cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An audit of pain and vomiting in paediatric day case surgery

Summary Three hundred and thirteen paediatric day case patients were prospectively audited to assess postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting using data sheets completed by nursing staff, anaesthetists and parents. The incidence of nausea and vomiting was 7.3% and was commoner in older children and those who had received opioids. Forty per cent of patients had some degree of postoperative pain; 17% of these patients were scored as having severe pain. Of children who had pain on returning home (31.4%), 85% of these required paracetamol. Fifteen per cent of children had a disturbed night due to pain and/or vomiting after their operation and 28.5% of children had pain on the following day. Boys undergoing circumcision were responsible for a disproportionately high percentage of the severe pain scores. Audit has helped to highlight deficiencies in the service provided and has led staff to try and improve their methods of analgesia.
Treatment of hysterical vomiting by modification of social contingencies: A case study

Abstract An extinction procedure (withdrawal of attention and social contact) was successfully used in the treatment of a patient with a 10-yr history of vomiting repeatedly after every meal. No special diet or chemotherapy was employed. Theraphy consisted of staff members, and subsequently other patients, avoiding and ignoring the patient whenever she vomited or reported feeling nauseated. Data were obtained on frequency and latency of vomiting. A 7-month follow-up revealed that the patient had vomited only once since discharge.
Sex differences in serum levels of N-acetyl-β-hexosaminidase in infancy: Correlation of enzyme activity with testosterone levels

Serum levels of N-acetyl-β-hexosaminidase (HEX) (EC 3.2.1.30) activity in infants display a sexual dimorphism. Total HEX activity in males between 1 and 3 months of age is significantly elevated over female levels (male (M), 1535 ± 300 nmol/60 min/ml; female (F), 1150 ± 203, P < 0.0005), and the A (labile) isozyme constitutes a significantly lower proportion of the total activity present (M, 56.0 ± 4.2, N = 24; F, 64.3 ± 4.6, N = 21, P < 0.0005). These findings led us to investigate the relationship between testosterone concentration and HEX activity in serum. Samples from male (N = 36) and female (N = 33) infants between 1 and 6 months of age were included. In both sexes, a high degree of correlation (P < 0.0005) was observed between testosterone and total HEX (M, r = 0.71; F, r = 0.73), HEX A (M, r = 0.68; F, r = 0.56) and HEX B (M, r = 0.68; F, r = 0.72). An inverse relationship exists between testosterone levels and % A: M, r = −0.56; F, r = −0.38 (P < 0.0025 and 0.025, respectively). In contrast, no correlation between HEX levels and testosterone was evident in either male or female adults (r = 0.20 and 0.18, respectively). These data implicate testosterone in the regulation of HEX activity during the early months of human development.
Using chlorophyll fluorescence to monitor yields of microalgal production

A monitoring system for microalgal production was developed over a 12:12-h light:dark cycle at a steady state of growth to test the feasibility of estimating carbon production using the fluorescence method. An empirical linear relationship between the electron transport rate, based on the fluorescence method, and carbon assimilation, based on the conventional carbon method, was successfully obtained. The results demonstrate the relevance of the electron transport rate in determining carbon production of microalgae under steady-state growth conditions.
De Bourneville à nos jours : interprétations psychiatriques de la mystique

Resume Le recul du temps rend possible une reflexion historique sur la facon dont les interpretations theologiques et medicales de la mystique catholique se sont cotoyees, affrontees, articulees en France depuis la fin du second Empire, autour de femmes ayant eu, dans leur entourage, une reputation de mystiques. Aux interpretations religieuses de tels faits sont venues se superposer, a partir du debut de la IIIe Republique, des interpretations medicales, aujourd'hui teintees de psychanalyse. Trois cas de tertiaires franciscaines considerees comme stigmatisees sont retenus ici : Louise Lateau (1850–1883), Pauline Lair Lamotte (1853–1918) et Marthe Robin (1902–1981). Elles ont respectivement ete etudiees par trois medecins, Desire Bourneville (1840–1909), Pierre Janet (1859–1947) et Gonzague Mottet; j'ai joint a leurs travaux un memoire de troisieme cycle en psychanalyse, de Bernard Vandewiele, sur Marthe Robin. Ces dossiers sont topiques des debats francais entre theologie, medecine et plus recemment psychanalyse, a differentes periodes historiques: 1) polemiques violentes fortement politisees au debut de la IIIe Republique, avant les decouvertes freudiennes; 2) accalmie progressive quand la culture de la laicite aboutit a une secularisation des recherches sur la religion en general et la mystique en particulier; 3) sous la Ve Republique, ecoute du discours mystique de moins en moins entravee par la nosologie psychiatrique, quand les signes de detente se multiplient entre les grandes instances officielles de regulation des savoirs que constituent les pouvoirs politiques, scientifiques et religieux.
Clinical Determination of Pregnanediol Excretion

