cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anatomy of Parahesperornis: Evolutionary Mosaicism in the Cretaceous Hesperornithiformes (Aves)

The Hesperornithiformes constitute the first known avian lineage to secondarily lose flight in exchange for the evolution of a highly derived foot-propelled diving lifestyle, thus representing the first lineage of truly aquatic birds. First unearthed in the 19th century, and today known from numerous Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Maastrichtian) sites distributed across the northern hemisphere, these toothed birds have become icons of early avian evolution. Initially erected as a taxon in 1984 by L. D. Martin, Parahesperornis alexi is known from the two most complete hesperornithiform specimens discovered to date and has yet to be fully described. P. alexi thus contributes significantly to our understanding of hesperornithiform birds, despite often being neglected in favor of the iconic Hesperornis. Here, we present a full anatomical description of P. alexi based upon the two nearly complete specimens in the collections of the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, as well as an extensive comparison to other hesperornithiform taxa. This study reveals P. alexi to possess a mosaic of basal and derived traits found among other hesperornithiform taxa, indicating a transitional form in the evolution of these foot-propelled diving birds. This study describes broad evolutionary patterns within the Hesperornithiformes, highlighting the significance of these birds as not only an incredible example of the evolution of ecological specializations, but also for understanding modern bird evolution, as they are the last known divergence of pre-modern bird diversification.
Not Just for Kids: A Rare Case of Congenital Laryngeal Cleft in an Adult.

Summary Objective This case report aims to increase awareness of the diagnosis of laryngeal cleft in adult patients and discuss treatment options. Methods Case report and review of the literature. Results We present a case of a 56-year-old male referred for hoarseness and chronic cough that was discovered to have a type 2 laryngeal cleft. He had chronic aspiration, recurrent pneumonia, and a hoarse voice for his entire life. In contrast to most described cases in adults, this patient was successfully treated with an endoscopic approach using absorbable suture. Conclusion Laryngeal clefts are uncommon and almost always detected in childhood, making adult laryngeal clefts extremely rare. Endoscopic repair is a feasible and successful treatment option in these cases.
Spatial Analysis of the Temporomandibular Joint and Condyle Following Mandibular Distraction in Robin Sequence.

ABSTRACT To comprehensively assess changes in temporomandibular joint and mandibular condyle morphology in Robin sequence (RS) patients undergoing mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO). A retrospective analysis of pediatric patients with RS and functional temporomandibular joints who underwent MDO by a single surgeon was performed. Preoperative and postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans were morphometrically analyzed three-dimensional in 3-matic and Mimics (Materialise). Comparative analysis was performed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Fourteen RS patients were included (28 condyles, 56 CT scans), 78% male and 22% females. The mean age at surgery was 9.4 weeks (range 1.6-46.7 weeks). The average age at initial CT was 5.3 days (range 0-11 days). The mean time interval for CT scan before MDO and after hardware removal were 8.8 ± 6.4 days and 11.2 ± 25.8 days, respectively. Rotatory changes of the condyle revealed a significantly decreased horizontal angle following MDO (-7.55°, 95% confidence interval -11.13° to -3.41°; P < 0.001). Anteroposteriorly, the angle between condylar process and ramus (incline) increased significantly (14.14°, 95% confidence interval 10.71°-19.59°; P < 0.001). Intragroup analysis revealed no difference between left versus right condylar position measurements. The condyle itself increased in size and length and the intercondylion distance increased post-MDO. There were no complications and all patients achieved relief of airway obstruction without tracheostomy. Morphologic and positional changes of the mandibular condyle following MDO in RS patients parallel changes that occur during normal development in non-RS patients. As a result, MDO may facilitate normal condylar morphology and function in RS patients.
Lognormal background modeling for gaseous plume detection

A uniformly most powerful algorithm is derived for the standoff spectral detection of absorptive gaseous plumes. No weak concentration approximation is invoked. Other methods then naturally follow for the detection and estimation of gas mixtures. The algorithms result from the modeling of spectral backgrounds with multivariate lognormal distributions.
Intracranial hypertension associated with topical tretinoin use

Abstract Purpose To report cross-reactivity between topical vitamin A derivatives and tetracycline-class antibiotics. Observations A 19-year old woman with a remote history of resolved secondary intracranial hypertension due to minocycline use developed intracranial hypertension while using topical tretinoin alone. Examination demonstrated bilateral optic nerve edema, a right sixth cranial nerve palsy, along with characteristic features of markedly elevated intracranial pressure on imaging. Lumbar puncture opening pressure was 60 cmH2O. Cessation of topical tretinoin use ensued complete resolution of symptoms and optic nerve swelling in both eyes. Conclusions and importance Our findings substantiate the need to avoid topical vitamin A derivatives and alternate drug classes known to be associated with drug-induced intracranial hypertension.
Comparison of Surgical Embolectomy and Veno-arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Massive Pulmonary Embolism.

