cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HYPOXIA-INDUCED MODIFICATION OF GUANOSINE IN THE CEREBRAL CORTEX OF FETAL GUINEA PIGS. † 370

Previous studies have demonstrated that tissue hypoxia induces free radical generation and lipid peroxidation in the cerebral cortex of the fetus and newborn animals. The present study tests the hypothesis that hypoxia results in DNA modification through the generation of free radicals in the cerebral cortex of fetal guinea pigs. Structural alteration of DNA was determined by measuring the concentration of 8-hydroxy-guanosine, an index of free radical - induced DNA modification, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Twelve pregnant guinea pigs were exposed to 21% or 7% oxygen for 60 min. Brain tissue hypoxia in the fetus was documented biochemically by decreased levels of ATP and phosphocreatine. Cerebral cortical extracts from 6 normoxic and 6 hypoxic fetuses were prepared in 0.2 M perchloric acid for HPLC analyses using a reverse phase C18 column. A two phase gradient elution with 50 mM KH2PO4 and 60% methanol was used at a flow rate of 1.5 ml /min. Concentrations were determined by comparison with an 8-OH-guanosine standard, using peak height ratios. The concentration of 8-OH-guanosine in the normoxic and hypoxic tissues were 2.48 ± 0.46 nmoles/g tissue and 26.59 ± 4.71 nmoles/g tissue, respectively. The presence of 8-OH-guanosine in the normoxic brain suggests a basal modification of DNA molecule. The ten fold increase in 8-OH-guanosine in the hypoxic tissue (p<0.001) indicates a significant alteration in the DNA molecule due to free radical generation during hypoxia. We conclude that modification of guanosine is a potential mechanism of altered gene expression following hypoxia. We speculate that hypoxia-induced modification of guanosine results in altered translation primarily due to modification of AUG, the initiator codon. (Funded by NIH-HD-20337, MOD #6-FY94-0135, UCPR)
Comparison of power deposition patterns produced by microwave and radio frequency cardiac ablation catheters

Transcatheter microwave and radio frequency (RF) electrodes are used for the ablative treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. The authors compare the power deposition patterns of microwave antennas and RF electrodes in saline phantoms of biological material. The decrease in power deposition as a function of distance away from the electrode is nearly exponential for RF and is considerably steeper than microwave antennas. These results suggest that microwave antennas are capable of heating a larger volume and thus creating a greater lesion than RF.
Changing schedules: a case for alternative work schedules

Corporations want productivity and efficiency, while the work force is asking for more time with the family. The ability of management to juggle productivity requirements with employee demands can be difficult and requires creative solutions. The Analytical Central Call Management (CCM) group at Hewlett Packard recently piloted a compressed work week schedule, consisting of four ten‐hour work days (4 x 10). However this pilot schedule encountered many problems. After careful evaluation the key to successful implementation of this plan is cross‐training. Cross‐training will help solve some of the morale issues caused by this pilot schedule. Issues of unproductive time and lack of staff caused by absences would also be alleviated. If employers want to develop management tools more appropriate to the need of this decade’s work force and the competitive challenges of a global economy, they will have to learn to use work time and space in more appropriate ways.
The psychoanalytic treatment of sexual disorders

Abstract Three major categories associated with sexual disorders may be subsumed under prohibitive, interpersonal, and gender identity dynamics. The common denominators underlying these various systems consist of unrealistic beliefs that set off and maintain unrealistic fears that heterosexual functioning and graficiation will be hurtful to self. Distortions of beliefs and convictions about sexuality are established in childhood as a consequence of adverse influences on sexual development. Destructive attitudes are usually exerted by parents but also by other power figures in and outside the family. The most common sexual disorders seen in the general population are dysfunctions such as impotence, premature ejaculation, frigidity, and other operational problems; however, psychological difficulties linked to sexual behavior, though not usually recognized as sexual, are far more common— falling in love, maintaining long-term love relationships, resistance to marriage, and postpartum reactions.
Magic-angle thermal desorption mass spectroscopy

Abstract Accurate quantitative measurements of desorption rates or adsorbate coverages in thermal desorption mass spectroscopy (TDS) using line-of-sight mass spectrometers are hindered by the fact that the angular distributions of desorption flux can vary widely from desorbate to desorbate, ranging from cos1o to cos9 o for most species studied to date (o = polar angle from surface normal). These differences can easily lead to errors exceeding 400% in measuring the relative desorption rates of different species. We show here that, by placing the mass spectrometer's ion source or entrance aperture at a “magic-angle” o mthese errors can be reduced to less than 26% maximum deviation (or ± 7% standard deviation). Depending upon the sample-to-detector distance, o m varies from ~ 42° to 34°. It is recommended that TDS experiments be performed at this “magic-angle” for improvement in the quantitative accuracy of coverage or rate measurements.
Dose dependent pharmacokinetics of prednisone and prednisolone in man

