cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Increasing the structural boundary of quasiracemate formation: 4-substituted naphthylamides

Quasiracemates – materials consisting of pairs of near enantiomers – form crystalline motifs that mimic the inversion relationships observed for their racemic counterparts. Recent investigations from our group explored a family of chiral (N-benzoyl)methylbenzylamines to understand the structural boundary of cocrystallization. This investigation extends these earlier studies to include naphthylamide quasiracemates, where the molecular framework is ∼20% larger by volume than the previous diarylamides. A family of naphthylamides was prepared where the pendant functional group differs incrementally in size (i.e., H to C6H5) to give 55 possible unique pairs of racemic and quasiracemic combinations. Data collected from these materials using X-ray crystallography, thermal analysis methods and lattice energy calculations offer important insight into how a spatially larger naphthylamide molecular framework promotes greater structural variance of substituents during the pairwise assembly of quasienantiomers.
The Relevance of the Social-Ecological Model and the Significance of Stratification

In Chap. 2, we establish the parameters of the theoretical framework that guides this book. We detail how diversity in disparities matter when utilizing the social-ecological framework. Under this theoretical framework, a youth’s development occurs within a context of the system of relationships that form their social environments; however, we highlight how it is important to consider the significance of social stratification and inequality when investigating the connections between social environment and youth development.
Low-Dose vs Regular-Dose Aspirin for Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Abstract Background Consensus on whether low-dose (81 mg) or regular-dose (325 mg) aspirin (ASA) is more effective for venous thromboembolism (VTE) chemoprophylaxis in primary total joint arthroplasties (TJAs) is not reached. The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of low-dose and regular-dose ASA for VTE chemoprophylaxis in primary total hip arthroplasties and total knee arthroplasties. Methods We retrospectively identified 3512 primary TJAs (2344 total hip arthroplasties and 1168 total knee arthroplasties) with ASA used as VTE chemoprophylaxis between 2000 and 2019. Patients received ASA twice daily for 4-6 weeks after surgery with 961 (27%) receiving low-dose ASA and 2551 (73%) receiving regular-dose ASA. The primary endpoint was 90-day incidence of symptomatic VTEs. Secondary outcomes were gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding events and mortality. The mean age at index TJA was 66 years, 54% were female, and mean body mass index was 31 kg/m2. The mean Charlson Comorbidity Index was 3.5. Mean follow-up was 3 years. Results There was no difference in 90-day incidence of symptomatic VTEs between low-dose and regular-dose ASA (0% vs 0.1%, respectively; P = .79). There were no GI bleeding events in either group. There was no difference in 90-day mortality between low-dose and regular-dose ASA (0.3% vs 0.1%, respectively; P = .24). Conclusion In 3512 primary TJA patients treated with ASA, we found a cumulative incidence of VTE Level of Evidence III, retrospective cohort study.
Giant-Cell Arteritis Presenting as Isolated Bilateral CN-VI Palsies: A Rare Case Report of a 65 Year Male. (P2.378)

Objective: To describe a rare case of Giant-Cell Arteritis (GCA) presenting as isolated bilateral CN-VI palsies. Background: CN-VI palsy can occur from multiple etiologies, including stroke, demyelination, inflammation, tumor, and sub-arachnoid hemorrhage. Although very rare, it can be an early manifestation of GCA. Design/Methods: Case Report. Results: A 65-year-old right-handed Caucasian male presented with recurrent episodes of diplopia. Prior two episodes were brief and self-resolving; however the third episode progressed over two months. He perceived objects as brighter in the right eye. He noticed easy fatigability, malaise, sore muscles and a 15-lb weight loss over few months. Examination showed bilateral CN-VI palsies (right worse than left) without other neurological deficits. Myasthenia Gravis was ruled out clinically as well as with negative serology and electromyography. Endocrine workup including thyroid panel was non-revealing. Brain scans showed no stroke, space occupying lesion, or perfusion deficits. Serum/Cerebrospinal fluid infectious, inflammatory, and autoimmune workup was unremarkable. Occult malignancy was excluded by pan-CT scans. ESR and CRP were markedly elevated. GCA was considered due to age, concomitant symptoms, and elevated inflammatory markers. Temporal artery biopsy was obtained, which showed necrotizing pan-arteritis consistent with GCA. The patient was treated with IV steroids followed by oral taper. A remarkable clinical improvement was noted during follow-up. Conclusions: GCA is the most prevalent systemic vasculitis in the elderly. It can present with a wide variety of symptoms ranging from fatigue, headache, visual loss, and even stroke. However as noted in this case, isolated CN-VI palsy can be a very rare, early manifestation of GCA. As GCA responds well to corticosteroid therapy, prompt diagnosis and treatment is critical to prevent and/or limit neurologic sequelae. As highlighted by this case, in the event of recurrent incidents and absence of other diagnosis; GCA should be considered even if headache is absent. Disclosure: Dr. Lunagariya has nothing to disclose. Dr. Patel has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kotadiya has nothing to disclose. Dr. Wilson has nothing to disclose.
A hybrid transfer learning approach to migratable disaster assessment in social media sensing

