cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physostigmine improves water maze performance following nucleus basalis magnocellularis lesions in rats

Bilateral excitotoxic lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis in rats were used along with testing in the water maze task to assess whether inhibition of acetylcholinesterase with physostigmine would reverse the lesion-induced impairment. Rats were lesioned bilaterally in stages using ibotenic acid and then behaviorally tested 3 weeks after surgery. Lesioned animals were administered one of three doses of physostigmine (0.06, 0.19, or 0.32 mg/kg) or vehicle solution 15 min prior to water maze testing. Sham lesioned animals injected with vehicle solution served as an untreated control group. Animals were tested for 5 consecutive days followed by 2 days off and then tested for 5 additional days. The rats were then sacrificed and their frontal cortex was assayed for choline acetyltransferase. The nucleus basalis magnocellularis lesion caused approximately a 27% depletion of choline acetyltransferase in the frontal cortex of these animals. The lesion also impaired the performance of the rats given vehicle solution as compared to untreated controls. Two doses (0.06 and 0.19 mg/kg) of physostigmine improved performance relative to lesioned controls. The lower dose, 0.06 mg/kg, improved performance more than the 0.19 mg/kg dose of physostigmine. The highest dose of physostigmine impaired water maze performance relative to lesioned controls. These data are discussed in relation to the cholinergic hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease and the potential therapeutic use of physostigmine.
Solubility of cementite in liquid iron

Abstract From a theoretical study of the solubility of cementite in liquid iron it is shown that the solubility curves for graphite and cementite intersect at about 10°C below the eutectic temperature. A revised Fe-C diagram is presented which explains some of the solidification characteristics of cast iron.
Contributions to Family and Household Activities by the Husbands of Midlife Professional Women

This article presents an exploratory study that furthers our understanding of the functioning of two-career couples at midlife and, in particular, our understanding of the husband’s contributions to family and household activities. More specifically, it addresses the following questions regarding dual-career couples: (a) Whose career has precedence? (b) What is the nature of the husband’s contributions to the family and household? and (c) What types of support result? This study is part of a larger research project that focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of midlife professional women who were married, had children, and had enduring careers. The results presented here describe the women’s perceptions of support (or lack of support) provided by their spouses in their family and household. It discusses the implications of such support for family functioning and for the ability of midlife women to pursue full-time careers.
Interdecadal changes in the El Nino–La Nina asymmetry

[1] The SST anomalies (SSTA) over the past 148 years have been analyzed to describe the interdecadal change in the skewness of SSTA (ICS) in the tropical Pacific and possible consequence of this change. The first EOF mode of ICS represents the interdecadal changes in the El Nino-La Nina asymmetry. The corresponding PC time series is related to the ENSO predictability, suggesting that ENSOs are more predictable during the positive ICS decades than during the negative ICS decades, and to the propagation characteristics of ENSO such that SSTA during the positive (negative) ICS decades tend to propagate eastward (westward). Moreover, ICS was found to be associated with interdecadal SST variations in the tropical eastern pacific, suggesting a nonlinear positive feedback between ENSO variability and mean climate change. The ICS also is negatively correlated to SSTA over the northern midlatitude oceans and positively correlated to those over the southern midlatitude oceans.
Dendroclimatic Potential of Plains Cottonwood (Populus deltoides Subsp. Monilifera) from the Northern Great Plains, USA

Abstract A new 368-year tree-ring chronology (A.D. 1643–2010) has been developed in western North Dakota using plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera) growing on the relatively undisturbed floodplain of the Little Missouri River in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We document many slow-growing living trees between 150–370 years old that contradict the common understanding that cottonwoods grow fast and die young. In this northern location, cottonwood produces distinct annual rings with dramatic interannual variability that strongly crossdate. The detrended tree-ring chronology is significantly positively correlated with local growing season precipitation and soil moisture conditions (r = 0.69). This time series shows periods of prolonged low radial tree growth during the known droughts of the instrumental record (e.g. 1931–1939 and 1980–1981) and also during prehistory (e.g. 1816–1823 and 1856–1865) when other paleoclimate studies have documented droughts in this regio...
Techniques for framing questions in conducting family meetings in palliative care.

Objective:Family therapy has developed several approaches to framing questions within family meetings, but few of these techniques have been adapted for palliative care. We focus on the application of questioning techniques from systemic family therapy to palliative care. More specifically, we describe and give examples of the model of asking questions developed by Karl Tomm (1988) through its application in Family Focused Grief Therapy (FFGT), a preventive intervention delivered to high-risk families during palliative care and bereavement.Methods:First, the type of questions used across the course of therapy is explored based on the interventive questioning model. Then, a case example is provided to demonstrate the use and adaptation of this model in a palliative care setting.Results:At the beginning of therapy, the most frequent questions were linear and circular, moving around the family to build up a picture of events from everyone's perspective. As for the frequency of reflexive and strategic questions, these increased as the therapy progressed, bringing the family to new perspectives. The case example fleshes out the importance of each type of question, all of which have a proper place in the course of therapy.Significance of results:These illustrations highlight the value of having a model of questioning styles to guide the clinician when exploring palliative care issues, such as care provision, coping and grief, intimacy, and discussing death. This framework could be useful in guiding supervisors, trainees, and clinicians seeking to build skills and optimize their interventions in a palliative care setting.
Influences of Seasonal Factors on the Activity Onset of the House Finch

