cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adolescent forced swim stress increases social anxiety-like behaviors and alters the dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor system in the basolateral amygdala of males

Abstract Adolescence is a developmental period marked by robust neural alterations and heightened vulnerability to stress, a factor that is highly associated with increased risk for emotional processing deficits, such as anxiety. Stress-induced upregulation of the dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (DYN/KOR) system is thought to, in part, underlie the negative affect associated with stress. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a key structure involved in anxiety, and neuromodulatory systems, such as the DYN/KOR system, can 1) regulate BLA neural activity in an age-dependent manner in stress-naive animals and 2) underlie stress-induced anxiety in adults. However, the role of the DYN/KOR system in modulating stress-induced anxiety in adolescents is unknown. To test this, we examined the impact of an acute, 2-day forced swim stress (FSS – 10 min each day) on adolescent (~postnatal day (P) 35) and adult Sprague-Dawley rats (~P70), followed by behavioral, molecular and electrophysiological assessment 24 hours following FSS. Adolescent males, but not adult males or females of either age, demonstrated social anxiety-like behavioral alterations indexed via significantly reduced social investigation and preference when tested 24 hours following FSS. Conversely, adult males exhibited increased social preference. While there were no FSS-induced changes in expression of genes related to the DYN/KOR system in the BLA, these behavioral alterations were associated with a robust switch in BLA KOR function. Specifically, while the KOR agonist, U69593, significantly increased GABA transmission in the BLA of non-stressed adolescent males, U69593 significantly inhibited BLA GABA transmission in stressed adolescent males, consistent with the observed anxiogenic phenotype in stressed adolescent males. This is the first study to demonstrate a KOR-dependent mechanism that may contribute to stress-induced social anxiety in adolescent males. Importantly, these findings provide evidence for potential KOR-dependent mechanisms that may contribute to pathophysiological interactions with subsequent stress challenges.
Back to the Present: Mental Time Travel-Induced Illusions about Financial, Ethical, and Tortious Behavior

An intuitive and popular belief is that we steadily improve our decision-making over time by learning from experience. This is a myth because learning from experience is quite complex and difficult due to many reasons. One reason is that we routinely engage in mental time travel by anticipating our future and remembering our past. Our anticipations and memories differ systematically from our experiences. Research in psychology and neuroscience reveals that many of our anticipations and remembrances are systematically inaccurate and lead us to hold illusions about how we will or do behave. This Article analyzes a number of temporally-caused illusions that we have about our financial, ethical, and tortious decision-making. These illusions in turn influence our financial, ethical, and tortious decision-making. Such decision-making tasks can be complex; demand focused, cognitive attention; generate noisy feedback; and provoke anxiety, stress, and other strong and quite often negative emotions. Our experiences are intrinsically complex, endogenous, and scarce. We selectively reconstruct our memories of experiences. We have limited attention with which to learn. We are motivated to pay attention to that which we like to think about and ignore that which we find unpleasant. This Article applies research about human learning in general and human learning from experience in particular to explain how and why human learning will inevitably be incomplete. This Article considers legal implications of bounded learning. Creative examples of responses to bounded learning include financial entertainment computer video games, such as one where a player is a vampire managing a blood bar and planning for retirement. Empathy, identity, and tangibility gaps exist between our present and future selves. Two tools that act effectively as behavioral time machines to facilitate our mental time travel and close the above gaps are: future lifestyle imagination exercises and virtual reality avatars of our aged-morphed future selves. This Article concludes by explaining how fostering increased mindfulness can help us mitigate temporal illusions.
METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE CHALLENGE OF SOMATOTROPIN TREATED PIGS

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the metabolic and endocrine challenge of somatotropin treated pigs. Pigs treated with somatotropin (pST) are more efficient, have reduced carcass fat and increased muscle. It is found that besides paracrine and endocrine regulation of IGF, pST may have several effects. These include direct effects on adipose tissue and muscle, somatic effects that indirectly alter tissue accretion and/or modulation of other endocrine axes regulating metabolism. The objective of the experiments was to examine indirect effects of pST by a series of substrate and endocrine challenges. Crossbred pigs were given either pST or excipient. Husbandry and performance characteristics of similarly treated pigs have been described. During the 5th week of pST treatment, pigs were fitted with jugular cannulas. Pigs were allowed to recover tor 4 days and then challenge tests were begun. Feed intake was determined daily and body weight measured every 3 to 4 days to assess health and performance. Responses of free fatty acid or responses to epinephrine tended to be accentuated in pST treated pigs. These results suggest that the decreased fatness of treated pigs is at least partially the result of indirect pST modulation of lipolysis.
US Pediatrician Practices on Early Nutrition, Feeding, and Growth.