Social media sensing has emerged as a powerful sensing paradigm to collect the observations of the physical world by exploring the "wisdom of crowd". In this paper, we focus on a migratable disaster damage assessment problem in social media sensing applications. Our goal is to accurately identify the damage severity of affected areas in an unfolding disaster event using unlabeled social media data feeds (e.g., image posts on social media). Two fundamental challenges exist in solving our problem: i) different disaster events often have distinct characteristics (e.g., damage types, affected areas) that cannot be easily migrated; ii) it is non-trivial to modify a damage assessment model from a previous event to adapt to a new event without using the labeled data from the new event. To address the above challenges, we develop SocialTrans, a hybrid deep transfer learning framework, to enable effective model migration for accurate damage assessment without using any training data from the studied disaster event. The evaluation results on four real-world disaster events show that SocialTrans consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art baselines in accurately assessing the damage level of disasters.
Interpreting Civil Society

Naturalist theories (i.e., rational choice and behaviorist theories) presuppose the plausibility of conducting a value-neutral science and the existence of pure experience and true meaning. The problem with naturalist theories is that they take civil society as an ahistorical phenomenon, a natural object, and a set of citizens’ associations waiting to be involved in governance settings. This presumption leads naturalists to ignore the contextuality, contingency, and constructed nature of identity. As a result, they concentrate on developing protocols and indexes to test their hypotheses without questioning how a particular concept of civil society and an organizational type have become hegemonic in the first place. The interpretive approach does not take the state, the market, and civil society as social facts or reified objects. It decenters them. Interpretive theories challenge taken-for-granted knowledge by refuting foundationalism and fixed, reified, ahistorical, and meta-theoretical perspectives. They suggest meanings are constitutive. They reject essentialism, pure experience, autonomous subject, and universal reason.
MomsA Time—Married or Not

Using time-diary data from the U.S. and six wealthy European countries, I demonstrate that non-partnered mothers spend slightly less time performing childcare, but much less time in other household activities than partnered mothers. Unpartnered mothers’ total work time—paid work and household production—is slightly less than partnered women’s. In the U.S. but not elsewhere they watch more television and engage in fewer other leisure activities. These differences are independent of any differences in age, race/ethnicity, ages and numbers of children, and household incomes. Non-partnered mothers feel slightly more pressured for time and much less satisfied with their lives. Analyses using the NLSY79 show that mothers whose partners left the home in the past two years became more depressed than those whose marriages remained intact. Coupled with evidence that husbands spend substantial time in childcare and with their children, the results suggest that children of non-partnered mothers receive much less parental care—perhaps 40 percent less—than other children; and most of what they receive is from mothers who are less satisfied with their lives. Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
Nrf2 deficiency decreases NADPH from impaired IDH shuttle and pentose phosphate pathway in retinal pigmented epithelial cells to magnify oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction.

The nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2), a major antioxidant transcription factor, is decreased in several age-related diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness among the elderly in western society. Since Nrf2's mito-protective response is understudied, we investigated its antioxidant response on mitochondria. Control and Nrf2-deficient retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells were compared after treating with cigarette smoke extract (CSE). Mitochondrial antioxidant abundance and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were quantified. Mitochondrial function was assessed by TMRM assay, NADPH, electron transport chain activity, and Seahorse. Results were corroborated in Nrf2-/- mice and relevance to AMD was provided by immunohistochemistry of human globes. CSE induced mitochondrial ROS to impair mitochondrial function. H2 O2 increase in particular, was magnified by Nrf2 deficiency, and corresponded with exaggerated mitochondrial dysfunction. While Nrf2 did not affect mitochondrial antioxidant abundance, oxidized PRX3 was magnified by Nrf2 deficiency due to decreased NADPH from decreased expression of IDH2 and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) genes. With severe CSE stress, intrinsic apoptosis was activated to increase cell death. PPP component TALDO1 immunolabeling was decreased in dysmorphic RPE of human AMD globes. Despite limited regulation of mitochondrial antioxidant expression, Nrf2 influences PPP and IDH shuttle activity that indirectly supplies NADPH for the TRX2 system. These results provide insight into how Nrf2 deficiency impacts the mitochondrial antioxidant response, and its role in AMD pathobiology.
ESD Design Verification Aided by Mixed-Mode Multiple-Stimuli ESD Simulation

