cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Une aventure sociale et humaine: The Service des Centres Sociaux in Algeria, 1955–1962

The history of the Service des centres sociaux in Algeria brings together ideas about integration, fundamental education, and the existence of a unified Franco-Muslim community during the Algerian War. This chapter pairs the history of education and international development to study approaches to human development in Algeria before independence in 1962. Sanctioned by the Governor-General of Algeria, Jacques Soustelle, the centres sought to modernize the Algerian masses through improving literacy rates, and increasing Muslim Algerians’ access to medical and social services. Linked to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Fundamental Education Programs, the centres arose out of local initiatives to break down barriers between communities and to meet the needs of the most disenfranchised in the midst of colonial violence and injustice.
Optimization of DSA image data input to a machine learning aneurysm identifier

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) can automate the quantitative assessment of intracranial aneurysms (IAs); however, as a “black-box” technique, it does not allow users to understand which image features are most important, and thus how to improve network predictions. Class-activation maps (CAMs) are used to visualize which image regions trigger a trained CNN, thus lending insight into how a CNN makes a decision. This work investigated the use of CAMs to identify differences in network activation inside IAs for an image segmentation task for the goal of optimizing the pre-processing framework. Three hundred and fifty angiographic images of pre- and post-coiled IAs were retrospectively collected. The IAs were manually contoured, angiographic sequences were flattened along the time-axis using different techniques (average, median, standard deviation, or minimum value), and flattened sequences and masks were put to a CNN tasked with IA segmentation. CAMs were output to visualize the most salient aneurysmal features. Network activation was higher in the IA peripheral region compared with the IA middle region indicating the IA periphery is more predictive for segmentation. Flattening angiographic sequences using the average value along the time-axis leads to the most accurate IA segmentations with an average Dice coefficient of 0.765 and an average Jaccard Index of 0.624 over the test cohort. This work indicates that CAMs can aid in understanding of a CNN’s segmentation decisions. Fine-tuning and automation of algorithms along with network-input image preprocessing based on these results may improve IA predictive models.
Regulatory T cells promote alloengraftment in a model of late-gestation in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation.

Abstract In utero hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT) has the potential to cure congenital hematologic disorders including sickle cell disease. However, the window of opportunity for IUHCT closes with the acquisition of T-cell immunity, beginning at approximately 14 weeks gestation, posing significant technical challenges and excluding from treatment fetuses evaluated after the first trimester. Here we report that regulatory T cells can promote alloengraftment and preserve allograft tolerance after the acquisition of T-cell immunity in a mouse model of late-gestation IUHCT. We show that allografts enriched with regulatory T cells harvested from either IUHCT-tolerant or naive mice engraft at 20 days post coitum (DPC) with equal frequency to unenriched allografts transplanted at 14 DPC. Long-term, multilineage donor cell chimerism was achieved in the absence of graft-versus-host disease or mortality. Decreased alloreactivity among recipient T cells was observed consistent with donor-specific tolerance. These findings suggest that donor graft enrichment with regulatory T cells could be used to successfully perform IUHCT later in gestation.
Efficient Ridesharing Dispatch Using Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning.

With the advent of ride-sharing services, there is a huge increase in the number of people who rely on them for various needs. Most of the earlier approaches tackling this issue required handcrafted functions for estimating travel times and passenger waiting times. Traditional Reinforcement Learning (RL) based methods attempting to solve the ridesharing problem are unable to accurately model the complex environment in which taxis operate. Prior Multi-Agent Deep RL based methods based on Independent DQN (IDQN) learn decentralized value functions prone to instability due to the concurrent learning and exploring of multiple agents. Our proposed method based on QMIX is able to achieve centralized training with decentralized execution. We show that our model performs better than the IDQN baseline on a fixed grid size and is able to generalize well to smaller or larger grid sizes. Also, our algorithm is able to outperform IDQN baseline in the scenario where we have a variable number of passengers and cars in each episode. Code for our paper is publicly available at: this https URL.
Do scientists have a responsibility to provide climate change expertise to mitigation and adaptation strategies? Perspectives from climate professionals.

Although the scientific community has reached a consensus that anthropogenic climate change is a severe and pressing issue, climate change remains a contentious debate with the United States public...
Increased spatial randomness and disorder of nucleates in dark-phase electrodeposition lead to increased spatial order and pattern fidelity in phototropically grown Se-Te electrodeposits.

