cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Panama: a tool for ion channel biophysics simulation

I have created an online tool and an R library that simulates biophysics of voltage-gated ion channels. It is made publicly available as an R library called Panama at github.com/anuj2054/panama and as a web app at neuronsimulator.com. A need for such a tool was observed after surveying available software packages. I found that the available packages are either not robust enough to simulate multiple ion channels, too complicated, usable only as desktop software, not optimized for mobile devices, not interactive, lacking intuitive graphical controls, or not appropriate for undergraduate education. My app simulates the physiology of 11 different channels - voltage-gated sodium, potassium, and chloride channels; channels causing A-current, M-current, and After-HyperPolarization (AHP) current; calcium-activated potassium channels; low threshold T type calcium channels and high threshold L type calcium channels; leak sodium and leak potassium channels. It can simulate these channels under both current clamp and voltage clamp conditions. The app is a first of its kind, mobile-friendly and touch-screen-friendly online tool that can be used to teach undergraduate neuroscience classes. It can also be used by researchers on their local computers as part of an R library. It has intuitive touch-optimized controls, instantaneous graphical output, and yet is pedagogically robust for education and casual research purposes.
The Boston University Experience: Religion, Ethics, and Public Health

This chapter describes Boston University School of Public Health’s (BUSPH) experience integrating the intersection of religion and public health through a course entitled Religion, Ethics, and Public Health. The efforts described here have spanned over four decades beginning with faculty experiences in the 1970s that inspired the first iteration of the course in the 1980s and early 1990s, and the re-introduction of the course in 2013, following an extended hiatus. We begin by describing the community around BUSPH and the circumstances that inspired the initiation of the course. Next, we discuss iterations of the course through the 1980s and early 2000s. We then describe the course as it stands today, providing an in-depth description of course objectives, week-by-week themes, case study examples, midterm and final assignments, an outline of our key conceptual framework, and various methods of course evaluation. In closing, we discuss the challenges and facilitators we’ve faced along the way as well as lessons learned, which we hope will benefit other schools of public health that wish to introduce similar courses.
International Efforts to Eradicate Vitamin A Deficiency

Achieving food security of macronutrients and micronutrients is of paramount concern, both for humanitarian and security reasons.
The “up-side” and “down-side” of tactile parameters: An evaluation of increases and decreases in tactile cue magnitude to support anesthesia monitoring:

There is a need to find alternative ways to present information to alleviate data overload in the complex environment of anesthesia monitoring in the operating room. The tactile modality has been s...
New-onset non-infectious pulmonary manifestations among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in Sweden.

The objective was to estimate the incidence of lung disease among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Using Swedish register data, we identified patients with SLE and pulmonary diagnoses from the National Patient Register through ICD codes. We matched patients with SLE with individuals from the general population. Patients with SLE with a history of pulmonary disease were excluded. Incidence rates (IR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated overall and by type of pulmonary disease for incident (2003–2013) and prevalent SLE separately. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% CI of the association between SLE and pulmonary disease were estimated using adjusted Cox regression models. Sensitivity analyses using a semi-automated approach to quantitative probabilistic bias analysis accounted for potential bias due to unmeasured confounding by smoking. There were 3209 incident and 6908 prevalent cases of SLE identified. The IRs for pulmonary disease were similar in prevalent and incident SLE (∼14 cases per 1000 person-years). Patients with incident SLE had a nearly sixfold higher rate of pulmonary disease compared to the non-SLE population (HR 5.8 (95% CI 4.8–7.0)). Incident and prevalent SLE was associated with an increased rate of interstitial lung disease (HR 19.0 (95% CI 10.7–34.0) and 14.3 (95% CI 10.8–18.8), respectively). Bias due to unmeasured confounding by smoking was unlikely to explain our findings. Lung disease is relatively common in patients with SLE compared to the general population. Clinicians caring for patients with SLE should have heightened suspicion of lung disease, including interstitial lung disease, even early within the disease course or at the time of diagnosis of SLE.
Reframing from the ground up: Redesigning a credit-bearing information literacy course using the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

LIB 1500 is a three-credit information literacy course offered by the University Library at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly-Pomona), which is taught by faculty librarians. The course was developed during the 2014–15 academic year and has been offered continuously since. While targeted primarily toward freshmen, in the course inevitably include a number of sophomores and upper-level students seeking to fulfill their lifelong learning General Education requirement, for which LIB 1500 is one of several options. While the development of LIB 1500 has been a labor of love, by the end of Spring Quarter 2017, those of us involved in teaching the class had noticed that the course was becoming dated and needed a complete overhaul. Therefore, during the 2017–18 academic year, librarians at Cal Poly-Pomona fundamentally redesigned LIB 1500 to reflect the threshold concepts described in the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. In doing so, we learned valuable lessons about course structure, applied learning, and the iterative nature of course revision.
Regioisomer-independent quantification of fatty acid oxidation products by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of sodium adducts.