Six healthy male volunteers were given 5, 20, and 50 mg of oral prednisone and 5, 20, and 40 mg doses of intravenous prednisolone. Plasma and urine concentrations of prednisone and prednisolone were determined by HPLC, and the binding of prednisolone to plasma proteins was measured by radioisotopic and equilibrium dialysis techniques. The pharmacokinetics of both oral prednisone and intravenous prednisolone were dose-dependent. The mean oral dose plasma clearances of prednisone ranged from 572 ml/min/ 1.73 m2for the 5mg dose to 2271 ml/min/1.73 m2for the 50 mg dose. Changes in prednisone half-life were insignificant, but increases in the half-life of its metabolite were dose-dependent. The systemic plasma clearance of i.v. prednisolone was dose-dependent and increased from 111 to 194 ml/min/1.73 m2over the 5 to 40 mg i.v. dosage range. The steady-state volume of distribution also increased, but little change in mean transit time and half-life was found. The binding of prednisolone to plasma proteins was markedly concentration-dependent, and a two compartment, nonlinear equation was used to characterize the effective binding of prednisolone to transcortin and albumin. The apparent pharmacokinetic parameters of protein-free and transcortin-free prednisolone were relatively constant with dose. The interconversion of prednisone and prednisolone varied with time and dose, although prednisolone concentrations dominated by 4-to 10-fold over prednisone. In urine, 2–5% of either administered drug was excreted as prednisone and 11–24% as prednisolone. The apparent renal clearances of both steroids were also nonlinear and unrelated to protein binding. These studies indicate that the pharmacokinetics of prednisone and prednisolone are dose-dependent and that protein binding does not fully explain their apparent nonlinear distribution and disposition.
Detection of Ionized Gas toward an OH/IR Star: A Measure of the UV Radiation Field near the Galactic Center

The nature of the ionizing UV radiation field in the inner Galaxy is investigated by searching for radio continuum emission from the outer envelope of the population of OH/IR stars toward the Galactic center region. Radio continuum observations of a sample of OH/IR stars have been made at 3.6 cm using the VLA in its A, B, and DnC configurations. A highly scattered OH/IR star has been detected with a flux density of ~1 mJy, which suggests that the star is photoionized by an external radiation field. The UV flux responsible for ionization is estimated to be 2.5 × 109(-5)-4 photons cm-2 s-1, where -5 is the mass-loss rate in units of 10-5 M☉ yr-1. We note that the continuum emission should become optically thick below a few hundred megahertz and that measurements at these frequencies will be able to determine both the UV flux and .
Ipsilateral cortical connections of motor, premotor, frontal eye, and posterior parietal fields in a prosimian primate, Otolemur garnetti.

The ipsilateral connections of motor areas of galagos were determined by injecting tracers into primary motor cortex (M1), dorsal premotor area (PMD), ventral premotor area (PMV), supplementary motor area (SMA), and frontal eye field (FEF). Other injections were placed in frontal cortex and in posterior parietal cortex to define the connections of motor areas further. Intracortical microstimulation was used to identify injection sites and map motor areas in the same cases. The major connections of M1 were with premotor cortex, SMA, cingulate motor cortex, somatosensory areas 3a and 1, and the rostral half of posterior parietal cortex. Less dense connections were with the second (S2) and parietal ventral (PV) somatosensory areas. Injections in PMD labeled neurons across a mediolateral belt of posterior parietal cortex extending from the medial wall to lateral to the intraparietal sulcus. Other inputs came from SMA, M1, PMV, and adjoining frontal cortex. PMV injections labeled neurons across a large zone of posterior parietal cortex, overlapping the region projecting to PMD but centered more laterally. Other connections were with M1, PMD, and frontal cortex and sparsely with somatosensory areas 3a, 1–2, S2, and PV. SMA connections were with medial posterior parietal cortex, cingulate motor cortex, PMD, and PMV. An FEF injection labeled neurons in the intraparietal sulcus. Injections in posterior parietal cortex revealed that the rostral half receives somatosensory inputs, whereas the caudal half receives visual inputs. Thus, posterior parietal cortex links visual and somatosensory areas with motor fields of frontal cortex. J. Comp. Neurol. 490:305–333, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Consider the Opposite: Opening Minds Through In-Class Debates on Course-Related Controversies

When considering a complex and controversial issue, students may engage in a biased assimilation of the evidence and strengthen their existing attitudes rather than become appreciative of both sides of the issue. However, a consider-the-opposite strategy in which students argue a position contrary to their current opinion may eliminate this biased assimilation. We conducted in-class debates in 3 different courses and randomly assigned students to argue for or against their current attitude on an issue. Our results indicate that arguing a position consistent with one's opinion does produce biased assimilation but that arguing for a position inconsistent with one's opinion reduces this tendency. We discuss how best to design in-class debates to maximize their educational value.
120 Gbit/s OTDM system using electroabsorption transmitter and demultiplexer operating at 30 GHz