Massive pulmonary embolism (MPE) is associated with a 20-50% mortality rate with guideline directed therapy. MPE treatment with surgical embolectomy (SE) or venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) have shown promising results. In the context of a surgical management strategy for MPE, a comparison of outcomes associated with VA-ECMO or SE was performed. A retrospective review of a single institution cardiac surgery database was performed, identifying MPE treated with SE or VA-ECMO between 2005-2020. Primary outcome was in-hospital survival. 59 MPE [27 (46.8%) VA-ECMO vs 32 (54.2%) SE] were identified. All presented with elevated cardiac biomarkers, tachycardia (mean heart rate 113 ± 20 beats/minute), hypotension (mean systolic blood pressure 85 ± 22 mm Hg) and vasopressors requirement, without significant differences between cohorts. Preoperative CPR was performed in 37.3% (22/59), without a significant difference between cohorts. More VA-ECMO presented with questionable neurologic status (GCS ≤ 4) [9/27 (33.3%) vs 2/32 (6.2%), P = 0.008] and more VA-ECMO failed thrombolysis [8/27 (29.6) vs 2/32 (6.3), P = 0.014]. All presented with severe RV dysfunction, by discharge all had normalization of echocardiographic RV function. Overall mortality was 10.2%, with a trend toward higher mortality among VA-ECMO [14.9% (4/27) vs 6.3% (2/32) P = 0.14]. CPR was independently associated with death (OR 10.8, P = 0.02) whereas treatment modality was not (OR 0.24). In an extremely unstable MPE population VA-ECMO and SE were safely performed with low mortality while achieving RV recovery. Adverse outcomes were more closely associated with preoperative CPR than with treatment modality.
Case 78: What Can Go Wrong with This Anesthetic?

You are working in a medium hospital in southern Guyana, a country in northern part of South America. Actually, it is the only country in that continent where the official language is English.
Chapter 2 The Extracellular Matrix: A Dynamic Component of the Developing Embryo

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the studies of some molecular characteristics of extracellular matrix and temporal correlations with other developmental events. In this manner, some aspects of the cellular environments during embryonic development are explained in this chapter. By concentrating on the early stages of embryonic development, an attempt is made to elucidate the matrix synthesis at the time the embryo is still histologically simple, yet when major interactions are occurring. Mature tissues and organs are functionally integrated units that consist of both cellular and extracellular elements. Extracellular regions contain a variety of substances, including macromolecules, water, and ions. Collectively these substituents form the extracellular matrix. Extracellular matrices exhibit a great deal of quantitative variation among different tissues. The macromolecules of the extracellular matrix, for example, glycosaminoglycans, collagen, and glycoproteins, are all cell products. Macromolecular composition to a large extent determines the degree of hydration, ionic composition, permeability, and mechanical properties of different extracellular matrices. Chronological changes in macromolecules differ among different matrices, but there is no evidence that each different developing tissue synthesizes with unique embryonic variants of collagen or glycosaminoglycan polysaccharide.
The Different and Discriminant

The study of the different and discriminant provides some information on ramified primes, and also gives a sort of duality which plays a role both in the algebraic study of ramification and the later chapters on analytic duality. It also gives a good method for computing the ring of algebraic integers in a number field, as in Proposition 10.
The Meta-Ethical Issue of the Nature of Lying: Implications for Moral Education

I argue that lying has many dimensions, hence, some putativecases of lying may not match our intuitions or acceptedmeanings of lying. The moral lesson we should teach must be that lying is not a simple principle or feature, buta cluster of features or spectrum of shades, where anythingin the spectrum or cluster is considered lying. I argue thatthe view regarding lying as a single principle or featurehas problematic meta-ethical implications. I do a meta-ethicalanalysis of the meaning of lying, not only to indicatesuch problems, but also the need to teach the act ofrational discussion and meta-ethical analysis. I arguethat the process of meta-ethical analysis and rationaldiscussion should be part of moral education, in that itmay help to develop critical thought about the abilityand practice of making good and rational moral judgments.
Metamorphosis: the Coming Transformation of Translational Systems Biology: In the future computers will mine patient data to deliver faster, cheaper healthcare, but how will we design them to give informative causal explanations? Ideas from philosophy, model checking, and statistical testing can pave the way for the needed translational systems biology.