In laboratory experiments, cold environmental temperature (2°C) caused male House Finches to awaken later, relative to "dawn," than warm temperatures (20°C) when day lengths (hours of light per cycle) were held constant. When temperature was held constant, greater day lengths also caused later awakening relative to "dawn." Extrapolation of these observations to field conditions suggests that seasonal changes in average temperature and day length may exert opposite influences on awakening time: the long days of spring would induce minimal "anticipation" of dawn, while the warmer temperatures would tend to counteract this influence. Additional circumstantial evidence suggests that reproductive maturity may also cause earlier awakening, relative to dawn, day length and temperature held constant. See full-text article at JSTOR
Structural insights by molecular dynamics simulations into differential repair efficiency for ethano‐A versus etheno‐A adducts by the human alkylpurine‐DNA N‐glycosylase

1,N6-ethenoadenine adducts (eA) are formed by known environmental carcinogens and found to be removed by human alkylpurine-DNA N-glycosylase (APNG). 1,N6-ethanoadenine (EA) adducts differ from eA by change of a double bond to a single bond in the 5-member exocyclic ring and are formed by chloroethyl nitrosoureas, which are used in cancer therapy. In this work, using purified recombinant human APNG, we show that EA is a substrate for the enzyme. However, the excision efficiency of EA was 65-fold lower than that of eA. Molecular dynamics simulation produced similar structural motifs for eA and EA when incorporated into a DNA duplex, suggesting that there are no specific conformational features in the DNA duplex which can account for the differences in repair efficiency. However, when EA was modeled into the APNG active site, based on the APNG/eA-DNA crystallographic coordinates, in structures produced by 2 ns molecular dynamics simulation, we observed weakening in the stacking interaction between EA and aromatic side chains of the key amino acids in the active site. In contrast, the planar eA is better stacked at the enzyme active site. We propose that the observed destabilization of the EA adduct at the active site, such as reduced stacking interactions, could account for the biochemically observed weaker recognition of EA by APNG as compared to eA.
External qigong for chronic pain.

External qigong as a pharmacotherapy adjunct was investigated in 50 subjects with chronic pain (pain lasting > 3 months with pain score of ≥ 3 on 0–10 numeric analog scale) who presented to a qigong healing center. Participants were randomized to receive either external qigong treatment (EQT) or equivalent attention time (EAT) in weekly 30-min sessions for four consecutive weeks. Outcomes were assessed before and after sessions. The primary outcome measure was intensity of pain by a 10-cm visual analog scale used to rate all pain severity measurements. At 8-week follow-up, participants were contacted by telephone and mailed a questionnaire. Most had experienced pain for > 5 years (66%); the rest, for > 3 to 5 years (8%), 1 to 3 years (10%), or 3 months (10%). The most frequent concomitant diagnoses were multifactorial (26%), osteoarthritis (18%), and low back pain (12%). Most patients were also receiving other treatments (74%); none previously had EQT. Participants were randomly assigned to...
Association of decreased T-cell-mediated natural cytotoxicity and interferon production in Down's Syndrome

Total peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and isolated subpopulations from children with Down's Syndrome (DS) and age-matched healthy controls were investigated for their (1) natural killer (NK) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxic activities, (2) interleukin 2 (IL-2)-induced augmentation of NK activity, (3) lectin-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (LDCC), (4) ability of serum- and culture-derived soluble suppressor factor(s) to inhibit NK activity of normal lymphocytes, and (5) capacity to produce interferon (IFN) against tumor targets in vitro. T lymphocytes from DS patients demonstrated significantly decreased NK activity against K562 target cells compared to controls. DS lymphocytes also demonstrated a significant reduction in LDCC activity and IL-2-induced enhancement of NK activity. Furthermore, the ability of DS lymphocytes to produce IFN in vitro against K562 target cells was also significantly lower than that for normal PBL. Although sera from DS patients showed a significantly greater inhibitory effect on the NK activity of allogeneic normal PBL than normal sera, culture supernates from DS lymphocytes demonstrated suppressive effects comparable to culture supernates from normal PBL. These studies suggest an association between the decreased NK activity of T-cell subpopulations and lower IFN production by PBL from patients with DS.
A comparison of four PTSD measures' convergent validities in Vietnam veterans