The authors describe a 120 Gbit/s (4/spl times/30 Gbit/s) OTDM system in which the transmitter and the receiver are based on electroabsorption modulators operating at 30 GHz. Error-free operation with an average 120 Gbit/s sensitivity of -22.6 dBm is achieved.
A Research Review and Alternative Hypothesis Explaining the Link Between Learning Disability and Delinquency

Current hypotheses explaining the link between learning disability and delinquency are reviewed and evaluated. Research from diverse fields is integrated and an alternative hypothesis is proposed to explain the link between learning disability and delinquency. The alternative hypothesis postulates that ineffective social cognitive problem-solving skills increase risk for delinquency in learning disabled youth. Future research is suggested.
Electron mobility in SOS films

Mobility of electrons in various thickness thin silicon films grown on two different high-temperature pre-epitaxial growth annealed sapphire substrates was measured as a function of the depth from the Si-SiO2 interface and the gate bias voltage at-50 to 120°C temperature range. The mobility is larger for electrons in thicker SOS films and in those films grown on higher temperature pre-epitaxial growth annealed sapphire substrates. Crystal defects, edge dislocations, and deep traps are found to play major roles of limiting the mobility of electrons in thin SOS films. For very thin SOS films the surface scattering process may not be an important factor which affects the electron mobility even when the surface is strongly accumulated.
Youth alcohol use and risky sexual behavior: evidence from underage drunk driving laws

Recent research calls into question previous methods for estimating the relationship between alcohol use and risky sexual behavior among youths [Rashad, I., Kaestner, R., 2004. Teenage sex, drugs and alcohol use: problems identifying the cause of risky behaviors. Journal of Health Economics 23, 493-503]. This paper provides new evidence on this question by using reductions in heavy alcohol use among underage males induced by state adoption of very strict age-targeted "Zero Tolerance" drunk driving laws. I estimate reduced form models of the effects of Zero Tolerance laws on state gonorrhea rates by age group and race over the period 1981-2000, controlling for state and year fixed effects and state-specific time trends. I find that adoption of a Zero Tolerance law was associated with a significant reduction in gonorrhea rates among 15-19-year-old white males, with no effect for slightly older males age 20-24 whose drinking behavior was unaffected by the tougher policies. I find mixed effects for white females and no significant effects for blacks. While not conclusive, these results suggest an important role for alcohol use in risky sexual behavior among young men.
How Did I Get This Way? How Bad Is the Damage? and How Do I Fix It?

here is an old saying, ―Ignorance is bliss.‖ I never really knew what the elders meant by this statement until the last few years of teaching mathematics to high-SES students at a private school. You see it has been 3 years since I decided to take the red pill (like Neo in The Matrix) and this decision has led to numerous days of frustration, confusion, and unfulfilling results. Before doing so, I was in a state of ―ignorant bliss.‖ I stood in front of my students, poked my chest out, and indoctrinated them with knowledge relevant or irrelevant to their lives. In return, they wrote down word-for-word everything I said, never questioned my mathematics, and passed the assessments. Dialogue 1 was not present, numeracy was not present, and mathemacy 2 was nowhere in sight. Then the decision—the red pill—and I became conflicted and began to reflect differently on my teaching practices. I started to see the discourses that surround my students (and yes the wealthy too have discourses), discourses created by their teachers and their teachers‘ practices, and the discourses created by lofty and unsatisfied expectations of their parents. These practices and discourses work
Immunohistochemical demonstration of cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase in Clara cells throughout the tracheobronchial airways of the rabbit.

The nonciliated bronchiolar epithelial (or Clara) cell is considered the primary pulmonary site of cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenase activity. Despite the general conception that Clara cells are restricted to bronchioles, we have previously shown that a nonciliated cell with the cytological features of the Clara cell predominates throughout rabbit tracheobronchial airways. The present study was designed to determine if the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase system has the same distribution. Trachea, terminal bronchioles and 3 generations of bronchi were selected by microdissection from fixed lungs of adult specific-pathogen-free rabbits. Serial sections of paraffin-embedded tissue were stained with either Alcian blue/periodic acid Schijfs (AB/PAS) or with antisera to one of the following: cytochrome P-450 form 2, form 5, or NADPH-dependent cytochrome P-450 reductase. The majority of nonciliated epithelial cells lining all 5 airway generations were PAS+ and AB-. Nonciliated cells in all 5 airway generat...
Microwave-triggered liposomal drug delivery: investigation of a model drug delivery system

Membrane permeability increases have been observed in liposomal vesicle systems during in vitro exposures to microwave, time-varying magnetic, and static magnetic fields. Cholesterol and other nonphospholipid components of the bilayer are currently being investigated as parameters that play an important role in permeability changes induced by these fields. To determine if liposomal vesicles are responsive to microwave fields under in vivo conditions, liposome vesicles were loaded with the drug gentamicin and used in drug delivery studies. Liposomes were place subcutaneously as a depot in the limb of a rat and the area treated with microwaves. Preliminary studies described here indicate that microwave fields enhance release of gentamicin, as measured by its appearance in the blood stream. >
Measurements of protein sequence-structure correlations