One morning, as Gregorina Samsa was waking up from anxious dreams, she discovered that she had become afflicted with certain mysterious flu-like symptoms that appeared without any warning. Equally irritating, this capricious metamorphosis seemed impervious to a rational explanation in terms of causes and effects. "What’s happened to me?" she thought. Before seeing a doctor, she decided to find out more about what might ail her. She logged on to a Web site where she annotated a timeline with what she could remember. Since March, she’d had more headaches than usual, and then in April she had begun to experience more fatigue after exercise, and as of July she had also experienced occasional lapses in memory. "Why don’t I go back to sleep for a little while longer and forget all this foolishness," she thought. As she was about to abandon this errand, the system came back to life with a barrage of questions: Is she female? Had she experienced any significant stress in the past few months? Had she noticed any joint or muscle pain? It also obtained her permission to download her genomic profile.
Concomitant Pulmonary and Cerebral Arteriovenous Fistulae

The previously unreported occurrence of concomitant pulmonary and cerebral arteriovenous fistulae was found in an individual with severe neurologic complications. Both polycythemia and paradoxical embolization were implicated in the genesis of the cerebral symptoms while the cerebral fistulae were asymptomatic. An improved method of therapeutic embolization was used to treat the pulmonary lesions, avoiding surgical resection.
Molecular Aspects of Photosynthesis at Low Leaf Water Potentials

Chloroplasts lose activity when leaf photosynthesis is inhibited at low water potentials. The losses often limit the rate of photosynthesis even though the stomata close at the same time. The chloroplasts show no structural degradation but the thylakoid lamellae are thinner than in leaves having high water potentials. Photophosphorylation is inhibited under these conditions and the activity of chloroplast coupling factor, a subunit of the membranes, is inhibited when the protein is prepared from leaves having low water potentials. The inhibition is associated with altered conformation of the protein and decreased binding affinity for ADP. The decreases in chloroplast activity are not caused by decreases in the free energy of water as leaves dehydrate but are correlated with changes in the concentration of cellular constituents. The changes in photophosphorylating activity and in coupling factor activity can be simulated by exposure of the chloroplasts or protein to high Mg2+ concentrations (above 5 mM) prior to assay. Since Mg2+ concentrations are typically 1 to 3 mM in chloroplast stroma and Mg2+ concentrations above 5 mM could readily occur during dehydration of leaves, these concentrations may be involved in the activity losses by the chloroplasts.
Fish oil as an adjuvant in the treatment of hypertension

Study Objective. To evaluate the effects of ω-3 fatty acids on blood pressure control and lipid levels. Design. Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study. Setting. Veterans Affairs Medical Center teaching hospital. Patients. Twenty-one men whose blood pressure was not optimally controlled with antihypertensive agents, who met the inclusion criteria. Interventions. Patients were randomized to receive either fish oil (4.5 g ω-3 fatty acids/day) or placebo. Measurements and Main Results. Blood pressure readings were taken at baseline, and 4 and 8 weeks. Sitting systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly reduced in the fish oil group at both week 4 (148/97 to 132/90, p<0.05) and week 8 (148/97 to 134/91, p<0.05). Sitting diastolic blood pressure was significantly reduced in the placebo group at week 8 (94 to 88, p<0.05). There was no difference in percentage change of sitting systolic and diastolic pressures at week 8 comparing the placebo group (−6.4% and −6.3%, respectively) and the fish oil group (−8.8% and −6.6%, respectively). Triglyceride levels (−40.9%, p<0.05) and platelet counts (−8.7%, p<0.05) were significantly reduced at 4 weeks, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were significantly increased both at 4 and 8 weeks (13.5% and 19.1%, respectively) in the fish oil group. Conclusion. Adjunctive fish oil supplementation did not substantially augment blood pressure lowering in treated hypertensive men with suboptimally controlled blood pressure. Effects on plasma lipid values were mixed, with an increase in LDL cholesterol and a decrease in plasma triglyceride levels.
Medical treatment of macular edema in patients with uveitis.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of medical treatment of cystoid macular edema (CME) in patients with uveitis. Methods: Retrospective study of 40 patients (57 eyes) with uveitis and CME. Inclusion criteria were presence of CME with minimal and no macular pathology, or vascular disease which could account for CME. Patients who had undergone intraocular surgery or had visual aucity (VA) of ≥20/40 were excluded. The diagnosis of CME was based on clinical and/or angiographic findings. Three treatment groups were defined: (1) transseptal injection of steroids (n=13 eyes); (2) systemic non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (n=11 eyes); both 1 and 2 (n=33 eyes). Results: Overall, 79% of eyes improved 3 or more lines of Snellen VA after treatment: 51% improved 4 or more lines. The average number of lines improved was 3.8 for eyes treated with transseptal injections of steroids, 2.9 for eyes treated with NSAIDs, and 4 for eyes treated with both. For all 3 treatment groups between 60–70% of eyes improving 2 or more lines reached best VA only after a minimum of 6 months of follow up. Conclusions: CME, a vision threatening complication of uveitis, respond fairly well to medical treatment; however, the best VA is achieved after several months. The improvement in VA did not differ markedly among the three treatment groups.
Preparation of sound high purity plutonium rods. Part 2. Observed phase transformations during quenching from elevated temperatures