Objective Assess pediatrician practices around growth and nutrition for children under 2 years. Design 2017 cross-sectional survey of a national random sample of the American Academy of Pediatrics members. Setting US. Participants Practicing primary care pediatricians and residents (n = 698). Main outcome measures World Health Organization growth chart use, solid food introduction recommendations, healthy behaviors discussion. Analysis Descriptive statistics were calculated for nutrition-related questions. McNemar tests compared recommendations on the introduction of different solid foods at Results Most respondents (82.2%) reported using the World Health Organization growth charts at all well visits. Nearly half (45.3%) recommended solid food introduction at 6 months; 48.2% recommended Conclusions and implications For children under 2 years, most pediatricians reported using recommended growth charts and discussing healthy behaviors. Fewer discussed responsive feeding topics. Results for guiding solid food introduction were mixed. Continued efforts to support pediatricians' work could improve the implementation of recommended practices.
Seeking Experience Abortion Services: A Study of Unmarried Young Indonesian Women

The stigma over abortion services has been noted as one of the reason most women choose secrecy over health. In Indonesia, abortion is restrictively permitted to perform only by two indications; medical emergency and rape case. As result, women who needs abortion will choose any option available despite the safety of the service. The objective of this research was to explore the seeking abortion experience of young Indonesian women. This research utilized the feminist methodology with in-depth interviews and unstructured interviews with the 16 unmarried young women, aged between 18-24 years old and 11 abortion providers from different sectors in central java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia on accessing the abortion service. The finding show that, the folk sector was mostly become the first things women tried when they figure out their pregnancy. Using young pineapple, huge amount of vitamin C, tried the traditional massage or using spell with the help of ancient spirit become the first choice. Popular sector also chosen only when the women well known the network and the services as they also secretly give the services. The professional sector, widely open the services but have particular requirement in which some women could not fulfil. The recommendation on giving abortion service with women’s centred as implication of this research are discussed.
Three-dimensional memristor circuits as complex neural networks

Constructing a computing circuit in three dimensions (3D) is a necessary step to enable the massive connections and efficient communications required in complex neural networks. 3D circuits based on conventional complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor transistors are, however, difficult to build because of challenges involved in growing or stacking multilayer single-crystalline silicon channels. Here we report a 3D circuit composed of eight layers of monolithically integrated memristive devices. The vertically aligned input and output electrodes in our 3D structure make it possible to directly map and implement complex neural networks. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we programmed parallelly operated kernels into the 3D array, implemented a convolutional neural network and achieved software-comparable accuracy in recognizing handwritten digits from the Modified National Institute of Standard and Technology database. We also demonstrated the edge detection of moving objects in videos by applying groups of Prewitt filters in the 3D array to process pixels in parallel. A three-dimensional circuit composed of eight layers of monolithically integrated memristive devices is built and used to implement complex neural networks, demonstrating accurate MNIST classification and effective edge detection in videos.
Esterification of iloprost enhances its protective effects on pulmonary endothelium

Correction of endothelial (EC) barrier dysfunction and inflammation in ALI/ARDS represents an important problem. Previous studies demonstrate beneficial effects of prostacyclin and its stable analog iloprost. In this study, we generated phospholipase resistant synthetic phospholipid with arachidonic acid moiety replaced by iloprost (iloprost-NH-PC) and performed comparative analysis of free iloprost and iloprost-NH-PC effects. Iloprost-NH-PC caused more sustained barrier enhancement monitored by measurements of electrical resistance and permeability assays. Both, iloprost and iloprost-NH-PC effects were associated with activation of Rap1 and Rac1 GTPases, their cytoskeletal effectors PAK1 and cortactin and enhancement of VE-cadherin adherens junctions. Both compounds equally efficiently suppressed acute EC hyper-permeability caused by thrombin. However, iloprost-NH-PC exhibited sustained anti-inflammatory effects in models of chronic EC dysfunction by causing more pronounced inhibition of NFkB signaling, expression of adhesion molecules ICAM1, VCAM1, and cytokine release. Iloprost-NH-PC also was more potent in vivo in inhibiting LPS-induced lung vascular leak monitored by Evans blue extravasation, suppression of LPS-induced increases in cell count, protein content in lavage fluid, and cytokine production. Optical imaging of lungs of LPS-challenged animals showed more efficient ALI recovery in animals treated with iloprost-NH-PC. This study describes a novel synthetic phospholipid with barrier-enhancing and anti-inflammatory properties superior to existing prostacyclin analogs, which may be used as prototype for future development of efficient treatment for ALI and other vascular leak syndromes.
Aberrant retinoic acid production in the decidua: Implications for pre-eclampsia