Correlations between protein structures and amino acid sequences are widely used for protein structure prediction. For example, secondary structure predictors generally use correlations between a secondary structure sequence and corresponding primary structure sequence, whereas threading algorithms and similar tertiary structure predictors typically incorporate interresidue contact potentials. To investigate the relative importance of these sequence-structure interactions, we measured the mutual information among the primary structure, secondary structure and side-chain surface exposure, both for adjacent residues along the amino acid sequence and for tertiary structure contacts between residues distantly separated along the backbone. We found that local interactions along the amino acid chain are far more important than non-local contacts and that correlations between proximate amino acids are essentially uninformative. This suggests that knowledge-based contact potentials may be less important for structure predication than is generally believed.
Reply: Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (Gm-Csf) in Malignancy

High-dose methylprednisolone induced neutrophilia is well known, but the neutrophilia with certain cytokines is much higher. Therefore, there was a rationale for the trial as described by us. We used GM-CSF in children with solid tumors (Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 1997;14:539-545) and not in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). High-dose methylprednisolone may work in ALL, but it is unknown whether it also works in solid tumors.
Membrane-elution analysis of content of cyclins A, B1, and E during the unperturbed mammalian cell cycle.

Background Problems with whole-culture synchronization methods for the study of the cell cycle have led to the need for an analysis of protein content during the cell cycle of cells that have not been starved or inhibited. The membrane-elution method is a method that allows the study of the cell cycle by producing a culture of unperturbed, synchronized cells.
Advances in amorphous silicon uncooled IR systems

A new class of uncooled IR systems has been developed based on advances in both amorphous silicon detectors and signal/system processing techniques. Not only are these devices uncooled but they operate over a wide system ambient temperature range without the use of TEC's or choppers. The devices are DC biased and provide radiometric information from each pixel without the use of a calibrated source. The current imaging system are medium to low resolution. They were designed with a very disciplined 'concept-to-cost' technique in which cost, power, sizes, weight and performance were traded off in the stated order. The result has been a new generation of 'ambient temperature' thermal imaging system and radiometers.
Uncut Collis-Nissen fundoplication: learning curve and long-term results

Abstract Background . Between September 1985 and July 1990, the first 100 consecutive patients (50 female and 50 male) undergoing primary uncut Collis-Nissen fundoplication performed by one surgeon were reviewed. Methods . Median age was 62 years and ranged from 19 to 89 years. Indications for repair included gastroesophageal reflux in 56 patients, obstructive symptoms in 34, and a combination of both in 10. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed in 99 patients; all were abnormal. Esophagitis was documented in 53 patients, large diaphragmatic hernia in 36, stenosis in 18, "Cameron's erosions" in 17, Barrett's disease in 13, and other findings in 9 patients. An abnormal upper gastrointestinal series was demonstrated in 96 of 97 patients evaluated. Motility studies were performed in 95 patients, and 11 had abnormal peristalsis. All procedures were performed through a left thoracotomy. Results . Complications occurred in 23 patients and included respiratory failure in 6, atrial fibrillation in 3, atelectasis in 3, pneumonia in 2, myocardial infarction in 2, and chylothorax, severe dysphagia, early breakdown of repair, cardiac tamponade, hematuria, spinal headache, and intraoperative perforation by dilator in 1 each. There were 2 postoperative deaths, both cardiac in origin. Median hospitalization was 8 days (range, 6 to 76 days). The first 25 patients had 10 complications (40%) and 2 deaths (8%). The remaining 75 patients had 13 complications (17%) and no deaths (mortality, p = 0.06; morbidity, p = 0.03). Follow-up was complete in all patients for a median of 100 months (range, 3 to 138 months). Eighty-six of the 98 operative survivors are currently alive. At last follow-up, excellent functional results were observed in 58 patients (59%), good in 24 (25%), fair in 8 (8%), poor in 7 (7%), and unknown in 1 (1%). Conclusion . We conclude that the uncut Collis-Nissen fundoplication provides good to excellent long-term results in 84% of patients. Operative mortality and morbidity is acceptable but is associated with a learning curve.
Brevetoxin-Induced Neural Insult in the Retrosplenial Cortex of Mouse Brain

Brevetoxins (polyether breve toxins; PbTx) are polyether neurotoxins produced by the marine dinoflagellate Karenia brevis, an organism associated with red tide blooms in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast from Florida to North Carolina. Brevetoxin-3 (PbTx-3) is a major component of the array of brevetoxins found in marine aerosols measured along red tide affected beaches. Humans exposed to aerosolized brevetoxins for short periods of time often suffer a variety of adverse health effects. It was consequently of interest to assess the potential for aerosolized brevetoxin to produce a neurotoxic response. Female BALB/c mice were exposed nose-only for 2 consecutive days to PbTx-3 aerosol, with a 2-h exposure on the first day and a 4-h exposure on the second day. The average PbTx-3 exposure concentrations on days 1 and 2 were 312 ± 113 μg brevetoxin 3/m3 and 278 ± 24 μg brevetoxin 3/m3, respectively. The brevetoxin-containing aerosol had a mass median aerodynamic diameter of 0.92 μm with a geometr...
A Comparison of Methods for the Isolation of Carcinoembryonic Antigen