Pregnanediol was one of the earliest of the sex steroids to be isolated from human pregnancy urine (1) and characterised (2). It was found to be physiologically inert, and was ignored by biologists and clinicians for several years. To the steroid chemists it was of interest as a possible inactive excretion product of an active precursor. Butenandt, in 1934 (3), oxidised pregnanediol to progesterone. This not only showed the close chemical relationship between the two steroids, but was the first synthesis in vitro of the active principle of the corpus luteum. Demonstration of the biological relationship between pregnanediol and progesterone, as well as the correlation of the level of corpus luteum activity with the excretion of pregnanediol had to await a semi-quantitative, semi-micro method for the determination of pregnanediol. Venning and Browne did the preliminary work for this with their isolation, in 1936, of a water-soluble pregnanediol complex from human pregnancy urine (4).
Design and testing of space-domain minimum-average correlation energy filters for 2-D acousto-optic correlators

Two-dimensional acousto-optic (AO) correlators differ from frequency plane correlators in that multiplying, shifting, and adding, rather than Fourier transforming are used to obtain the correlations. Thus, manu of the available composite filter design techniques are not aimed at designing filters for use in AO correlators because they yield frequency-domain functions. In this paper, a method is introduced for designing filter impulse responses of arbitrary extent for implementation on AO correlators. These filters are designed to yield sharp correlation peaks. Simulation results are included to illustrate the viability of the proposed approach. Also included are some initial results from the first successful use of gray-scale composite filters on an AO correlator.
Inhibition by methylmercuric chloride of prostaglandin E1-sensitive adenylate cyclase activity in glioma but not in neuroblastoma cells in culture

Abstract The responses of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1)-sensitive adenylate cyclase activity in glioma (C-6) and neuroblastoma (NBP2) cells in culture after acute (5 days) and chronic (6–7 weeks) treatment with low concentrations (0.1 μm) of methylmercuric chloride (CH3HgCl) were investigated. The sensitivity of adenylate cyclase activity to PGE1, as measured by the rise in the intracellular level of cyclic AMP, was markedly reduced in chronically treated glioma cells, but it was not affected in chronically treated NB cells. Acute treatments of glioma and NB cells with CH3HgCl did not modify the effect of PGE1 on the intracellular level of cyclic AMP. The responses of dopamine- and norepinephrine-sensitive adenylate cyclases in actuely treated neuroblastoma (NBA2(1)) cells and norepinephrine-sensitive adenylate cyclase in acutely or chronically treated glioma cells did not change.
Environmental enrichment and isolation rearing in the rat: effects on locomotor behavior and startle response plasticity.

Abstract Background: Laboratory rats exhibit behavioral changes that reflect a continuum of early life experience, from isolation-reared to socially reared to enrichment-reared conditions. In this study, we further characterize the behavioral effects of isolation, social, and enriched rearing on locomotor activity, patterns of movement and exploration, startle reactivity, prepulse inhibition (PPI), and habituation in adult rats. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rat pups (21 days old) were housed under enrichment (three per cage with toys and exposure to enriched environments), normal social (three per cage), or isolation (one per cage) conditions. Eight weeks later, locomotor and exploratory behaviors, acoustic startle reactivity, PPI, and habituation were measured in the three groups. Results: Enrichment-reared rats exhibited reduced exploration and rapid habituation of locomotor activity, increased startle reactivity, and normal PPI and startle habituation compared with socially reared controls. Isolation-reared rats exhibited increased exploration and normal habituation of locomotor activity, increased startle reactivity, reduced PPI, and normal startle habituation. Conclusions: Isolation- and enrichment-reared rats exhibited opposite changes in some behaviors and similar changes in other behaviors. Specifically, rats raised in enriched conditions appear more efficient at assimilating stimuli from their environment than do rats reared in isolation. Nevertheless, both enrichment- and isolation-rearing conditions increased startle reactivity, whereas only isolation rearing led to disruptions of PPI in adulthood. These results suggest that isolation- and enrichment-rearing conditions produce some common and some differential effects on how rats process environmental stimuli. For studies of isolation-rearing effects on PPI, however, the complex and resource-intensive enrichment condition seems to offer few advantages over the normal social condition.
Alcohol use behaviors among pharmacy students.