Fine-tuning of the endometrium during the evanescent 'window of implantation' relies upon an array of diverse and redundant signaling molecules, particularly the ovarian steroids E2 and P4, but also growth factors, eicosanoids, and vitamins including the vitamin A compounds (retinoids). Pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia (PE) can result from aberrations in the production or function of these molecules that arise during this critical period of decidual development. Such aberrations may be reflected by incomplete decidualization, reduced spiral artery modification, and/or loss of immune tolerance to the developing fetus. Our understanding of the role of the active retinoid metabolite all-trans retinoic acid (RA) in maintaining immune balance in certain tissues, along with data describing its role in decidualization, present a compelling argument that aberrant RA signaling in the decidua can play a significant role in the etiology of PE. Recent findings that decidualization and expression of the anti-angiogenic gene product, 'soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1' (sFLT1) are negatively correlated and that sFLT1 expression is directly inhibited by RA, provide additional evidence of the critical role of this retinoid in regulating early vascular development in the decidua. This review provides insight into the production and function of RA in the decidua and how modifications in its metabolism and signaling might lead to certain pregnancy disorders such as PE.
The effect of free-breathing on left ventricular rotational mechanics in normal subjects and patients with duchenne muscular dystrophy

Reyhan et al. Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance 2015, 17(Suppl 1):Q22 http://www.jcmr-online.com/content/17/S1/Q22 WALKING POSTER PRESENTATION Open Access The effect of free-breathing on left ventricular rotational mechanics in normal subjects and patients with duchenne muscular dystrophy Meral Reyhan 2,3 , Zhe Wang 2,1* , Hyun J Kim 2 , Nancy Halnon 4 , Paul J Finn 2 , Daniel B Ennis 2,1 From 18th Annual SCMR Scientific Sessions Nice, France. 4-7 February 2015 Background Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) develop respiratory impairment and signs and symptoms of cardiac involvement at an early age. Quantitative mea- sures of cardiac function from MRI tagging can be used to stage disease progression and monitor the response to therapy. Traditional cardiac MRI exams, however, require repeated breath holding, which places a notable burden on patients with DMD and can impart intrathoracic pressure changes that alter cardiac function. The effect of free- breathing on quantitative measure of left ventricular (LV) rotational mechanics for DMD patients is incompletely understood. Objective: To evaluate differences in LV rota- tional mechanics acquired during breath holding (BH), free-breathing with averaging (AVG), and free-breathing with respiratory bellows gating (BEL). Methods 16 healthy volunteers (1 female, 27.8±3.9 years) and 5 DMD patients (all male, 11.3±3.7 years) were scanned on a 3.0T Siemens Scanner with BH, AVG and BEL. ORI-SPAMM (Reyhan. M et. al. JMRI 2014;39(2):339- 345) was used to acquire short-axis images at the base and apex of the heart. 280-330x280-330mm field-of- view, 6mm slice thickness, 192x192 acquisition matrix, 395 Hz/pixel receiver bandwidth, TE/TR =2.33-2.39/ 4.71-4.83 ms, 8 phase encode lines per segment, 12° imaging flip angle, 8 mm tag spacing, GRAPPA 2. LV Figure 1 Mean LV twist of (A) healthy volunteers and (B) patients with DMD for breath-held (BH, solid), free-breathing with averaging (AVG, dashed), and bellows gated (BEL, dash-dotted) methods. BH LV twist is generally higher compared to AVG or BEL, especially at its peak. Radiological Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA © 2015 Reyhan et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.
An Exploratory Analysis of International Baccalaureate Diploma Program: 11th- and 12th-Grade High School Students’ Expectations:

The purpose of this study was to explore 11th- and 12th-grade students’ expectations in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB DP) at a high school in the Western United States. Study ...
Nafissatou Dia Diouf's Retour D'un Si Long Exil: Redefining the Reality of Senegalese Women

Following its independence from France in 196'8 Senegal quickly gained international prominence due to its first president, Leopold Sedar Senghor. One way that he strengthened the global image of his country was via the arts. However, despite the growing recognition of Senegalese literature, few works were written by women. Although still somewhat marginalized today, there exists a burgeoning scene of female Senegalese writers who depict their complex roles as mothers, wives, and engaged citizens through their literature. / / Nafissatou Dia Diouf is one such author who argues that African literature must be reenergized and that writing about an Africa that wins could contribute to changing the image of the continent for the rest of the world. Her works feature female protagonists who question and redefine womens roles in contemporary Senegal. They bear witness to a society in transition and must reconcile traditional moral values with the freedom of choice. In my presentation, I analyze how Diouf presents the cultural conflicts facing women in her collection of short stories Le Retour dun si long exil (2'007. She shows how the tensions generated by the clash between African and European cultures, more specifically tradition and modernity, affect Senegalese women today. /
The Duke Model: A Performance-Based Solution for Compensating College Athletes

College athletes should reap what they sow. They create a product in the multi-billion dollar business of college athletics, namely football and men’s college basketball games, that relies on the athletes’ skills, dedication, and performances to thrive. The Duke Model provides a detailed, comprehensive, and flexible structure for compensating these college athletes in a fair and reasonable manner. The time has long come for the NCAA, its member institutions, and college athletes to sit down and discuss compensating college athletes for playing. Once the parties begin that conversation, this article provides a starting point, if not a complete model, to determine how to compensate college athletes.
We Can Do It for Free