Abstract Cooling curves of high purity plutonium (1) chill cast from the liquid and (2) quenched from high temperature solid phases have been subjected to heat flow analysis to yield information concerning the transformation behavior of the rapidly cooled material. The most complex transformation behavior was found in rods formed when molten plutonium was chill cast into molds at ambient temperature. The plutonium solidified as e phase and the bulk of the material subsequently transformed to γ, then to β and finally to α phase during the cooling process. When the mold temperature was −72 °C prior to the pour, the e phase material transformed to α phase at a temperature of 80 °C. High density α phase rods were heated into and then quenched from β, γ and δ phase fields. The high temperature phases which were formed then transformed to α phase below 90 °C. If the formation of the brittle α phase proceeded from the circumference of the rod toward the center, a relatively crack-free rod was produced. However, if the formation of α phase occurred randomly across the cross section, a badly microcracked rod resulted.
Salt Stress Perception and Plant Growth Regulators in the Halophyte Mesembryanthemum crystallinum

We selected indicators of four different metabolic processes (Crassulacean acid metabolism [CAM], amino acid and nitrogen mobilization metabolism, osmoprotection, and plant defense mechanisms) to study the relationship between salt-stress-mediated and plant growth regulator (PGR)-induced responses in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum (ice plant). Nacl and PGRs (cytokinin and abscisic acid [ABA]) are efficient elicitors of the well-studied Nacl stress responses: induction of the CAM form of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, proline pinitol accumulation, and the increase of an osmotin-like protein. NaCl and cytokinin are more effective than ABA in stimulating accumulation of proline and an osmotin-like protein before the plants are committed to flowering. The results are consistent with a plant defense-induction model, in which environmental stress and PGRs are distinct signals whose subsequent effects lead to overlapping responses, the magnitude of which depends on plant developmental status.
Systems analysis and engineering

“How many shoots should I place in each vessel?” There are dozens of issues as basic as this one that must be addressed in the development of a protocol for the commercial micropropagation of a particular plant. For example, in the multiplication stage where the goal is to increase the number of shoots, there are questions of medium composition, vessel size and type, temperature, light level, number of days per multiplication cycle, number of shoots placed in each vessel at the beginning of each multiplication cycle, etc. The list goes on and on for this and the other stages of production. Scientific inquiry can be used to determine the relationship between many of these variables and the multiplication ratio, but this does not necessarily answer the question of which values should be used in commercial production.
Chapter 19 Identifiability

This chapter focuses on identifiability. In experiments in the biological sciences, all state variables (compartments) cannot be sampled. In that case, some parameters of the system may not be determined (identifiable) by the observations of the experiment. The chapter provides examples that illustrate the basic parameters of the system (Berman's invariants), and the parameters that are determinable by a particular experiment. The chapter distinguishes between the identifiability problem and the estimation problem. Identifiability is concerned with the question of uniqueness of solutions for the basic parameters from the observation function of a given experiment. Identifiability is concerned with checking global and/or local identifiability of models. The chapter introduces the various types of identifiability. In addition, the methods of checking identifiability that differ for linear and nonlinear systems are discussed.
Cuando potencias hegemónicas riñen: "Televisa vs. Univision" Communications vista a través de una lente de gestión de medios

The interests of Mexican television companies and the Spanish-speaking television sector in the United States have been closely linked since the 1960s, when insightful Mexican entrepreneurship, investment capitals and media programming were all exported to the North. Both industries had remained interrelated for over 50 years via a multiplicity of personal and contractual relationships, including a series of program license agreements (PLA). This article examines the three-year long legal dispute between two leading figures in their respective markets: Televisa (Mexico) and Univision (United States). The dispute, resolved in different stages in 2009 and 2010, centered on the value of Televisa programming based on its program license agreement with Univision, as well as digital media rights over Televisa programs broadcast over the web in the United States. This case and its resolution are analyzed in light of the half-century long relationship between these two companies as well as the way each of their administrative teams responded to the problems faced during a period of intense political, economic and technological change.
Automatic detection of patient identification and positioning errors in radiation therapy treatment using 3-dimensional setup images.

Abstract Purpose To develop an automated system that detects patient identification and positioning errors between 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) and kilovoltage CT planning images. Methods and materials Planning kilovoltage CT images were collected for head and neck (H&N), pelvis, and spine treatments with corresponding 3-dimensional cone beam CT and megavoltage CT setup images from TrueBeam and TomoTherapy units, respectively. Patient identification errors were simulated by registering setup and planning images from different patients. For positioning errors, setup and planning images were misaligned by 1 to 5 cm in the 6 anatomical directions for H&N and pelvis patients. Spinal misalignments were simulated by misaligning to adjacent vertebral bodies. Image pairs were assessed using commonly used image similarity metrics as well as custom-designed metrics. Linear discriminant analysis classification models were trained and tested on the imaging datasets, and misclassification error (MCE), sensitivity, and specificity parameters were estimated using 10-fold cross-validation. Results For patient identification, our workflow produced MCE estimates of 0.66%, 1.67%, and 0% for H&N, pelvis, and spine TomoTherapy images, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity ranged from 97.5% to 100%. MCEs of 3.5%, 2.3%, and 2.1% were obtained for TrueBeam images of the above sites, respectively, with sensitivity and specificity estimates between 95.4% and 97.7%. MCEs for 1-cm H&N/pelvis misalignments were 1.3%/5.1% and 9.1%/8.6% for TomoTherapy and TrueBeam images, respectively. Two-centimeter MCE estimates were 0.4%/1.6% and 3.1/3.2%, respectively. MCEs for vertebral body misalignments were 4.8% and 3.6% for TomoTherapy and TrueBeam images, respectively. Conclusions Patient identification and gross misalignment errors can be robustly and automatically detected using 3-dimensional setup images of different energies across 3 commonly treated anatomical sites.
Genetic architecture of a morphological shape difference between two Drosophila species.