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was isolated from a human tumor with 0.02 m sodium phosphate containing 0.14 m NaCl (pH 7.0) (saline) and further studied after treatment with perchloric acid or 8 m urea. Preparations of CEA obtained from saline homogenates and both methods of treatment were characterized by isoelectric focusing and gel filtration. Perchloric acid treatment resulted in an approximate 10-fold decrease in protein and a significant loss of CEA as compared to the saline- and urea-treated material. Isoelectric focusing revealed that the resultant CEA subpopulations were dependent upon the method of isolation. Urea- and saline-treated material showed complex isoelectric patterns that were quantitatively dissimilar. Perchloric acid-treated material showed a comparatively simple isoelectric pattern that was not significantly affected by electrofocusing in the presence of urea. Gel filtration on ACA 34 of the CEA obtained from each method of isolation resulted in two peaks of activity. The first peak corresponded to the void volume of the column, and the second peak coeluted with commercially available purified 125I-labeled CEA. Centrifugation of the peaks obtained resulted in a significantly greater loss of CEA from the void peak of each isolation procedure. The amount of CEA lost from the void peaks following centrifugation differed with each method of isolation and suggested the presence of aggregates.
Phenology of hibernation and reproduction in ground squirrels: integration of environmental cues with endogenous programming

Mammalian hibernation is characterized by prolonged dormancy consisting of pronounced depression of metabolism and body temperature. Though hibernation occurs in at least seven mammalian orders and several families of the order Rodentia, the ecology and physiology of hibernation in rodents has been most extensively studied in the family Sciuridae, particularly in the so-called ground squirrels, that is, the tribe Marmotini. Early studies of these rodents demonstrated the important role of an endogenous circannual clock in the persistence of annual timing and phasing of key seasonal events, including weight gain, hibernation and reproduction. Here, we review the causes and consequences of intraspecific variation in the timing of hibernation and reproduction in these sciurids and examine the physiological mechanisms that contribute to phenotypic plasticity in seasonal timing. Although the duration, annual phasing and predictability of seasonal change in environmental conditions likely promoted the evolution of endogeneity, precision and brevity of breeding seasons in the annual cycles of sciurids, substantial intraspecific variation in hibernation and reproductive phenology exists along latitudinal and altitudinal clines, as well as among locally varying environmental micro-conditions. We suggest that much of this variation is a function of plasticity in the physiological mechanisms controlling annual cycles. While studies of captive animals have been instrumental in establishing the role of an endogenous rhythm, a greater emphasis on experimental field manipulations is needed to better understand the function, causes and consequences of phenological shifts in wild populations. Ultimately, the capacity of hibernators to adjust their timing in response to changing environmental conditions, either through phenotypic plasticity or microevolution, will be an important determinant of the resilience of sciurid species to changing climate.
Quality analysis in flexible manufacturing systems with batch productions

In this paper, we present an analytical method to evaluate the quality performance of flexible manufacturing systems with batch operations. Many flexible manufacturing systems implement batch production to shorten changeover time, reduce cost, and improve quality. In such systems, different types of products are process in batches where all products in each batch have the same type. The change of product type only occurs after the last job in a batch is processed. A closed formula to quantify the probability of producing a good part is derived and structural properties to address the appropriate sequence of products are presented.
Shuttling between two protein conformations: the common mechanism for sensory transduction and ion transport

It has recently become known that light-dependent interconversions between two protein conformations underlie both ion transport in bacteriorhodopsin and halorhodopsin and phototaxis signaling by the sensory rhodopsins of halobacteria. In the transport proteins, the two conformations facilitate alternating access of an occluded ion-binding site to the two surfaces of the membrane, and in the sensory receptors the conformations modulate signal-transducer activity. In sensory rhodopsin I, the same conformational equilibrium is implicated in providing both sensory signaling when bound to its transducer and proton transport when free.
Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill imaging of prostate cancer: quantitative T2 values for cancer discrimination.