We compared the convergent validities of four commonly used post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) measures in 80 help-seeking Vietnam veterans by contrasting their intercorrelations. When scored as continuous severity or frequency measures, the Mississippi Scale for Combat-related PTSD's and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Interview's (PTSD-I's) concordances with other measures were similar to one anothers' and generally larger than those of either the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) PTSD module or the MMPI PTSD scale. However, when used only to identify stress disorder's presence or absence, the four techniques' concordances were nearly identical. This suggested that the four measures have similar convergent validities when used simply to identify PTSD, but that the PTSD-I and Mississippi scale offer better convergent validity than the MMPI or DIS instruments when used as severity measures.
Exploring an Alternative Model of Human Reproductive Capability: A Creative Learning Activity

Biological and social evolutionary processes, along with social and cultural developments, have allowed humans to separate procreation from pleasurable/recreational sexual activity. As a class learning project, an alternative, hypothetical reproductive scenario is presented: “What if humans were biologically ready to conceive only during one period each year?” Discussion is followed by small-group or individual research on the possible effects of this scenario on human reproductive response and its further effects on human life, society, and civilization. An important purpose of the activity is to stimulate active learning through small-group interaction, communication, and research.
The Moral Responsibilities of Investment Bankers

This paper, presented as the annual law review lecture at the University of St. Thomas Law School, explores the moral obligations of investment bankers in light of the 2008 financial crisis. Topics such as disclosure to investors, the safety and soundness of investment banks, excessive risk taking, responsible use of derivative instruments, and banks’ responsibility to the community and to the financial system as a whole are discussed as issues of personal responsibility for investment bankers rather than only as subject matter for regulation directed at banking institutions. The particular perspective discussed in depth is grounded in Christian social teaching but the paper also offers insights on how the moral responsibility of investment bankers can and should be approached from a range of religious and secular philosophical perspectives.
Education and Self-Rated Health Cumulative Advantage and Its Rising Importance

The cumulative advantage hypothesis predicts that the adulthood rate of decline in health differs across levels of education in a manner that progressively enlarges the health gap across most or all of adulthood. The rising importance hypothesis predicts that the differences across levels of education in the rate of health’s decline have been growing for many decades. If both are correct, then each phenomenon tends to obscure the other when comparing the health gap across age groups in a particular year or period. The trend also can make it seem that health converges across levels of education in old age when it actually diverges. A latent-growth model of U.S. data from 1995, 1998, and 2001 supported both hypotheses. It also showed a trend toward lower age-specific self-rated health at all levels of education, but less so the higher the education. There was no significant convergence over time in older age groups.
Evaluation of aggressiveness of Fusarium virguliforme isolates that cause soybean sudden death syndrome

SUMMARY Fusarium virguliforme (Akoi, O’Donnell, Homma & Lattanzi), formerly named F. solani (Mart.) Sacc. f.sp. glycines, is the cause of soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS). Over the last 6 years, an international collection of F. virguliforme isolates has been established and maintained at the National Soybean Pathogen Collection Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Using part of the collection, aggressiveness of F. virguliforme isolates to a susceptible soybean cultivar, Great Lakes 3202, was evaluated under controlled conditions in the greenhouse. After an initial evaluation of 123 isolates on soybean, 30 isolates from different geographic origins with different levels of foliar severity were selected to further evaluate both foliar and root severities. Variability of aggressiveness based on measurements of SDS foliar severity, shoot, root, and root lesion lengths, shoot and root dry weights, and total dry weights was found among isolates (P ≤ 0.01). Isolate FSG1(Mont-1), a reference isolate that has been widely used by the soybean community for basic and applied research, caused the greatest reduction in shoot weight and shoot length compared to the non-inoculated control plants, but six isolates caused higher foliar severity and 15 isolates caused longer root lesion length than the isolate FSG1. Isolate FSG5 caused the greatest reduction in root weight among isolates. Knowledge about the variability of the pathogen is important for selection of isolates for testing for broadbased SDS resistant soybean lines.
Microscopic Model for Mechanical Alloying

We present a microscopic model for the mechanical alloying (MA) of a mixture of two or more elemental ductile powders. The MA produces fresh metal/metal surfaces and a high density of dislocations. The model is based on dislocation kinetics and the diffusion of solutes along the dislocation cores. For short time intervals T 1 , on the order of microseconds, powder particles are subjected to high stresses which exceed their mechanical strength. However, for times T 2 on the order of seconds, the powder particles are unaffected by the milling process. During T 2 , solutes diffuse along the cores of these dislocations. During successive T 1 periods, the dislocations are mechanically forced to glide, leaving behind strings of solutes in states of supersaturation. The model is used to explain the formation of extended solid solutions and amorphous alloys, as well as many other unusual effects observed during MA.
Plexiform Fibromyxoma: Report of Two Pediatric Cases and Review of the Literature