The Free Library of Philadelphia’s online patron engagement has been continuous during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Special Collections Division rushed to generate substantial and engaging online programming using a variety of freeware systems so as not to burden our overworked IT department. We built a sustainable, flexible repository that is populated with videos, podcasts, games, exhibitions, and other activities which can be accessed by patrons of all ages and learning needs. The process has generated opportunities for our staff to interact in new and exciting ways with patrons as programming needs evolve. The model is easily adapted for other groups and institutions and may be a beneficial tool for library workers looking to promote online content. The repository can be found at http://www.bit.ly/FunWithFLPSpecColl.
Diagnosis and management of skin cancer

Abstract Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, and incidence rates are continuing to increase. We discuss the common presentations, clinical features, examination techniques, referral guidelines, management and prognosis of both non-melanoma skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma) and melanoma.
In-class projects to enhance student understanding

Students in introductory classes working alone on programming assignments sometimes hit "roadblocks" that can be very frustrating for them. One solution is to have closed labs to help the students understand concepts before going off to work on out-of-class assignments. However, if the course is not set-up to have closed labs, a possible way to provide this sort of help is to give in-class assignments during a lecture or recitation section. This paper reports on the author's experience with this approach.
Genetic Integration in the Heterospecific Transformation of Haemophilus influenzae Cells by Haemophilus parainfluenzae Deoxyribonucleic Acid

The in vivo chemical linkage of Haemophilus parainfluenzae deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) with the H. influenzae genome has been found to occur at a much higher level than is suggested by the low efficiency of the heterospecific transformation of an antibiotic resistance marker. This linkage, about 60% of the level with homospecific DNA, was found to involve alkali-stable bonding. The amount of host DNA label released (about 60%) was about the same as that released during homospecific transformation. Also, over 60% of the H. influenzae cells adsorbing H. parainfluenzae DNA could not form colonies upon plating. This lethality of the heterospecific transformation was not immediate but followed considerable metabolic activity of the host cells. These data are presented to show that the “limited-pairing” hypothesis may be only a partial explanation for the low efficiency of heterospecific transformation. Another hypothesis is presented which takes into account the lethal effect of this kind of transformation.
Teaching Operating Systems Using Visualization: A Comparative Study

Research has shown that, for a visualization technology to be educationally effective, it has to engage learners in an active learning activity. In this paper, the effectiveness of visualization tools used in Operating Systems courses is studied. We compared the ways the MLFQ and CAMERA visualization tools were used in Operating Systems classes in different semesters, as well as student performance in those classes. The learner engagement with visual technology in this study at the “viewing”, “responding”, and “changing” levels are compared. Our results show that learning improves as the level of student engagement with visualization technology increases.
Structure and evolution of the lipase superfamily

The lipase superfamily includes three vertebrate and three invertebrate (dipteran) proteins that show significant amino acid sequence similarity to one another. The vertebrate proteins are lipoprotein lipase (LPL), hepatic lipase (HL), and pancreatic lipase (PL). The dipteran proteins are Drosophila yolk proteins 1, 2, and 3. We review the relationships among these proteins that have been established according to gene structural relatedness and introduce our findings on the phylogenetic relationships, distance relationships, and evolutionary history of the lipase gene superfamily. Drosophila yolk proteins contain a 104 amino acid residue segment that is conserved with respect to the lipases. We have used the yolk proteins as an outgroup to root a phylogeny of the lipase family. Our phylogenetic reconstruction suggests that ancestral PL diverged earlier than HL and LPL, which share a more recent root. Human and bovine LPL are shown to be more closely related to murine LPL than to guinea pig LPL. A comparison of the distance (a measure of the number of substitutions between sequences) between mammalian and avian LPL reveals that guinea pig LPL has the largest distance from the other mammals. Human, rodent, and rabbit HL show marked divergence from one another, although they have similar relative rates of amino acid substitution when compared to human LPL as an outgroup. Human and porcine PL are not as divergent as human and rat HL, suggesting that PL is more conserved than HL. However, canine PL demonstrates an unusually rapid rate of substitution with respect to the other pancreatic lipases. The lipases share several structurally conserved features. One highly conserved sequence (Gly-Xaa-Ser-Xaa-Gly) contains the active site serine. This feature, which agrees with that found in serine esterases and proteases, is found within the entire spectrum of lipases, including the evolutionarily unrelated prokaryotic lipases. We review the location and possible activity of putative lipid binding domains. We have constructed a conservation index (CI) to display conserved structural features within the lipase gene family, a CI of 1.0 signifying perfect conservation. We have found a correlation between a high CI and the position of conserved functional structures. The putative lipid-binding domains of LPL and HL, the disulfide-bridging cysteine residues, catalytic residues, and N-linked glycosylation sites of LPL, HL, and PL all lie within regions having a CI of 0.8 or higher. A number of amino acid substitutions have been identified in familial hyperchylomicronemia which result in loss of LPL function.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Fetal alcohol syndrome: a review and case presentation