The role of nucleation was investigated during phototropic growth of Se–Te. Under low levels of mass deposition (mass equivalent of −3.75 mC cm−2 of charge passed) that produced small nucleate spacings, patterns in photoelectrochemically deposited Se–Te films converged at relatively earlier levels of mass deposition and ultimately exhibited higher pattern fidelity throughout pattern development as compared to pattern formation from larger initial nucleate spacings. Consistently, use of an applied striking potential during very early levels of mass deposition produced more spatially random dark-phase electrodeposited nucleates and led to phototropic Se–Te photoelectrodeposited films that exhibited improved pattern fidelity relative to depositions performed with no striking step. Collectively, the data indicate that increases in randomness and spatial disorder of the dispersion of the initial nucleates produces increases in the fidelity and spatial order in the resulting phototropically grown electrodeposits.
Digital Load Frequency Control

Frequency of power supply system needs to be kept constant or fixed irrespective of the varying changes in load demand in order to ensure the well-being of power generating equipment and delivery of good quality power at the demand side. This paper presents an enhanced digital PD controller for Load Frequency Control (LFC) of UAE power system based on a systematic method using Root Locus method. The controller is designed in continuous-mode and discretized in implementation with an optimally selected sampling period to circumvent any degradation of dynamic performance and instability that may arise from inappropriate sampling period. A single area reheat thermal system is taken into consideration with the proposed controller in role of load disturbance analysis and control of frequency deviation. The proposed digital controller is simple and effective and ensures that the overall system performance is in line with the desired response and transient requirements which in effect shows remarkable improvement in the system performance.
Considerations for Performance Metrics of Metagenomic Next Generation Sequencing Analyses

Abstract Evaluating the performance of metagenomics analyses has proven a challenge, due in part to limited ground-truth standards, broad application space, and numerous evaluation methods and metrics. Application of traditional clinical performance metrics (i.e. sensitivity, specificity, etc.) using taxonomic classifiers do not fit the “one-bug-one-test” paradigm. Ultimately, users need methods that evaluate fitness-for-purpose and identify their analyses’ strengths and weaknesses. Within a defined cohort, reporting performance metrics by taxon, rather than by sample, will clarify this evaluation. An estimated limit of detection, positive and negative control samples, and true positive and negative true results are necessary criteria for all investigated taxa. Use of summary metrics should be restricted to comparing results of similar cohorts and data, and should employ harmonic means and continuous products for each performance metric rather than arithmetic mean. Such consideration will ensure meaningful comparisons and evaluation of fitness-for-purpose.
Representation of Multiphase OH Oxidation of Amorphous Organic Aerosol for Tropospheric Conditions

Organic aerosol (OA) is ubiquitous in the atmosphere and, during transport, can experience chemical transformation with consequences for air quality and climate. Prediction of the chemical evolution of OA depends on its reactivity with atmospheric oxidants such as the OH radical. OA particles undergo amorphous phase transitions from liquid to solid (glassy) states in response to temperature changes, which, in turn, will impact its reactivity toward OH oxidation. To improve the predictability of OA reactivity toward OH oxidation, the reactive uptake coefficients (γ) of OH radicals reacting with triacontane and squalane serving as amorphous OA surrogates were measured at temperatures from 213-293 K. γ increases strongest with temperature when the organic species is in the liquid phase, compared to when being in the semisolid or solid phase. The resistor model is applied, accounting for the amorphous phase state changes using the organic species' glass transition temperature and fragility, to evaluate the physicochemical parameters of the temperature dependent OH uptake process. This allows for the derivation of a semiempirical formula, applicable to models, to predict the degree of oxidation and chemical lifetime of the condensed-phase organic species for typical tropospheric temperature and humidity when OA particle viscosity is known.
Inflammatory Lesions and Inflammatory-Like Lesions

Several inflammatory or inflammatory-like lesions that involve the breast have an overall spindle cell appearance or may develop focal areas with spindled or histiocytoid morphology. Such lesions can present diagnostic challenges given the broad differential that arises from their often overlapping histologies, especially on the limited sampling of a core needle biopsy. Some of these lesions are specific to the breast, while others are more ubiquitous and are known to involve multiple anatomic sites. As such, remembering that they may occur in the breast is key in their diagnosis and subsequent appropriate management which is especially relevant as the biologic behavior of this group ranges from benign to malignant.
Approaching Musical Actions

So, an improvisation has been going on for some time, but its impetus is dying out, at first in a good way, all getting more quiet in a nice contrast to what has gone before, but soon, in fact now, we need a new idea, of course (inescapably) related to what we have been playing already, but one that will have a fresh effect and that can carry us into a fertile territory that will in some way complement what has gone before. I gather up into my mind and intuition some threads that have been woven into everything else so far, and form a tentative image of some new pattern to weave, and I act. The act is the public manifestation of my inner representation of my projection of the music we have played onto the screen of the future. The other musicians respond to this new musical context with their own representations, projections and actions, in a spreading web of new musical relations, represented individually and to some extent variously in each musician, and manifested publicly in our shared acoustic space, which serves as our blackboard — the space in which we communicate to each other.
Electronic health record identification of prediabetes and an assessment of unmet counselling needs

