cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Case of Metabolic Encephalopathy Triggered by Food Supplements

A 59-year-old Caucasian female with history of multiple sclerosis (MS), osteoporosis and breast cancer presented with weakness, constipation, confusion and short term memory loss. Her metabolic profile showed pre renal azotemia and severe hypercalcemia (16.2 mg%). Aggressive medical management led to favorable resolution of her symptoms. A complete diagnostic work up for the etiology of hypercalcemia was then performed. PTH levels were suppressed at 5.6 pg / mL arousing suspicion for hypercalcemia due to malignancy (prior history of breast cancer vs. new primary). PTHrP (0.8 pmol / L), TSH (0.623 IU / L) and free T4 (2.87 ng / dL) were within normal limits. 25- hydroxy Vitamin D level was high at 96 ng / mL, while 1-25 dihydroxy vitamin D was 28 pg / mL. Review of her medication list showed daily intake of 800 units of vitamin D. The patient denied overdosing on prescription vitamin D but later admitted that she was ingesting an expensive naturally derived gel preparation containing about 16,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily. This was one of several alternative medications prescribed to her by an online practitioner for her MS and osteoporosis. Patient was counseled on potential side effects of excessive vitamin D supplementation and these were withheld at the time of discharge. J Endocrinol Metab. 2013;3(1-2):38-40 doi: https://doi.org/10.4021/jem146w
Defining the Soft Infrastructure of Border Crossings: A Case Study at the Canada–US Border

While improving the “hard” resources of the physical infrastructure is important to facilitating cross-border trade, studies of global supply chain logistics performance suggest that expanding the focus to include “soft” infrastructure resources will be critical for future gains. Border management is increasingly important to North American trade facilitation, yet little is known about what constitutes the soft infrastructure of border crossings or how to design and manage this infrastructure for improved performance. Hence, this study uses an exploratory research design to examine the nature and dimensions of the soft infrastructure of border crossings. The research relies on a grounded-theory analysis of primary data collected in an exploratory case study of two border crossings between Alberta, Canada, and Montana, US.
Circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in patients with hepatolithiasis.

We evaluated the role of circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in the pathogenesis of hepatolithiasis. From December 1994 to May 1995, 40 patients with hepatolithiasis were included. All the patients met the following criteria: (1) presence of hepatolithiasis, (2) no obvious clinical evidence of an associated intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, (3) no clinical manifestation of cholangitis for at least 72 hr, (4) no immunomodulatory agents in the last three weeks, and (5) no blood transfusion in the last three weeks. Venous blood samples were collected both before surgery and at least three months after complete clearance of the stones, and the serum concentrations of circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 were measured with a sand-wich enzyme immunoassay method. Fifteen healthy subjects were used as a control group. Bile specimens routinely obtained during surgery were cultured for aerobes and anaerobes. The x-ray films of cholangiography were all reviewed in detail. The mean value (834±128 ng/ml) of circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in the patient group before surgery was significantly higher than that (346±68 ng/ml) of the control group (P<0.01). The mean value (677±139 ng/ml) of circulating ICAM-1 in the patient group at least three months after complete clearance of the stones was significantly lower than that (834±128 ng/ml) of the patients before surgery (P<0.01), but this mean value (677±139 ng/ml) was still significantly higher than that (346±68 ng/ml) of the control group (P<0.01). Bacteria was present in the bile of all patients. The total number of bacterial species was 135, and there were an average of 3.4 bacterial species cultured per patient. Intrahepatic stricture was demonstrated in cholangiography in 33 patients (82.5%). In addition to the high incidence of intrahepatic bile duct strictures and bile infection, a significant elevation in circulating intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) was shown in patients with hepatolithiasis. Our preliminary results seem to be promising and the real role of sICAM-1 deserves further investigation and elucidation.
Fine structure above the carbon K-edge in methane and in the fluoromethanes

Abstract Synchroton radiation has been utilized to obtain high resolution soft X-ray absorption spectra above the carbon K-edges in CH4, CD4 and the fluoromethanes. The results near threshold are in close agreement with forward scattering electron energy loss data in the cases where that comparison can be made. With increasing fluorination the Rydberg-like threshold spectra of methane shift to higher energy and evolve into a complex band in CF4. Well above threshold extended fine structure (EXAFS) is observed in CF4.
Direct evidence for the β-hydride elimination mechanism in the decomposition of triethylgallium on GaAs(100)

Abstract Decomposition of the surface ethyl group formed by dissociative adsorption of triethylgallium (TEGa) on GaAs(100) is investigated using temperature programmed desorption. Deuterium labeling indicates that decomposition of the surface ethyl group proceeds exclusively through a β-hydride elimination reaction mechanism without any scrambling between α- and β-hydrogens. For undeuterated TEGa (TEGa-d0), the surface ethyl group decomposes and desorbs simultaneously as C2H4 and H2 at 600 K. For perdeuterated TEGa (TEGa-d15), the desorption of C2D4 and D2 occurs at a slightly higher temperature (630 K). Partially deuterated TEGa (TEGa-d6), with deuterium on the α-carbons, results in H2 and C2H2D2 as desorption products at 600 K. A kinetic isotope effect of 8 ± 5 kJ mol−1 for hydride versus deuteride transfer is determined, which is consistent with cleavage of the CβH bond in the transition state, and with tunneling.
GENE EXPRESSION IN FOREIGN CYTOPLASM.