A review of the literature on the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is presented. Potential risks to the offspring in response to maternal alcohol ingestion are described. A case presentation, including both maternal and infant problems, emphasizes the physical, as well as emotional, aspects of care when FAS is anticipated prenatally or is encountered in the clinical setting. Recommendations for education and counseling are also discussed.
Incorporating principal component analysis into air quality model evaluation

Abstract The efficacy of standard air quality model evaluation techniques is becoming compromised as the simulation periods continue to lengthen in response to ever increasing computing capacity. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a statistical approach called Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with the intent of motivating its use by the evaluation community. One of the main objectives of PCA is to identify, through data reduction, the recurring and independent modes of variations (or signals) within a very large dataset, thereby summarizing the essential information of that dataset so that meaningful and descriptive conclusions can be made. In this demonstration, PCA is applied to a simple evaluation metric – the model bias associated with EPA's Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) model when compared to weekly observations of sulfate (SO 4 2− ) and ammonium (NH 4 + ) ambient air concentrations measured by the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNet). The advantages of using this technique are demonstrated as it identifies strong and systematic patterns of CMAQ model bias across a myriad of spatial and temporal scales that are neither constrained to geopolitical boundaries nor monthly/seasonal time periods (a limitation of many current studies). The technique also identifies locations (station–grid cell pairs) that are used as indicators for a more thorough diagnostic evaluation thereby hastening and facilitating understanding of the probable mechanisms responsible for the unique behavior among bias regimes. A sampling of results indicates that biases are still prevalent in both SO 4 2− and NH 4 + simulations that can be attributed to either: 1) cloud processes in the meteorological model utilized by CMAQ, which are found to overestimated convective clouds and precipitation, while underestimating larger-scale resolved clouds that are less likely to precipitate, and 2) biases associated with Midwest NH 3 emissions which may be partially ameliorated using the bi-directional NH 3 exchange option in CMAQ.
Classification of changes in extreme heat over Southeastern Australia

Abstract Over half of Australia's population lives in its southeastern quadrant. Temperature records for the 55-year period 1958-2013 indicate that hot summers have occurred increasingly since the 1990s with daily maximum temperatures reaching 10 °C above normal. The extreme nature of the change in monthly mean maximum temperatures (∼1 to 1.5 °C above the long term mean) far exceeds the natural variability expected over a half century. Numerous maximum temperature records have been set and the extreme heat poses a major socioeconomic threat. This work examines changes in mean values of maximum daily temperatures for each summer month, in southeastern Australia. A 10-site dataset, for 1958-2013, was drawn and resampled to quantify temporal changes and uncertainty in decadal monthly maximum temperatures. Resampling methods documented the historical uniqueness of the maximum temperatures in recent decades. Results suggest strongly that, in recent decades, the maximum temperatures exceeding the upper quartile of the historical data is greater than expected by random chance. The findings confirm the regional nature of the warming. The increase in summer temperature is partly related to changes in atmospheric blocking.
Routine care of the normal neonate.

The importance of compulsive routine care of the newborn is often overlooked because the basic physiology and pathology underlying this care has been forgotten. This article serves to refresh the memory on the physiology of hyperbilirubinemia, hemorrhagic disease of the newborn, and gonococcal eye prophylaxis, among other topics. With new understanding, the approach to the low‐risk neonate is seen as having an important rationale.
The effects of paraquat on microsomal oxygen reduction and antioxidant defenses in ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) and wedge clams (rangia cuneata)

Abstract The hepatopancreae of the ribbed mussel, Geukensia demissa , and the wedge clam, Rangia cuneata , were examined for their ability to catalyze the reduction/oxidation cycling of the bipyridyl herbicide paraquat. In vitro studies indicated a dose-dependent increase in the rate of superoxide anion (O 2 − ) generation in microsomal fractions supplemented with NADPH; the highest concentration of paraquat employed (4 m m ) elicited an 81 % increase in cytochrome c reduction in G. demissa and a 135% increase in R. cuneata . In both .species, cytochrome c reduction was inhibited by the addition of exogenous superoxide dismutase (SOD). For in vivo studies, a single application of paraquat (0·5, 1·0 or 2·0 m m ) was added to aerated salt-water aquaria containing G. demissa . Biochemical analyses of antioxidant enzymes, reduced glutathione (GSH) and lipid peroxidation were performed in hepatopancreatic tissue after exposures of 6, 12, 24 and 36 h. Results support the hypotheses that these bivalves can activate redox cycling compounds and demonstrate in vivo responses typical of oxidative stress as observed in other organisms.
Chemical Synthesis, Initial Conformational Studies, and Activity of Rat Steroidogenesis Activator Peptide and a Truncated Analog