ABSTRACT Plexiform fibromyxoma is a distinctive mesenchymal neoplasm usually arising in the gastric antrum. We report 2 cases of this entity in pediatric patients, including the first case arising in the esophagus. The patients were a 16-year-old female who presented with chest pain and was found on computed tomographic scan to have a midesophageal mass at the level of the carina, and an 11-year-old female with a gastric mass. Both patients underwent surgical resection of their tumors, which histologically exhibited a plexiform growth pattern with multiple nodules in the muscularis propria and infiltrative borders. The nodules were composed of a rich myxoid stroma with bland uniform spindle cells, no mitoses or necrosis, and delicate blood vessels in the background. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that the tumor cells were immunoreactive with smooth muscle actin and not reactive with S-100, CD34, desmin, and c-kit (CD117). We report the first case of plexiform fibromyxoma originating in the esoph...
Identification of Directly Infected Cells in the Bone Marrow of Neonatal Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus-Infected Mice by Use of a Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus-Based Vector

Early bone marrow infection of Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV)-infected mice was studied. Previous experiments indicated that early bone marrow infection is essential for the efficient development of T lymphoma. In order to identify the cellular pathway of infection in the bone marrow, infection of mice with a helper-free replication-defective M-MuLV-based retroviral vector was carried out. Such a vector will undergo only one round of infection, without spreading to other cells; thus, cells infected by the initially injected virus (directly infected cells) can be identified. For these experiments, the BAG vector that expresses bacterial β-galactosidase was employed. Neonatal NIH/Swiss mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with ca. 106 infectious units of a BAG vector pseudotyped with M-MuLV proteins, and bone marrow cells were recovered 2 to 12 days postinfection. Single-cell suspensions were tested for infection by staining with X-Gal (5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-β-d-galactopyranoside) or by immunofluorescence with an anti-β-galactosidase antibody. Two sizes of infected cells were evident: large multinucleated cells and small nondescript (presumptively hematopoietic) cells. Secondary stains for lineage-specific markers indicated that the large cells were osteoclasts. Some of the small cells expressed nonspecific esterase, which placed them in the myeloid lineage, but they lacked markers for hematopoietic progenitors (mac-1, gr-1, sca-1, and CD34). These results provide evidence for primary M-MuLV infection of osteoclasts or osteoclast progenitors in the bone marrow, and they suggest that known hematopoietic progenitors are not primary targets for infection. However, the subsequent spread of infection to hematopoietic progenitors was indicated, since bone marrow from mice infected in parallel with replication-competent wild-type M-MuLV showed detectable infection in small cells positive for mac-1 or CD34, as well as in osteoclasts.
Cenozoic colonization of the Lesser Antilles by Nicoletiid insects (Zygentoma, “Apterygota”) and a new species of Anelpistina from Mustique Island

Abstract Mustique Island in the Lesser Antilles is inhabited by Nicoletia phytophila Gervais, 1844 ( = Nicoletia meinerti Silvestri 1905) and by a new species of Anelpistina, described herein. Morphology and 18S rRNA sequences indicate that the new species of Anelpistina shares affinities with a species from Aruba Island, and both islands appear to have been colonized in the middle to late Cenozoic, possibly helped by low sea levels during glaciations. Nicoletia phytophila is of more recent origin and humans probably facilitated dispersion over the seas.
Cognitive-social strategies for neurobehavioral rehabilitation: Case analyses

A cognitive-social approach to neurobehavioral rehabilitation is presented that, defined herein, refers to the integration of cognitive with emotional and social information processing strategies to enhance techniques for effective behavior change in brain-disordered patients. Research findings and theories regarding affective and social functioning in persons with brain disorders are reviewed and applied to clinical treatment.
Ensemble-based simultaneous state and parameter estimation in a two-dimensional sea-breeze model

The performance of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) in forced, dissipative flow under imperfectmodel conditions is investigated through simultaneous state and parameter estimation where the source of model error is the uncertainty in the model parameters. A two-dimensional, nonlinear, hydrostatic, nonrotating, and incompressible sea-breeze model is used for this purpose with buoyancy and vorticity as the prognostic variables and a square root filter with covariance localization is employed. To control filter divergence caused by the narrowing of parameter variance, a “conditional covariance inflation” method is devised. Up to six model parameters are subjected to estimation attempts in various experiments. While the estimation of single imperfect parameters results in error of model variables that is indistinguishable from the respective perfect-parameter cases, increasing the number of estimated parameters to six inevitably leads to a decline in the level of improvement achieved by parameter estimation. However, the overall EnKF performance in terms of the error statistics is still superior to the situation where there is parameter error but no parameter estimation is performed. In fact, compared with that situation, the simultaneous estimation of six parameters reduces the average error in buoyancy and vorticity by 40% and 46%, respectively. Several aspects of the filter configuration (e.g., observation location, ensemble size, radius of influence, and parameter variance limit) are found to considerably influence the identifiability of the parameters. The parameter-dependent response to such factors implies strong nonlinearity between the parameters and the state of the model and suggests that a straightforward spatial covariance localization does not necessarily produce optimality.
Opportunities and Challenges for Augmented Environments: A Distributed Cognition Perspective