Objective To identify reasons for drinking, determine the patterns of alcohol abuse, and explore relationships between drinking motives and alcohol abuse patterns in pharmacy students. Methods A cross-sectional anonymous, voluntary, self-administered paper survey instrument was administered to first-year (P1) through third-year (P3) pharmacy students as part of a professional seminar. Results Survey instruments were completed by 349 pharmacy students (95.9% cooperation rate). Using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test criteria, 23.2% of students reported hazardous or harmful use and 67.2% of students reported consuming alcohol at hazardous levels during the past year. Students who were male (37.0%), single (25.3%), and attended the main campus (26.2%) were more likely than their counterparts to report hazardous or harmful alcohol use. Pharmacy students reported social motives as the most common reason for drinking; however, coping and enhancement motives were more predictive of harmful or hazardous alcohol use. Conclusion Approximately 1 in 4 pharmacy students (23%) reported hazardous or harmful alcohol use. Education about the dangers of alcohol abuse and intervention programs from colleges and schools of pharmacy are recommended to help address this issue.
Effects of microgroove geometry on the early stages of frost formation and frost properties

Abstract The variation of frost structure and properties with groove geometry on microgrooved brass surfaces (45 mm × 45 mm) is examined through an experimental study. Frost is grown on a number of microgrooved brass samples having a wide range of groove dimensions (groove depth ≈ 27–122 μm, pillar width ≈ 26–187 μm and fixed groove width of 130 μm), and on one flat baseline surface under a range of substrate temperature and relative humidity conditions. Frost structure on the microgrooved surfaces, especially at the early stages of frost formation, is found to be significantly affected by a variation of the groove geometry. Depending on the rate of cooling of the substrate and variation of the groove geometry, the condensed droplets, which predominantly form on top of the pillar surfaces, either merge with the droplets on the grooves and fill the grooves completely, or bridge with droplets on the adjacent pillars and grooves, or freeze on the top of the pillars. These differences in the initial frost formation pattern are also found to considerably affect the thickness and density of the frost layer in frosting cycles up to 4 h long. Microgrooved samples with the deepest groove (122 μm) and widest pillar (187 μm) within the sample space, which exhibit similar frost structure at the early stages of frost formation, are found to have lower frost thickness and higher frost density among all the microgrooved samples. The relationship between the frost structure and frost properties with groove dimensions is discussed, emphasizing the importance of the morphological features.
Ethnicity and community in Oaxaca: Nursery, hospital, and retirement home 1

Cook, Scott and Leigh Binford. Obliging Need: Rural Petty Industry in Mexican Capitalism. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1990. xix + 316 pp. including 15 black‐and‐white illustrations, notes, bibliography, and index. $37.50 cloth. Nader, Laura. Harmony and Ideology: Justice and Control in a Zapotec Mountain Village. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1990. xxiii + 322 pp. including photos, bibliography, and index. $37.50 cloth. Stephen, Lynn. Zapotec Women. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1991. xiii + 316pp. including photos, notes, glossary, bibliography, and index. $ 14.95 paper.
Dynamic pulse buckling of composite shells subjected to external blast

Abstract Dynamic pulse buckling of woven E-Glass/Vinyl Ester and laminated E-Glass/Epoxy cylindrical shells subjected to uniform overpressure and asymmetric pressure pulse (side-on explosion) were examined. The solutions for the radial shell deformations were represented by Mathieu differential equations. The dynamic instability of the shells was determined from a Mathieu stability diagram. It was found that the stability of the shells depended on lay-up, aspect ratio as well as impulse distribution. The stable vibration response of the shells with side-on explosion compared well with finite element solutions using a Dynamic, Implicit analysis in ABAQUS Standard. First-ply failure of the woven E-Glass/Vinyl Ester shell with side-on explosion was predicted using a modified Hashin–Rotem failure criterion. It was shown that the thinner woven E-Glass/Vinyl Ester shells were more likely to fail by dynamic instability, whereas the thicker woven E-Glass/Vinyl Ester shells were more likely to fail by first-ply failure.
Animal models for microbicide safety and efficacy testing.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Early studies have cast doubt on the utility of animal models for predicting success or failure of HIV-prevention strategies, but results of multiple human phase 3 microbicide trials, and interrogations into the discrepancies between human and animal model trials, indicate that animal models were, and are, predictive of safety and efficacy of microbicide candidates. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies have shown that topically applied vaginal gels, and oral prophylaxis using single or combination antiretrovirals are indeed effective in preventing sexual HIV transmission in humans, and all of these successes were predicted in animal models. Further, prior discrepancies between animal and human results are finally being deciphered as inadequacies in study design in the model, or quite often, noncompliance in human trials, the latter being increasingly recognized as a major problem in human microbicide trials. SUMMARY Successful microbicide studies in humans have validated results in animal models, and several ongoing studies are further investigating questions of tissue distribution, duration of efficacy, and continued safety with repeated application of these, and other promising microbicide candidates in both murine and nonhuman primate models. Now that we finally have positive correlations with prevention strategies and protection from HIV transmission, we can retrospectively validate animal models for their ability to predict these results, and more importantly, prospectively use these models to select and advance even safer, more effective, and importantly, more durable microbicide candidates into human trials.
Memory for actions: Enactment and source memory

