cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subtelomeric rearrangements in idiopathic mental retardation

Objective : To estimate the frequency of subtelomeric rearrangements in patients with sporadic and non-syndromic idiopathic mental retardation (IMR).Methods: A total of 18 IMR patients were taken for the study. Selection criteria included no known syndromes or chromosomes abnormalities and known causes of IMR. All patients signed an informed consent to participate. Chromosome analysis was carried out on all patients to rule out gross chromosome abnormalities. Lymphocyte cultures were initiated and harvested using standard protocols. For fluorescencein situ hybridization (FISH), Chromoprobe Multiprobe-T system was used. this system consists of 24 embossed areas with each area having one reversibly bound subtelomere probe for a specific chromosome. the subtelomere probes were differentially labeled with green fluorescence for short arm and orange for the long arm. Hybridization, washing and staining are done using standard protocols. A minimum of 5 metaphases were analyzed per chromosome per patient.Results : A total of 2 subtelomeric rearrangements were detected (11.1%). Case 1 involved a 17-year-old with severe MR, profound deafness and dysmorphic features with reciprocal translocation t(3;7)(q26.2; p15.1). the second case involved a 4.6-year-old with mild developmental delay and a terminal deletion of the long arm of chromosome 2, del(2) (q37.3). the frequency of abnormalities detected in our study is in agreement with published reports.Conclusion : Subtelomeric screening with FISH is a useful tool for investigation of IMR, however, it is not cost effective in all cases. Conventional chromosome analysis coupled with targeted FISH testing might be the optimal strategy for investigation of IMR.
AUTONOMIC RESPONSE TO MOTHER'S VOICE IN NEWBORNS

For many years heart rate change has been used as an index of psychophysiological responsivity in newborn infants. We have hypothesized that a parasympathetic component of heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory sinus arrythmia (RSA), might provide a more sensitive measure of CNS reactivity to external stimulation. We investigated whether infants would show a differential response in RSA to a highly salient source of auditory stimulation - the maternal voice. Twenty-five healthy full-term neonates were presented with alternations of a period of silence followed by a period of recorded mother's voice. The heart rate data were analyzed using spectral analysis which generated an estimate of RSA, i.e., the sum of spectral densities over the respiratory band. Results show that newborns had a significantly greater RSA during mother's voice as compared to periods of silence. As anticipated, mean heart rate and sucking, traditional measures of stimulus responsivity, showed less systematic changes during stimulation. The use of RSA as a dependent measure of stimulus reactivity provides us with another method for investigating newborn perceptual and learning capabilities. Our data indicate that this measure of parasympathetic tone, in combination with other autonomic and behavioral measures, will enhance our understanding of the psychophysiological responses of newborn infants.
Hexarhodium Clusters on Lanthana: Synthesis, Characterization, and Catalysis of Ethene Hydrogenation

Rhodium carbonyl clusters were prepared on the surface of La2O3 powder (calcined at 673 K) by a surface-mediated synthesis from La2O3-supported Rh(CO)2(acac) in the presence of CO at 1 atm and 373 K. The cluster preparation and subsequent decarbonylation by treatment in He were characterized by infrared (IR) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies. Treatment in He at 573 K removed the carbonyl ligands, giving site-isolated La2O3-supported clusters that are well approximated as Rh6 octahedra, being characterized by a first-shell Rh−Rh coordination number of 3.9 ± 0.4 at a distance of 2.64 ± 0.02 A. The supported clusters were characterized by IR and EXAFS spectroscopies in the presence of ethene and H2 reacting catalytically to give ethane. The EXAFS first-shell Rh−Rh coordination number was found to be about 4, consistent with the presence of Rh6 octahedra, which are inferred to be the catalytically active species. IR spectra show that both hydrocarbons and hydride ligands were...
Trends in Prostate and Breast Cancer Clinical Research as Reported in the American Society of Clinical Oncology Proceedings

Objectives: To identify recent clinical research trends, all abstracts relevant to prostate and breast cancer reported in the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Proceedings from 1994 to 1999 and for 1 year in the American Urological Association Proceedings were reviewed. Methods: Abstracts were identified and prospectively categorized in 31 areas including study design, sample size, and study outcome. Results: In the ASCO Proceedings, abstracts on breast cancer (n = 1718) greatly exceeded those on prostate cancer (n = 340). Randomized clinical trials were also more frequently reported in breast cancer compared to prostate cancer (176 versus 30 reports, respectively [5.7 times greater]; p 12 times as many patients (121,923 women versus 9,761 men, respectively; p < 0.01) in this period. For breast cancer, the number of reported randomized clinical trials increased and nearly doubled over the 6-year period, whereas for prostate cancer no such trend was seen. For prostate cancer, the vast majority (82%) of the 130 clinical trial reports were nonrandomized studies, and most entered very few patients (median patient entry, 26.2). Although randomized clinical trial reports on breast cancer described significant survival benefits in 16 trials in both advanced disease (benefit seen in 7 of 109 studies [6%]) and especially in adjuvant therapy (benefit seen in 9 of 67 studies [12%]), in prostate cancer only a single randomized clinical trial reported a significant survival benefit in this period. Conclusions: Despite comparable annual incidence and mortality, prostate cancer receives only a fraction of the clinical trial activity afforded breast cancer.
Pituitary-Thyroid Hormone Economy in Healthy Aging Men: Basal Indices of Thyroid Function and Thyrotropin Responses to Constant Infusions of Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone*