The size and shape of the posterior lobe of the male genital arch differs dramatically between Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana. This difference can be quantified with a morphometric descriptor (PC1) based on elliptical Fourier and principal components analyses. The genetic basis of the interspecific difference in PC1 was investigated by the application of quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping procedures to segregating backcross populations. The parental difference (35 environmental standard deviations) and the heritability of PC1 in backcross populations (>90%) are both very large. The use of multiple interval mapping gives evidence for 19 different QTL. The greatest additive effect estimate accounts for 11.4% of the parental difference but could represent multiple closely linked QTL. Dominance parameter estimates vary among loci from essentially no dominance to complete dominance, and mauritiana alleles tend to be dominant over simulans alleles. Epistasis appears to be relatively unimportant as a source of variation. All but one of the additive effect estimates have the same sign, which means that one species has nearly all plus alleles and the other nearly all minus alleles. This result is unexpected under many evolutionary scenarios and suggests a history of strong directional selection acting on the posterior lobe.
Sentence encoding and implicitly activated memories.

Some words have fewer direct associates than others, and, when words varying in set size are studied in a list-learning task, those with smaller sets are more likely to be recalled. This setsize effect is found in cued recall when the words are studied in the absence of related words, but not when studied in the presence of related words. Related words provide context and theoretically inhibit irrelevant associates. The present research determined that set-size effects are found when words are encoded in sentence contexts. In contrast to list-learning experiments, the results of three experiments found such effects even when lexically related words were present in the sentences. Other findings indicated that target-set-size effects were determined by the proximity of related words in the sentence and the nature of the test cue. The results are discussed in relation to a model for explaining set-size effects and to selective findings from the sentence-comprehension literature.
Salvage treatment for patient with multiple myeloma refractory to alkylating agents.

Sixteen patients with multiple myeloma refractory to alkylating agents were treated with vincristine 0.25 mg/m2 i.v. on days 1 to 4 and prednisone 1 gm/m2 on days 1 and 3. Chemotherapy was repeated every 2 weeks. Of 15 evaluable patients, five achieved a partial response and four stable disease. Three patients with partial response and three with stable disease relapsed at 6, 7, and 16 and at 5, 9, and 10 months, respectively. The median survival for all patients was 10 1/2 months and it ranged from 1 to 21 + months. The median survival in responders was not reached at 13 months. Onset of antitumor effect was observed within the first 2 weeks. Symptomatic relief of bone pain was noted within 48 hours in responders and nonresponders. Improvement in bone marrow cellularity and decrease in plasma cell infiltration was documented in more than one-half of the responders. Tolerance to the treatment was good. No hematologic or other significant toxicity was observed.
Electric field effects on aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons: a density-functional study.

The influence of a uniform static external electric field on some aliphatic and aromatic molecular species is studied within the density functional theory (DFT) employing the 6-311++G(2d,2p) basis set with B3LYP exchange-correlation prescription. The electric field perturbs the molecular geometry but drastically alters the dipole moments and engenders, to a varying degree, the molecular vibrational Stark effect, i.e., shifts in the infrared (IR) vibrational frequencies accompanied by spectral intensity redistribution. For polar molecules, significant negative (“red”) and positive (“blue”) frequency shifts are observed for field orientations both parallel and antiparallel to their permanent dipole moments. Further, a selective reordering of frontier orbitals is observed to be brought about by moderately intense fields. In particular, molecules having a lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) with predominant π character possess a threshold field beyond which energy gap between the highest occupied molec...
FMRP and myelin protein expression in oligodendrocytes

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is caused by lack of expression of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), the product of the Fmr1 gene. In many cases FXS is associated with abnormalities in CNS myelination. Although FMRP is expressed in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and immature oligodendrocytes (OLGs) previous studies have not detected it in mature, myelin-producing OLGs. FMRP represses translation of myelin basic protein (MBP) RNA in vitro and is believed to prevent premature MBP expression in immature OLGs. Lack of FMRP in FXS could lead to premature myelination and/or myelin abnormalities. Here we show that FMRP is expressed in mature, MBP-positive OLGs of rodents and in MBP-positive human OLGs. We confirm that FMRP is a translational repressor of MBP mRNA in vitro, but at concentrations likely too high to be physiologically relevant in vivo. We find MBP expression in cultured Fmr1 KO OLGs to be similar to wild type, and expression of MBP and other myelin proteins in brain homogenates of the Fmr1 KO mouse to be similar to wild type before, during, and after the period of active myelination. These results suggest that while FMRP is expressed in mature OLGs, myelin abnormalities caused by lack of FMRP expression in FXS are not recapitulated in rodents.
A Modified Cloward's Technique for Arthrodesis of the Normal Metacarpophalangeal Joint in the Horse