Enacting simple action phrases enhances item memory but may not enhance other aspects of memory. The present experiment examines the effects of enactment on source memory. During the study phase, participants performed some actions (subject-performed tasks, SPTs) and observed the experimenter perform other actions (experimenter-performed tasks, EPTs). One group performed the SPTs with eyes closed, one group with eyes open (the standard condition), and one group performed SPTs facing a mirror (EPT presentation was constant across groups). As expected, item memory was better for SPTs than for EPTs. More importantly, source memory for SPTs was affected by the amount of visual feedback. As predicted by the source-monitoring framework, source memory for SPTs decreased as the amount of visual feedback increased from none (eyes closed) to moderate (standard condition) to maximal (mirror condition). In addition, SPT encoding failed to increase source memory and in one condition actually decreased source memory, relative to EPT encoding. Thus, enactment dissociated item and source memory, enhancing the former but not the latter.
Development and Optimization of a Carbon Dioxide-Aided Cold Microfiltration Process for the Physical Removal of Microorganisms and Somatic Cells from Skim Milk

Physical removal of microorganisms from skim milk by microfiltration (MF) is becoming increasingly attractive to the dairy industry. Typically, this process is performed at temperatures of approximately 50°C. Additional shelf-life and quality benefits might be gained by conducting the MF process at low temperatures. Cold MF could also minimize microbial fouling of the membrane and prevent the germination of thermophilic spores. The objective of this study was to optimize a cold MF process for the effective removal of microbial and somatic cells from skim milk. An experimental MF setup containing a tubular Tami ceramic membrane with a nominal pore size of 1.4 μm was used for MF of raw skim milk at a temperature of 6 ± 1°C. The processing conditions used were cross-flow velocities of 5 to 7 m/s, and transmembrane pressures of 52 to 131 kPa. All MF experiments were performed in triplicate. The permeate flux was determined gravimetrically. Microbiological, chemical, and somatic cell analyses were performed to evaluate the effect of MF on the composition of skim milk. The permeate flux increased drastically when velocity was increased from 5 to 7 m/s. The critical transmembrane pressure range conducive to maximum fluxes was 60 to 85 kPa. When MF was conducted under optimal conditions, very efficient removal of vegetative bacteria, spores, and somatic cells, as well as near complete transmission of proteins into the MF milk, was achieved. To further enhance the flux, a CO2 backpulsing system was developed. This technique is able both to increase the flux and to maintain it steadily for an extended period of time. The CO2-aided cold MF process has the potential to become economically attractive to the dairy industry, with direct benefits for the quality and shelf life of dairy products.
Response to Comment on "The Pentacovalent Phosphorus Intermediate of a Phosphoryl Transfer Reaction"

Blackburn et al. ([ 1 ][1]) state that the phosphorane intermediate observed in the β-phosphoglucomutase (β-PGM) structure reported by Lahiri et al . ([ 2 ][2]) was mistaken for a transition state analog formed between enzyme, magnesium trifluoride, and glucose-6-phosphate. Here, we provide five
Artifact Formation In The Soxhlet Extraction Of Environmental Samples With Acetone

Abstract A study was performed to confirm suspected artifactual formation of acetone derivatives during the Soxhlet extraction of soil samples with acetone. The conditions employed simulated very closely those normally employed for the extraction of soils for neutral and moderately polar organic compounds such as pesticides. A series of acidic, neutral, and basic organic-free soils were extracted with hexane/acetone solvent mixture and the extracts concentrated in a Kuderna-Danish apparatus. The extracts were analyzed by capillary column gas chromatographic mass spectrometry. In nearly all cases, simple dimeric products such as diacetonecohol and mesityl oxide were formed in varying amounts. The acidified and basic soils yielded complex mixtures of dimers, trimers, tetramers and other complex homologs. Some of the more common substances found include phorone, mesitylene and isophorone. The latter substance is listed as an EPA priority pollutant.
Stimulation of a D-2 Dopamine Receptor in the Intermediate Lobe of the Rat Pituitary Gland Decreases the Responsiveness of the β-Adrenoceptor: Biochemical Mechanism

In experiments using a cell-free homogenate of the intermediate lobe of the hypophysis of the rat, apomorphine, a dopaminergic agonist, diminished both basal and L-isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity; dopaminergic antagonists from several chemical families reversed these inhibitory effects of apomorphine. Apomorphine diminished the ability of GTP to enhance both basal and L-isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity but did not directly interfere with the interaction between the beta-adrenoceptor and L-isoproterenol. The affinity of the D-2 dopamine receptor in the intermediate lobe for each dopaminergic antagonist used in this study was estimated from a mathematical analysis of the data. (Endocrinology 108: 420, 1981)
Nanometer Measurements Of Motor Protein And Membrane Glycoprotein Movements

The recent application of digital imaging technologies to the analysis of video images from a DIC (differential interference contrast) light microscope has given 1-2 nm precision for the measurement of movements of submicron particles at 30 Hz. [Gelles et al., Nature 331(1988)450]. This technique has been applied to the study of the movements of 1) motor proteins (kinesin and cytoplasmic dynein) on microtubules (MTs) and 2) membrane glycoproteins in cellular plasma membranes. In both cases the nanometer measurements have provided important new insights into the molecular mechanisms which govern those biological movements.
Quantitative approaches to the analysis and treatment of the dysnatremias.