Despite growing acknowledgement of the role of oxidized fatty acids (oxFA) as cellular signaling molecules and in the pathogenesis of disease, developing methods to measure these species in biological samples has proven challenging. Here we describe a novel method utilizing HPLC-ESI-MS/MS to identify and quantify multiple full-length oxFA species in a regioisomer-independent manner without the need for time-consuming sample preparation or derivatization. Building on recent progress in the characterization of FA and their oxidation products by MS/MS, we employed positive-ion ionization by measuring sodium adducts in conjunction with Differential Energy Qualifier Ion Monitoring to unequivocally verify the presence of the hydroperoxide, hydroxide, and ketone oxidation products of linoleic and arachidonic acid. Our HPLC method achieved separation of these oxidized species from their unoxidized counterparts while maintaining regioisomer-independent elution, allowing quantification over a 5 log10 range with a lower limit of quantification of 0.1 picomoles. With a simple sample preparation and a runtime as low as 11 minutes, our method allows the rapid and facile detection and measurement of full-length oxFA in biological samples. We believe this approach will allow for new insight and further investigation into the role of oxFA in metabolic disease.
Oral Oncology Parity Laws, Medication Use, and Out-of-Pocket Spending for Patients With Blood Cancers.

Background In this study, we sought to estimate the association between oral oncology parity law adoption and anticancer medication use for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia or multiple myeloma. Methods This was an observational study of administrative claims from 2008 to 2017. Among individuals initiating tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for chronic myeloid leukemia or immunomodulatory drugs for multiple myeloma, we compared out-of-pocket spending, adherence, and discontinuation before and after parity among individuals in fully insured plans (subject to parity) vs self-funded plans (exempt from parity) using propensity-score weighted difference-in-differences regression models. Results Among patients initiating TKIs (N = 2082) or immunomodulatory drugs (N = 3326) there were no statistically significant differences in adherence or discontinuation associated with parity. The proportion of patients with initial out-of-pocket payments of $0 increased in fully insured plans after parity from 5.7% to 46.1% for TKIs and from 10.9% to 48.8% for immunomodulatory drugs. Relative to changes in self-funded plans, those in fully insured plans were 4.27 (95% CI = 2.20 to 8.27) times as likely to pay nothing for TKIs and 1.96 (95% CI = 1.40 to 2.73) times as likely to pay nothing for immunomodulatory drugs after parity. Similarly, the proportion paying more than $100 decreased from 30.3% to 24.7% for TKIs and 30.6% to 27.5% for immunomodulatory drugs in fully insured plans after parity. Relative to changes in self-funded plans, those in fully insured plans were 0.74 (95% CI = 0.54 to 1.01) times as likely to pay more than $100 for TKIs and 0.85 (95% CI = 0.68 to 1.06) times as likely to pay more than $100 for immunomodulatory drugs after parity. Conclusions Among patients initiating TKIs or immunomodulatory drugs, parity was not associated with better adherence or less discontinuation of therapy but yielded decreased patient out-of-pocket payments for some patients.
Using Two-Dimensional Intact Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Agarose Gel Electrophoresis (2D-IMAGE) to Detect Changes in Topology Associated with Mitochondrial Replication, Transcription, and Damage

The study of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) integrity and how replication, transcription, repair, and degradation maintain mitochondrial function has been hampered due to the inability to identify mtDNA structural forms. Here we describe the use of 2D intact mtDNA agarose gel electrophoresis, or 2D-IMAGE, to identify up to 25 major mtDNA topoisomers such as double-stranded circular mtDNA (including supercoiled molecules, nicked circles, and multiple catenated species) and various forms containing single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) structures. Using this modification of a classical 1D gel electrophoresis procedure, many of the identified mtDNA species have been associated with mitochondrial replication, damage, deletions, and possibly transcription. The increased resolution of 2D-IMAGE allows for the identification and monitoring of novel mtDNA intermediates to reveal alterations in genome replication, transcription, repair, or degradation associated with perturbations during mitochondrial stress.
A Big-Data Approach to Defining Breathing Signatures for Identifying Respiratory Disease

This project seeks to use wearable sensors to develop a novel method for measuring respiratory activity in human subjects. This is the first stage of an ongoing project under the Arizona Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation (ACABI) [1]. The ultimate ambition of this effort is to develop a baseline digital breathing signature for a particular individual, so that medical professionals equipped with big-data analysis tools can use deviations from one’s signature to differentiate between conventional breathing and abnormal breathing patterns, such as splinting and Kussmaul respirations.
Visualizing Students’ Eye Movement Data to Understand Their Math Problem-Solving Processes