The structural locus for the enzyme alkaline phosphatase of Escherichia coli (50% guanine plus cytosine) was transferred to Serratia marcescens (58% guanine plus cytosine) by episomal conjugation. Alkaline phosphatase synthesized under its direction in merozygotes was found to be identical with wild type E. coli alkaline phosphatase in electrophoretic mobility and fingerprint pattern, and I conclude that the genetic code is the same or nearly so in the two organisms. S. marcescens can carry out the regulatory functions of the R1 and R2 alkaline phosphatase regulatory genes of E. coli, and E. coli R1 can complement an alkaline phosphatase regulatory function of S. marcescens.
Investment, the real exchange rate, and Dutch disease: A two-period general equilibrium model of Cameroon

Abstract This paper examines the structural adjustment problem of a developing country with a finite foreign-exchange surplus and develops a method of evaluating choices among the possible sectoral and macroeconomic policies for such a country. Traditional treatment of this adjustment, commonly known as “Dutch disease,” considers the composition of output between traded and nontraded goods but does not include the trade-off between consumption and investment. This study adds the investment dimension by incorporating two-period optimization in a multisectoral computable general equilibrium (CGE) model for Cameroon. Unlike other CGE models, the composition of aggregate demand responds to factor prices driving investment decisions. The structure of output and trade similarly respond to macroeconomic forces, not just to relative prices. The model is used to test the impact of foreign-capital inflow, tariff policy, and policy toward public firms. Simulation results point out the key role of import substitutes, manufactures in this case. The pattern of the investment response indicates that this sector is likely to contract in the short run and expand in the near future. However, public firms, also producing import substitutes, are unlikely to succeed in an investment boom, even with credit distribution biased in their favor. Tariff protection for manufactures raises the price of investment goods and heightens credit demands, but does encourage the domestic sector. On the macroeconomic side, we note a significantly greater impact of the interest rate on investment than on savings. These results conform with empirical observation.
Static sourceless gauge field

A static sourceless gauge field, coupled only to itself, is exhibited for the group SL(2, C). Its field strength is O (r/sup -2/) as r ..-->.. infinity. It is also a static sourceless gauge field for SO(3, 1), the orthochronous Lorentz group without inversion. A conjecture is made that such solution does not exist for compact groups. (AIP)
Activation in neural networks controlling ingestive behaviors: What does it mean, and how do we map and measure it?

Over the past thirty years many of different methods have been developed that use markers to track or image the activity of the neurons within the central networks that control ingestive behaviors. The ultimate goal of these experiments is to identify the location of neurons that participate in the response to an identified stimulus, and more widely to define the structure and function of the networks that control specific aspects of ingestive behavior. Some of these markers depend upon the rapid accumulation of proteins, while others reflect altered energy metabolism as neurons change their firing rates. These methods are widely used in behavioral neuroscience, but the way results are interpreted within the context of defining neural networks is constrained by how we answer the following questions. How well can the structure of the behavior be documented? What do we know about the processes that lead to the accumulation of the marker? What is the function of the marker within the neuron? How closely in time does the marker accumulation track the stimulus? How long does the marker persist after the stimulus is removed? We will review how these questions can be addressed with regard to ingestive and related behaviors. We will also discuss the importance of plotting the location of labeled cells using standardized atlases to facilitate the presentation and comparison of data between experiments and laboratories. Finally, we emphasize the importance of comprehensive and accurate mapping for using newly emerging technologies in neuroinfomatics.
Controlled removal of human stratum corneum by pulsed laser

Abstract A new method is presented for controlled removal of the stratum corneum of human skin. An excimer laser (193 nm wavelength, 14 ns pulsewidth) was used to remove stratum corneum from in vitro human skin samples by an ablative process. The tritiated water ( 3 H 2 O) permeability constant and electrical resistance of skin samples were measured in a diffusion chamber apparatus to quantify the enhancement of skin permeability. Each laser pulse ablates about a micrometer of stratum corneum, which allows controlled removal of tissue. The maximum specific enhancement of the 3 H 2 O permeability constant obtained after complete stratum corneum removal depends on the laser pulse energy used. The most gentle laser ablation, achieved with a radiant exposure of 70 mJ/cm 2 per pulse, produced a 124-fold enhancement, which is comparable to that achieved after stratum corneum removal by tape-stripping or removal of epidermis by mild heat treatment. Rapid tissue ablation occurred at higher radiant exposures of 170–480 mJ/cm 2 per pulse, but only a 45-fold enhancement of permeability was achieved. The precision with which stratum corneum can be ablated using excimer laser pulses may allow further basic research on the internal structure of stratum corneum and on the reepithelization in controlled wounds. The technique may prove useful clinically to enhance percutaneous transport in applications such as topical delivery of drugs, patch testing, and percutaneous blood gas monitoring.
A subjective study and an objective metric to quantify the granularity level of textures