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection is a grand design challenge for complex ICs in advanced technologies. ESD simulation is indispensable to guide ESD protection designs. However, no existing ESD simulation methods may accurately predict ESD protection designs in a universal manner due to various inherent limitations. TCAD-based ESD simulation is very useful for ESD protection designs. Transmission line pulse (TLP) and very fast TLP (VFTLP) are widely used to evaluate human body model (HBM) and charged device model (CDM) ESD protection designs, which provide rich details for calibrating TCAD ESD simulation for design prediction and validation. Using various ESD protection devices fabricated in 28nm CMOS and 45nm SOI CMOS technologies, a comprehensive experimental and simulation study finds that the ESD stimuli used in TCAD ESD design simulation have profound impacts on many subtle ESD protection behaviors, particularly in comparison with ESD testing. This study cautions against over-interpretation of TCAD ESD simulation results, obtained using any specific ESD stimulus, attempting to accurately predict practical ESD protection designs. A mixed-mode multiple-stimuli ESD simulation method is therefore developed to address the ESD stimulus induced ESD performance variation, hence offering a technique to achieve ESD protection design prediction.
277 Assessment of nutritional status of children with a newly diagnosed coeliac disease – a 10-year tertiary centre experience

Introduction and Aims Coeliac disease is an immune-mediated systemic disease caused by gluten consumption that occurs in children and adults with a hereditary predisposition. The clinical features of the disease are diverse, and the most common symptoms in children are chronic diarrhoea, failure to thrive, vomiting, abdominal pain and chronic constipation. In some children, if cases when there is increased risk for coeliac disease despite the absence of symptoms and signs of the disease, targeted serological screening can be undertaken. The aim of the study was to assess and compare the nutritional status in symptomatic patients and children in whom the diagnosis of coeliac disease was made based on screening. Methods This was a single-centre, retrospective, observational study involving all children diagnosed with coeliac disease at the Referral Centre for Paediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, at Children’s Hospital Zagreb, in the period from 1 January 2010 to 1 January 2020. Nutritional status data were obtained from a systematic review of patients’ electronic data. Results During the study period, coeliac disease was diagnosed in 166 children (70 boys, mean age 7.47 years, age range 6 months to 17.5 years). In 28 children (16.37%) the disease was detected by screening. Data on body weight (BW), body height (BH) and body mass index (BMI) were recorded at the time of diagnosis in 137 children (82.5%) and based on the available data, Z-scores corrected for age and sex were determined for BW, BH and BMI for age and sex. The mean BW Z-score was -0.40 (-0.47 in symptomatic children vs -0.05 in children identified by screening, p 0.05), a delay in linear growth (Z-score Conclusion At the time of diagnosis, BW and BMI of symptomatic children were significantly lower than in children with coeliac disease identified through screening, a total of 16.05% of children were malnourished. Normal linear growth was recorded in both groups. Most of the symptomatic children had normal nutritional status at the time of diagnosis, and the nutritional status in almost all children detected by screening was normal. In conclusion, normal nutritional status does not rule out the disease and should not deter a physician from conducting a targeted screening for coeliac disease.
Growth Inhibition of Human Papillomavirus 16 DNA-positive Mouse Tumor by Antisense RNA Transcribed from U6 Promoter

Over 95% of cervical carcinomas are human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA positive, and the expression of the E6 and E7 genes is required for the maintenance of malignant phenotype. Here, antisense sequences targeted against the HPV16 E6 and E7 genes were cloned as U6/antisense chimeric genes under the control of the U6 RNA gene promoter. Cationic liposome-mediated transfection of these plasmids into human 293 cells and HPV16 DNA-positive mouse C3 tumor cells were performed, and the chimeric U6/antisense transcripts were detected. The U6 promoter could express RNA up to 360 nucleotides in length. In a cotransfection study, the E7 antisense plasmid (but not the sense control) caused the down-regulation of E7 gene expression. Similarly, decreased E7 protein levels were observed in the C3 cells that were transfected with E7 antisense plasmid. In vitro growth inhibition was studied by delivering liposome-antisense plasmid complex to C3 tumor cells. Up to 50% growth inhibition was achieved with antisense plasmids, whereas only about 15% growth inhibition was observed with sense plasmids. Transfection into human cervical carcinoma C33A cells and mouse melanoma BL6 cells, which contain no HPV DNA, showed no growth inhibition. These results indicate that growth inhibition resulted from specific E6/E7 down-regulation of the tumors or cells. Furthermore, intratumor injection of DNA-liposome complex containing either E6 or E7 antisense plasmid resulted in significant growth inhibition of C3 tumors but not BL6 tumors, grown in a syngeneic mouse model. This promising result indicates that E6/E7 antisense sequences expressed in the context of the U6 gene might be useful for gene therapy of cervical carcinoma.
Toward a Remotely-Manned Energy and Production Economy.