Summary Recent new insights into the determinants of the plasma water sodium concentration ([Na+]pw) have played an important role in advancing our understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of the dysnatremias. Central to these recent advances is the recognition of the full significance of the Edelman equation discovered 50 years ago. Although Edelman et al showed empirically that the [Na+]pw is related to the total exchangeable sodium (Nae), total exchangeable potassium (Ke), and total body water (TBW) by the following equation: [Na+]pw = 1.11(Nae + Ke)/TBW − 25.6 ( Eq. 1 ), the significance of the nonzero values of the slope and y-intercept in the Edelman equation has been unrecognized and ignored. It recently has been shown that the slope and y-intercept in this equation are determined quantitatively by several additional physiologic parameters that play an important role in modulating the [Na+]pw and in the generation of the dysnatremias. By defining all the physiologic parameters that determine the magnitude of the [Na+]pw, this analysis has also proven to be an indispensable tool for deriving new formulas to aid the clinician in both interpreting the pathogenesis and treating the dysnatremias. In this article, the role of quantitative analysis in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to the dysnatremias is discussed.
A Cultural Explanation for Early Broadcast Policy: Professionalism, Voluntarism, and U.S. Broadcast Networks

This study explores the theoretical, methodological, and empirical challenges that come with forging a cultural explanation for a particular policy outcome. By theorizing culture as a toolkit of discrete values, two specific cultural values were explored for their role in bounding the agency of various actors in constructing broadcast policy and regulation that favored broadcast networks. The study challenges realist stories that explain policy or regulatory outcomes based on the power of particular interests.
Analysis of Grouped Data from Multinomial Populations

Abstract This article deals with a problem in which n independent choices are made of r out of m factors, resulting in a multinomial distribution with (rm ) cells. The interest centers on the number of times each factor is chosen. This leads to a grouping of the cell counts into m overlapping groups. As the groups overlap, the distribution of the group counts is not multinomial. A large sample theory is given for testing various hypotheses regarding the grouped-cell probabilities, similar to the hypotheses that arise for testing homogeneity of parallel samples in a contingency table.
Understanding the mechanisms of photodecarbonylation of the photoprecursors of higher poly(acene)s

Polyacenes, linear poly(benzenoid) hydrocarbons, are significant compounds for various electronic applications. Smaller lower molecular weight members of the series (anthracene, tetracene, and pentacene) have been extensively investigated for their use as semiconductors, as active layers in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Smaller HOMO-LUMO gaps might be achieved by synthesizing even higher poly(acene)s such as hexacene and heptacene. Nevertheless, an increased instability and insolubility associated with the increasing number of fused rings has become a synthetic challenge for chemists. We have recently developed a photochemical route that allows one to easily synthesize heptacene in rigid media from an α-diketone photoprecursor, thus opening a pathway to utilize these compounds in the construction of suitable devices. Photodecarbonylations of α-diketones are unusual reactions. In most instances, dione excited states become electron transfer acceptors. The decarbonylation is driven by the stability of the resulting aromatic hydrocarbon. We have studied the nature of the excited states involved in photodecarbonylation of the α-diketones and the structure of the carbon monoxide fragment(s). Results obtained on the mechanism of photodecarbonylation investigated using nanosecond flash photolysis and ultra-fast pump-probe techniques are discussed.
Concept for a High MEO InSAR Seismic Monitoring System

Demonstration of a spaceborne system to image seismic surface waves dynamically (i.e. coseismically) would be the early steps of a future operational capability for monitoring earthquakes and discriminating clandestine underground nuclear tests. Complementing the global network of seismic instruments, such system would enable unprecedented global mapping of the velocity structure of the Earth's crust, thereby improving hypocentral location, understanding of rupture dynamics and wave propagation effects, and source characterization. Seismic wave measurement requirements include lower bounds on detectability of events and wave amplitude accuracy for different levels of analysis, such as source characterization and crustal tomography, with 10-100 mum wave amplitude resolution for waves nominally traveling 5 km/s, an upper frequency bound based on earthquake surface displacement spectra, and minimum horizontal resolution (1-5 km) and areal coverage. Advanced radar technologies are keys to demonstrating a pre-operational system leading to a high MEO (10,400 km orbit altitude) constellation for continuous surveillance.
Enhancing the participation of african americans in health-related genetic research: findings of a collaborative academic and community-based research study.