Texture granularity is an important visual characteristic that is useful in a variety of applications, including analysis, recognition, and compression, to name a few. A texture granularity measure can be used to quantify the perceived level of texture granularity. The granularity level of the textures is inﬂuenced by the size of the texture primitives. A primitive is deﬁned as the smallest recognizable repetitive object in the texture. If the texture has large primitives then the perceived granularity level tends to be lower as compared to a texture with smaller primitives. In this work we are presenting a texture granularity database referred as GranTEX which consists of 30 textures with varying levels of primitive sizes and granularity levels. The GranTEX database consists of both natural and man-made textures. A subjective study is conducted to measure the perceived granularity level of textures present in the GranTEX database. An objective metric that automatically measures the perceived granularity level of textures is also presented as part of this work. It is shown that the proposed granularity metric correlates well with the subjective granularity scores.
Understanding macroeconomic time series using complex systems theory

Abstract There has been a lot of recent activity in complex systems theory which is a broad area that includes chaos theory, and a part of statistical mechanics which deals with interacting particle systems, self-organized criticality models, cellular automata theory, spin glass models, simulated annealing learning models, stochastic approximation theory and more. In this paper we briefly review a subset of this area, i.e. interacting particle systems and cellular automata, and ask whether models built from these components can shed light on the structure of macroeconomic time series. In particular we investigate the promise of these models to help us understand the typical spectral shape of economic time series without introducing exogenous outside shocks. We also ask whether tools from statistical mechanics can help us model ‘noisy’ and ‘irrational’ agents in a natural way and whether an analytically tractable and economically persuasive model of market equilibrium results. Irrational agents are modelled as entropy maximizers over their choice sets subject to constraints. This captures the idea that their choice is as random as possible given constraints. The paper sketches several “trial’ models in order to give the economist some idea of whether tools from complex systems theory and statistical mechanics might be useful in building models to explain a list of stylized facts which are set out at the beginning of the paper. A model of stock market equilibrium driven by a mixture of fundamentalist and ‘Ising’ noise traders is sketched. The conclusion is that while the tools are aesthetically beautiful a lot of work will be needed to machine these tools into something useful for serious economic modelling.
Calculation of Natural Orbitals and Wavefunctions by Perturbation Theory

A computationally convenient formulation of perturbation theory is developed. In this formulation either the SCF wavefunction or the SCF function plus important corrections may be used as a trial function. Corrections to the trial function are expanded in powers of the residual error. The reduced density matrices may be expanded in a series in this error. If the SCF function is used as the trial function, parts of the density matrix are needed to second order in the error to determine the natural orbitals and geminals to zeroth order.
Fixed-Equilibrium Rationalizability in Signaling Games*

Abstract This paper studies equilibrium refinements in signaling games through an examination of rationalizability in derived games obtained by replacing the equilibrium path with a sure outcome that yields the equilibrium payoff to all players. The informed player chooses between the sure payoff and sending an out-of-equilibrium signal from the original game. Whether or not the strategy of choosing the sure payoff is rationalizable is related to the iterated intuitive condition (divinity) when the original game is viewed as having imperfect (incomplete) information. Our results also demonstrate the significance of testing out-of-equilibrium signals as a set rather than individually.
Word rate and intelligibility of alternated speech

A continuous speech message alternated between the left and right ears retains generally good intelligibility, except at certain critical rates of alternation of about 3–4 switching cycles/sec. In the present experiment, subjects heard speech alternated between the two ears at eight different switching frequencies, and at four different speech rates. Results support an earlier contention that the critical intelligibility parameter in alternated speech is average speech content per ear segment, rather than absolute time per ear. Implications are discussed both in terms of critical speech segments in auditory analysis and in neural processing of binaural auditory information.
Radical mechanisms for 1,5-dihydroflavin reduction of carbonyl compounds.