Abstract : We can solve many problems of energy, health, productivity, and environmental quality by improving the technology of remote control. This will produce nuclear safety and security, advances in mining, increases in productivity, economies in transportation, new industries and markets. By creating 'mechanical hands' that are versatile and economical enough, we shape a new world of health, energy and security. It will take 10 to 20 years, and cost about a billion dollars. (Author)
Censorship and Access to Expression

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction The Interest in Access to Expression Defining Censorship Types of Harm and Arguments Against Censorship Conclusion References
Why is their picture on the wedding page?: A rural community responds to a union announcement.

Abstract On August 17, 2003, two women placed a union announcement in the Grand Forks Herald and became the first same-sex couple in North Dakota to do so (Lee, 2003). This announcement generated a flood of letters, both pro and con, that appeared in on the editorial page in the Herald over the next several weeks. In this exploratory study, I conduct a content analysis of those letters. Through this analysis, the three primary thematic categories emerged upon which writers based their arguments. They include those grounded in issues of tolerance, arguments based on Christian values and Scripture and those that focused on normalization. Additionally, the letters reveal something about rural versus urban sensibilities in that relatively more urban Grand Forks residents were less likely to write negative letters than their counterparts from neighboring small towns. I conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings and suggestions for future research.
PCR amplification of the Irish potato famine pathogen from historic specimens

Late blight, caused by the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans, is a devastating disease of potato and was responsible for epidemics that led to the Irish potato famine in 1845 (refs 1,2,3,4,5). Before the 1980s, worldwide populations of P. infestans were dominated by a single clonal lineage, the US-1 genotype or Ib mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype, and sexual reproduction was not documented outside Mexico, the centre of diversity of the pathogen. Here we describe the amplification and sequencing of 100-base-pair fragments of DNA from the internal transcribed spacer region 2 from 28 historic herbarium samples including Irish and British samples collected between 1845 and 1847, confirming the identity of the pathogen. We amplified a variable region of mtDNA that is present in modern Ib haplotypes of P. infestans, but absent in the other known modern haplotypes (Ia, IIa and IIb). Lesions in samples tested were not caused by the Ib haplotype of P. infestans, and so theories that assume that the Ib haplotype is the ancestral strain need to be re-evaluated. Our data emphasize the importance of using historic specimens when making inferences about historic populations.
Minimax boundary control problem for parabolic systems with state constraints

We study a minimax Dirichlet boundary control problem with pointwise state constraints for a class of parabolic systems under unknown distributed perturbations. Our approach to optimality conditions is based on splitting the original minimax problem into two interrelated optimal control problems for distributed and boundary controllers with moving state constraints. Then we approximate the state-constrained linear systems by families of nonlinear systems with no state constraints by using effective penalization procedures. Based on the properties of mild solutions, we prove the variational convergence of approximations and obtain necessary optimality conditions for approximating solutions which ensure suboptimality conditions for the original minimax problems.
Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy and disorganized infant-mother attachment.

Objective: To examine the quality of infant–mother attachment in a prospective case series of infants whose mothers took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy. Background: SSRIs are prescribed to 2–6% of pregnant women. Recent articles on the use of SSRIs during pregnancy note the increased risk for problematic infant–mother relationships among mothers with untreated postpartum depression. However, little is known about the quality of infant–mother relationships among mothers who took SSRIs during pregnancy. Methods: Five mothers who took SSRIs during pregnancy were recruited from a community study of infant development. Mothers completed ratings of postpartum depression symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory) 4–6 times between 1 month and 1 year following the infant’s birth. At 1 year postpartum, quality of infant–mother attachment was assessed using the strange situation procedure. Results: Four of the five infant–mother dyads (80%) were classified as disorganised, a rate conside...
Internet technology track chair's message

Internet Technology Track received around 60 papers and the papers were reviewed by the International program committee and finally 9 papers have been selected for presentation (6 full and 3 short papers). As the track chair, I would like to thank all the authors who submitted their papers in this track and all the PC members who reviewed the papers in timely fashion. The paper presentation in this track is organized into three sessions, (1) Internet Search and Query, (2) E-commerce, (3) Web Browsing. I hope you enjoyed your presence in these sessions.
Exact Similar Solutions of the Laminar Boundary-Layer Equations

Publisher Summary The purpose of this chapter is to present comprehensive, systematic, and accurate tables of solutions to the laminar boundary-layer similarity equations for a perfect homogeneous gas. These solutions are applicable to the classical cases wherein the requirements for similarity are satisfied exactly. The solutions may be used in applying local similarity methods to cases that do not meet the exact requirements for similar flows. In particular, the sensitivity of the numerical values of the wall derivatives (which govern heat transfer and skin friction) and the values of the integral thickness parameters to changes in the similarity variables may be accurately determined. For many physical situations, relaxing one or more of the conditions required for exact similarity will not lead to large errors when the local similar solutions are used to estimate boundary-layer properties. Solutions are included to illustrate the effects of the leading-edge sweep, the mass transfer at the surface, pressure gradient, the wall temperature, the free-stream Mach number, local external-flow velocity, the Prandtl number, and the viscosity-temperature law of the fluid. The tables include most of the numerical solutions obtained by previous authors. Section II presents the similarity equations in their general form, including the equation for species concentration. Section III gives a concise guide to the solutions of this chapter. Section IV presents the numerical method of computation used in this program. The concept of local similarity is discussed in Section V, where criteria are presented for judging the applicability of similar solutions in situations where the similarity parameters vary. The analysis is extended to large positive values of the pressure-gradient parameter β in Section VI.
Neurotransmission regulates stability of acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction

The majority of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) at normally innervated neuromuscular junctions are stable, with a half-life averaging about 12 d in most rodent muscles. Following denervation, the AChRs turn over much more rapidly after a lag period. The mechanism by which motor nerves normally maintain stabilization of junctional AChRs is not yet known. In order to determine whether synaptic transmission plays a role in this process, we have compared the effects of pre-and postsynaptic chloinergic blockade with those of surgical denervation. 125l-alpha-bungarotoxin was used to label junctional AChRs and follow their loss over time. Presynaptic blockade of quantal ACh transmission was produced in the soleus (SOL) and flexor digitorum brevis muscles of mice by repeated injections of type A botulinum toxin. Postsynaptic blockade of quantal and nonquantal ACh transmission was produced by continuous infusion of alpha-bungarotoxin in the SOL. Our findings show that treatment with botulinum toxin resulted in an accelerated loss of junctional AChRs that was similar to the effects of surgical denervation, though briefly delayed in its onset. Treatment with alpha-bungarotoxin produced an effect that was quantitatively equivalent to the accelerated loss of junctional AChRs following surgical denervation, with an identical time course. These results support the concept that cholinergic transmission is a mediator of the neural control of stability of junctional AChRs. The possibility that receptor stabilization may represent a mechanism of long-term postsynaptic "memory" dependent on neural transmission is discussed.
Effective theory of theΔ(1232)resonance in Compton scattering off the nucleon

We formulate a new power-counting scheme for a chiral effective field theory of nucleons, pions, and Deltas. This extends chiral perturbation theory into the Delta-resonance region. We calculate nucleon Compton scattering up to next-to-leading order in this theory. The resultant description of existing $\gamma$p cross section data is very good for photon energies up to about 300 MeV. We also find reasonable numbers for the spin-independent polarizabilities $\alpha_p$ and $\beta_p$.
Sensitivity and uncertainty analyses for ignition of fiber-reinforced polymer panels

Summary The ignition characteristics of combustible solids are affected by many factors such as material properties, external heating source, and surrounding environmental conditions. In practice, these factors can vary significantly from one application to another. Thus, it is important to evaluate the sensitivity and uncertainty aspects of the effect of these factors on ignition. This study attempts to achieve this goal through sensitivity and uncertainty analyses on the piloted ignition of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite panels. A Monte Carlo simulation using the Latin hypercube sampling method was employed to conduct sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. An integral model combining a general thermal thickness model with a heating rate-related ignition temperature criterion was used as the ignition prediction model. Time-to-ignition was evaluated as the output parameter against the variations of input parameters such as material properties, external heating source, and surrounding environmental conditions. In addition, to identifying important sensitivity factors and uncertainty ranges of piloted ignition, a critical thermal thickness was found for the composite panels. These findings can serve as guides for the fire safety design of FRP composite materials for various applications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
APPlaUSE: Area and performance optimization in a unified placement and synthesis environment

We present a new methodology for high-level synthesis, which incorporates placement in an early phase of the synthesis process. This placement, prior to interconnect and storage allocation, allows for early and accurate estimates on area and net length. These cost factors are critical for the quality of the chip. The system has been implemented and extensive tests verify the estimates to be accurate.
Enhanced erosion rates on Mars during Amazonian glaciation

Abstract Observations of Mars from the surface and from orbit suggest that erosion rates over the last ∼3 Gyr (the Amazonian) have been as slow as 10−5 m/Myr and have been dominated by aeolian processes, while ancient (Noachian) erosion rates may have been orders of magnitude higher due to impact bombardment and fluvial activity. Amazonian-aged glacial deposits are widespread on Mars, but rates of erosion responsible for contributing debris to these remnant glacial deposits have not been constrained. Here, we calculate erosion rates during Amazonian glaciations using a catalog of mid-latitude glacial landforms coupled with observational and theoretical constraints on the duration of glaciation. These calculations suggest that erosion rates for scarps that contributed debris to glacial landforms are 4–7 orders of magnitude higher than average Amazonian rates in non-glaciated, low-slope regions. These erosion rates are similar to terrestrial cold-based glacier erosion and entrainment rates, consistent with cold-based glacier modification of parts of Mars.
Guanine nucleotides and acute renal failure.