The involvement of African Americans in research has long been expressed as a concern by the scientific community. While efforts have been undertaken to identify factors inhibiting the participation of African Americans in health-related research, few efforts have been undertaken to have highlight factors associated with their engagement of health-related research. An exploratory study of factors presumed to be associated with participation in health-related research was conducted among a nonprobability sample of African Americans () from a large urban community in the Midwest. The study was guided by a framework that hypothesized the influence of knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions about genetics and the involvement of providers in decision-making on willingness to participate in health-related genetic research. The results revealed that knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions about genetics and the involvement of providers were associated with willingness to engage in health-related genetic research (). The most interesting, however, was that 88.7% of the participants who had not previously been involved in a health-related study who expressed a willingness to participate reported that they “had never been asked.” Study findings suggest the need for research that further examines factors associated with the involvement of African Americans in health-related genetic research.
Female Lobbyists: Women in the World of "Good Ol' Boys"

Using data from a survey of 595 state interest representatives, this paper tests a number of hypotheses regarding the differences between male and female lobbyists. As expected, women remain underrepresented in state lobbying communities, and seldom climb to the pinnacle of the lobbying profession. Though there is some evidence that women behave differently than their male counterparts, the data support the notion that women are rapidly being assimilated into "good ol' boy" lobbying networks. First, it appears that state policymakers take female lobbyists seriously. Second, women do not appear to have less cooperative relationships with public officials than men. Finally, female lobbyists are approached by public officials for advice more frequently than male lobbyists are Female assimilation notwithstanding, the data show that because of their different orientations and priorities, female lobbyists have had a substantial impact on both the style and substance of state politics.
Top–down learning of low-level vision tasks

Abstract Perceptual tasks such as edge detection, image segmentation, lightness computation and estimation of three-dimensional structure are considered to be low-level or mid-level vision problems and are traditionally approached in a bottom–up, generic and hard-wired way. An alternative to this would be to take a top–down, object-class-specific and example-based approach. In this paper, we present a simple computational model implementing the latter approach. The results generated by our model when tested on edge-detection and view-prediction tasks for three-dimensional objects are consistent with human perceptual expectations. The model's performance is highly tolerant to the problems of sensor noise and incomplete input image information. Results obtained with conventional bottom–up strategies show much less immunity to these problems. We interpret the encouraging performance of our computational model as evidence in support of the hypothesis that the human visual system may learn to perform supposedly low-level perceptual tasks in a top–down fashion.
Measuring The Impact of Promotions On Brand Switching Under Rational Consumer Behavior

Logit choice models have been used extensively to study consumer choice behavior and promotion response. A common finding is that promotion has a strong effect on brand choice. This paper examines whether brand switching elasticities derived from these models may be over-estimated due to rational consumer adjustment of purchase timing to coincide with promotion schedules, and whether this bias can be addressed by a dynamic structural model. We develop a dynamic structural model of choice/incidence that traces the process by which consumers make optimal buying decisions. We then conduct three analyses. First is a simulation based on synthetic data. We show that if the structural model is correct, brand switching elasticities are over-estimated by stand-alone logit choice models. Adding a nested logit model of choice and incidence improves the estimates, but not completely. Second we estimate these models on real data. The results indicate that the structural model fits better and produces sensible coefficient estimates. We then observe the same pattern in choice elasticities as we did with the simulation. Third, we predict sales for a major change in promotion policy - a 50% increase in promotion frequency. The reduced form models predict much higher sales levels than the dynamic structural model. This is a prime illustration of the Lucas Critique. Our overall conclusion is that reduced form model estimates of brand switching elasticities can be overstated, and that a dynamic structural model is best for addressing the problem. Reduced form models that try to capture the same phenomena as the dynamic model, especially if they model incidence, can partially, although not completely, address the issue. We discuss the implications of these findings for researchers and managers.
ELICITATION OF ACCUMULATION OF TERPENOID ALDEHYDE PHYTOALEXINS IN VERTICILLIUM DAHLIAE-NFECTED COTTON

Summary Stem stele tissues of Verticillium wilt-resistant (Seabrook Sea Island 12B2) cotton plants were examined for location of the pathogen and localization of terpenoid aldehyde accumulation 5 days after inoculation with Verticiliium dahliae. Mycelia of V. dahliae were confined to the vessel lumina. Terpenoid aldehyde phytoalexins were detected histochemically in fresh sections as red Sb-chelates after application of the terpenoid aldehyde-specific SbCl3 reagent. Most terpenoid aldehydes were detected as diffuse deposits in and around colonized xylem vessels; however, some were localized in solitary xylem parenchyma cells appressed to vessel walls or in solitary xylem and pith parenchyma cells removed from any V. dahliae-colonized vessels. Thus, physical contact with the pathogen is not required for elicitation of terpenoid aldehyde accumulation.
Persistent C-peptide: what does it mean?