Abstract A discussion of the expected mechanism of radical reduction of carbonyl compounds by dihydroflavin as it relates to the structure of the carbonyl compound is provided. Factors which must be taken into account are the free energies of formation of the radical anions (CR2O), THE ACIDITY OF THE CONJUGATE ACID OF THE CARBONYL FUNCTION (R2C negative charge OH), and the stability of the carbanion species of the product [(-)CR2(OH)]. It is proposed that in those instances where the product alcohol can flavin radical to CR2O or CR2OH occurs, otherwise H transfer is the terminal step for dihydroflavin reductions. The free energy of formation of the radical species CH2OH obtained by acid-catalyzed electron transfer from dihydroflavin (Fred) to formaldehyde is shown to be less than the experimentally determined free energy of activation (increment F is not equal to exp) for the reduction of formaldehyde by dihydroflavin (i.e., Fred plus CH2O leads to Fox plus CH2OH). Therefore, the radical pair composed of dihydroflavin radical species serve as an intermediate in the reduction. Our proposed mechanism is: Fred plus CH2O ka[H3O] forms k-a[H2O] Frad CH2OH leads to kc Fox plus CH3OH. The value of kaah/k-a has been obtained from the calculated standard potential Eo' for Fred plus CH2O plus H forms Frad plus CH2OH. Assuming ka to represent a two-step process (i.e., Fred plus CH2O plus H k'a forms k'-a Fred plus CH2OH kb forms k-b Frad CH2OH, where ka equals (k'akb)/(k'-ak-b), the value of k'-a will equal 10-10 M-minus 1 sec-minus 1 and kb 10-9 M-minus 1 sec-minus 1. From k'a/k'-a and kb there can be computed the expected value of increment F is not equal to calc as a function of pH. Comparison of increment F is not equal to calc to increment F is not equal to exp reveals that increment F is not equal to calc varies from increment F is not equal to exp by only about 2kcal mol-minus 1 (8.4 kJ mol-minus 1) between pH 5 and 9. Similar considerations establish that radical intermediates should serve eminently well in dihydroflavin reduction of ethyl pyruvate, pyruvic acid, etc. In these cases, 1 e transfer should compete with H transfer to yield the carbanions as the immediate products. Similar comparisons suggest that dihydronicotinamide reduction proceeds via RPyH plus C negative charge O forms RPyH plus C-0minus +H forms -H RPyH plus C-OH forms RPy plus HC-OH.
Reflections on Aspects of Immortality in Islam

As many of you know, I have been engaged for some time in a study of Islamic conceptions of life after death. It was for purposes of research in this area that I spent last spring in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. There I had the opportunity not only to consider contemporary writings on this subject but to talk with a number of persons who have been concerned with Qurʾānic exegesis and the formulation of Islamic theology. With reference to this modern perspective I would like to think with you today about some aspects of the Islamic experience of the divine in relation to the human—in this world as well as in the world to come.
Approximation model to estimate joint market share in off-hour deliveries: William H. Hart Professor

The main objective of this paper is to develop an approximation model to estimate the joint carrier–receiver response to off-hour delivery policies. The model’s main intent is to bypass the need to use more complex approaches that require expensive data for model calibration. Having access to such approximation models would make it easier for transportation agencies and metropolitan planning organizations to analyze and design off-hour deliveries programs and policies. In its first part, the paper discusses carrier–receiver interactions concerning delivery time decisions and the conditions under which both carrier and receivers would agree to off-hour deliveries. Some of the key findings are that the typical receivers would participate only if provided with a financial incentive that covers the costs associated with the off-hour operations and that the carrier would find the off-hour delivery operation profitable if a large number of receivers switch to the off-hours. The latter provides an important piece of information to support the development of the approximation model introduced in the paper. The proposed model estimates the joint market share in off-hour deliveries by computing the joint probability that all receivers in a typical tour of length M agree to off-hour deliveries, the probability that the carrier operation is profitable, and finally the joint market share. The model’s inputs are the probability that a typical receiver would participate in off-hour deliveries, the statistical distribution of tour lengths, and the probability that the carrier operation is profitable for a given number of receivers. The results indicate that the model provides the same results than other more complex methodologies for the practical range of values of receiver participation. For the high end of receiver participation (+80%), the formulation underestimates carrier participation. Because of its simplicity and practicality, the model provides an excellent way to estimate participation in off-hour delivery programs.
Characteristic and continuum x rays produced with potassium ions of a few MeV

We report observations of x radiation from 1.0 to 4.5 keV produced by the collision of ${\mathrm{K}}^{+}$ ions of 0.5 to 3.0 MeV with thick targets. Characteristic lines of the beam or the target or both are observed, depending on the target. These lines are superimposed on a continuum that is exponential in form. The relative dependence of the line yields on atomic number and the continuum on photon energy can be reproduced without the use of an adjustable parameter, if one assumes that the processes are controlled by the Fourier spectrum experienced by an orbital electron that results from the passage of a uniformly moving charged particle. A mechanism is proposed that allows this control to function in producing $K$-shell vacancies. The formulas are applied to other data and are shown to reproduce the relative $Z$ dependence for projectiles of 0.01 to 2.5 MeV/amu with ${Z}_{1}$ ranging from 17 to 82.
The Clot Thickens