A modified Cloward's technique was performed for arthrodesis of one metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint in eight horses. Dorsal arthrotomies were performed medial and lateral to the common digital extensor tendon and two 16 mm holes were drilled through the joint. A perforated cylindrical stainless steel basket filled with cancellous bone was impacted into each hole. The limbs were supported in casts for 8 weeks. The joints were examined and radiographed at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 months, and 10 months. One horse was euthanatized at week 14 to assess the progress of the arthrodesis. In the other seven horses, there was clinical fusion at month 6. Dynamographic evaluations were performed 11 months after surgery at the walk and trot. The maximum vertical forces exerted during weight bearing by treated and control limbs were compared. No difference was detected at the walk; however, a significant difference was present at the trot (p less than 0.05). It was calculated that at the trot the horses placed 90% as much force on the treated limb as on the control limb. Eleven months after surgery, the baskets contained compact and cancellous bone. Ingrowth of bone occurred through all openings, completely filling the baskets and fusing the joints.
Letters from Tunisia: Darwish and the Palestinian State of Mind

In this timely and engaged contemplation of the ‘Palestinian state of mind’, Timothy Brennan takes his cue from a personal experience of the imperviousness of liberal interdisciplinary academia in ‘parochial America’ towards Arab and Islamic culture. This leads to a longer reflection on the persistent network of Western power today, which, having mediated the recent Arab uprisings to its own ends, continues to sustain in myriad forms an oppressive order that cripples the Palestinian effort towards self-determination. In incisive readings of poems by two seminal Palestinian poets, Mahmoud Darwish and Mourid Barghouti, Brennan explores the fraught distance between the sense of ‘crushing understatement’ in these works: an emotional tenor that is inherently premised both on its readers’ will to honour its meanings and its embattled operation within, in Brennan's words, ‘the disarticulation of a people’. In this light, Brennan's essay moves to address the unintended ironies inherent in the term ‘postcolonialis...
On the Design and Evaluation of Cumulus Modification Experiments.

Abstract Combination of numerical simulation, many simultaneous measurements, and a large assortment of statistical tools, employed at all stages, have been found useful in design and evaluation of modification experiments on cumulus clouds. A randomized sample is essential, although non-random controls have supplemented it by providing necessary information on natural distributions.Obstacles to definitive estimates of treatment effects are huge natural variability compounded by the expense and labor involved in obtaining an adequately large data sample. A 26 pair data set from a dynamic seeding experiment on isolated Florida cumuli is used here to illustrate both the problems and the combined approach used to overcome them. In this data set, rain volumes from unmodified single cumuli varied by three orders of magnitude on days screened as suitable. The field phase of the experiment cost above $250,000, requiring instrumented aircraft, calibrated radar, and several radiosondes daily.Numerical simulation o...
Immobilization of silver ions onto paramagnetic particles for binding and release of a biotin-labeled oligonucleotide

Abstract Paramagnetic particles with amino functional groups can be derivatized using glutaraldehyde and thiourea in order to immobilize silver ions. The silver immobilization procedure did not alter the surface morphology of the particles according to Tapping mode AFM imaging. Rutherford backscattering showed that silver resides on the particle surface while iron is present throughout the particle. Particle-Induced X-Ray Emission spectroscopy determined that the derivatized particles have a silver capacity of 7 wt%. Paramagnetic particles containing immobilized silver ions have an affinity binding constant of the order 10 8 for mono- and tri-biotin-labeled oligonuceotide with primary sequence 3′-GCCCCTTTTTAAAAACCCCG-5′ while the original amino particles have little affinity for the oligonucleotide. Measurement of binding and release was enabled by attaching either fluorescein isothioocyanate (FITC) to the 3′-end or Texas Red or fluorescein phosphoramidite (FAM) to the 5′-end of the oligonucleotide. Up to a 97% release of the FAM labeled biotinylated oligonucleotide from the particle surface can be achieved using an aqueous solution of thiodiglycol.
Effects of ethyl alcohol on subcutaneous microcirculation.