Quantitative, apparent T2 values of suspected prostate cancer and healthy peripheral zone tissue in men with prostate cancer were measured using a Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) imaging sequence in order to assess the cancer discrimination potential of tissue T2 values. The CPMG imaging sequence was used to image the prostates of 18 men with biopsy-proven prostate cancer. Whole gland coverage with nominal voxel volumes of 0.54×1.1×4 mm3 was obtained in 10.7 min, resulting in data sets suitable for generating high-quality images with variable T2-weighting and for evaluating quantitative T2 values on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Region-of-interest analysis of suspected healthy peripheral zone tissue and suspected cancer, identified on the basis of both T1- and T2-weighted signal intensities and available histopathology reports, yielded significantly (P<.0001) longer apparent T2 values in suspected healthy tissue (193±49 ms) vs. suspected cancer (100±26 ms), suggesting potential utility of this method as a tissue specific discrimination index for prostate cancer. We conclude that CPMG imaging of the prostate can be performed in reasonable scan times and can provide advantages over T2-weighted fast spin echo (FSE) imaging alone, including quantitative T2 values for cancer discrimination as well as proton density maps without the point spread function degradation associated with short effective echo time FSE sequences.
Antifailure Therapy Including Spironolactone Improves Left Ventricular Energy Supply-Demand Relations in Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Background Left ventricular (LV) energy supply-demand imbalance is postulated to cause “energy starvation” and contribute to heart failure (HF) in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (NIDCM). Using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and [11C] acetate positron emission tomography (PET), we evaluated LV perfusion and oxidative metabolism in NIDCM and the effects of spironolactone on LV supply-demand relations. Methods and Results Twelve patients with NIDCM underwent CMR and PET at baseline and after ≥6 months of spironolactone therapy added to a standard HF regimen. The myocardial perfusion reserve index (MPRI) was calculated after gadolinium injection during adenosine, as compared to rest. The monoexponential clearance rate of [11C] acetate (kmono) was used to calculate the work metabolic index (WMI), an index of LV mechanical efficiency, and kmono/RPP (rate-pressure product), an index of energy supply/demand. At baseline, the subendocardium was hypoperfused versus the subepicardium (median MPRI, 1.63 vs. 1.80; P <0.001), but improved to 1.80 ( P <0.001) after spironolactone. The WMI increased ( P =0.001), as did kmono/RPP ( P =0.003). These improvements were associated with reverse remodeling, increased LV ejection fraction, and decreases in LV mass and systolic wall stress (all P <0.002). Conclusions NIDCM is associated with subendocardial hypoperfusion and impaired myocardial oxidative metabolism, consistent with energy starvation. Antifailure therapy improves parameters of energy starvation and is associated with augmented LV performance. Clinical Trial Registration URL: Unique identifier: ID [NCT00574119][1]. [1]: /lookup/external-ref?link_type=CLINTRIALGOV&access_num=NCT00574119&atom=%2Fahaoa%2F3%2F4%2Fe000883.atom
Predictors of Parental Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in the Year After Adolescent Traumatic Injury

Abstract Objectives Parental posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common after pediatric traumatic injury and may negatively impact parental functioning and quality of life during this key period of the child's early postinjury recovery. This study aimed to evaluate the course and predictors of PTSD in parents during the year after an adolescent traumatic injury. Methods This prospective cohort study included a population-based sample of 99 parent-adolescent dyads. Assessment was through structured interview administration of standardized measures. Interviews were conducted within 30 days of injury and 2, 5, and 12 months after injury. Mixed model regression was used to evaluate variables potentially associated with repeated measures of parental PTSD symptoms at the follow-up time points. Results Twenty-three percent of parents met symptomatic criteria for PTSD at the first postinjury evaluation, as did 15% at 2 months, 7% at 5 months, and 6% at 12 months after the injury. The percentage of parents meeting symptomatic PTSD criteria decreased significantly between the 2-month and 12-month evaluations. Mixed-model regression analyses revealed greater PTSD symptoms within 30 days of injury and a greater number of postinjury parental traumatic and/or stressful life events as significant predictors of parental PTSD. Adolescent factors did not affect the risk of parental PTSD. Conclusions A substantial subgroup of parents demonstrate high PTSD symptom levels during the course of the year after an adolescent injury. Given that early modifiable risk factors can be identified, future investigations focusing on screening and intervention are warranted.
You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby Cardiovascular Health and Disease in Women: Problems and Prospects

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women both in the United States and in most of the industrialized world. Whereas cardiovascular deaths in US men have declined, the number of cardiovascular deaths in women remains unchanged or is increasing.1 The onset of clinical manifestations of coronary heart disease (CHD) in women lags behind men by about 10 years and by as much as 20 years for more ominous events such as myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. Despite this age disparity in coronary events for women, with the aging of the US population and with elderly US women outnumbering elderly men, each year since 1984, more US women than men have died of cardiovascular disease. The sex gap in mortality continues to widen. But CHD is not solely a problem for elderly women. More than 9000 US women younger than 45 years sustain a myocardial infarction each year. The question of why women younger than 65 years of age are more than twice as likely to die from an acute myocardial infarction than comparably aged men is intriguing. Among survivors, 25% of men versus 38% of women die within a year after an initial myocardial infarction. Within 6 years after myocardial infarction, 18% of men but 35% of women will have a recurrent infarction. Women with unstable angina have a survival advantage compared with men, in contrast to their more lethal outcomes after myocardial infarction. Can the more favorable prognosis with unstable angina be exploited by interventions designed to avert myocardial infarction? CHD accounts for almost 250 000 female deaths annually. Almost every minute, a US woman dies of cardiovascular disease.2 Recent reports from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Dynamic PTCA Registry indicate that, despite their persistent high-risk characteristics, women who undergo …
The DNA-binding domain of the Escherichia coli CpxR two-component response regulator is constitutively active and cannot be fully attenuated by fused adjacent heterologous regulatory domains