Blood loss is the primary cause of death in civilian and battlefield injuries. Current hemostatic technologies, including topical sealants and recombinant clotting factors, are only modestly effective and do not fully stem the flow of uncontrolled bleeding. Several researchers have attempted to engineer microscale particles that adhere to natural platelets in order to augment clot stability. However, these so-called “synthetic platelets” fail to recapitulate critical aspects of platelet behavior, such as homing to the site of injury, facilitation of clot contraction, and the wound specificity that prevents clotting outside of the wound area. To address these drawbacks, Brown, Stabenfeldt, and colleagues designed microgel particles that attach to and spread within a fibrin network that comprises a forming clot. The team took advantage of a rare chain-transfer event that occurs spontaneously upon precipitation polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and acrylic acid to form ultra-low cross-linked gel particles of about 1 micron in diameter. Then, using a phage display screen, the researchers discovered a binding motif with high specificity for fibrin but very little for its soluble form, fibrinogen, which is ubiquitous in the blood. By attaching this motif to the microgels, the researchers conferred wound-area specificity to the “platelet-like particles” (PLPs) while simultaneously causing them to home to the site of injury. The PLPs caused contraction of clots in vitro that had similar structures to those contracted by platelets. Computer simulations and experiments with more highly cross-linked particles showed that this behavior was a result of both the PLPs’ high deformability and adhesiveness for fibrin, which allowed them to form bridges between adjacent strands of fibrin. The PLPs were able to augment clotting in blood from patients with an underdeveloped coagulation system but not in patients with severe hemophilia, which prevents them from forming fibrin—the PLPs trigger. When injected into rats prior to severe femoral vein injury, the PLPs caused a significant reduction in bleeding time compared to control microgels that did not have the ability to home to and bind fibrin. These results are exciting, but it is important to note that the technology has not yet been tested in a realistic model of extreme bleeding, in which the PLPs are administered after an injury occurs. In addition, the PLPs were not able to cause clot contraction as quickly as native platelets and do not recapitulate other important aspects of activated platelets, such as their release of growth factors that stimulate wound healing. Nevertheless, this technology represents the first time that engineers were able to recapitulate multiple aspects of platelet behavior, with major consequences for emergency medicine. A. C. Brown et al ., Ultrasoft microgels displaying emergent platelet-like behaviours. Nat. Mater. 13 , 1108–1114 (2014). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/nmat/journal/v13/n12/full/nmat4066.html
Solid-State 31P/27Al and 31P/23Na TRAPDOR NMR Investigations of the Phosphorus Environments in Sodium Aluminophosphate Glasses†

Solid-state 31 P/ 27 Al and 31 P/ 23 Na TRAPDOR NMR experiments have been used to investigate the spatial distribution of aluminum and sodium cations with respect to the phosphate backbone for a series of sodium aluminophosphate glasses, xAl 2 O 3 . 50Na 2 O. (50-x)P 2 O 5 (0 ≤ x ≤ 17.5). From the 31 P/ 27 Al and 31 P/ 23 Na TRAPDOR data gathered, information about the medium-range order in these glasses was obtained. The expanded data allow for better identification and interpretation of the new resonances observed in the 31 P MAS NMR spectra with the addition of aluminum. The results of these experiments show that the sodium phosphate distribution remains relatively unchanged for the glass series and that the addition of aluminum occurs primarily through the modification of the phosphate tetrahedral backbone in the melt.
Baseball, Optimization, and the World Wide Web

The competition for baseball play-off spots -- the fabled pennant race -- is one of the most closely watched American sports traditions. While play-off race statistics, such as games back and magic number, are informative, they are overly conservative and do not account for the remaining schedule of games. Using optimization techniques, one can model schedule effects explicitly and determine precisely when a team has secured a play-off spot or has been eliminated from contention. The RIOT Baseball Play-off Races Web site developed at the University of California, Berkeley, provides automatic updates of new, optimization-based play-off race statistics each day of the major league baseball season. In developing the site, we found that wecould determine the first-place elimination status of all teams in a division using a single linear-programming formulation, since a minimum win threshold for teams finishing in first place applies to all teams in a division. We identified a similar (but weaker) result for the problem of play-off elimination with wildcard teams.
Physiological factors as determinants of pathological gambling

Analyses of the etiology of pathological gambling have tended to emphasize psychosocial factors. Although these factors are undoubtedly of major significance in determining ultimate behavioral outcome, an emphasis on them should not obscure the possible role of other, biologically based determinants that may interact with the psychosocial. The plausibility of just such an interactive view is examined here by exploring specific biochemical hypotheses, their testability and their implications.
An acoustic wave biosensor for probing the viscoelastic properties of living cells