Sustained ischemic and nephrotoxic acute renal failure (ARF) are characterized by overt damage to renal tubules, including cell necrosis. As a result, these processes have frequently been termed acute tubular necrosis, but this description has long been known to be misleading, as much of the tubule damage is sublethal, and the extent of necrotic cell death correlates imperfectly with the severity of organ dysfunction (1–3). Moreover, the organ dysfunction clearly includes a sustained hemodynamic abnormality during the maintenance phase, which most evidence indicates is persistent preglomerular arterial vasoconstriction (3). In this issue of the JCI, Kelly and coworkers report that pretreatment with guanosine ameliorates ischemic ARF in a murine model and that this improvement is associated with diminished apoptosis but not with changes in either necrosis or sublethal tubule cell damage (4).
A field test of the Bruce effect in the monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster)

The Bruce effect is a widely studied reproductive phenomenon in rodents in which exposure of pregnant females to unknown males causes termination of the current pregnancy. The Bruce effect has been reported from numerous studies in the laboratory, and one field study with the promiscuous gray-tailed vole, Microtus canicaudus, failed to support it. We conducted a field study with the monogamous prairie vole, M. ochrogaster, to determine if complete replacement of the male population every 10–14 days affected pregnancy and juvenile recruitment. The mean days to first parturition for control and treatment females were 36.8 and 44.4 days. Fifty-five percent of control females and 33% of treatment females conceived within the first 14 days of the study. All control females and 79% of treatment females successfully delivered at least one litter. These differences between treatment and control populations provide minimal support for the Bruce effect when compared with results from laboratory studies. Nulliparous females may have experienced some pregnancy disruption, but not parous females. Removal of mates, rather than exposure to strange males, may have contributed more to the lower reproductive success of treatment females than exposure to strange males. Treatment females, however, had lower juvenile recruitment than controls, which may have been due to infanticide from strange males. Our results are more similar to those of the field study of the gray-tailed vole than predicted, based on laboratory studies of prairie voles.
Monte Carlo simulation of energy balance in a pure 3He migma of 4 MeV

Abstract The energy balance in a migma of self-colliding orbits of 4 MeV 3 He is studied using a two-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation supplemented with results from a three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulation and a self-consistent calculation of diamagnetic effects. Electron drag is balanced against synchrotron radiation and bremsstrahlung and losses of hot electrons. Synchrotron radiation was assumed to be reflected and reabsorbed, but bremsstrahlung was not. Reabsorption was taken to be a function of position, but not of angle, which should be an underestimate. Electrons were treated relativistically. The results are presented as a function of density from just below to well into the diamagnetic regime. We find that diamagnetism can reduce synchroton radiation losses to manageable levels.
Intraoperative electrophysiologic aid to nerve repair

Nerve injury results in significant functional and emotional sequelae. Optimum nerve repair technique maximizes patient outcome. This includes atraumatic handling of nerve tissue, proper identification of the zone of injury, and repair of viable nerve without tension or gap. Electrophysiologic aids are another tool the surgeon can use to maximize the chances of successful nerve repair. These tools can help guide dissection, identify the zone of injury, aid alignment, and monitor nerve function. Good communication between surgeon and electrophysiologist is key in the selection of the correct electrophysiologic modality for a particular nerve repair. This chapter describes the use of electromyography, somatosensory evoked potentials, peripheral nerve conduction velocity, and nerve compound action potentials and how to employ each of these modalities in the repair of the peripheral nerve.
Potential Theory of Moderate Markov Dual Processes

Let X be a Borel right Markov process, let m be an excessive measure for X ,a nd let X be the moderate Markov dual process associated with X and m. The potential theory of co-excessive measures (i.e., measures that are excessive for X) is developed with special emphasis on the Riesz decomposition. This is then applied to obtain the Riesz decomposition of excessive functions (of X )b y exploiting the correspondence between such functions and co-excessive measures. The potential theory of co-excessive measures also enables us to discuss Walsh's interior reduite under minimal conditions. Many of the tools of the theory of Markov processes are employed in this development. For example, Kuznetsov measures, Ray compactifications, h-transforms, and duality theory for Borel right processes.
Freedom from neoaortic insufficiency: a comparison of classic Norwood and Norwood-Sano procedures.

Objectives. To investigate the incidence of neoaortic insufficiency in patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome treated with the Norwood–Sano palliation and to compare it with that occurring after the classic Norwood procedure. Design, Setting, Patients, Interventions. This was a retrospective review of all echocardiograms of patients diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (concomitant presence of left ventricular and aortic and mitral severe hypoplasia or atresia) who underwent staged palliation of the Norwood or Norwood–Sano type at a single academic institution between September 1999 and February 2005 and who survived a minimum of 3 months. Outcome Measures. Neoaortic insufficiency was categorized as absent or mild 3 mm jet width. The patients were grouped according to initial palliation, that is, classic Norwood and Norwood–Sano operation. Results. Fifty-nine consecutive patients (median age of 20 months with a range from 3 to 66 months) satisfied inclusion criteria. Neoaortic insufficiency was absent or mild in 55 of 59 (93.22%) of the patients. There were 4 cases of significant neoaortic insufficiency at late follow-up: 2 moderate following the classic Norwood and 1 moderate and 1 severe following the Norwood–Sano procedure, one of whom required valve replacement. Conclusions. In this series of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, the Sano modification was not associated with an increased incidence of significant neoaortic insufficiency. When present, moderate/severe neoaortic insufficiency appeared late after initial palliation and was associated with recurrent ascending aortic or aortic arch pathology in every case.
Angioscopy of Culprit Coronary Lesions in Unstable Angina Pectoris and Correlation of Clinical Presentation With Plaque Morphology