Currently a new generation of inexpensive digital recording devices and storage facilities is revolutionizing data collection in behavioral science, extending it into situations that have not been typically accessible and enabling the examination of the fine details of action captured in meaningful settings. The ability to record and share such data has not only created a critical moment in the practice and scope of behavioral research but also presents unprecedented opportunities and challenges for the design of future augmented environments. In this chapter, we discuss these challenges and argue that fully capitalizing on the associated opportunities requires theoretical and methodological frameworks to effectively analyze data that capture the richness of real-world human activity. We sample five recent research projects from our laboratory chosen to exemplify a distributed cognition perspective and highlight opportunities and challenges relevant to the design and evaluation of augmented environments.
Freeze, flight, fight, fright, faint: adaptationist perspectives on the acute stress response spectrum.

This article reviews the existing evolutionary perspectives on the acute stress response habitual faintness and blood-injection-injury type-specific phobia (BIITS phobia). In this article, an alternative evolutionary perspective, based on recent advances in evolutionary psychology, is proposed. Specifically, that fear–induced faintness (eg, fainting following the sight of a syringe, blood, or following a trivial skin injury) is a distinct Homo sapiens-specific extreme-stress survival response to an inescapable threat. The article suggests that faintness evolved in response to middle paleolithic intra-group and inter-group violence (of con-specifics) rather than as a pan-mammalian defense response, as is presently assumed. Based on recent literature, freeze, flight, fight, fright, faint provides a more complete description of the human acute stress response sequence than current descriptions. Faintness, one of three primary physiological reactions involved in BIITS phobia, is extremely rare in other phobias. Since heritability estimates are higher for faintness than for fears or phobias, the author suggests that trait-faintness may be a useful complement to trait-anxiety as an endophenotype in research on the human fear circuitry. Some implications for the forthcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition as well as for clinical, health services, and transcriptomic research are briefly discussed.
Antiviral Activity of Iodinated Pyrimidine Deoxyribonucleosides

The nucleoside analogs AIdUrd, IdUrd and IdCyd exert their antiviral effects after phosphorylation and subsequent incorporation into viral DNA. AldUrd and IdCyd require the herpesvirus pyrimidine deoxyriboside kinase for the initial phosphorylation, but IdUrd is substrate for both the viral and cellular thymidine kinase. The incorporation into the viral DNA is a critical event in the antiviral action of these analogs. Their incorporation results in altered expression of viral specific RNA and proteins and the production of an abnormal population of virions with lowered specific infectivity and the ability to interfere with the replication of standard herpesvirus.
Comment: The Engler-Knoll Consumption Tax Proposal: What Transition Rule Does Fairness (or Politics) Require?

This commentary on the Engler-Knoll proposal on transitioning from an income tax system to a consumption tax system argues that full transition relief is unfair because it "overcompensates holders of capital, exacerbates unequal distribution of wealth, and reduces welfare." While acknowledging that the Engler-Knoll proposal is ingenious, the commentary argues that a cash flow tax with limited transition relief and lower rates is more likely to be enacted than the Engler-Knoll proposal.
Interaction of Diet Ingredients with Levels of Silk of a Corn Genotype Resistant to Com Earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

A series of experiments was conducted to determine the effects of addition of varying levels of silk resistance, formalin, ascorbic acid, and yeast to the CSM (corn-soy-milk) or modified pinto bean diet on weight of corn earworm larvae, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). Interactions were found among weight of larvae that were fed on CSM or pinto bean diets with or without formalin, varying levels of resistance, and varying concentrations of ascorbic acid or yeast. In all cases, the larvae that were fed on regular diets with formalin weighed significantly more than those that fed on the same diets without formalin. The oxidative process of the resistant silks was enhanced in the silk diets without formalin and delayed in silk diets as the concentration of ascorbic acid was increased. Ascorbic acid did not generally affect weight of larvae that fed on CSM diets but caused larvae to be larger when they fed on bean diet with increased ascorbic acid. Larger larvae were also produced as concentration of ascorbic acid increased in the silk diets. Increasing concentration of yeast promoted growth of larvae that fed on silk diets of regular CSM or pinto bean. Finally, diet ingredients interacted with levels of resistance. Therefore, care must be taken with these types of assays to assure that the diets are properly characterized (i.e., components identified). Comparisons of data over more than one assay should be interpreted carefully.
Tannery By-Product Meal as a Source of Protein for Chicks

Abstract A considerable quantity of by-products protein is obtained in the processing of animal hides in the tanning industry. Usually it is disposed of in the form of fertilizer. A brief study has been conducted to determine if this material has any feeding value as a source of protein for chicks. Two tannery by-product meals were prepared in the following manner. Limed hide fleshings were washed and then partially hydrolyzed with a mixture of HCl and H3PO4 and cooked to obtain a homogeneous mixture. The pH was adjusted to about 5.5 with Na2CO3 and, following removal of the fat, the solution was drum-dried to a meal form. The second meal was prepared by omitting the hydrolysis and neutralization procedure and extracting the fat and moisture with acetone. A partial nutrient composition of the two by-product meals is shown in Table 1. The higher ash content of the drum-dried meal resulted from…
A significant satellite: the Nevis South Field in Block 9/13