Purpose of review The assumption that patients with an extended duration of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) do not retain residual functional β cells and endogenous insulin production has recently been challenged. The purpose to this review is to highlight some of the key emerging evidence supporting residual insulin and C-peptide secretion in long-standing T1D. Recent findings Recent investigations conducted in a group of type 1 diabetics of long-term duration, characterized clinically and histologically, provided solid evidence to suggest that pancreatic β cells are still present even after 50 years in a majority of these individuals. These residual β cells can secrete insulin in a physiologically regulated manner. Several published reports showed promising effects of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists on the glycemic control and residual C-peptide production in long-term T1D, although prospective studies are needed to rule out the potential long-term adverse effects of these drugs. Summary C-peptide is no longer considered an irrelevant by-product of insulin biosynthesis. In-depth basic and translational investigations aimed at understanding the molecular immunology and the pathophysiology are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the residual insulin and C-peptide production in long-term T1D. This may shed light on to the regenerative capacity of β cells, the genetic susceptibility of the mechanisms of resistance to β-cell destruction, and possibly identifying new therapeutic strategies for T1D. Studies evaluating the long-term effects of insulin secretogogue agents along with immune intervention hold promise for their use in future clinical trials for long-term T1D.
Imaging cancer dynamics in vivo at the tumor and cellular level with fluorescent proteins

Whole-body imaging with fluorescent proteins has been shown to be a powerful technology to follow the dynamics of metastatic cancer. Whole-body imaging of fluorescent protein-expressing-cancer cells enables the facile determination of efficacy of candidate anti-tumor and anti-metastatic agents in mouse models. GFP-expressing transgenic mice transplanted with the RFP-expressing cancer cells enable the distinction of cancer and host cells and the efficacy of drugs on each type of cell. This is particularly useful for imaging tumor angiogenesis. Cancer-cell trafficking through the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems is the critical means of spread of cancer. The use of fluorescent proteins to differentially label cancer calls in the nucleus and cytoplasm and high-powered imaging technology are used to visualize the nuclear-cytoplasmic dynamics of cancer-cell trafficking in both blood vessels and lymphatic vessels in the live animal. This technology has furthered our understanding of the spread of cancer at the subcellular level in the live mouse. Fluorescent proteins thus enable both macro and micro imaging technology and thereby provide the basis for the new field of in vivo cell biology.
Channel quality estimation with channel error counts for adaptive signaling in wireless communications

Accurate channel quality estimates are needed for a variety of reasons in wireless communication systems, such as for power control and for adaptive transmission and routing. Channel quality information can be derived from many sources at the receiver, including statistical characterizations of the channel, information from the demodulation process, and information from the error-correcting and error-detecting codes. One simple method for estimating the channel quality is to estimate the channel error rate by re-encoding the outputs of the error-correcting code and comparing the re-encoded symbols to hard decisions at the demodulator output. We present analysis and simulation results for several different channel quality estimates derived from estimates of the channel error rate.
Phototherapy-related ophthalmologic disorders

Phototherapy is an effective treatment option for a variety of dermatologic disorders, and the list of indications for its use continues to grow with advances in technology and our understanding of disease processes. Commonly used types of phototherapy include PUVA, broadband UVB, narrowband UVB, photodynamic therapy, and intense pulsed light therapy. Each therapeutic modality can have adverse acute and chronic effects on periocular and ocular structures, including the conjunctiva, cornea, crystalline lens, and retina. There are many types of protective eyewear options available, including goggles and contact lenses that can be used to prevent damage to ocular structures during phototherapy, particularly if eyelid closure is incomplete.
Cross-cultural and social diversity of prevalence of postpartum depression and depressive symptoms

Abstract Background The prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) is currently considered to be 10–15%. Most studies were performed with a brief unidimensional instruments (mostly the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale—EPDS) with focus on depression and not on other symptoms and disorders. Most cited studies were conducted in Western economically developed countries. Methods We reviewed the literature on prevalence of postpartum depression and depressive symptoms in a wide range of countries. Results 143 studies were identified reporting prevalence in 40 countries. It is demonstrated that there is a wide range of reported prevalence of PPD ranging from almost 0% to almost 60%. In some countries like Singapore, Malta, Malaysia, Austria and Denmark there are very few reports of PPD or postpartum depressive symptoms, whereas in other countries (e.g. Brazil, Guyana, Costa Rica, Italy, Chile, South Africa, Taiwan and Korea) reported postpartum depressive symptoms are very prevalent. Conclusions We believe that the widely cited mean prevalence of PPD—10–15% is not representative of the actual global prevalence and magnitude of the problem, due to the wide range of reports. The variability in reported PPD might be due to cross-cultural variables, reporting style, differences in perception of mental health and its stigma, differences in socio-economic environments (e.g. poverty, levels of social support or its perception, nutrition, stress), and biological vulnerability factors. The elucidation of the underlying processes of this variability as well as the diversity of postpartum normal versus abnormal expressions of symptoms may contribute to better understanding of the diversified ante, peri- and postpartum phenomena.
Abstract 565: Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Decreases Endothelial Progenitor Cells Through Reactive Oxygen Species-mediated Apoptosis