This study demonstrates that plaque disruption and thrombus are absent in a considerable number of patients with unstable angina and that culprit lesion morphologies as assessed by angioscopy may differ among the various clinical subsets of patients. Although plaque disruption and thrombus undoubtedly play an important role in the pathogenesis of unstable angina, alternative mechanisms may be responsible for ischemia in some patients.
RGS12 Interacts with the SNARE-binding Region of the Cav2.2 Calcium Channel

Abstract Activation of GABAB receptors in chick dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons inhibits the Cav2.2 calcium channel in both a voltage-dependent and voltage-independent manner. The voltage-independent inhibition requires activation of a tyrosine kinase that phosphorylates the α1 subunit of the channel and thereby recruits RGS12, a member of the “regulator of G protein signaling” (RGS) proteins. Here we report that RGS12 binds to the SNARE-binding or “synprint” region (amino acids 726-985) in loop II-III of the calcium channel α1 subunit. A recombinant protein encompassing the N-terminal PTB domain of RGS12 binds to the synprint region in protein overlay and surface plasmon resonance binding assays; this interaction is dependent on tyrosine phosphorylation and yet is within a sequence that differs from the canonical NPXY motif targeted by other PTB domains. In electrophysiological experiments, microinjection of DRG neurons with synprint-derived peptides containing the tyrosine residue Tyr-804 altered the rate of desensitization of neurotransmitter-mediated inhibition of the Cav2.2 calcium channel, whereas peptides centered about a second tyrosine residue, Tyr-815, were without effect. RGS12 from a DRG neuron lysate was precipitated using synprint peptides containing phosphorylated Tyr-804. The high degree of conservation of Tyr-804 in the SNARE-binding region of Cav2.1 and Cav2.2 calcium channels suggests that this region, in addition to the binding of SNARE proteins, is also important for determining the time course of the modulation of calcium current via tyrosine phosphorylation.
Model for interaction of dislocation arrays with a crack

Abstract We examine the case of two arrays of discrete edge dislocations in the presence of a semi-infinite crack. The arrays are symmetrically located about the plane of the crack and pass through the tip. From the elasto-static formulation for isotropic materials utilizing complex variable functions, we have developed the required equilibrium forces. The analysis gives the number of dislocations in equilibrium with the crack at a given load, and the size of the dislocation free zone. The resulting analysis also yields the size of the plastic zone and an estimate of the critical threshold for further dislocation emission. These results will be compared with dislocation analysis results reported by other workers, especially Lin and Thomson [Lin IH, Thomson R. Cleavage, dislocation emission, and shielding for cracks under general loading. Acta Met 1986;(34):187–206]. The applicability of these results for a quantitative description of the phenomenon fatigue thresholds will also be briefly considered.
Genetics of malignant pleural mesothelioma: molecular markers and biologic targets

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a mesodermally derived neoplastic disease that arises in the pleura and grows relentlessly into adjacent structures until it ultimately results in death of the patient. Unlike many other cancers, MPM does not metastasize until late in the course of the disease [1,2]. Asbestos is a major factor in the pathogenesis of this malignancy, with up to 80% of patients with MPM noting a history of asbestos exposure. Approximately 3000 patients are diagnosed with MPM in the United States annually, and the incidence worldwide is projected to continue to rise in the next two decades [2–7]. MPM is a unique malignancy. The most common cause, asbestos, is known, but the mechanisms of carcinogenesis are not fully understood, and the latency period is prolonged. Another characteristic peculiar to MPM is the multifocal location of tumor around the pleura at the time presentation, even in early disease. Unlike lung cancer, MPM respects tissue planes until a relatively advanced stage. As a consequence, a pleurectomy can be performed to remove the tumor-laden pleural envelope of vital tissues, such as the aorta, spine, and heart. Defining the genetic abnormalities that lead to MPM tumor cells is important for the development of therapeutic options for this malignancy.
Use of telehealth for chronic wound care: A case study