A 30-residue peptide corresponding to the amino acid sequence of steroidogenesis activator peptide (SAP) from rat Leydig tumor cells has been synthesized by the solid-phase method using Boc protection. SAP is the putative cycloheximide-sensitive, cAMP-regulated mediator of ACTH-stimulated conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone in adrenal cortex. Na-acetyl-SAP(11-30), an NH2-terminally truncated steroidogenesis activator peptide analog that is missing the most hydrophobic portion of SAP, was also prepared. In addition to these two peptides, Na-acetyl-(Cys0)SAP was synthesized in both non-radiolabeled and tritiated forms for coupling to carrier proteins for use as an immunogen to raise anti-SAP antibodies. Chain elongation during synthesis of SAP on PAM resin proceeded with an average coupling yield of 99.3% as determined by quantitative ninhydrin tests. After HF cleavage at -7°, the crude products were purified by semi-preparative HPLC. Peptides were analyzed by analytical HPLC, amino acid analysis, try...
Contemporary Issues Education: Beyond Traditional Special Education Curricula.

Offers educators a set of guidelines for incorporating a contemporary issues curriculum into their special education programs so that students with special needs have the knowledge and skills to make responsible, informed life choices
Effects of amiodarone therapy on thyroid function

Amiodarone is a benzofuran derivative approved for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Traditionally classified as a class III antiarrhythmic agent, amiodarone possesses electrophysiologic properties of all four Vaughan-Williams classes. This drug, however, has high iodine content, and this feature plus the intrinsic effects on the body make amiodarone especially toxic to the thyroid gland. Treatment can result in a range of effects from mild derangements in thyroid function to overt hypothyroidism or thyrotoxicosis. The diagnosis and treatment of amiodarone-induced hypothyroidism is usually straightforward, whereas that of amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis and the ability to distinguish between the type 1 and type 2 forms of the disease are much more challenging. Dronedarone was approved in 2009 for the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. As amiodarone, dronedarone is a benzofuran derivative with similar electrophysiologic properties. In contrast to amiodarone, however, dronedarone is structurally devoid of iodine and has a notably shorter half-life. In studies reported before FDA approval, dronedarone proved to be associated with significantly fewer adverse effects than amiodarone, making it a more attractive choice for patients with atrial fibrillation or flutter, who are at risk of developing amiodarone-induced thyroid dysfunction.
Increased food consumption by clozapine, but not by olanzapine, in satiated rats

Various drugs used to treat schizophrenia have been repeatedly shown to increase body weight in both animals and humans. There are different theories as to why this occurs, but the most recently studied theory is that these drugs which cause weight gain do so because of an antagonist effect at the 5HT2c receptor. In this work, we studied the effects of olanzapine, clozapine, and risperidone on feeding behavior. Over a 4-hour test period in satiated rats, clozapine, over a broad dose range, significantly increased food consumption. Similarly, risperidone increased food consumption relative to control. In contrast, olanzapine did not significantly increase food consumption in rats at any dose tested over the 4-hour test period. This suggests that olanzapine may be different from clozapine and risperidone with respect to potential weight gain in schizophrenic patients. Moreover, we believe that the effect produced by clozapine and risperidone is due to the alpha-adrenergic activity of these compounds, since olanzapine has a much lower affinity for alpha adrenergic receptors than does clozapine or risperidone, and not due to the 5HT2 C activity, which all three compounds have in common.
Local-state government relations and the development of public sector managed mental health care systems

This article presents an overview of the impact of changes at the state and federal levels on local county governments, and describes the innovations adopted by counties to deal with changing policies and procedures. The future of unpredictable revenue streams, increasingly complex caseloads, and changing state and federal policies have significant implications for the operation of local county mental health services.
High-performance liquid chromatography of proteins

Abstract This paper presents a review of recent studies on high-performance liquid chromatography (hplc) of proteins in gel permeation, ion exchange, reversed phase, normal phase, and affinity modes. The discussion is generally oriented toward the nature of column packing materials and the effects of mobile phase composition, separation time, support pore volume, column length, column diameter, sample loading, and solute molecular weight on resolution. Applications of hplc techniques to the separation of a variety of peptides and enzymes of interest to basic research and clinical laboratories are also presented. The design and use of postseparation chemical reaction devices for the detection of peptides and enzyme activity is discussed in a section on detectors. The relative merits of packed bed, segmented flow, and capillary reactors is examined with respect to band spreading and reaction time. The review concludes with a discussion of future trends in hplc of proteins.
New sorbents for olefin/paraffin separations by adsorption via π-complexation: Synthesis and effects of substrates

