minutes. One cohort was given IAIP (30mg/kg) immediately at reperfusion (90 minutes after stroke). A second “delayed treatment” cohort was given IAIP 6 hours after stroke onset. Both cohorts were given a second dose 24 hours post-stroke. Motor and sensory deficits were assessed using the neurological deficit score (NDS). Infarct was assessed at either 48 hours or 7 day time points. Infarct data presented as mean ±SEM, NDS data are presented as median±IQR. Results: At 48 hours mice given IAIP at reperfusion had significantly smaller cortical (59.26%±1.80% versus 31.58%±8.53%, n=8, p<.05) and hemisphere (46.05%±1.55% vs. 22.53%±6.55%, n=8, p<.05) infarct volumes. Delayed IAIP treated mice also had significantly smaller cortical (52.44%±1.73% vs. 22.99%±4.59%, n=6, p<.05) and hemispheric infarcts (43.86%±2.11% vs. 19.45%±3.59%, n=6, p<.05) at 48 hours. Analysis at 7 days showed significantly smaller cortical (23.30%±2.53% vs. 3.46%±0.46%, n=6, p<.05) and total hemisphere (22.33%±2.87% vs 5.90%±0.86%, n=6, p<.05) infarcts in mice treated with IAIP 6 hrs after stroke suggesting durability of neuroprotective effects. Significant improvement in NDS (1±1, n=19 versus 2±1, n=18) was also seen in mice treated with IAIP vs. controls. Similar beneficial effects of IAIP were seen in aged mice. Conclusions: Delayed administration of IAIP at 6 and 24 hours post-stroke results in significantly smaller infarcts and improved functional outcomes, indicating IAIP could potentially be translated into an important novel treatment strategy for adults with brain ischemia.
Experimental cardiac tamponade: correlation of pressure, flow velocity, and echocardiographic changes

Seven episodes of experimental cardiac tamponade were induced in five anesthetized closed-chest dogs. Simultaneous pericardial and intracavitary pressures were synchronized with superior vena caval and transvalvular pulsed-Doppler flow tracings. The earliest indication of tamponade was the development of a negative transmural right atrial pressure that occurred during early ventricular diastole and was associated with echocardiographic evidence of right atrial collapse. This was also associated with reversal of diastolic flow in the superior vena cava and with diminished early diastolic flow velocity across the tricuspid as well as the mitral valve. During more advanced cardiac tamponade, the transmural right atrial pressure became negative during both early and late ventricular diastole as well as during isovolumic ventricular systole. This was associated with a disappearance of early diastolic ventricular filling and right ventricular diastolic collapse as observed on two-dimensional echocardiography. In hypotensive cardiac tamponade (cardiac output diminished by 70%), the decreased transmural right atrial pressure that developed during ventricular systole was accompanied by diminished antegrade flow in the superior vena cava. In advanced and hypotensive tamponade, ventricular filling occurred mainly during atrial contraction.
U-Pb and Hf isotope analysis of detrital zircons from Paleozoic strata of the southern Alexander terrane (southeast Alaska)

The Alexander terrane is an unusual tectonic fragment in the North American Cordillera in that it contains a long and very complete stratigraphic record, including sedimentary or volcanic rocks representing every period and nearly every epoch between Neoproterozoic and Late Triassic time. The terrane is also unusual in that the southern portion of the terrane experienced arc-type magmatism during Neoproterozoic−early Paleozoic time, whereas the northern portion of the terrane consists mainly of Paleozoic shelf-facies strata. This long and diverse history provides opportunities to reconstruct the evolution and displacement history of the terrane, and specifically test the prevailing interpretation that the terrane formed in the paleo-Arctic realm. This study presents U-Pb geochronologic data and Hf isotopic information for detrital zircons from arc-type rocks in the southern portion of the terrane. Information has been generated from seven samples of Ordovician through Devonian age, complementing the information available from previous studies of Ordovician through Triassic strata. Together, these data sets yield a robust record of the magmatic history of the southern Alexander terrane, with dominant age groups of 640−550 Ma, 490−400 Ma, 380−340 Ma, and 310−275 Ma (dominant ages of 579, 441, 361, and 293 Ma). There are few pre−640 Ma grains in any of the samples. Hf isotope compositions of the detrital zircons are exceptionally juvenile, with most epsilon Hf (t) values between +15 and +5. Collectively, the available geologic, U-Pb geochronologic, and Hf isotopic evidence suggests that the southern Alexander terrane formed within a juvenile Neoproterozoic−early Paleozoic arc system, with little continental influence, whereas the northern portion of the terrane formed in proximity to a continental landmass that experienced similar Neoproterozoic−early Paleozoic ages of continental-affinity magmatism. Our data are consistent with previous suggestions that the Alexander terrane resided in the paleo-Arctic realm during early Paleozoic time, with the northern portion of the terrane adjacent to Baltica and the Caledonides, and the southern portion of the terrane forming further offshore as a juvenile north-facing oceanic arc.
FEMORAL ARTERY CHRONIC TOTAL OCCLUSION REVASCULARIZATION (FACTOR) STUDY: VALIDATION OF A PERIPHERAL CTO ALGORITHM AND SCORE

Superficial femoral artery (SFA) disease is the most common cause of symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and can progress from lifestyle limiting claudication to critical limb ischemia and limb loss. Chronic total occlusions (CTO) of the lower extremities, found in 40% of symptomatic PAD