Abstract Use of telehealth in wound care continues to expand as technology is enhanced and clinicians become more familiar with use of the new technology as a supplement to usual care. This article describes the Telehealth Wound Care Program implemented at Mount Sinai Hospital Home Health Agency and Mount Sinai Hospital Wound Care Center. Results of the wound care provided for one patient are included in the case study described in this article. The authors note the many benefits of telehealth as an adjunct to usual therapy in wound care. (J WOCN 2001;28:89-95.)
Effects of radiation on TNFα-mediated cytolysis of cell lines derived from cervical carcinomas

The effect of radiation, a primary mode of treatment for cervical malignancies, on the tumor necrosis alpha (TNF alpha)-mediated cytolysis of five cell lines derived from human cervical carcinoma cell lines (C-33 A, ME-180, HT-3, MS751, and SiHa) was analyzed. Results of this analysis showed that all of the cell lines were resistant to the cytolytic effects of TNF alpha. Although resistant when protein synthesis proceeds normally, ME-180, HT-3, MS751, and SiHa cells were sensitive to TNF alpha-mediated cytolysis in the presence of protein synthesis inhibitors. The cytolytic response of these cells to radiation was heterogeneous, with C-33 A cells being the most radiosensitive and SiHa cells being the least radiosensitive. The cell lines ME-180, MS751, and HT-3 were intermediate in their sensitivities to radiation. Because radiation is known to inhibit protein synthesis, the ability of radiation to enhance TNF alpha cytolytic activity was examined. The cell lines with intermediate sensitivities to radiation (ME-180, HT-3, and MS751) demonstrated statistically significant synergistic increases in cytolysis when exposed to TNF alpha in combination with radiation. Neither the radioresistant SiHa cell line nor the radiosensitive C-33 A cell line displayed increased cytolysis with increasing concentrations of TNF alpha at any dose of radiation. Possible mechanisms which may explain the synergy in ME-180, HT-3, and MS751 cells and lack of synergy in C-33 A and SiHa cells by TNF alpha and radiation are discussed.
Role of Endothelium-Derived Metabolites of Arachidonic Acid in Enhanced Pulmonary Artery Contractions in Female Rabbits

Abstract Previous studies reported sex differences in production of endothelium-derived substances and suggested that these compounds may be involved in regulation of vascular tone under both normal and pathological conditions. The present study was designed to compare the effects of endothelium-dependent contractions in pulmonary artery vessels obtained from male and female rabbits. Rings of intrapulmonary arteries were suspended under isometric tension in oxygenated Krebs’ buffer. In male rabbit pulmonary artery, arachidonic acid and methacholine elicited endothelium-dependent, concentration-related contractions (maximal contraction, 79±4% and 54±4% of the KCl contractions, respectively). In contrast, endothelium-dependent arachidonic acid– and methacholine-induced contractions were greater in female pulmonary arteries (maximal response, 113±7% and 101±6% of the KCl contractions, respectively). There was no difference in KCl-induced contractions in female and male pulmonary arteries (1.2±0.1 versus 1.3±0.1 g, respectively). In male rabbits, the vasoconstrictor responses to arachidonic acid and methacholine were inhibited by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin. We have previously identified thromboxane A 2 as the endothelium-dependent contracting factor in male rabbits. However, indomethacin only partially inhibited arachidonic acid–induced contractions in female pulmonary arteries (maximal inhibition, 46% of the control response) suggesting that a noncyclooxygenase metabolite of arachidonic acid mediates contraction in female rabbits. Likewise, indomethacin only partially inhibited methacholine-induced contractions of female pulmonary arteries. The combined cyclooxygenase/lipoxygenase inhibitor BW 755C and the lipoxygenase inhibitor nordihydroguaiaretic acid completely blocked arachidonic acid–induced contractions in females. Furthermore, both basal and stimulated production of thromboxane B 2 , as measured by radioimmunoassay, were similar in female and male pulmonary arteries. When segments of pulmonary arteries obtained from female and male rabbits were incubated with 14 C-arachidonic acid and the extracted metabolites were resolved by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, there was an enhanced production of metabolites in females. Pretreatment with indomethacin attenuated metabolism of all products in the males but enhanced production of some compounds in vessels from the females. These observations suggest that the enhanced vasoconstrictor response to arachidonic acid in female pulmonary arteries is due to a lipoxygenase metabolite of arachidonic acid.
Bridging Community Service and Life’s Great Questions: Thoughts on Co-Teaching a Service-Learning Course

Goucher College, a small college on the edge of Baltimore, has long emphasized community service as a key part of its liberal arts tradition, and as is the case with many similar educational institutions, has experienced huge growth in the last seven or more years with regard to the development of service learning courses, paralleled only by a similar expansion of opportunities for student-organized social service activism. Yet one hears, anecdotally, from professors and students alike, that there is too little time in all this activity for personal and communal introspection. Why do service? What motivates us? How does it change us? What is our relationship to the persons/communities served? How is this service related to various understandings of justice itself? Why is this service necessary? What really brings about transformation, healing, hope?