Abstract The effect of ethyl alcohol on subcutaneous arterioles (20–30 μ) and venules (30–70 μ) in the wing of unanesthetized bats ( Myotis lucifugus ) was studied with a microscope-closed circuit television system. The responses fell into two categories. In category A, there were no significant changes in arteriole and venule diameters and in venule vasomotion. In category B, both arterioles and venules dilated and venule vasomotion decreased. In general, the data for category B support the indirect measurements of previous investigators. At the present, the observation of two categories of responses connot be attributed to hibernating versus nonhibernating states of the bats.
Synemin promotes AKT-dependent glioblastoma cell proliferation by antagonizing PP2A

The intermediate filament protein synemin is present in astrocyte progenitors and glioblastoma cells but not in mature astrocytes. Here we demonstrate a role for synemin in enhancing glioblastoma cell proliferation and clonogenic survival, as synemin RNA interference decreased both behaviors by inducing G1 arrest along with Rb hypophosphorylation and increased protein levels of the G1/S inhibitors p21(Cip1) and p27(Kip1). Akt involvement was demonstrated by decreased phosphorylation of its substrate, p21(Cip1), and reduced Akt catalytic activity and phosphorylation at essential activation sites. Synemin silencing, however, did not affect the activities of PDPK1 and mTOR complex 2, which directly phosphorylate Akt activation sites, but instead enhanced the activity of the major regulator of Akt dephosphorylation, protein phosphatase type 2A (PP2A). This was accompanied by changes in PP2A subcellular distribution resulting in increased physical interactions between PP2A and Akt, as shown by proximity ligation assays (PLAs). PLAs and immunoprecipitation experiments further revealed that synemin and PP2A form a protein complex. In addition, treatment of synemin-silenced cells with the PP2A inhibitor cantharidic acid resulted in proliferation and pAkt and pRb levels similar to those of controls. Collectively these results indicate that synemin positively regulates glioblastoma cell proliferation by helping sequester PP2A away from Akt, thereby favoring Akt activation.
Etanercept, a soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor, palliates constitutional symptoms in patients with myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia: results of a pilot study

Patients with myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia (MMM) often experience debilitating constitutional symptoms such as drenching night sweats, profound fatigue, unexplained fevers, and unintentional weight loss. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) contributes to organ fibrosis and hypercatabolic symptoms in a variety of disease states. We conducted an open-label pilot study of etanercept, a soluble TNF receptor, administered at a dose of 25 mg subcutaneously twice weekly for up to 24 weeks in 22 patients with MMM. Of 20 evaluable patients, 12 (60%) experienced an improvement in constitutional symptoms, and 4 (20%) had an objective response (improvement in peripheral cytopenias or spleen size). The degree of marrow fibrosis was unchanged, and only minor changes in overall marrow cellularity were observed. Toxicity was mild, with injection site reactions (20%) and minor infections (10%) as the most common side effects. One patient developed reversible pancytopenia. Etanercept may be useful for palliation of constitutional symptoms in MMM.
The natural history of isolated carotid siphon stenosis.

Abstract Between August 1978 and July 1983, 93 patients (71 with unilateral and 22 with bilateral isolated carotid siphon stenosis) were identified from a review of 885 consecutive cerebral arteriograms. This yielded 115 cerebral hemispheres at risk. At the time of arteriography, 93 hemispheres were asymptomatic regarding the hemisphere with siphon stenosis (group I), whereas 22 hemispheres in 22 patients had had neurologic events referable to the hemisphere with siphon stenosis (group II). During follow-up (range 1 to 62 months, mean 22.5 months), 64.5% of initially asymptomatic hemispheres remained asymptomatic, 6.5% experienced transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), and 4.3% developed strokes. During the same follow-up period, 63.6% of initially symptomatic hemispheres became asymptomatic, 9.1% had recurrence of TIAs, and 9.1% developed strokes. Sixteen of 71 group I patients (22.5%) and 5 of 22 group II patients (22.7%) died during follow-up. The overall incidence of nonfatal stroke and TIAs was 6.5% and 8.6%, respectively. Myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke accounted for deaths in 6.5% and 4.3% of patients, respectively. There was no significant difference in the incidence of TIA, stroke, or death between group I and group II. The percentage of siphon stenosis in all patients experiencing stroke or TIA (35.4 ± 14.4%) was not significantly different from that in patients who remained asymptomatic (32.3 ± 10.6%). Patients with carotid siphon stenosis are at an increased risk of death, stroke, and TIAs compared with the population at large. However, the risk of stroke is less than the risk of stroke in patients with TIAs assumed to be caused by carotid bifurcation disease. The risk of fatal MI is similar to the annual incidence of MI in patients with other manifestations of atherosclerosis. (J VASC SURG 1984;1:744-749.)
Gerontological research in China: The role of anthropological inquiry

One fifth of the world's elderly population lives in China. Until recently political restrictions have hindered the conduct of research particularly ethnography. This piece provides an overview of recent research findings by Western scholars and of ethnographic research in progress in the areas of demography, state policy, age stratification, family planning, residence patterns, inter-generational transfers, patrilineality, health, illness, long term care, social welfare, and mortuary ritual. It analyzes the potential contributions of ethnography in this area.
Developing improved methods of predicting surface displacements due to underground mining through the integration of empirical indices into numerical modeling