Rationale, aims and objectives Large clinical trials demonstrate that lifestyle modification can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes in those with prediabetes. However, recent National Health and Nutrition Survey data suggest that prediabetes often goes unrecognized, and the majority of prediabetic individuals do not report having received lifestyle advice from physicians. We explored whether electronic health record (EHR) query of glucose measurements can identify prediabetic patients, and we estimated rates of prediabetic lifestyle counselling in a large, urban, primary care practice. Methods Electronic search identified patients with plasma glucose levels of 100 to 199 mg dL−1 between 1 June 2007 and 1 June 2009, excluding those with diabetes or diabetic medications/supplies. From these 5366 patients, 100 randomly selected patients underwent classification into provisional categories based on available EHR data: likely prediabetes, likely diabetes, glucose abnormality in the setting of acute illness, or normal glucose metabolism. In those likely to have prediabetes, we assessed lifestyle modification counselling. Results Fifty-eight per cent (95% CI 48% to 68%) of patients sampled were likely to have prediabetes. Fourteen per cent of those sampled were likely to have diabetes. Thirty-one per cent of prediabetics (95% CI 22% to 42%) had documented lifestyle counselling. Counselled patients had a significantly higher baseline mean body mass index compared to those not counselled (34.1 versus 29.9, P = 0.037). Conclusions EHR query using glucose measurements can identify prediabetic patients and those requiring further glucose metabolism evaluation, including those with undiagnosed diabetes. Future research should investigate EHR-based, population-level interventions to facilitate prediabetes recognition and counselling.
Holier than Thou: Stigma and the Kokuas of the Kalaupapa Settlement

This paper examines the intimate connection between stigmatization and concepts of race surrounding leprosy in 19 th century Hawaii. This connection is revealed by consideration of the contrasting treatment of Father Damien and Native Hawaiian kokuas at the Moloka‘i settlement in the Western media. Demonstrating how prevailing prejudices affect stigmatization.
Perception of interstellar structure - Facing complexity

This paper challenges some orthodox notions concerning the structure and evolution of star-forming regions, proposing that they arise largely by a dual process in which conceptual models are fashioned after categories which are in great part reflections of observational limitations, and the models are projected onto interpretations of data, an example of hypostatization of categories. Several examples are discussed. The need for internal support of molecular clouds is questioned. It is suggested that the inverse density-size relation often claimed for clouds and accounted for by several theoretical models is an artifact caused by limited dynamic range in column density detectability, selection bias, distance uncertainties, and internal density gradients, and is contradicted by several unbiased surveys. Limited spatial dynamic range (ratio of image size to resolution) in maps of column density structure results in a “Mr. Magoo effect” which tends to accommodate quasi-static evolutionary concepts. Column density structures mapped with a large spatial and column density dynamic range are dominated by irregular, connected, and nested forms on all scales. Contour shapes of both atomic and molecular clouds exhibit self-similar irregularity with a common fractal dimension over a large range in scale. These features and a technique for the quantification of complex structure are illustrated with a densely-sampled column density image of the Taurus region constructed from IRAS data. A comparison with 553 high-accuracy polarization vectors in the region is also given.
Pulmonary autograft leaflet repair and valve sparing root replacement to correct late failure of the ross procedure.

Delayed pulmonary autograft failure is the principal limitation of the Ross procedure. Although reoperation typically includes replacement of the neoaortic valve, strategies for autograft valve preservation are becoming increasingly employed. However, leaflet prolapse and asymmetry are deterrents to valve preservation in this technically complex surgical population. The present report illustrates the technical considerations in performing an autograft valve preserving aortic root replacement with direct leaflet repair for the surgical correction of aortic insufficiency and root aneurysm late after a successful Ross procedure. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12150 (J Card Surg 2013;28:496–499)
Assessing the Relationship Between Topography and Plant Diversity in restored and remnant wet prairies

Wet prairies provide numerous ecosystem services and habitat for native plant species. The relationship between microtopographic variation and plant diversity in six restored and remnant wet prairies was examined in the West Eugene Wetlands to aid future restoration projects. It was predicted that variation in elevation is influential in determining native plant community composition. Along transects within previously established macroplots, soil surface elevation and water depth were measured and percent cover of grasses, forbs, and non-forbs, and measured vegetation and litter height were determined. A linear regression was performed comparing native species richness to the topographic coefficient of variation which yielded an R2 value of 0.43 and a p-value of 0.16. Although the results are not statistically significant, they demonstrate a meaningful correlation between native plant richness and the coefficient of variation of topography. Further observations additionally suggest that this relationship is present. We suggest further research to determine significant results and suggest the integration of the restoration of microtopography into wetland management.
Synthesis and analysis of induction nanomachines

This paper studies nanomachines (motion nanodevices) synthesized utilizing induction electromagnetics. In particular, the rotor currents are induced in the rotor short-circuited nanowindings due to time-varying stator magnetic field as well as motion of the rotor with respect to the stator. The electromagnetic torque results due to the interaction of the time-varying electromagnetic fields. These nanomachines guarantee good performance and affordability. We verify the synthesized induction nanomachines and develop a lamped-parameters mathematical model in the form of nonlinear differential equations.
Drug allergy documentation by physicians, nurses, and medical students