Eye-tracking technology has been widely used in educational research to access students’ learning processes. However, analyzing and comprehending students’ eye movements is a big challenge as eye movement data is enormous and complex. This paper attempts to develop a visualization system presenting students’ eye movements to educational researchers to understand students’ problem-solving processes. More specifically, the visualization system is developed to illustrate how the visualization method can present students’ eye movement data for educational researchers to achieve insights and make hypotheses about students’ problem-solving strategies. Elementary school students’ problem-solving data, including performance and eye movement data, were collected and visualized. Two educational researchers and one visualization designer were recruited to evaluate the visualization system and compare it to the traditional e-learning analysis method – video recordings. The evaluation results show that the visualization is easy to understand and can help evaluators to identify students’ attention patterns and problem-solving strategies quickly. However, the visualization system provided less information than video recordings, e.g., problem-solving context and mouse movement. Our work shows a promising future of using visualization to help researchers and teachers to provide targeted intervention to help young students learn the correct strategy of math problem-solving.
Local Well-Posedness of an Approximate Equation for SQG Fronts

We prove local well-posedness in the Sobolev spaces $$\dot{H}^s(\mathbb {T})$$ , with $$s>7/2$$ , of an initial value problem for a nonlocal, cubically nonlinear, dispersive equation that provides an approximate description of the evolution of surface quasi-geostrophic fronts with small slopes.
One-dimensional impenetrable anyons in thermal equilibrium: I. Anyonic generalization of Lenard's formula

We have obtained an expansion of the reduced density matrices (or, equivalently, correlation functions of the fields) of impenetrable one-dimensional anyons in terms of the reduced density matrices of fermions using the mapping between anyon and fermion wavefunctions. This is the generalization to anyonic statistics of the result obtained by Lenard (1966 J. Math. Phys. 7 1268) for bosons. In the case of impenetrable but otherwise free anyons with statistics parameter κ, the anyonic reduced density matrices in the grand canonical ensemble are expressed as Fredholm minors of the integral operator with the complex statistics-dependent coefficient γ = (1 + e±iπκ)/π. For κ = 0 we recover the bosonic case of Lenard γ = 2/π. Due to nonconservation of parity, the anyonic field correlators Ψ†A(x')ΨA(x) are different depending on the sign of x' − x.
A stochastic programming model for tactical product prepositioning at domestic hunger relief organizations impacted by natural hazards

Disaster response involves the planning, coordination, and distribution of supplies in an effective manner to people in need. Recent natural hazards, such as hurricane Harvey, have exposed the complexities and challenges associated with those tasks. In this paper, a stochastic programming model is presented which considers prepositioning strategies among food bank facilities located in high-risks areas for hurricanes. The model considers the uncertainty associated with the impact of the hurricane at each facility in terms of the number of available supplies, donations received at the facility, and the expected demand for their service region. The first-stage decision attempts to minimize the number of people not receiving the needed supplies by prepositioning the existing supplies at each facility. Second-stage decisions maximize the system responsiveness by trying to satisfy the observed demand for the scenarios under consideration. The experiments consider scenarios in which one or two food bank facilities are shut down after the natural phenomenon and study the impact of prepositioning supplies.
Holographic soft S -matrix in QED and gravity

At leading order, the $S$-matrices in QED and gravity are known to factorise, providing unambiguous determinations of the parts divergent due to infrared contributions. The soft $S$-matrices defined in this fashion are shown to be defined entirely in terms of $2$ dimensional models on the celestial sphere, involving two real scalar fields, allowing us to express the soft $S$-matrices for real as well as virtual divergences as two dimensional correlation functions. We discuss what this means for finding holographic representations of scattering amplitudes in QED and gravity and comment on simple double copy structures that arise during the analysis.
#MassProtests: The Abjuring of the Other and Lessons from Gandhi

In recent years, organizers of mass protests have used social and digital media to form large physical gatherings. These media allow protesters to exchange texts and visuals quickly across vast distances, providing means to organize protests widely and efficiently. Although social media and digital communication have played a constructive and positive role in citizen protests (Gerbaudo, 2012), lately these media have witnessed polarized political discourses. This article examines the 2017 Women’s March, the largest protest in the U.S. history (Fisher, 2019), as a case study of an effective but a polarized protest. I analyze the discourse related to the march based on its mission statement, media reports posted on the march website, and two authoritative books about the march, including a volume published by the march organizers. In my analysis, I use insights of South Korean Philosopher Byung-Chul Han in ways that may help illuminate the problem of polarized online political discourses. My analysis shows that the march succeeded in unifying diverse allies, but it did not engage the other side of the political spectrum. Polarized political discourses weaken governance and encourage a climate in which intolerance and hate find sustenance. A protest is not just an exercise in declamation but also an appeal to a disagreeable other. To support this point, I discuss practices by a master protester, Mahatma Gandhi, who unfailingly reached out to a disagreeable other. I briefly describe his philosophy of nonviolent protests, his three exemplary protests, and discuss Gandhi’s relevance for present-day protesters.
Linking technology-CAD and physical design

With a focus on the software perspective, this paper examines benefits, scope, requirements, and key issues of the integration of technology-CAD with physical design. Two examples of software components for integration of TCAD with layout data are presented, and use cases are identified which result in different software requirements. Layout data volume and its relation to domain size and resolution of TCAD models is discussed, leading to the conclusion that full-chip layout processing capabilities is a key enabling component that is becoming an integral part of mainstream TCAD.
Rapid helium isotopic variability in Mauna Kea shield lavas from the Hawaiian Scientific Drilling Project