The Nevis South Field is an outstanding field in a number of respects. It contains four stacked reservoirs, two contrasting oil types, a high quality Triassic reservoir and a Beryl reservoir of such quality that one of the producing wells held the North Sea’s record for productivity index. The field is operated by Mobil North Sea Limited (ExxonMobil) with co-venturers Amerada Hess Limited, Enterprise Oil Limited and OMV (UK) Limited. It is a sub-sea development tied back to the Beryl Alpha platform that lies 7 km to the east-northeast. First oil was produced in 1996 but the field is still actively being drilled to new reservoirs and to maximize recovery from already producing reservoirs. Structurally the field is a relatively simple rotated fault block with beds dipping to the southwest and a crestal depth of 8700 ft. The Base Cretaceous Unconformity cuts down into the crest of the fault block such that strata are progressively eroded towards the northeast. Consequently, the core of the field contains Triassic strata with younger, Jurassic, strata on the flank. The oldest reservoir in the field is the Triassic Lewis I sequence of fluvio-lacustrine origin. It contains an unusual heavy oil which is currently being produced via a single, high-angle well. Above this unit lies the Lewis III/IV reservoir which contains the bulk of the hydrocarbons in the field. These sediments are ephemeral stream deposits which are exploited via four producers and a pair of water injectors. The Middle Jurassic Beryl reservoir is a high net:gross tidal delta succession of multi-Darcy permeability. Drainage of the Beryl oil rim is by three horizontal wells with pressure support supplied by the large aquifer. A Beryl gas blowdown phase of development is scheduled for 2005. Drilling and workover activity is guided by fine-scale geological modelling and accompanying simulation. The youngest reservoir comprises mass-flow sandstones of the Middle–Late Jurassic Heather Formation. These relatively thin sandstones contain a comparatively small volume of oil and gas which it is currently uneconomic to develop.
Echocardiography in Systemic Diseases

Parasternal long (left) and apical four chamber (right) views of a patient with Amyloidosis. Please notice thickened walls of both ventricles, speckled appearance of myocardium (better seen in the interventricular septum), biatrial enlargement and mild valve thickening
Multiphase Mesh-Free Particle Method for Simulating Granular Flows and Sediment Transport

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to develop a straightforward, robust, stable, and accurate mesh-free numerical technique for modeling the dynamic behavior of free surface, incompressible, mu...
Piezo2 senses airway stretch and mediates lung inflation-induced apnoea

Respiratory dysfunction is a notorious cause of perinatal mortality in infants and sleep apnoea in adults, but the mechanisms of respiratory control are not clearly understood. Mechanical signals transduced by airway-innervating sensory neurons control respiration; however, the physiological significance and molecular mechanisms of these signals remain obscured. Here we show that global and sensory neuron-specific ablation of the mechanically activated ion channel Piezo2 causes respiratory distress and death in newborn mice. Optogenetic activation of Piezo2+ vagal sensory neurons causes apnoea in adult mice. Moreover, induced ablation of Piezo2 in sensory neurons of adult mice causes decreased neuronal responses to lung inflation, an impaired Hering-Breuer mechanoreflex, and increased tidal volume under normal conditions. These phenotypes are reproduced in mice lacking Piezo2 in the nodose ganglion. Our data suggest that Piezo2 is an airway stretch sensor and that Piezo2-mediated mechanotransduction within various airway-innervating sensory neurons is critical for establishing efficient respiration at birth and maintaining normal breathing in adults.
Accurate Planetary Limb Localization for Image-Based Spacecraft Navigation

The use of images for spacecraft navigation is well established. Although these images have traditionally been processed by a human analyst on Earth, a variety of recent advancements have led to an...
1058 Endoscopic Suturing for a Massively Bleeding Marginal Ulcer 10 Days Post Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass

Background Marginal ulceration post Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) with associated bleeding, although infrequently encountered, can be challenging to treat. Flexible endoscopic therapy is preferred over surgery due to its minimally invasive nature. Bleeding ulcers have traditionally been treated endoscopically by injecting epinephrine, bipolar hemostasis, or clips. Here, we describe our treatment with endoscopic suturing for a massively bleeding marginal ulcer after RYGB.
The what, when and how of CAR T cell therapy for ALL

Abstract Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells that have been engineered to target CD19 have shown great promise in patients with relapsed and refractory B cell acute lymphocytic leukemia with remission rates of 70–90%. Some remissions have successfully bridged patients to a curable allogeneic stem cell transplant, some responses have been durable without further treatment, and some patients have achieved durable remissions for relapsed ALL after allogeneic stem cell transplant. Cytokine release syndrome, correlating with the in vivo activation and expansion of T cells, and neurologic toxicity are the most significant side effects and approaches to better understand and manage these events are the subject of ongoing clinical trials. The decision to intervene with CARTs requires an individualized approach taking into consideration patient, disease and therapy related factors.
Impact of outlier status on critical care patient outcomes: Does boarding medical intensive care unit patients make a difference?