The thickness shear mode (TSM) resonator attached with living cells has been shown to be an effective functional biosensing device to monitor the process of cell adhesion to a surface. In this study, we first monitored the dynamic process of cell attachment and spreading as a function of cell seeding densities. Based on the steady state of cell adhesion to the substrate, a multilayer sensor structure model including a quartz substrate, a cell-substrate interfacial layer and a cell layer was constructed. The thickness of cell-substrate interfacial layer and the viscoelastic properties of human skin fibroblasts (HSF) were then determined by fitting experimental results with the theoretical model. It has been obtained that the thickness of the cell-substrate interfacial layer is 60-80 nm, and the elastic module and viscosity of cell layers are about 13 KPa and 3-4 mPa's respectively. These results are in a good agreement with those measured by other techniques, such as magnetic bead microrheometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Surface Plasmon Resonance Microscopy (SPRM). In addition, knowing that the actin cytoskeleton is important for the mechanical properties of living cells, we investigated the motional resistance change caused by the disruption of actin cytoskeleton induced by fungal toxin Cytochalasin D in the human skin fibroblasts. The results indeed indicate the direct correlation between resistance changes and the disruption of actin cytoskeleton, which are again consistent with the results observed by fluorescence images.
Panic disorder in seizure patients: a diagnostic pitfall.

SUMMARY: Panic disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis whose main feature is paroxysmal attacks of anxiety that strike suddenly without apparent provocation. Physicians explain the attacks as an ictal phenomenon in patients with known seizures because of their similarities to complex partial seizures. We report eight patients with seizures and panic disorder. Recognition of a second diagnostic entity resulted in a beneficial change in treatment in six of the eight. We did not find an increased incidence of panic disorder in our seizure clinic population as compared with the genera] population. RESUME L'attaque de panique est un diagnostic psychiatrique caracterise surtout par la survenue soudaine, sans provocation apparente, d'une crise d'anxiete Il existe des similarites avec les crises partielles complexes et, chez les patients presentant des crises documentees, on peut etre tente d'expliquer ces attaques comme un phenomene critique. Les auteurs rapportent 8 patients presentant a la fois des crises epileptiques et des attaques de panique. La reconnaissance d'un second diagnostic a permis d'obtenir une amelioration du traitement chez six patients sur huit. Les auteurs n'ont pas constate d'incidence augmentee des attaques de panique chez les patients frequentant une consultation epileptologique, par comparaison avec la population generale. RESUMEN Los trastornos de panico representan un diagnostico psiquiatrico cuyo principal componente consiste en ataques paroxisticos de ansiedad que aparecen repentinamente sin ningun tipo de provocacion. Teniendo en cuenta su similaridad con ataques parciales complejos puede producirse la tendencia de entender estos ataques como fenomenos ictales en pacientes que tienen ya ataques epilepticos. Los autores presentan ocho enfermos con ataques y trastornos de panico. El reconocimiento de un segundo diagnostico condujo a un cambio beneficioso en el tratamiento de seis de los ocho enfermos. Los autores no han encontrado un incremento de la incidencia de los trastornos de panico en las clinicas de ataques comporandolos con la poblacion general. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Panik-Attacken stellen eine psychiatrische Diagnose dar, deren Hauptmerkmal paroxysmale Angstzustande sind, die plotzlich ohne sichtbare Provokation auftreten. Wegen ihrer Ahnlichkeit mit komplexen Patialanfalien, konnen diese Zustande leicht als iktale Phanomene des Anfalls-Patienten gedeutet werden. Wir berichten uber 8 Patienten mit Anfallen und mit Panik-Attacken. Die Entdeckung der zweiten Diagnose hatte einen gunstigen Einfluβ auf die Behandlung bei 6 von 8 Patienten zur Folge. Gegenuber der Gesamtbevolkerung fanden wir keine erhohte Inzidenz der Panik-Attacken bei unseren epileptischen Patienten.
Molecular cloning and expression of a rat prostaglandin E2 receptor of the EP2 subtype.

Abstract Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a potent local mediator of cell growth and differentiation in various tissues. The receptors for PGE2 have been classified into four pharmacological subtypes, EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4, based on the responses to selective agonists and antagonists. We have cloned a functional cDNA for the rat EP2 receptor subtype from a rat lung cDNA library. The rat EP2 receptor cDNA encodes 357 amino acid residues having high homology with the human and mouse EP2 receptors and containing seven putative transmembrane domains. In COS-7 cells transfected with rat EP2 cDNA, specific [3H]PGE2 binding was found with a dissociation constant of 14.9 nM, and this binding was inhibited by unlabeled PGE2 and PGF2α. PGE2 and butaprost, an EP2 selective agonist, were effective in increasing the cAMP level in the COS-7 cell transfectants. Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis showed widespread distribution of the EP2 receptor in various tissues. Higher EP2 expression was found in fetal long bones and calvariae than in adult by RT-PCR and in situ hybridization, suggesting a role for this receptor in rapidly growing skeletal tissue.
The impact of aborted radical hysterectomy in patients with cervical carcinoma