The completeness and accuracy of drug allergy documentation by medical residents, medical students, and primary-care nurses in a 450-bed teaching hospital were assessed, along with patients' knowledge of their drug allergy status. During a three-month period, the current admission notes written by medical residents, medical students, and primary-care nurses for adult medicine patients with drug allergies were reviewed by a pharmacy student. Patients with drug allergies were identified by the presence of drug hypersensitivity labels on the front of the medical charts. The student collected information about each reaction and determined whether it was a true allergic reaction, a nonallergic adverse reaction, or unclassifiable. A second pharmacy student interviewed the same patients whose medical charts had been reviewed and asked seven open-ended questions about the allergy status of each patient. For the 49 patients included in the study, 75 drugs were listed as allergens on the front of the patients' charts and 78 drugs were reported as allergens during patient interviews; only 66 of those drugs were identified both on the charts and by the patients. Approximately 20% of the health-care professionals failed to document the drug allergies in their admission notes. Although the majority of patients could recall the dosage form of the offending drug, the time that had elapsed between administration of the drug and appearance of symptoms, and how long ago the reaction had occurred, none of this information was recorded by the health-care professionals. Incomplete documentation of the drug allergy status of patients in our hospital does not appear to be related to patients' inability to provide accurate information.
Regional cerebral blood flow during acute hypoxia in individuals susceptible to acute mountain sickness.

Abstract Individuals susceptible to high altitude pulmonary edema show altered pulmonary vascular responses within minutes of exposure to hypoxia. We hypothesized that a similar acute-phase vulnerability to hypoxia may exist in the brain of individuals susceptible to acute mountain sickness (AMS). In established AMS and high altitude cerebral edema, there is a propensity for vasogenic white matter edema. We therefore hypothesized that increased cerebral blood flow (CBF) during acute hypoxia would also be disproportionately greater in white matter (WM) than grey matter (GM) in AMS-susceptible subjects. We quantified regional CBF using arterial spin labeling MRI during 30 min hypoxia (F I O 2 = 0.125) in two groups: AMS-susceptible (AMS-S, n = 6) who invariably experienced AMS at altitude, and AMS-resistant (AMS-R, n = 6) who never experienced AMS despite multiple rapid ascents to high altitude. SaO 2 during hypoxia did not differ between groups (AMS-S = 87 ± 4%, AMS-R = 89 ± 3%, p = 0.3). Steady-state whole-brain CBF increased in hypoxia ( p p = 0.65), and cerebral oxygen delivery remained constant. The percent change in CBF did not differ between brain regions or between groups (although absolute CBF change was greater in GM): (GM: AMS-S = 6.1 ± 7.7 ml/(100 g min) (10 ± 11%), AMS-R = 8.3 ± 5.7 ml/(100 g min) (17 ± 11%), p = 0.57; WM: AMS-S = 4.3 ± 5.1 ml/(100 g min) (12 ± 15%), AMS-R = 4.8 ± 2.9 ml/(100 g min) (16 ± 9%), p = 0.82). Conclusion CBF increases in acute hypoxia, but is not different between WM and GM, irrespective of AMS susceptibility. Acute phase differences in regional CBF during acute hypoxia are not a primary feature of susceptibility to AMS.
Characteristics Associated With Genital Herpes Testing Among Young Adults: Assessing Factors From Two National Data Sets

Abstract Objectives and Participants: In the United States, genital herpes (GH) prevalence is 10.6% among 20- to 29-year-olds and about 90% of seropositive persons do not know their status. This study investigated individual characteristics associated with GH screening and diagnosis in sexually active young adults aged 18 to 24. Methods: Two data sets were analyzed: the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) Wave III from 2001 to 2002 (n = 11,570) and the American College Health Association's (ACHA's) national survey of college students from 2000 to 2006 (n = 222,470). Results: In Add Health, 18.4% of females and 7.1% of males self-reported GH testing in the previous 12 months, compared to 0.7% for self-reported GH diagnosis in ACHA. GH testing and diagnosis was strongly positively associated with a history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing and diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the previous 12 months for both sexes. Conclusions: Integrating herpes sc...
Classification system for identifying women at risk for altered partial breast irradiation recommendations after breast magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose To study the utility of preoperative breast MRI for partial breast irradiation (PBI) patient selection, using multivariable analysis of significant risk factors to create a classification rule. Methods and Materials Between 2002 and 2009, 712 women with newly diagnosed breast cancer underwent preoperative bilateral breast MRI at Mayo Clinic Florida. Of this cohort, 566 were retrospectively deemed eligible for PBI according to the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project Protocol B-39 inclusion criteria using physical examination, mammogram, and/or ultrasound. Magnetic resonance images were then reviewed to determine their impact on patient eligibility. The patient and tumor characteristics were evaluated to determine risk factors for altered PBI eligibility after MRI and to create a classification rule. Results Of the 566 patients initially eligible for PBI, 141 (25%) were found ineligible because of pathologically proven MRI findings. Magnetic resonance imaging detected additional ipsilateral breast cancer in 118 (21%). Of these, 62 (11%) had more extensive disease than originally noted before MRI, and 64 (11%) had multicentric disease. Contralateral breast cancer was detected in 28 (5%). Four characteristics were found to be significantly associated with PBI ineligibility after MRI on multivariable analysis: premenopausal status ( P =.021), detection by palpation ( P P =.033), and lobular histology ( P =.002). Risk factors were assigned a score of 0-2. The risk of altered PBI eligibility from MRI based on number of risk factors was 0:18%; 1:22%; 2:42%; 3:65%. Conclusions Preoperative bilateral breast MRI altered the PBI recommendations for 25% of women. Women who may undergo PBI should be considered for breast MRI, especially those with lobular histology or with 2 or more of the following risk factors: premenopausal, detection by palpation, and first-degree relative with a history of breast cancer.
Development of Unsteady Aerodynamic State-Space Models From CFD-Based Pulse Responses