[1] This paper presents new magmatic helium isotopic compositions in a suite of lavas from phase II of the Hawaiian Scientific Drilling Project (HSDP2) core, which sampled Mauna Kea volcano to a maximum depth of 3098 m below sea level. Most of the measurements were performed by in vacuo crushing of olivine phenocrysts, but include submarine pillow glasses from the 2200 to 2500 meter depth interval, and orthopyroxene phenocrysts from an intrusive at 1880 m. The magmatic 3He/4He ratios range from 6 to 24.7 times atmospheric (Ra), which significantly extends the range of values for Mauna Kea volcano. The 3He/4He ratios are lowest (i.e., close to MORB values of ∼8 Ra) near the top of the Mauna Kea section and rise slowly, to 10–12 Ra, at 1000 m below sea level, consistent with results from the HSDP1 core. At depths greater than 1000 m in the core, primarily in the submarine lavas, there are brief periods when the 3He/4He ratios are higher than 14.5 Ra, always returning to a baseline value. Twelve such excursions were identified in the core; all but one are in the submarine section, and most (7) are in the deepest section, at depths of 1950 to 3070 m. The baseline 3He/4He value rises from 10–12 Ra near 1000 m depth to 12–14 Ra at 3000 m. The helium spikes are found only in lavas that are older than 380 Ka in age, based on an age model derived from Ar-Ar data (W. D. Sharp et al., manuscript in preparation, 2003). Excluding the excursions defined by single lava flows (3) and intrusive units (3), the average spike duration is approximately 15 (±9) Ka (n = 6). The high 3He/4He spikes are interpreted as pulses of magma from the center of the actively upwelling Hawaiian hot spot. The short duration of the high 3He/4He excursions suggests that Mauna Kea was never directly over high the 3He/4He component of the plume (during the HSDP2 eruptive period), presumed to be the plume center. Assuming that the Mauna Kea helium spikes result from melting of heterogeneities within the plume, their short duration implies that the length scales of heterogeneities in the solid upwelling mantle are between 60 m and 12 km (for upwelling rates of 2 to 40 cm/yr). The high 3He/4He are associated with high 208Pb/204Pb, and relatively low 143Nd/144Nd, Zr/Nb, and SiO2. The correlations with major elements, trace elements and isotopes demonstrate that helium is coupled to the other geochemical variations, and that the Mauna Kea isotopic variability is caused by heterogeneities within the upwelling plume.
Typifying irrigated areas to support policy design and implementation: the case of the Guadalquivir River Basin.

Irrigated agriculture in the Guadalquivir River Basin (GRB, southern Spain) has changed dramatically over the last decade, both in terms of the type of crops grown and also irrigation technology (water use efficiency). The main cause for this has been the irruption of modern olive groves, characterized by lower water demand (around 1500 m3 ha-1) and the use of drip irrigation systems. In addition to the increase in olive plantations, accounting for approximately half of the 850 000 ha irrigated in the GRB, there has also been an intense process of modernization and intensification of irrigated agriculture, as shown by the latest Inventory of Irrigated Areas of Andalusia (2008). All these changes make it necessary to redefine irrigated areas, not only on the basis of their crop mix, but also taking into account a full array of key variables, such as irrigated area managerial features (water allotments, water pricing, etc.) and farm structural features (irrigation systems, etc.). This study classifies the irrigation areas in the GRB into five homogeneous clusters by means of factor and cluster analysis. This full typology of irrigated areas could provide useful information for policymakers to improve the design and the implementation of agricultural and water planning policies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Interconnect test pattern generation algorithm for meeting device and global SSO limits with safe initial vectors

This work presents a method of creating a true/complement pattern set of optimal size that satisfies simultaneous switching limit constraints. This method is an improvement over previous methods in that it has better runtime characteristics as well as the ability to handle additional scenarios. It can produce safe initial vectors, produce vectors that consider switching limits by device rather than globally, and reduce (or eliminate) the number of morph vectors required.
Low Energy Trapped Protons and Electrons

The directional intensities of 100 keV to 10 MeV protons and the directional energy flux of 10keV to 100 keV electrons have been measured on Explorers satellites XII, XIV, and XV. Preliminary results on the spatial distribution and spectra of the low energy protons and the temporal characteristics of the protons and electrons are presented. The total number of trapped protons having energy greater than 97 keV in the region from L = 2.5 to 7 is 4.4 × 1028 protons. The maximum proton intensity, 4.0 × 107 protons/cm2 sec ster, occurs at L = 3.5. Below L = 5 the proton intensity is constant to within ± 25 % during magnetically quiet times for the period of observation. Low energy electrons in this region and above undergo abrupt increases of as much as a factor of ten at the beginning of small M-region magnetic storms.
A flexible, single-arm robotic surgical system for transoral resection of the tonsil and lateral pharyngeal wall: Next-generation robotic head and neck surgery.