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the impact of outlier status, or the practice of boarding ICU patients in distant critical care units, on clinical and utilization outcomes. Materials and methods Retrospective observational study of all consecutive admissions to the MICU service between April 1, 2014-January 3, 2016, at an urban university hospital. Results Of 1931 patients, 117 were outliers (6.1%) for the entire duration of their ICU stay. In adjusted analyses, there was no association between outlier status and hospital (OR 1.21, 95% CI 0.72–2.05, p = 0.47) or ICU mortality (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.64–2.25, p = 0.57). Outliers had shorter hospital and ICU lengths of stay (LOS) in addition to fewer ventilator days. Crossover patients who had variable outlier exposure also had no increase in hospital (OR 1.61; 95% CI 0.80–3.23; p = 0.18) or ICU mortality (OR 1.05; 95% CI 0.43–2.54; p = 0.92) after risk-adjustment. Conclusions Boarding of MICU patients in distant units during times of bed nonavailability does not negatively influence patient mortality or LOS. Increased hospital and ventilator utilization observed among non-outliers in the home unit may be attributable, at least in part, to differences in patient characteristics. Prospective investigation into the practice of ICU boarding will provide further confirmation of its safety.
Ventilator Management and Respiratory Care after Cardiac Arrest: Oxygenation, Ventilation, Infection, and Injury

Return of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest results in a systemic inflammatory state called the post-cardiac arrest syndrome, which is characterized by oxidative stress, coagulopathy, neuronal injury, and organ dysfunction. Perturbations in oxygenation and ventilation may exacerbate secondary injury after cardiac arrest and have been shown to be associated with poor outcome. Further, patients who experience cardiac arrest are at risk for a number of other pulmonary complications. Up to 70% of patients experience early infection after cardiac arrest, and the respiratory tract is the most common source. Vigilance for early-onset pneumonia, as well as aggressive diagnosis and early antimicrobial agent administration are important components of critical care in this population. Patients who experience cardiac arrest are at risk for the development of ARDS. Risk factors include aspiration, pulmonary contusions (from chest compressions), systemic inflammation, and reperfusion injury. Early evidence suggests that they may benefit from ventilation with low tidal volumes. Meticulous attention to mechanical ventilation, early assessment and optimization of respiratory gas exchange, and therapies targeted at potential pulmonary complications may improve outcomes after cardiac arrest.
Peripherally Acting μ-Opioid Receptor Agonists Attenuate Ongoing Pain-associated Behavior and Spontaneous Neuronal Activity after Nerve Injury in Rats.

Background Ongoing neuropathic pain is difficult to treat. The authors examined whether dermorphin [D-Arg2, Lys4] (1-4) amide, a peripherally acting µ-opioid receptor agonist, attenuates ongoing pain-associated manifestations after nerve injury in rats and mice. Methods Using conditioned place preference assay, the authors tested whether animals show a preference to the environment associated with drug treatment. Wide-dynamic range and dorsal root ganglion neuronal activities were measured by electrophysiology recording and calcium imaging. Results Nerve-injured animals stayed longer in dermorphin [D-Arg2, Lys4] (1-4) amide-paired chamber after conditioning than during preconditioning (rats: 402.4 ± 61.3 vs. 322.1 ± 45.0 s, 10 mg/kg, n = 9, P = 0.009; mice: 437.8 ± 59.4 vs. 351.3 ± 95.9 s, 2 mg/kg, n = 8, P = 0.047). Topical ganglionic application of dermorphin [D-Arg2, Lys4] (1-4) amide (5 μM, 1 μl, n = 5) reduced the numbers of small-diameter dorsal root ganglion neurons that showed spontaneous activity (1.1 ± 0.4 vs. 1.5 ± 0.3, P = 0.044) and that were activated by test stimulation (15.5 ± 5.5 vs. 28.2 ± 8.2, P = 0.009) after injury. In neuropathic rats, dermorphin [D-Arg2, Lys4] (1-4) amide (10 mg/kg, n = 8) decreased spontaneous firing rates in wide-dynamic range neurons to 53.2 ± 46.6% of predrug level, and methylnaltrexone (5 mg/kg, n = 9) blocked dermorphin [D-Arg2, Lys4] (1-4) amide-induced place preference and inhibition of wide-dynamic range neurons. Dermorphin [D-Arg2, Lys4] (1-4) amide increased paw withdrawal threshold (17.5 ± 2.2 g) from baseline (3.5 ± 0.7 g, 10 mg/kg, n = 8, P = 0.002) in nerve-injured rats, but the effect diminished after repeated administrations. Conclusions Peripherally acting μ-opioids may attenuate ongoing pain-related behavior and its neurophysiologic correlates. Yet, repeated administrations cause antiallodynic tolerance.
Transient Outward K+ Current (Ito) Underlies the Right Ventricular Initiation of Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia in a Transgenic Rabbit Model of Long-QT Syndrome Type 1