A method for computing discrete-time state-space models of linearized unsteady aerodynamic behavior directly from aeroelastic CFD codes is presented. The method involves the treatment of CFD-based pulse responses as Markov parameters for use in a system identification/realization algorithm. Results are presented for the AGARD 445.6 Aeroelastic Wing with four aeroelastic modes at a Mach number of 0.96 using the EZNSS Euler/Navier-Stokes flow solver with aeroelastic capability. The System/Observer/Controller Identification Toolbox (SOCIT) algorithm, based on the Ho-Kalman realization algorithm, is used to generate 15th- and 32nd-order discrete-time state-space models of the unsteady aerodynamic response of the wing over the entire frequency range of interest.
Propensity score modelling in observational studies using dimension reduction methods

Conditional independence assumptions are very important in causal inference modelling as well as in dimension reduction methodologies. These are two very strikingly different statistical literatures, and we study links between the two in this article. The concept of covariate sufficiency plays an important role, and we provide theoretical justification when dimension reduction and partial least squares methods will allow for valid causal inference to be performed. The methods are illustrated with application to a medical study and to simulated data.
Effect of exothermicity on electron transfer rates in photosynthetic molecular models

To appreciate fully the significance of the high-resolution crystal structure of the reaction-centre complex from the purple bacterium Rhodopseudomonas viridis, there is increasing impetus to construct models to ascertain how the specific variables such as distance, exothermicity and solvent control the rates of electron transfer through the integral membrane protein complex. Recently, we have determined the effect of a 4 A change in distance (at fixed exothermicity, solvent and temperature) on the rates of photon-induced electron transfer for two porphyrin-quinone assemblies separated by rigid spacers3,4. From picosecond fluorescence lifetime measurements on zinc meso-phenyloctamethylporphyrin coupled to a benzoquinone moiety via one and two bicyclo[2.2.2]octyl spacers (10 and 14 A, edge-to-edge), we deteremined that the rates of electron transfer are 1010 s−1 and ≤107s−1, respectively (the exothermicity, −ΔG = 1.0eV in acetonitrile at 25 °C). This result revealed that the porphyrin-quinone separated by a 10-A spacer would be ideally suited, with regard to picosecond fluorescence techniques for a study of exothermicity effects at fixed distance and solvent. Here we report the fluorescence lifetimes of a homologous series of seven porphyrin-quinone molecules, each with differently substituted ben-zoquinones separated by an identical rigid phenylbicyclo[2.2.2]octane spacer (10 A, edge-to-edge) which vary with respect to driving force for electron transfer from the first excited singlet state of the porphyrin. The key features of this series of molecules lie in the fact that the edge-to-edge distance is fixed and ΔG is tunable. Thus, the effect of exothermicity on electron transfer can be measured while avoiding major perturbations of the electronic structure.
Metabolism of D-cephaloglycin-14C and L-cephaloglycin-14C in the rat.

The fate of the orally effective antibiotic D-cephaloglycin and its much less active L-enantiomer has been studied in the rat. D-Cephaloglycin-14C is metabolized by two pathways, (1) hydrolysis of the amide linkage to form D-2-phenylglycine-14C and (2) deacetylation to form deacetyl-D-cephaloglycin-14C. D-Cephaloglycin is absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract at least in part as the intact antibiotic, L-Cephaloglycin-14C is rapidly metabolized to L-2-phenylglycine-14C and its metabolites. In contrast to the results with D-cephaloglycin-14C, no intact L-cephaloglycin-14C or deacetyl-L-cephaloglycin was excreted in the urine of rats.
Field-induced barrier penetration in the quartic potential

The problem of a particle trapped in a quartic double-well potential in the presence of a monochromatic external field is studied. Renormalization-group techniques are used to determine at what external field frequencies and amplitudes barrier penetration can occur for a particle initially trapped at a given energy in one of the potential wells.
Effects of skin-chamber fluids from human allergic reactions on neutrophil activation