Objectives/Hypothesis To describe the application of a novel flexible robotic surgical system to transoral endoscopic head and neck surgery of the tonsillar fossa and lateral oropharyngeal wall. Study Design Preclinical anatomic study using three human cadavers. Methods Transoral resection of the lateral oropharyngeal wall with mucosal and muscular resection of the tonsillar fossa. Results This single-port flexible robotic system could be used to successfully perform transoral resection of this region. The optimal angle to dock the patient-side cart was at a 90-degree angle to the operating room table. The placement of the remote center of the robotic instrument arm was evaluated in three positions. When the cannula tip was placed at 10 to 15 cm, all instruments could be deployed past the first and second joggle joint settings, without collision or restriction of arm movement. Using this position and docking location, all four arms were deployed inside the oral cavity without collision or restriction of movement in all three cadavers. The Da Vinci SP (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) provided sufficient access, reach, and visualization in order to complete a transoral lateral oropharyngectomy. Conclusion The first preclinical feasibility study of a novel, flexible, single-arm robotic surgical system is presented for its use in transoral endoscopic head and neck surgery. Level of Evidence N/A. Laryngoscope, 126:864–869, 2016
Eine Synthese des β‐Sinensals

β-Sinensal, a flavor constituent of the Chinese orange, has been synthesized from myrcene by a four-step sequence of chemical operations.
Effectively Leveraging Solar Energy through Persistent Dual Red Phosphorescence: Preparation, Characterization, and Density Functional Theory Study of Ca2Zn4Ti16O38:Pr3+

To effectively leverage and convert cheap, abundant, and environmentally friendly solar energy is still an unaccomplished endeavor. In this work, we prepare and characterize the long-lasting red-light-emitting, single-phase Ca2Zn4Ti16O38 phosphor by the sol−gel method with nonstoichiometry or addition of H3BO3 as flux. Excitation and emission mechanisms are proposed and supported by the computational results from density functional theory. Phase identification of powders was performed by X-ray powder diffraction analysis, confirming the existence of single-phase Ca2Zn4Ti16O38 crystals in samples of every series. Unit cell parameters of the crystal were subsequently determined, together with its excitation spectra in the blue-green region with the maximum peak at 474 nm monitored by 644 nm light. The corresponding emission spectra showed a wide emission range with two narrow bands at 614 nm (1D2 → 3H4) and 644 nm (3P0 → 3F2) after the addition of H3BO3. If excited at 474 nm, the phosphor displays a superlo...
Cyclic-AMP in the aqueous humor: the effects of adrenergic agents.

Abstract Adrenergic agents, which reduced intraocular pressure when applied topically to the rabbit eye, increased the cyclic-AMP concentration in the aqueous humor. The order of potency for both reducing intraocular pressure and increasing cyclic-AMP was: epinephrine > norepinephrine > isoproterenol. Intravenous phenoxybenzamine partially blocked the decrease in intraocular pressure and the increase in cyclic-AMP. Intravenous propranolol was ineffective. Topically applied aminophylline, theophylline, and dibutyryl cyclic-AMP were also ineffective. The time course for the epinephrine induced mydriasis was different from the time course for the decrease in intraocular pressure and the increase in cyclic-AMP. The pupil dilated rapidly and then slowly returned to baseline values over the next 4 hr. The intraocular pressure and cyclic-AMP responses peaked at approximately the same time (1·5 hr) and were sustained for at least 5 hr. Substantial tissue levels of cyclic-AMP were found in the cornea, iris-ciliary body and retina-choroid. However, no differences in tissue level could be demonstrated in the control versus epinephrine-treated eye. Thus the site of production of the increased cyclic-AMP in the aqueous humor is not yet resolved. Intracameral injection of high concentrations of cyclic-AMP (estimated final concentration in anterior chamber: 4 × 10−4 m ) caused a marked decrease in intraocular pressure. Similar injections of 5′AMP into the other eye of the same animal were ineffective. The experiments indicate that cyclic-AMP plays a central role in mediating the action of catecholamines on aqueous humor dynamics. The role of the increase in the aqueous humor and possible sites of production and action of the cyclic-AMP are discussed.
Low‐velocity damaged structure of the San Andreas Fault at Parkfield from fault zone trapped waves

[1] We used dense linear seismic arrays across and along the San Andreas Fault (SAF) at Parkfield, California to record fault zone trapped waves generated by explosions and microearthquakes in 2002. Prominent trapped waves appeared at stations close to the SAF main fault trace while some energy was trapped in the north strand at the array site. Observations and 3-D finite-difference simulations of trapped waves at 2–5 Hz show evidence of a damaged core zone on the main SAF. The zone from the surface to seismogenic depths is marked by a low-velocity waveguide ∼150 m wide, in which Q is 10–50 and shear velocities are reduced by 30–40% from wall-rock velocities, with the greatest velocity reduction at shallow depth. We interpret that this distinct low-velocity zone on the main SAF is a remanent of damage due to past large earthquakes on the principal fault plane at Parkfield. A less-developed low-velocity zone may be evident on the north strand that experienced minor breaks in the 1966 M6 event.
Differential regulation of CaMKIIα interactions with mGluR5 and NMDA receptors by Ca2+ in neurons