Background:Sudden death in long-QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1), an inherited disease caused by loss-of-function mutations in KCNQ1, is triggered by early afterdepolarizations (EADs) that initiate polymo...
Neuropharmacology of Sleep and Wakefulness: 2012 Update

The development of sedative/hypnotic molecules has been empiric rather than rational. The empiric approach has produced clinically useful drugs but for no drug is the mechanism of action completely understood. All available sedative/hypnotic medications have unwanted side effects and none of these medications creates a sleep architecture that is identical to the architecture of naturally occurring sleep. This chapter reviews recent advances in research aiming to elucidate the neurochemical mechanisms regulating sleep and wakefulness. One promise of rational drug design is that understanding the mechanisms of sedative/hypnotic action will significantly enhance drug safety and efficacy.
Evaluation of photothermal therapy of breast cancer with shape-controlled gold nanoparticles with 18F-FDG-PET/CT

644 Objectives Three distinct shapes of gold nanoparticles (nanorods, nanocages, and nanohexapods) were prepared and evaluated as photothermal therapeutic agents against breast cancer in a mouse tumor model. The treatment response was characterized with 18F-fluorinated deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18FDG-PET/CT) imaging. Methods Suspensions of pegylated gold nanorods, nanocages, and nanohexapods in buffers were irradiated with an 808 nm diode laser to quantify photothermal conversion efficiency. Nanoparticles were incubated with MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells to evaluate the cytotoxicity and cell uptake. In vivo biodistribution studies were performed at 1 and 7 days post injection via the tail vein of MDA-MB-435-tumor-bearing nude mice. Photothermal studies were performed by irradiating tumors for 10 minutes while acquiring thermal images with a NIR camera. 18F-FDG-PET/CT imaging was performed pre- and post-treatment to assess the treatment response. Results Substantial photothermal heating was observed with all three shapes of nanoparticles. In vitro cytotoxicity and cell uptake assays showed that the nanohexapod was the least toxic and had the highest uptake compared to the other shapes. Biodistribution studies demonstrated that nanorods and nanohexapods accumulated in tumors significantly more than nanocages. The in vivo photothermal treatment studies showed significant increase of tumor temperature and reduction of 18F-FDG tumor uptake for all shapes after irradiation, with the nanohexapods providing the largest temperature increase. Conclusions All three shapes of gold nanostructures demonstrated their potential as photothermal transducers for cancer treatment. Among them, gold nanohexapods offer potentially superior properties compared to other shapes due to their high photothermal conversion efficiency, low cytotoxicity, and high cell uptake and tumor accumulation. Research Support This work was supported by a grant from the NCI (R01 CA138527).
Evolving Concepts of Emotion and Motivation.

This review takes a historical perspective on concepts in the psychology of motivation and emotion, and surveys recent developments, debates and applications. Old debates over emotion have recently risen again. For example, are emotions necessarily subjective feelings? Do animals have emotions? I review evidence that emotions exist also as core psychological processes, which have objectively detectable features, and which can occur either with subjective feelings or without them. Evidence is offered also that studies of emotion in animals can give new insights into human emotions. Beyond emotion, motivation concepts also have changed over decades, and debates still continue. Motivation was once thought in terms of aversive drives, and reward was thought of in terms of drive reduction. Motivation-as-drive concepts were largely replaced by motivation-as-incentive concepts, yet aversive drive concepts still occasionally surface in motivation neuroscience today. Among incentive motivation concepts, incentive salience is a core process, mediated by brain mesocorticolimbic systems (dopamine-related systems) and sometimes called ‘wanting’ (in quotation marks), to distinguish it from cognitive forms of desire (wanting without quotation marks). Incentive salience as ‘wanting’ is separable also from pleasure ‘liking’ for the same reward, which has important implications for several human clinical disorders. Ordinarily, incentive salience adds motivational urgency to cognitive desires, but ‘wanting’ and cognitive desires can dissociate in some conditions. Excessive incentive salience can cause addictions, in which excessive ‘wanting’ can diverge from cognitive desires. Conversely, lack of incentive salience may cause motivational forms of anhedonia in depression or schizophrenia, whereas a negatively-valenced form of ‘fearful salience’ may contribute to paranoia. Finally, negative ‘fear’ and ‘disgust’ have both partial overlap but also important neural differences.
Challenges with risk mitigation in academic drug discovery: finding the best solution.

A drug discovery program is initiated once a druggable target is unraveled through either academic research or from clinical observations [1]. Academic research is all-encompassing and covers a wid...