Abstract A numerical procedure was developed, based on the well-known finite element method. This model incorporated concepts related to the mechanics of strata deformation and empirical indices associated with subsidence engineering. Different material behavior models and failure criteria were employed in an attempt to determine the surface areas most affected by underground mining. Deformation zones based on empirical parameters were defined in the overburden in an attempt to simulate theoretical and observed strata deformation characteristics. Accurate subsidence and horizontal strain calculations verified the modeling procedure with respect to the strata deformation zones. Finally, the model was used to predict vertical and horizontal movements, based on empirical parameters available for the Appalachian region.
An HPLC detection scheme for underivatized amino acids based on tryptophan fluorescence recovery

Abstract A simple, sensitive fluorescence detection scheme has been developed for detecting underivatized amino acids following HPLC separation. This detection is based on a displacement reaction between the eluted amino acids and a copper(II)– l -tryptophan ( l -Trp) complex, Cu( l -Trp) 2 . In the form of the complex Cu( l -Trp) 2 , the fluorescence of l -Trp is approximately 95% quenched; with the addition of analytes with strong affinity for Cu(II) such as the natural amino acids, l -Trp is released from the complex and l -Trp fluorescence is recovered. Thus, the presence of the eluted analytes is inferred by the recovered fluorescence of displaced l -Trp. Twenty amino acids have been detected with the proposed detection method. Eluent pH has a strong effect on detection. The detection limit for l -cystine ( l -Cys) is 3.8 pmol ( S / N =3) using a 10 μl injection volume. Relative standard deviations for four injections of 50 and 250 pmol of l -Cys are 2.9 and 0.6%, respectively. Detection limits for most of the other amino acids tested are below 10 pmol with linearity up to the order of nmol.
Smallpox Virus Resequencing GeneChips Can Also Rapidly Ascertain Species Status for Some Zoonotic Non-Variola Orthopoxviruses

We recently developed a set of seven resequencing GeneChips for the rapid sequencing of Variola virus strains in the WHO Repository of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this study, we attempted to hybridize these GeneChips with some known non-Variola orthopoxvirus isolates, including monkeypox, cowpox, and vaccinia viruses, for rapid detection.
Analytical and experimental studies of facilitated transport

Facilitated transport is a process in which permeation through a liquid film is chemically augmented. Because of the scientific and engineering interest in this phenomenon, the purpose of this work was to carry out a detailed mathematical and experimental investigation of facilitated transport. The differential equations describing facilitated transport are presented, and a generally applicable numerical solution recently developed by G. M. Roe for this type of boundary value problem is summarized. The experimental investigation consisted of measuring the steady state rate of transport of nitric oxide through thin films of ferrous chloride solution and of determining independently the values of the system parameters of which the nitric oxide flux was a function. The experimental results were accurately predicted by using the model developed by Roe. This is the first demonstration of a general quantitative understanding of facilitated transport.
Physical and Functional Characteristics of Poultry Giblets

Abstract Giblets (heart, liver, gizzard) from male turkeys weighed consistently and significantly more than those from females. Weight of broiler giblets showed no significant difference due to sex of the bird. Giblets from turkeys weighed significantly more than giblets from mature chicken hens, which in turn weighed significantly more than giblets from broilers. Livers from male broilers were higher in moisture and lower in fat than livers from females. Hearts from male turkeys were significantly higher in moisture and protein and lower in fat than hearts from females. Overall, hearts were significantly higher in fat and lower in protein than either livers or gizzards. Bird sex was not a significant factor in emulsifying power, percent salt soluble protein, or water holding capacity of the giblets. Livers emulsified oil more efficiently and contained more salt soluble protein than hearts or gizzards. Overall, hearts showed less emulsifying power and less water holding capacity than livers or gizzards.
Determination and characterization of cholinesterases in localized tissues of the giant garden slugs Limax maximus (Linnaeus)

Abstract 1. Evidence is presented for the presence of two types of cholinesterase in localized tissues of the terrestrial slug, Limax maximus, by use of substrates, inhibitors, and differential centrifugation. 2. An acetylcholine-type enzyme (AChE, EC 3.1.1.7) occurs in the circumoesophageal ganglia and muscular foot of the animal. It exhibits novel properties, including appreciable activity towards propionyl esters, lower sensitivity to inhibition by the AChE inhibitor BW284C51, and passes spontaneously (> 99%) into solution. 3. A second enzyme occurs in the hemolymph. It exhibits a substrate-activity profile characteristic of a non-specific propionylcholinesterase (PrChE, EC 3.1.1.8). 4. PrChE in Limax hemolymph (about 50% of the total activity) is associated with material pelletable in a 110,000 g spin presumed to be hemocyanin. 5. Progressive inhibition with iso-OMPA reveals that each enzyme is composed of two components. The AChE-type enzyme has a component, comprising 35% of the total activity, that is highly resistant to iso-OMPA inhibition. A similarly resistant component is absent in the hemolymph enzyme.