New adsorbents for olefin/paraffin separations are synthesized by effective dispersion of Ag+ cations on high-surface-area substrates. Two techniques for synthesis are compared: thermal monolayer dispersion and incipient wetness impregnation. The incipient wetness impregnation technique yields the best sorbents that show the highest selectivities, olefin capacities, reversibility and fast rates. AgNO3 is dispersed on three substrates (γ-Al2O3, SiO2 and MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieve) via incipient wetness impregnation for ethane/ethylene and propane/propylene separations. The surface chemistry of the substrate plays an important role in olefin adsorption. The silica surface (on both silica gel and MCM-41) provides a better substrate due to its lack of Lewis acid sites (unlike γ-Al2O3), and consequently the Ag atoms in these sorbents are more capable of forming π-complexation bonds with olefins. ESCA results indicate a transfer of electron density from Ag+ to the Lewis acid sites of alumina, hence weakens the π-complexation bonds with olefins.
Improved left atrial imaging in atrial fibrillation patients using novel ECG-gated vs. conventional non-gated cardiac MRA.

Background In patients undergoing atrial fibrillation (AF) procedures, imaging of the left atrium (LA) and pulmonary veins (PV) is important for pre-ablation planning and to identify post ablation complications. Conventional MRA protocols use first-pass, non-gated sequences that require long breathholds. Quality of non-gated MRA’s can be challenging in sick or sedated patients. We developed a novel ECGgated, respiratory navigated MRA sequence less dependent on patient compliance, which yields better clarity of LA anatomy.
Bilateral Acute Retinal Necrosis

A 20-year-old woman lost all useful vision over a 2 1/2-month period as a result of a necrotizing and occlusive vasculitis of the retina. Treatment with prednisone, immunosuppressants, and aspirin was unsuccessful. No systemic manifestations of the disease were found and no cause was discovered. Kodachromes and fluorescein angiograms showed the progression in one eye from normal to near total retinal necrosis. The process began with a mild venous dilation and peripheral arteritis that progressed into an obliterative vasculitis with abrupt vessel dilation, hemorrhages, and retinal swelling. This was followed by necrosis and sloughing of the retina into the vitreous. Vitreous contraction and necrotic retina produced unrepairable retinal detachments.
ADHD and Factor Analysis: Are There Really Three Distinct Subtypes of ADHD?

The diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a behaviorally defined disorder, have been changed several times since first established in the second edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In the current edition, the diagnosis includes three reportedly distinct subtypes. Despite considerable research, there remains little evidence of the diagnostic validity of three separate ADHD subtypes. Several posited explanations for problems delineating consistent differences between ADHD subtypes are addressed. This article considers the underlying factors thought to contribute to ADHD and evaluates the relevance of categorical and dimensional diagnostic approaches.
The Fascinating New Physics of Some Old BCS Superconductors

We consider the pairing state due to the usual Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer mechanism in substances where the Fermi surface forms pockets around several points of high symmetry. The symmetry imposed on the multiple pocket positions can give rise to a multidimensional nontrivial superconducting order parameter. A complicated mechanism is not required for unusual superconductivity to exist, just the usual phonon attraction and Coulomb repulsion. Time reversal symmetry is broken, so the superconducting state also has orbital magnetism. In some sense, these superconductors are similar to superfluid3 He, which is known to have an 18-dimensional order parameter and a complicated phase diagram. We suggest several candidate substances where ordering of this kind may appear and discuss how these phases may be identified. Superconductivity in these new materials is expected to be much less sensitive to impurities than in other non s-wave superconductors.1
Regional Inequality in China, 1978-2006

Using the most recent statistical data, two U.S.-based geographers document the changes and level of regional inequality in China for the period 1978-2006, in order to shed light on whether recent ...
Molecular cloning and characterization of rab27a and rab27b, novel human rab proteins shared by melanocytes and platelets.

Abstract Rabs are prenylated, membrane-bound proteins involved in vesicular fusion and trafficking. We isolated the complete cDNAs of two rab isoforms, rab27a and rab27b, from human melanoma cells and melanocytes. Rab27a is the human homolog of a rat megakaryocyte rab called ram p25. Rab27b corresponds to a small GTP-binding protein, c25KG, which was previously purified from platelets but whose cDNA had not been cloned. Sequence comparisons with known rabs indicate that rab27a and rab27b comprise a melanocyte/platelet subfamily within the rab family. In addition, rab27a was expressed in a large variety of cell and tissue types, excluding brain, and rab27b manifested itself primarily in testis. Bacterially expressed and purified rab27a and rab27b exhibited GTP-binding activity and can now be used for antibody production and studies of the substrate specificities of geranylgeranyl transferase. In addition, the expression of rab27a and rab27b in both melanocytes and platelets makes them candidates for involvement in mouse and human disorders characterized by the combination of pigment dilution and a platelet storage pool defect.
Sa1566 Efficacy and Safety of 2-Octyl-Cyanoacrylate Injection for the Treatment of Gastric Variceal Hemorrhage