We have found activated neutrophils (PMNs) in skin chambers overlying the site of ongoing human allergic reactions. To determine whether this activation is due to component(s) released early in these IgE-mediated reactions, we investigated the in vitro effects of skin chamber fluids (CF) on resting blood PMNs. These skin CF had been previously obtained, at different time periods, at pollen-antigen-challenged or buffer-control-challenged sites in sensitive human subjects. PMNs incubated with CF obtained during the first hour of antigen challenge (first-hour CF) generated significantly more superoxide (O 2 − ) than spontaneous production ( p p 2 − generation was observed in lactoferrin secretion during the incubation of the three cell aliquots described above ( p 2 − in response to opsonized zymosan than did PMNs previously incubated with first-hour buffer-site CF ( p p p
The Electrical Discharge between a Pointed Conductor and a Hemispherical Surface in Gases at Different Pressures

University of Minnesota Masters thesis. May 1911. 1 computer file (PDF); 24 pages, 11 unnumbered pages of plates.
A Fateful Time: The Background and Legislative History of the Indian Reorganization Act

This work offers an analysis of the events leading to the creation and enactment of the 1934 Indian Regorganization Act. This act has been acknowleged as the most important statute affecting native Americans after the General Allotment Act of 1887.
High-field nonohmic behavior of the p-type ferromagnetic semiconductor Ag x Cd 1-x Cr 2 Se 4

The high-field longitudinal magnetoresistance of the ferromagnetic (polycrystalline) p-type semiconductor AgxCd1-xCr2Se4 has been measured as a function of temperature and applied magnetic and electric fields. It is suggested that the observed "anomalies" may be related to the possible spin wave-carrier wave interactions in these materials.
Auditory synapses to song premotor neurons are gated off during vocalization in zebra finches

Whenever we speak, sing, or play a musical instrument, we use auditory feedback to fine-tune our movements to achieve the sound that we want. This same process is used by songbirds to learn and maintain their songs. As juvenile birds practice singing, they compare their vocalizations with their father’s song, which they will previously have stored in memory, and continually tweak their own song until the two versions match. It has been suggested that auditory feedback is integrated with song motor commands—the instructions from the brain to move the muscles required for singing—in a region of the songbird brain called the song premotor nucleus HVC. The structure of certain neurons in this region, known as HVCX cells, rapidly changes when a bird is deafened, which suggests that these HVCX cells detect auditory feedback. Hamaguchi et al. have now tested this idea by using fine electrodes to record the signals in HVCX cells in male zebra finches as they sang. The cells changed their activity patterns whenever the birds changed their vocalizations. By contrast, these patterns did not change when the birds heard a distorted version of their own song played back to them as they sang. This suggests that HVCX cells are insensitive to auditory feedback, and that they mainly encode song motor commands instead. If HVCX cells don’t detect feedback, then why does deafening affect them? HVCX cells send signals indirectly to a brain region called the LMAN (which is short for the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium). Normally, if a bird becomes deaf, the quality of their song begins to deteriorate, but this deterioration can be prevented by destroying the LMAN. Hamaguchi et al. used high resolution imaging to show that destroying the LMAN also prevents deafening from altering the structure of HVCX cells. Again, this suggests that auditory feedback is not relayed from the HVC to the LMAN; instead the flow of information is in the opposite direction. This surprising finding—namely, that HVCX cells do not integrate auditory feedback and song motor commands—raises the question of which brain region is in fact responsible for this process. Further experiments will be required to identify the underlying circuitry in the brains of songbirds.
EXPLICIT EXPRESSIONS FOR MICHAELIS-MENTEN KINETIC PARAMETERS FROM THE DIRECT LINEAR PLOT

A least square estimation of the Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters from the direct linear plot was obtained using a minimization procedure developed to produce explicit expressions for Km and Vmax , as a function of substrate concentration and measured reaction rate. This was accomplished by minimizing the distance between a point in parameter space representing the optimal parameter values and all the lines obtained from the direct linear plot. Under certain limiting conditions, the developed generalized expressions simplify to the least square estimates of Eadie-Hofstee and inverse Hanes plots. The expressions developed are simple to use and can accommodate replicate data, producing less conservative error bounds for the parameters than those obtained by other techniques.
The reaction of O(3P) with C2HCl3

The reaction of O(3P), prepared from the Hg photosensitization of N2O, with C2HCl3 was studied at 25°C. The products of the reaction in the absence of O2 were CO, CHCl3, and polymer (as well as N2 from the N2O). The quantum yields of CO and CHCl3 were 0.23 ± 0.01 and 0.14 ± 0.05, is respectively independent of reaction conditions. The reaction mechanism is with k14a/k14 = 0.23, where k14a + k14b. Most of the HCl and CCl2 combine to form CHCl3, but some other products must also be formed to account for the difference in the CO and CHCl3 quantum yields. The C2HCl3O* adduct polymerizes without involving additional C2HCl3 molecules, since the quantum yield of C2HCl3 disappearance, Φ{C2HCl3}, was about 1.0 at high values of [N2O]/[C2HCl3]. The rate coefficient for the reaction of O(3P) with C2HCl3 is 0.10 that for the reaction of O(3P) with C2F4. In the presence of O2 the free radical chain oxidation occurs because of the reaction The main product is CHCl2CCl(O) with smaller amounts of CO and CCl2O, and some CO2. The chain lengths were long and values of Φ {C2HCl3} up to 90 were observed.
Rapid depot-specific activation of adipocyte precursor cells at the onset of obesity