Background/Aims: Bone marrow (BM)-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a critical role in angiogenesis and vascular repair. Some environmental insults, like fine particulate matter (PM) exposure, significantly impair cardiovascular functions. However, the mechanisms for PM-induced adverse effects on cardiovascular system remain largely unknown. The present research was to study the detrimental effects of PM on EPCs and explore the potential mechanisms. Methods: PM was intranasal-distilled into male C57BL/6 mice for one month. Flow cytometry was used to measure the number of EPCs, apoptosis level of circulating EPCs and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. Serum TNF- α and IL-1β were measured using ELISA. To determine the role of PM-induced ROS in EPC apoptosis, PM was co-administrated with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in wild type mice or used in a triple transgenic mouse line (TG) with overexpression of antioxidant enzyme network (AON) composed of superoxide dismutase (SOD)1, SOD3, and glutathione peroxidase (Gpx-1) with decreased in vivo ROS production. Results: PM treatment significantly decreased circulating EPC population, promoted apoptosis of EPCs in association with increased ROS production and serum TNF-α and IL-1β levels, which could be effectively reversed by either NAC treatment or overexpression of AON. Conclusion: PM exposure significantly decreased circulating EPCs population due to increased apoptosis via ROS formation in mice.
Reassessing the pathogenicity of rare variants in inherited heart disease

Genetic testing for cardiac channelopathies and cardiomyopathies has entered the realm of clinical practice and is generally recommended for patients with a strong clinical suspicion of disease. Commercially available testing platforms resequence a panel of genes in which individual mutations have been previously identified for a given condition. When a mutation is identified in a patient with an unambiguous clinical diagnosis, the clinician must determine the likelihood that the mutation results in disease. This can be particularly vexing in the case of novel variants when there is no published information to guide the clinician. When a “previously published, disease-causing” mutation is identified, the issue of causation is often presumed and cascade screening of first-degree relatives for the specific mutation proceeds. Family members who carry the putative pathogenic mutation undergo clinical screening for the disease, and young apparently normal individuals typically undergo repeated evaluations for those conditions with agerelated penetrance (including all familial cardiomyopathies). Family members without the mutation are generally reassured, and future screening for the familial disease is deemed unnecessary in those individuals. Unfortunately, the evidence supporting pathogenicity for many “published, disease-causing mutations” does not meet a stringent threshold, and particularly vulnerable to misclassification are mutations identified in large cohorts of individual unrelated probands (without data on familial segregation). Evidence for causation often presented includes absence of the variant in ostensibly normal controls, conservation across species, and computer algorithms that predict a damaging effect of the amino acid substitution. However, the absence of a variant in controls does not imply any functional effect per se; it simply indicates that the variant is relatively uncommon. It should come as no surprise, although it is a seeming paradox, that rare variants are common. Data from the 1000 Genomes Project
Genetic effects of habitat restoration in the Laurentian Great Lakes: an assessment of lake sturgeon origin and genetic diversity

Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) have experienced significant habitat loss, resulting in reduced population sizes. Three artificial reefs were built in the Huron-Erie corridor in the Great Lakes to replace lost spawning habitat. Genetic data were collected to determine the source and numbers of adult lake sturgeon spawning on the reefs and to determine if the founder effect resulted in reduced genetic diversity. DNA was extracted from larval tail clips and 12 microsatellite loci were amplified. Larval genotypes were then compared to 22 previously studied spawning lake sturgeon populations in the Great Lakes to determine the source of the parental population. The effective number of breeders (Nb) was calculated for each reef cohort. The larval genotypes were then compared to the source population to determine if there were any losses in genetic diversity that are indicative of the founder effect. The St. Clair and Detroit River adult populations were found to be the source parental population for the larvae collected on all three artificial reefs. There were large numbers of contributing adults relative to the number of sampled larvae. There was no significant difference between levels of genetic diversity in the source population and larval samples from the artificial reefs; however, there is some evidence for a genetic bottleneck in the reef populations likely due to the founder effect. Habitat restoration in the Huron-Erie corridor is likely resulting in increased habitat for the large lake sturgeon population in the system and in maintenance of the population's genetic diversity.
Historical Overview of Transplantation

Except for legends and claims of miracles, most histories of transplantation cover only the last 60 years because there were no earlier successes. However, the story of even this era has been documented in such rich detail that a full account would fill several volumes. Thus, this brief summary must be limited to highly selected “landmarks.” Some landmarks had an immediate impact, but the importance of others went unrecognized for decades. Some findings that deserved landmark status were overlooked or forgotten, whereas others of no biological significance had major impact. Placing these events in perspective is challenging. Several of transplantation’s pioneers are still alive, and most of the others are within living memory. Virtually all of them have produced their own accounts. For the most part, they agree on what the “landmarks” are, but their differences in emphasis and perspective make an interesting story.