Two-component systems (TCS) based on a sensor histidine kinase and a phosphorylated cognate target regulator allow rapid responses to environmental changes. TCS are highly evolutionarily conserved, though in only a few cases are the inducing signals understood. This study focuses on the Escherichia coli CpxR response regulator that responds to periplasmic and outer-membrane stress. N-terminal deletion mutations have been isolated that render the transcription factor constitutively active, indicating that the N terminus functions, in part, to keep the C-terminal winged-helix DNA-binding effector domain in an inactive state. Analysis of truncations spanning the CpxR interdomain region revealed that mutants retaining the alpha5 helix significantly augment activation. Hybrid proteins obtained by fusing the CpxR effector domain to structurally similar heterologous N-terminal regulatory domains, or even GFP, failed to restore repression to the C-terminal domain. These findings shed light on the mechanism of CpxR effector domain activation and on the investigation of constitutive mutants obtained by truncation in other TCS.
Effect of Elastic Taping on Postural Control Deficits in Subjects With Healthy Ankles, Copers, and Individuals With Functional Ankle Instability:

Background:Ankle sprains are the most common injury among physically active people, with common sequelae including repeated episodes of giving way, termed functional ankle instability. Copers are a cohort in ankle research comprised of those who have sprained their ankle but have not suffered any further dysfunction. The use of an elastic tape, Kinesio Tape, in sports medicine practice has recently gained popularity and may help improve postural control deficits related to functional ankle instability. The purpose of this study was to examine the immediate and prolonged effects of Kinesio Taping on postural control in healthy, coper, and unstable ankles as measured through single-limb balance on a force plate.Methods:Sixty physically active, college-aged participants (72.5 ± 9.7 cm, 74.2 ± 16.2 kg, 21.5 ± 2.6 years) were stratified into healthy, coper, or unstable groups using the Cumberland Ankle Instability Tool (CAIT) combined with their history of ankle injury. Dependent variables included time-to-bou...
Influence of virginiamycin on broilers fed four levels of energy

An experiment was conducted with broiler chicks to determine the influence of Virginiamycin on chicks fed diets with four levels of energy. Addition of the Virginiamycin to the diet resulted in significantly improved body weight and feed efficiency at all levels of energy. The greatest improvement was obtained at the lowest level of energy. Addition of Virginiamycin to the diet decreased the energy required to produce a unit of body weight.
Brauer Group Invariants Associated to Orthogonal Epsilon-Constants

In this paper, the theory of e-constants associated to tame finite group actions on arithmetic surfaces is used to define a Brauer group invariant µ(X ,G , V) associated to certain symplectic motives of weight one. The relationship between this invariant and w2(π) (the Galois-theoretic invariant associated to tame covers of surfaces defined by Cassou-Nogues, Erez and Taylor) is also discussed. In his paper (4), Deligne used elements in the Brauer group of Q and their relation- ship with certain e-constants to give a proof of the Frohlich-Queyrut theorem. In particular, he showed that certain global orthogonal root numbers are equal to one, by interpreting the associated local orthogonal root numbers as Stiefel-Whitney classes and then using the local root numbers to define an element of order two in the Brauer group of Q. This idea was furthered by Saito (in (13), for example) and others who defined Brauer group invariants associated to situations which can be interpreted as motives that are orthogonal and of even weight. In this paper, we define a Brauer group invariant associated to certain motives that are symplectic and have weight one. In order to construct the relevant motives, we first define X to be an arithmetic surface of dimension two which is flat, regular, and projective over Z. Throughout this paper, we assume that f : X− →Spec(Z) is the structure morphism. Let G be a finite group that acts tamely on X. In other words, for each closed point x ∈ X, the order of the inertia group of x is relatively prime to the residue characteristic of x .L etY be the quotient scheme X /G, which we assume is regular, and assume that for all finite places v, the fiber Yv =( Xv)/G = Y⊗ Z (Z/p(v)) has normal crossings and smooth irreducible components with multiplicities relatively prime to the residue characteristic of v. Finally, let V be a virtual representation of G over
Moving to Opportunity African Americans’ Safety Outcomes in the Los Angeles Exurbs

Greater safety is a primary benefit garnered by black public housing residents participating in housing mobility programs. Whether similar outcomes are arising from the recent exurbanization of nonsubsidized families is unclear. Using the migration of 130,000 African Americans into the Los Angeles exurbs as a case study, this research combines evidence from mover interviews and crime and census data to show that the region has enabled families’ safety over time—a finding that calls for planners’ consideration of racial equity in responding to urban sprawl.
Cellular regulation by protein phosphorylation: a historical overview.