Efficacy and Safety of 2-Octyl-Cyanoacrylate Injection for the Treatment of Gastric Variceal Hemorrhage Atif Saleem, Navtej Buttar, Elizabeth Rajan, Christopher J. Gostout, Todd H. Baron, Louis-Michel Wong Kee Song Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Background: Endoscopic injection of cyanoacrylate (glue) is effective for the treatment of gastric variceal hemorrhage (GVH). Although n-butyl-2 cyanoacrylate (Histoacryl®) is the most commonly used agent worldwide, it is not readily available in the U.S. As an alternative, our group has utilized 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (Dermabond®), an FDA-approved agent for wound closure. The off-label, intravariceal injection of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (OCA) for GVH has been a treatment option at our institution since 2000. Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of OCA injection for the treatment of GVH. Methods: The medical records of patients treated with OCA injection for GVH from 1/2000 to 7/2010 were reviewed retrospectively. Data were extracted for patient demographics, type of gastric varices (GV) according to Sarin classification, bleeding stigmata, OCA dose and number of sites injected per treatment session, initial hemostasis and rebleeding rates, procedure-related complications, and mortality. Undiluted OCA was injected at a rate of 1 ml/15 sec until bleeding cessation and/or hardening of the varix. Repeat endoscopy was performed at 4 wks to assess for variceal obliteration and treatment of any residual GV. Follow-up endoscopy was performed at 6-12 months thereafter. Results: A total of 62 patients (40 men) were identified. Cirrhotic portal hypertension was the cause of GV in 70% of cases. GV were classified as GOV1 in 2%, GOV2 in 63% and IGV1 in 35% of cases. Active bleeding, stigmata of recent bleeding (e.g., fibrin plug) and presumed bleeding from large GV were noted in 24%, 53% and 23% of patients, respectively. The mean volume of OCA injected was 6.5 ml (range 2-16 ml) with a mean of 2 injection sites (range 1-6) per treatment session. In patients with actively bleeding GV (n 15), immediate hemostasis was achieved in 93% of cases following OCA injection. The overall rebleeding rate was 6%. In 2 patients, early ( 1 wk) recurrent massive GVH required rescue TIPS which failed to control bleeding in one patient who subsequently died. Late ( 1 wk) recurrent GVH occurred in 2 patients; one patient was successfully retreated with OCA injection and the other patient opted for comfort care in the setting of multiorgan failure. Glue-related pulmonary embolism occurred in 2 (3%) patients, which was fatal in one. The mean (SD) follow-up was 17 (15) months. Bleeding-related mortality was 6% and the overall mortality was 23%. Conclusions: Endoscopic injection of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate is a relatively safe and effective endoscopic treatment option for gastric variceal hemorrhage. The outcomes are comparable to those reported for endoscopic variceal injection using n-butyl-2 cyanoacrylate.
Capturing what is needed in multi-user system design: observations from the design of three healthcare systems

The design of large-scale collaborative multi-user systems requires both a detailed understanding of the work of many individuals and an understanding of how the individual pieces fit together in the larger organizationalcontext, In order to manage the complexity of the design task, designers develop and use various representations of work practices which selectively include some details. but omit others. This paper presents some heuristics based on our experience in the design of three healthcare systems that can help designers in determining what information needs to be included in representations for the design of mu!tiuser systems., We present eight questions which can be used to capture important work practice information. Wc include a retrospective analysis of several design examples and suggest how the use of these questions can be integrated into design practice.
Cell wall thickness during growth of domestic and foreign potato cultivars

During growth of Russet Burbank tubers from less than 100 to over 250 g, thickness of parenchyma cell walls nearly doubled (1.9X) to slightly over 1 μ. Although affecting cell size at harvest maturity, different levels of N fertilizer and soil moisture had little influence on wall thickness. Wall thickness in Kennebec and Norchip increased to 0.9μ (1.7X), and in White Rose to slightly under 0.8 (1.2X). During the same growth, cell size nearly doubled in Russet Burbank. Cells of Kennebec, Norchip and White Rose averaged smaller than those of Russet Burbank at harvest maturity.
The Development of Sexuality and Eroticism in Humankind

Sexuality in animals is usually equated with, and referred to as reproductive behaviour or reproductive biology.
Schrödinger's radial equation: Solution by extrapolation

A high-accuracy numerical method for the solution of a 1D Schroedinger equation that is suitable for a diatomic molecule, obtained by combining a finite-difference method with iterative extrapolation to the limit, is presently shown to have several advantages over more conventional methods. Initial guesses for the term values are obviated, and implementation of the algorithm is straightforward. The method is both less sensitive to round-off error, and faster than conventional methods for equivalent accuracy. These advantages are illustrated through the solution of Schroedinger's equation for a Morse potential function suited for HCl and a numerically derived Rydberg-Klein-Rees potential function for the X 1Sigma(+) state of CO.