Excessive accumulation of white adipose tissue (WAT) is the defining characteristic of obesity. WAT mass is composed primarily of mature adipocytes, which are generated through the proliferation and differentiation of adipocyte precursors (APs). While the production of new adipocytes contributes to WAT growth in obesity, little is known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying adipogenesis in vivo. Here, we show that high-fat diet feeding in mice rapidly and transiently induces proliferation of APs within WAT to produce new adipocytes. Importantly, the activation of adipogenesis is specific to the perigonadal visceral depot in male mice, consistent with the patterns of obesogenic WAT growth observed in humans. Additionally, we find that in multiple models of obesity, the activation of APs is dependent upon the phosphoinositde 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT2 pathway; however, the development of WAT does not require AKT2. These data indicate that developmental and obesogenic adipogenesis are regulated through distinct molecular mechanisms.
Sensitizing Cancer Cells: Is It Really All about U?

In this issue of Cancer Cell , Hu et al. report that TMPK and RNR, two key enzymes in deoxyribonucleotide biosynthesis, co-localize to damaged DNA and produce nucleotides necessary for DNA repair while suppressing uracil incorporation. TMPK inhibition disrupts this balance and selectively sensitizes cancer cells to low-dose chemotherapy.
Synthesis and Anticonvulsant Activities of 3,3-Dialkyl- and 3-Alkyl-3-benzyl-2-piperidinones (δ-Valerolactams) and Hexahydro-2H-azepin-2-ones (ε-Caprolactams)

A series of 3-substituted 2-piperidinone (δ-valerolactam) and hexahydro-2H-azepin-2-one (e-caprolactam) derivatives were prepared and evaluated as anticonvulsants in mice. In the 2-piperidinone series, 3,3-diethyl compound 7b is the most effective anticonvulsant against pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures (ED50, 37 mg/kg; PI (TD50/ED50), 4.46), and 3-benzyl compound 4c (ED50, 41 mg/kg; PI, 7.05) is the most effective anticonvulsant against seizures induced by maximal electroshock. By contrast, none of the e-caprolactams tested had anticonvulsant effects below doses causing rotorod toxicity. log P values were correlated with neurotoxicity and [35S]TBPS displacement, but not with anticonvulsant activity. Electrophysiological evaluations of selected compounds from each series indicated that both the δ-valerolactams and e-caprolactams potentiated GABA-mediated chloride currents in rat hippocampal neurons.
Uveal melanoma prognostication: from lesion size and cell type to molecular class

Abstract Objective To review the evidence for molecular genetic testing of uveal melanoma in the context of prognostic indicators of metastasis and tumour-related mortality. Design Review of the literature and personal experiences of the authors. Methods We conducted a MEDLINE, Embase, and PubMed literature search (1980–2011) for English-language abstracts and full-text references regarding molecular genetic testing of uveal melanoma. Search terms included uveal , melanoma , cytogenetic , gene , and molecular . All studies in which patients with primary uveal melanoma underwent molecular genetic testing with survival data for disease-related metastasis and mortality were reviewed. Results From 176 identified articles, 40 were scientific studies of uveal melanomas that included histologic and molecular genetic analysis. Of those, 24 included survival data, correlation of molecular genetic features with other prognostic indicators, or both. Cytogenetic and microarray gene expression analysis allows uveal melanoma lesions to be classified as high risk or low risk for metastasis and disease-related mortality. Gene expression profiling supersedes clinical, histologic, and cytogenetic prognosticators. Conclusions Uveal melanoma comprises a heterogeneous group of malignancies based on its molecular biology. Molecular class by gene expression profiling has the most strongly predictive value for uveal melanoma metastasis and mortality.
Twenty-first century surgery using twenty-first century technology: surgical robotics.

Abstract Introduction The “Nintendo” surgery revolution, which began in 1987, has impacted every surgical specialty. However, our operating rooms remain isolated worlds where surgeons use awkward, primitive, rigid instruments with suboptimal visualization. We need “smart instruments,” “smart technology,” and “smart imaging.” Is surgical robotics the answer? Methods We provide an analysis of current surgical technology and skills, propose criteria for what the next generation of surgical instruments and technology should achieve, and then examine the evolution and current state of surgical robotic solutions, assessing how they answer future surgical needs. Finally we report on the U.S. Military's early experience with surgical robotics and the lessons learned therein. Results Current surgical robotic technology has made remarkable progress with miniaturization, articulating hand-imitating instruments, precision, scaling, and three-dimensional vision. The specialty-specific early clinical applications reviewed are promising, but they do have limitations. Surgical robotics offers enormous military application potential. Needed future refinements are identified, including haptics, communications, infrastructure, and information integration. Conclusions Laparoscopic surgery is a transition technology, constrained by instrument, equipment, and skill limitations. Surgical robotics or, more properly, computer-assisted surgery may be the key to the future. The operating room of the future will be an integrated environment with global reach. Surgeons will operate with three-dimensional vision, use real-time three-dimensional reconstructions of patient anatomy, use miniaturized minimally invasive robotic technology, and be able to telementor, teleconsult, and even telemanipulate at a distance, thus offering enhanced patient care and safety.
Identification of link proteins and a 116,000-Dalton matrix protein in canine meniscus