Abstract Objective. To determine the impact of an aborted radical hysterectomy on morbidity and overall survival in patients undergoing surgical treatment for early stage cervical carcinoma. Methods. Following IRB approval, a computerized database identified 304 women treated with radical surgery for early stage cervical carcinoma from 1994 to 2000 of which 23 (8%) had an aborted radical hysterectomy. Results. Of the 23 patients, 17 patients had a IB 1 lesion, 4 patients had a IB 2 lesion, and 2 patients had a IIA lesion. Median age was 42 years (range 28–60). Twenty-one patients had squamous cell carcinoma and two patients had adenocarcinoma. Radical hysterectomy was aborted for the following reasons: 11 patients had pelvic extension, seven had positive pelvic nodes, and five patients had positive paraaortic nodes. All 23 patients received postoperative radiation therapy; additionally, 12 patients received concurrent chemotherapy consisting of platinum with or without 5-FU. There were four operative complications (17%) including deep vein thrombosis, wound infection, blood transfusion, and an ileus. Four patients (17%) had radiation-associated complications. Six of 23 (26%) patients experienced a recurrence. The 5-year overall survival was 83% with a median follow-up of 59 months (range 12–107 months). Conclusions. A small percentage of patients (8%) with early stage cervical carcinoma will have an aborted radical hysterectomy for pelvic extension or positive nodes. Fortunately, these patients still have a favorable prognosis with postoperative radiation therapy. Aborted radical surgery does not significantly increase overall complications.
Face modeling and editing with statistical local feature control models

This article presents a novel method based on statistical facial feature control models for generating realistic controllable face models. The local feature control models are constructed based on the exemplar 3D face scans. We use a three-step model fitting approach for the 3D registration problem. Once we have a common surface representation for examples, we form feature shape spaces by applying a principal component analysis (PCA) to the data sets of facial feature shapes. We compute a set of anthropometric measurements to parameterize the exemplar shapes of each facial feature in a measurement space. Using PCA coefficients as a compact shape representation, we approach the shape synthesis problem by forming scattered data interpolation functions that are devoted to the generation of desired shape by taking the anthropometric parameters as input. The correspondence among all exemplar face textures is obtained by parameterizing a 3D generic mesh over a 2D image domain. The new feature texture with desired attributes is synthesized by interpolating the exemplar textures. With the exception of an initial tuning of feature point positions and assignment of texture attribute values, our method is fully automated. In the resulting system, users are assisted in automatically generating or editing a face model by controlling the high-level parameters. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 17, 341–358, 2007
Conformational changes in Escherichiacoli ribosomal ribonucleic acid

Summary The effect of isolated 30S ribosomal proteins on the tertiary structure of Escherichia coli 16S ribosomal RNA were investigated using light scattering, ultraviolet difference spectroscopy, and sedimentation velocity techniques. Ribosomal proteins S4, S7, S8 and S20, which bound to the RNA, also caused a conformational change which resulted in a decreased light scattering and reduced absorption at 270 nm by 16S RNA. In contrast to these results, little or no difference was detected in the sedimentation velocity of 16S RNA-protein complexes compared to the sedimentation of protein-free RNA.
Estimating prehistoric American Indian population size for united states area: Implications of the nineteenth century population decline and nadir

Implications of a revised United States American Indian nadir population and the pattern of decline leading to it are examined. Substituting the new nadir for that used by Dobyns (1966) lowers by several million his estimates of Indian population for the United States (and Canada) area. These estimates then become more compatible with ones currently being suggested by other scholars. The nineteenth century decline leading to this nadir is found to be remarkably linear. Assuming linearity in decline from initial European contact through the eighteenth century, an aboriginal population estimate of 1,845,183 for the United States area may be extrapolated, along with estimates for intervening years. The nineteenth century decline is then graphed with the data extrapolated to 1492. The resulting pattern of population decline is quite different from the ones suggested by Mooney (1928) and Dobyns (1966).
Cognitive Representation of Risk Perceptions A Comparison of Japan and the United States

An impressive body of research in the psychometric tradition has demonstrated systematic biases in the way Americans perceive risks associated with technologies, substances, and activities. The consistency of the findings has raised the question of whether these biases are culturally specific or reflective of more fundamental human thought processes. Do people in different cultures perceive technological and other risks differently or similarly? An answer to the question is also important to the development of effective communication strategies and international policies for addressing global risks. Recent empirical research to address the question has used psychometric techniques to-assess the risk perceptions of samples in Hungary, Norway, and Hong Kong. The research presented here, building and improving on the previous cross-cultural work, is a comparison of risk perceptions between American and Japanese people. The results from the concurrently collected perception data indicate both striking similar...
Using an Excel Extension for Selecting the Probability Distribution of Empirical Data

Teaching the steps required for determining the probability distributions of uncertain variables using empirical data is an important part of quantitative and decision analysis courses in business and economics.
Age-Specific Risks of Tuberculosis Infection From Household and Community Exposures and Opportunities for Interventions in a High-Burden Setting