Two glutamate receptors, metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5), and ionotropic NMDA receptors (NMDAR), functionally interact with each other to regulate excitatory synaptic transmission in the mammalian brain. In exploring molecular mechanisms underlying their interactions, we found that Ca(2+) /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IIα (CaMKIIα) may play a central role. The synapse-enriched CaMKIIα directly binds to the proximal region of intracellular C terminal tails of mGluR5 in vitro. This binding is state-dependent: inactive CaMKIIα binds to mGluR5 at a high level whereas the active form of the kinase (following Ca(2+) /calmodulin binding and activation) loses its affinity for the receptor. Ca(2+) also promotes calmodulin to bind to mGluR5 at a region overlapping with the CaMKIIα-binding site, resulting in a competitive inhibition of CaMKIIα binding to mGluR5. In rat striatal neurons, inactive CaMKIIα constitutively binds to mGluR5. Activation of mGluR5 Ca(2+) -dependently dissociates CaMKIIα from the receptor and simultaneously promotes CaMKIIα to bind to the adjacent NMDAR GluN2B subunit, which enables CaMKIIα to phosphorylate GluN2B at a CaMKIIα-sensitive site. Together, the long intracellular C-terminal tail of mGluR5 seems to serve as a scaffolding domain to recruit and store CaMKIIα within synapses. The mGluR5-dependent Ca(2+) transients differentially regulate CaMKIIα interactions with mGluR5 and GluN2B in striatal neurons, which may contribute to cross-talk between the two receptors. We show that activation of mGluR5 with a selective agonist triggers intracellular Ca(2+) release in striatal neurons. Released Ca(2+) dissociates preformed CaMKIIα from mGluR5 and meanwhile promotes active CaMKIIα to bind to the adjacent NMDAR GluN2B subunit, which enables CaMKIIα to phosphorylate GluN2B at a CaMKIIα-sensitive site. This agonist-induced cascade seems to mediate crosstalk between mGluR5 and NMDA receptors in neurons.
DIRECT MEASUREMENT OF THE FUNDAMENTAL ROTATIONAL TRANSITIONS OF THE OH RADICAL BY LASER SIDEBAND SPECTROSCOPY

We report for the first time the direct (zero-field) spectra of the fundamental rotational transitions of the OH radical in its Ω = 3/2 and 1/2 states at 2509.9 and 1834.7 GHz using a recently developed far-infrared laser sideband spectrometer. These measurements have verified and refined the predictions of previous laser magnetic resonance (LMR) work, thereby confirming the far-infrared detection of interstellar OH. The increased accuracy of these direct measurements will be useful to future astronomical and atmospheric studies of these important transitions.
The effect of long-distance running upon appendicular bone mineral content.

ABSTRACT WILLIAMS, JUDITH ANN, JOHN WAGNER, RICHARD WASNICH, and LANCE HEILBRUN. The effect of long-distance running upon appendicular bone mineral content. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 223–227, 1984. The bone mineral content (BMC) of the os calcis was measured for a group of 20 male runners at the beginning and the end of a 9-month marathon training program. The participants had no previous running experience. The percent change in bone mineral in the runners was compared with that of a control group of male subjects of the same age range (38–68 yr). The consistent runners showed a significant increase in bone mineral over that of the controls; the increase was not significant for inconsistent runners. The data suggest that those runners with longer, more consistent distances gained more bone mineral than those with shorter, more inconsistent distances.
The association of bloody nipple discharge with breast pathology

Background It is believed that bloody spontaneous nipple discharge (SND) portends a greater chance of malignancy than nonbloody discharge, and that cytologic evaluation of SND assists in treatment planning. Our aims were to assess (1) the pathology of women with/without SND who require diagnostic breast surgery, (2) whether bloody SND is associated with a different spectrum of pathologic findings than nonbloody, and (3) whether SND cytology is influenced by pathologic findings. Methods One hundred seventy-five women who underwent breast operation were enrolled. Cytologic evaluation was performed on Papanicolaou-stained cytospin preparations of SND. Results Papilloma and hyperplasia (both without atypia) were more frequent in breasts with than without SND; breast cancer was more common in breasts without SND (P Conclusions Breast cancer can present as unilateral nonbloody SND, indicating the importance of surgical intervention. Papilloma was more common in women with SND than without and most often presented as bloody SND.
Modifications and extensions to Harrison’s tight-binding theory

Harrison's tight-binding theory provides an excellent qualitative description of the electronic structure of the elements across the periodic table. However, the resulting band structures are in significant disagreement with those found by standard methods, particularly for the transition metals. For these systems we developed a procedure to generate both the prefactors of Harrison's hopping parameters and the onsite energies. Our approach gives an impressive improvement and puts Harrison's theory on a quantitative basis. Our method retains the most attractive aspect of the theory, in using a revised set of universal prefactors for the hopping integrals. In addition, a new form of onsite parameters allows us to describe the lattice constant dependence of the bands and the total energy, predicting the correct ground state for all transition, alkaline earth, and noble metals. This work represents not only a useful computational tool but also an important pedagogical enhancement for Harrison's books.
Incompletely resected advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: the effectiveness of adjuvant vs. salvage radiotherapy.