The menisci are collagen-rich, fibrocartilagenous structures which are important in protecting the articular cartilage of the knee from some of the impact of weight-bearing. Meniscal proteoglycans have been studied in several mammalian species, including the dog, but very little is known about the noncollagenous proteins of the menisci. In the present study, 4 M guanidinium chloride extracts of meniscal cartilage from normal adult mongrel dogs were studied, and several noncollagenous proteins, including the link proteins and a 116,000-Da subunit protein, which we have recently described in articular cartilage, were found in meniscal cartilage. The 116,000-Da subunit protein represents 3.8% of the total protein extracted from meniscal cartilage. The link proteins sedimented in the bottom of an associative cesium chloride density gradient, where high-buoyant-density proteoglycans sediment.
On the assembly of sickle hemoglobin fascicles

Abstract Deoxyhemoglobin S fibers associate into bundles, or fascicles, that subsequently crystallize by a process of alignment and fusion. We have used electron microscopy to study the formation of fascicles and the changes in fiber packing that occur during the conversion of fascicles to crystals. The first event in crystallization involves fibers forming fascicles that are initially small and poorly ordered but, with time, become progressively larger and more highly ordered. After six to eight hours, the fibers in a fascicle form a crystalline lattice. The three-dimensional unit cell parameters of this lattice are a = 1300 A , b = 365 A , and c = 210 A (the a axis is parallel to the fiber axis). Fibers have an elliptical cross-section whose major and minor axes are 250 A and 185 A, respectively. When projected on to the unit cell vectors, these dimensions are 210 A and 155 A, so the unit cell dimension of 365 A implies that there are two fibers per unit cell. Theoretically, fibers could pair so that each member of the unit cell is oriented in the same direction (parallel) or opposite directions (antiparallel). Fourier transforms of electron micrographs (or models) cannot distinguish between these alternatives, since the two arrangements produce very similar intensity distributions. The orientation of the fibers was determined from cross-sections of the fascicles in which the fibers are seen end-on. In this view the images of the fibers are rotationally blurred because the fibers twist 30 ° to 40 ° about their helical axis through the 300 A to 400 A thick section. We have been able to remove the rotational blur from each of the fibers in the unit cell using the procedures described by Carragher et al. The deblurred images of the two fibers in the unit cell are related by mirror symmetry. This relationship means that the fibers are antiparallel. These observations suggest that crystallization of fibers in fascicles is mediated by assembly of the fibers into antiparallel pairs that contain equal numbers of double strands running in each direction.
Dairy Waste Solids as a Possible Source of Bedding

Abstract Bacteria counts are decreased in dairy waste solids by the process of composting over 14 days. Bacteria counts showed a significant increase as a result of contact with animals when composted solids were used as bedding in free stalls. Our experimental design attempted to detect a direct relationship between bacteria counts in bedding and on teats and possibly in milk. Each sample of bedding, teat swabs, and milk was enumerated for Esberichia coli, Enterobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus . Clean rubber mats were a control for the composted dairy waste solids. Even though there was a significant increase in bacteria counts of dairy waste solids bedding as compared to the rubber mats, there was no significant difference in bacteria counts of teats or milk between the two types of bedding. This indicated that there was no direct relationship between microflora in bedding and microflora on teats and in milk. With adequate composting, dairy waste solids appear to be a suitable choice of bedding in free stalls.
The Path to Posttraumatic Growth Versus Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Contributions of Event Centrality and Coping

This study examined positive and negative trauma outcome predictors within the same sample. Measures known to correlate with both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and posttraumatic growth (PTG) were included to replicate past findings, as well as additional measures minimally or not addressed in PTG research. Stepwise multiple regression analyses revealed PTSD symptoms were best predicted by visceral reactions to the event, event centrality, avoidant coping, and a negative perspective of the event. In contrast, PTG was best predicted by event centrality, problem-focused coping, and a positive perspective of the event. These results are an important step to understanding differential paths to PTSD and PTG.
The experimental determination of unique green in the spectrum

The notion is gaining currency that observers who are distributed normally with respect to commonly measured indices of color vision, may be bimodally distributed with respect to the spectral locus of unique green. Experimental conditions which can produce such deviations from a normal distribution are explored, and it is concluded that the “bimodality” results reported in the literature may reflect differential chromatic adaptation effects. Experimental conditions which guarantee a neutral state of adaptation yield spectral unique green loci that show no evidence of bimodality.