We analyzed data from a large population-based prospective cohort study of household contacts of tuberculosis patients in Lima, Peru, to estimate the importance of within-household transmission relative to community-based transmission. We identified all adults (older than 15 years of age) who had incident pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosed at any of 106 public health centers in Lima from September 2009 to August 2012. A total of 14,041 household contacts of 3,446 index patients were assessed for tuberculosis infection and disease. We compared the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among persons who had received the Bacillus Calmette–Guerin vaccine in households with and without a microbiologically confirmed index case to estimate the age-specific risk of infection and excess risk of LTBI from household and community exposures. We found that the risk of infection from household and community sources increased from birth until 20 years of age. However, a large proportion of infections among child and young-adult household contacts could have been the result of household exposure. Excess infection risk associated with household exposure accounted for 58% (95% confidence interval: 47, 66) of LTBI prevalence among exposed children younger than 1 year of age, 48% (95% confidence interval: 39, 57) among 10-year-old children, and 44% (95% confidence interval: 34, 51) among 15-year-old adolescents. These findings suggest that expanded access to preventive therapy for older children and young-adult household contacts of known tuberculosis cases may be beneficial.
Patterns and Determinants of Social Service Utilization: Comparison of the Childless Elderly and Elderly Parents Living With or Apart From Their Children

Approximately one out of five elderly persons are childless. In the absence of children who provide important emotional and instrumental cohort , are childless elderly more likely to use social services than are elderly parents? Analysis of data from the Longitudinal Survey of Aging shows that the childless elderly were more likely to say that they lacked informal instrumental support at times of illness than were the elderly parents. Nevertheless, the childless were no more likely to use social services than were the elderly parents. Strategies to improve the childless elderly's social service use are recommended.
An Evaluation of Consistency in Baccalaureate Public Health Nursing Education

A national study was conducted to determine the public health nursing content and clinical experiences faculty include in the baccalaureate preparation of nurses and the degree of consistency that exists among these programs. The concept of professionalism provided a framework for determining standardization in educational preparation. Data were collected using a mailed questionnaire distributed to all National League for Nursing-accredited baccalaureate programs and completed by the person responsible for the public health nursing curriculum. The questionnaire obtained information related to theory and practice objectives. A response rate of 82 percent (n= 275) was obtained after follow-up mailings and telephone calls. Content analyses of responses allowed us to identify curricular components most and least emphasized in baccalaureate public health nursing education as well as a core curriculum in public health nursing. Overall, the nursing educators were more consistent in the emphasis placed on areas of clinical competence than on public health nursing concepts. Public health nursing educators are encouraged to consider what constitutes the theoretical base for public health nursing practice.
Two-step mechanism of induction of the gene expression of a prototypic cancer-protective enzyme by diphenols.

Cancer-preventive activity by exogenous molecules can be mediated by enhancing the expression of cytoprotective enzymes [e.g, glutathione-S-transferase (GST) or NAD(P)H−quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1)] via antioxidant-response elements (AREs) present in the promoter regions of their genes. Previously, potency of induction of NQO1 has been linearly correlated with the ability to release an electron from different classes of inducers, including diphenols, phenylpropenoids, and flavonoids. In the present work, we focus on the induction of NQO1 by diphenols, which we consider as a model underlying the mechanisms of action of other phenolic inducers such as phenylpropenoids and flavonoids. A two-step mechanism of NQO1 activation is proposed involving (i) oxidation of diphenol inducers to their quinone derivatives and (ii) oxidation of two highly reactive thiol groups by these quinones of a protein involved in NQO1 induction. These two putative routes are supported by linear correlations between the inducer pot...
Efficient grid-based routing in wireless multi-hop networks

In this paper, we design grid-based routing (GBR) protocols for wireless multi-hop networks. The objective is to effectively reduce the protocol overhead for network management with the assistance of position information. GBR divides networks into equally spaced grids. To perform a routing operation, GBR requires as few grids as possible to participate while preserving network connectivity. We design different protocols for different environments and deduce analytical results to observe the high performance of the designed protocols.
Value of flexibility in a finite horizon decision process

Motivated by a model of decision processes of R&D projects, we consider a finite horizon Markov decision process. In this context the difference between the value under active control (when the process is optimally controlled) and under passive control (when the control at each stage is a default control) is called the value of flexibility. We analyze the impact of increased variability of the terminal payoff on the value of flexibility and the optimal value of the project and show that the impact of increased variability on the passive project can be used to determine the impact of increased variability on the optimally controlled project.
Development and Application of a Rut Prediction Model for Flexible Pavement

A four-layer neural network (NN) was constructed and applied to determine mapping associating factors in the design and testing of asphalt samples with their performance in repetitive rutting tests. A total of 1,586 samples (two samples per data point) were tested to determine rutting with the use of an asphalt pavement analyzer. Test results and mix volumetric properties were used to train the NN model. Preprocessing and principal component analysis were used, and the network was trained with the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. With randomly generated weighting factors to initialize the training algorithm, histograms were compiled, and outputs were estimated. Excellent agreement was observed between simulations and test data. The developed NN was used to estimate the optimum asphalt content of a Superpave® mix, and the results were satisfactory. The developed NN model will be a useful tool in the study of asphalt construction and wear.