Abstract Between 1982 and 1988, 441 patients were treated at the Medical College of Virginia for AJC Stage III and IV squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. We report here on 84 patients whose tumors were incompletely resected based on histopathological margins of 1 mm or less. Of these 84 patients, 49 were treated with surgery alone and 35 received immediate postoperative irradiation to doses of 50–70 Gy. The two patient groups are comparable with respect to stage of disease, age, male/female and racial ratios. This retrospective analysis, based on follow-up of 24–110 months, gives actuarial locoregional tumor control and survival data. The local control and disease-free survival rates in the combined modality group are significantly superior at the p = 0.0006 and p = 0.0003 levels, respectively, relative to the group treated with surgery alone. Patients in the combined modality group also experienced a significantly improved adjusted and overall survival, p = 0.005 and p = 0.01, respectively. The administration of postoperative irradiation was not associated with an increased rate of complications. The benefit of radiotherapy on survival was only seen when given as postoperative treatment but was lost in patients treated for salvage after tumor recurrence.
Perceptions of medical malpractice and medical malpractice reform among first- and fourth-year medical students.

Abstract Objectives Comparison of first- and fourth-year medical student perceptions of the U.S. medical malpractice system and their disposition toward reform, and examination of the relationship between school year and other potential correlates of these perceptions. Methods Data derived from 109 students at Brown Medical School who responded to a 2006 web-based survey of attitudes and background characteristics. We report student perceptions stratified by medical school year. We use Mann–Whitney U and χ 2 tests to examine the correlates of perceptions and linear regression to examine these in a multivariate context. Results There were no significant differences in the dispositions of first- and fourth-year students toward the current system ( p ≥0.05). However, fourth-year students were more likely to favor screening panels for malpractice cases (82.2% vs. 70.4%) and capping pain and suffering damages (68.9% vs. 55.2%) (both p p p Conclusions First- and fourth-year students had overwhelmingly negative perceptions of the medical malpractice system. This implies attitudes toward malpractice are formed before medical school, with intended specialty and other background characteristics more negatively influencing students' views.
Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) in human prostate.

BACKGROUND The growth and dissemination of tumors has been associated with angiogenesis, which is regulated by a group of polypeptide factors including vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C). VEGF-C binds its receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) to promote growth of tumor-associated lymphatic vessels. METHODS In this study, microarray technology was used to build tissue arrays of normal prostate, benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate carcinomas (PCa) using tissues from 640 patients. Slides were sectioned and stained with a polyclonal antibody to VEGFR-3 using a standard immunoperoxidase method and digitized. Immunoreactivity was scored using a 0–3+ semiquantitation scoring system for both intensity and percentage. The sum index was obtained by totaling the scores. RESULTS VEGFR-3 is expressed in normal prostate, BPH, and PCa, but VEGFR-3 expression is up-regulated in PCa. We also found that VEGFR-3 is correlated with pre-operative prostate-specific antigen (Pre-PSA), Gleason score, and lymph node metastasis. The recurrence-free 5-year survival in cases with lower sum index (0–3) was significantly higher than that in cases with higher sum index (4–6) (77.3, 69.6%, respectively, P = 0.037) by Kaplan–Meier actuarial model. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that VEGFR-3 expression is associated with tumor progression and may play an important role in facilitating lymphatic spread of PCa; high-level of VEGFR-3 expression in prostate cancer cells increases the risk of biochemical recurrence in prostate cancer patients treated by radical prostatectomy. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The costs of treating hypertension.

Recent surveys in the U.S. have reported, for the first time, that a significant number of patients with hypertension are finding that the cost of medication and treatment in general is an obstacle to treatment. The cost of management of hypertension can be contained if: a) the diagnostic workup is kept simple (this does not include the use of routine echocardiography or 24-hour monitoring) and b) medications that are relatively inexpensive and easily titratable on one or two visits are chosen. Despite some claims to the contrary, there are relatively few instances where significant metabolic changes are noted, regardless of the medication chosen, that require repeated blood determinations or frequent office visits.
Linking childhood maltreatment with girls' internalizing symptoms: early puberty as a tipping point