The regulation of cellular processes requires a myriad of commands, positive and negative, that must be tightly coordinated to keep all the reactions that take place under control. In particular, to make sure that no crucial event will occur at inappropriate times or out of phase. We know today that most of the signals that are used to orchestrate these reactions, the switches that must be turned on or off, rely on reversible protein tyrosine phosphorylation. This article will provide a rapid historical overview of the regulation of cellular processes by reversible protein phosphorylation, then over some more recent aspects of this field, particularly as they relate to tyrosine phosphatases. Fifty years ago, very little was known about cellular regulation and nothing at all, of course, about a possible involvement of protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation in these processes. But in the mid-50s, it was shown that protein phosphorylation could serve as a means to regulate the activity of glycogen phosphorylase, discovered by Parnas in Poland and Carl and Gerty Cori in the US in the mid-30s (for review, see [1]). The muscle enzyme was thought to have an absolute requirement for adenylic acid for activity until, in 1943, Arda Green in Cori’s lab crystallized it in a form that was active without added AMP. They called this form phosphorylase a, and very logically, assumed that it contained covalently-bound AMP. They further thought that it had to be the native form of the enzyme because, when left standing in crude extracts, it was rapidly converted to the earlier species which they called phosphorylase b. However, if that hypothesis were correct, AMP would have to be released in the reaction, but they found none. Furthermore, no AMP or adenine or ribose could be detected in the “native” enzyme, using the most sensitive microbiological assays available at that time. They knew that the enzyme existed in two forms but did not know how these two forms differed and, strangely actually dropped the problem.
Anharmonic phonon quasiparticle theory of zero-point and thermal shifts in insulators: Heat capacity, bulk modulus, and thermal expansion

The quasiharmonic (QH) approximation uses harmonic vibrational frequencies ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{Q,H}(V)$ computed at volumes $V$ near ${V}_{0}$ where the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) energy ${E}_{\mathrm{el}}(V)$ is minimum. When this is used in the harmonic free energy, QH approximation gives a good zeroth order theory of thermal expansion and first-order theory of bulk modulus, where ${n}^{\mathrm{th}}$-order means smaller than the leading term by ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{n}$, where $\ensuremath{\epsilon}=\ensuremath{\hbar}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{vib}}/{E}_{\mathrm{el}}$ or ${k}_{B}T/{E}_{\mathrm{el}}$, and ${E}_{\mathrm{el}}$ is an electronic energy scale, typically 2 to 10 eV. Experiment often shows evidence for next-order corrections. When such corrections are needed, anharmonic interactions must be included. The most accessible measure of anharmonicity is the quasiparticle (QP) energy ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{Q}(V,T)$ seen experimentally by vibrational spectroscopy. However, this cannot just be inserted into the harmonic free energy ${F}_{H}$. In this paper, a free energy is found that corrects the double-counting of anharmonic interactions that is made when $F$ is approximated by ${F}_{H}({\ensuremath{\omega}}_{Q}(V,T))$. The term ``QP thermodynamics'' is used for this way of treating anharmonicity. It enables $(n+1)$-order corrections if QH theory is accurate to order $n$. This procedure is used to give corrections to the specific heat and volume thermal expansion. The QH formulas for isothermal $({B}_{T})$ and adiabatic $({B}_{S})$ bulk moduli are clarified, and the route to higher-order corrections is indicated.
Vascular permeability changes induced by antibodies to myeloperoxidase

An animal model for ANCA associated disease has been elusive. We have attempted to more clearly define the pathophysiologic effects of antibodies to myeloperoxidase in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Stimulation of eating by the second messenger cAMP in the perifornical and lateral hypothalamus

Despite intense study of neurotransmitters mediating hypothalamic controls of food intake, little is known about which second messengers are critical for these mechanisms. To determine whether adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) might participate in these mechanisms, we injected the membrane-permeant cAMP analog 8-bromo-cAMP (8-BrcAMP) hypothalamically in satiated rats. Injection of 8-BrcAMP (10-100 nmol) into the perifornical (PFH) and lateral hypothalamus (LH) dose dependently stimulated food intake of up to 15.7 g in 2 h. Significantly smaller responses were obtained with thalamic injections. In contrast to the strong stimulatory effects of PFH and LH 8-BrcAMP, cAMP and 8-bromo-guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (100 nmol) were ineffective, suggesting a chemically specific, intracellular action. Consistent with this, combined PFH injection of 7-deacetyl-7-O-(N-methylpiperazino)-tau-butyryl-forskolin dihydrochloride and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, agents that increase endogeneous cAMP, stimulated eating of up to 9.9 g in 2 h. These results demonstrate that increases in PFH/LH cAMP can elicit complex, goal-oriented behavior, suggesting an important role for cAMP in hypothalamic mechanisms stimulating food intake.