Early pubertal timing in girls is one of the most frequently replicated antecedents of adolescent emotional distress. Yet understanding the impact of pubertal timing in psychosocial development has presented something of a conundrum for developmentalists, as earlier physical maturation may often be preceded by a range of early adversities and life stressors. The present paper disentangles these associations by investigating childhood maltreatment, adolescent internalizing symptoms, and perceived pubertal timing in girls who were residing in foster care at study entry (N = 100, M = 11.54 years old at Time 1). Girls were assessed at two time points two years apart. There were no significant direct effects of maltreatment on internalizing symptoms; rather, childhood sexual abuse predicted earlier perceived pubertal development at study onset which, in turn, was associated with higher levels of internalizing symptomatology. These higher levels of internalizing symptoms persisted over the two years of the study. This distinctive role for early pubertal timing - even within a sample subject to stressors and risks which far exceed the developmental norm - confirms the unique salience of pubertal timing in emotional adjustment, and suggests that the heightened sexual circumstances of puberty may be especially disturbing for girls whose lives have already been traumatically disrupted by inappropriate and unwanted sexual experiences.
Molecular epidemiology of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome in premature infants.

Background.Outbreaks of nosocomial staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) in infants have been well-described associated with the well baby nursery or delivery room. We describe two cases of SSSS in very low birth weight infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and the success of in
Design, fabrication, and test of a small aperture, dual frequency ultrasound transducer

High resolution ultrasound medical imaging requires high frequency transducers, which usually are known with decreased penetration depth because of high loss in two-way-loop at high frequencies. To obtain high resolution imaging at large depth, a dual frequency transducer was designed for contrast imaging. Specifically, a 35 MHz receiving transducer with aperture of 0.6 mm x 0.6 mm was integrated into a 6.5 MHz transmitting transducer with aperture of 0.6 mm x 3 mm. High pressure ultrasound at low frequency was generated by the transducer to excited microbubbles in tissue. High frequency component of the nonlinear response from microbubbles were received by the 35 MHz transducer for high resolution imaging at a relatively large depth. The prototyped transducer showed the ability of transmitting about 2 MPa pressure at 6.5 MHz, under an input of 5-cycle burst at 250 Vpp, which is high enough to generate nonlinear oscillation of microbubbles. The pulse-echo test showed that the -6 dB bandwidth of the 35 MHz transducer is 34.4% and the loop sensitivity is -38.3 dB. The small aperture, dual frequency ultrasound transducers developed in this paper are promising for high resolution ultrasound medical imaging.
Generation and properties of banded viscous damping matrices

Abstract Numerical analysis of discrete vibratory systems subjected to broad band excitation usually requires specification of a viscous damping matrix. A method of determining the entries in such matrices directly is presented in this paper. The modal damping ratios, which can normally be estimated, are used to produce a fully populated damping matrix. To facilitate numerical integration of the equations of motion, a procedure termed stripping has been established for reducing the matrix to banded form. Additionally, using a procedure termed replacement, small element matrices were identified, extracted from the fully populated damping matrix and utilized (much as element mass and stiffness matrices are) to construct the global damping matrix. The effects of stripping or replacement were evaluated for a number of boundary conditions on plates, beams, and shells. Errors caused by variation of the number of system degrees of freedom, the number of diagonal rows remaining in the stripped matrix, and the magnitude and mo dal distribution of damping ratios were studied. Results were, in general, good. Damping ratios, damped natural frequencies, and eigenvectors were closely approximated by both type of systems.
The Role of Surgery in Tuberculous Pericarditis

Abstract To define the role of surgery in the treatment of tuberculous pericarditis, 62 consecutive patients treated for this condition were reviewed. Medical therapy alone achieved satisfactory results in less than one-third of the patients. One-half of the patients eventually required pericardiectomy for symptoms of recurrent cardiac tamponade or evidence of constriction. A favorable response to medical therapy alone could not be predicted. The results of surgery were excellent if operation was performed prior to constriction. In our opinion, all reasonable-risk patients with tuberculous pericarditis would benefit by prompt surgical intervention following institution of chemotherapy.
Ileal pouch-anal anastomosis: is preoperative anal manometry predictive of postoperative functional outcome?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the value of preoperative anal manometry in predicting postoperative continence. METHODS: Anal manometry was performed in 73 consecutive patients before ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) surgery (m1), before loop ileostomy closure (m2), and at a follow-up of one (m3) and two (m4) years. Mean and maximum resting and squeezing pressures were documented at each occasion. One year after surgery, pressures were correlated (r)with an incontinence score. RESULTS: A significant (P 0.05) at any time during the study (m1 =114 mmHg; m2 = 102.9 mmHg; m3 = 103.4 mmHg; m4 = 95.8 mmHg). There was no correlation between preoperative mean resting pressure and postoperative (mI) incontinence score. CONCLUSION: Anal manometry showed a characteristic trend in internal anal sphincter injury after IPAA followed by recovery after ileostomy closure. However, it failed to prove helpful in the prediction of clinical outcome. Thus, although this study supports the continued use of manometry in a research setting, it challenges the value of routine manometry in a clinical context.