In order to assess the effects of aging, as distinct from those of thyroid disease or extrathyroidal illness, on certain indices of thyroid function, we studied 74 healthy, ambulatory men recruited from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging. We determined basal serum values of T4, T3, rT3, thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG), and T3 resin uptake (T3RU) and calculated the free T4 index (FT4I = T4 X T3RU/100), free T3 index (FT3I = T3 X T3RU/100), and T4/TBG ratio for each subject. We used an ultrasensitive RIA to measure variations in basal concentrations of TSH within the normal range. We then infused TRH at a constant rate (0.4 microgram/min iv) for 240 min into 63 of the same men; serum samples, collected at 15-min intervals during the infusion, were analyzed for TSH by routine RIA. Subjects were divided into 3 groups according to age; A (n = 26, mean age = 39.4), B (n = 23, mean age = 60.0), and C (n = 25, mean age = 79.6). Analysis of variance with Duncan's multiple range test and regression analysis were used to evaluate data. There was no significant (P greater than 0.05) variation with age of basal serum values of T4, TBG, or T3RU. Comparison of groups A and C showed significant decreases of mean values of serum T3 (-11%, P less than 0.05), FT3I (-13%, P = 0.02), FT4I (-11%, P less than 0.01), and T4/TBG ratio (-12%, P less than 0.01) and an increase in serum TSH (+38%, P less than 0.05). For these variables, the mean values for group B were intermediate between, but not significantly different from, those of A and C. Regression analysis showed significant correlations of age with T3, FT3I, FT4I, T4/TBG, and TSH at P levels similar to those obtained by Duncan's test. No elderly individual exhibited a baseline elevation of TSH (greater than 7 microU/ml) or depression of T4 (less than 5 micrograms/dl), suggesting that primary hypothyroidism was not present in our old group. The basal TSH concentration did not correlate significantly with any index of thyroid function except with FT3I in group C (r = -0.43, P less than 0.05). In all age groups the TSH responses to TRH exhibited a biphasic pattern with early and late peaks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Long-term clinical follow-up of patients successfully treated with a perfusion balloon catheter for coronary angioplasty-induced dissections or abrupt closure.

Abstract We conclude that prolonged inflations with a perfusion balloon catheter are an effective treatment for severe dissections or abrupt vessel closure complicating elective PTCA, and result in a favorable clinical outcome over the ensuing year. Consequently, they should be considered as first-line therapy when the use of standard balloon equipment fails to achieve an adequate result. As with uncomplicated balloon angioplasty, the major out-of-hospital limitation in the use of a perfusion catheter is the restenosis rate, which in our patients was similar to the control population. Whether other strategies (e.g., stent placement) can provide superior long-term results in patients with actual or threatened abrupt closure requires further investigation.
Targeting of PBP1 by β-lactams Determines recA/SOS Response Activation in Heterogeneous MRSA Clinical Strains

The SOS response, a conserved regulatory network in bacteria that is induced in response to DNA damage, has been shown to be associated with the emergence of resistance to antibiotics. Previously, we demonstrated that heterogeneous (HeR) MRSA strains, when exposed to sub-inhibitory concentrations of oxacillin, were able to express a homogeneous high level of resistance (HoR). Moreover, we showed that oxacillin appeared to be the triggering factor of a β-lactam-mediated SOS response through lexA/recA regulators, responsible for an increased mutation rate and selection of a HoR derivative. In this work, we demonstrated, by selectively exposing to β-lactam and non-β-lactam cell wall inhibitors, that PBP1 plays a critical role in SOS-mediated recA activation and HeR-HoR selection. Functional analysis of PBP1 using an inducible PBP1-specific antisense construct showed that PBP1 depletion abolished both β-lactam-induced recA expression/activation and increased mutation rates during HeR/HoR selection. Furthermore, based on the observation that HeR/HoR selection is accompanied by compensatory increases in the expression of PBP1,-2, -2a, and -4, our study provides evidence that a combination of agents simultaneously targeting PBP1 and either PBP2 or PBP2a showed both in-vitro and in-vivo efficacy, thereby representing a therapeutic option for the treatment of highly resistant HoR-MRSA strains. The information gathered from these studies contributes to our understanding of β-lactam-mediated HeR/HoR selection and provides new insights, based on β-lactam synergistic combinations, that mitigate drug resistance for the treatment of MRSA infections.
Mathematical Modeling of Acid‐Catalyzed 1,3‐Propanediol Polymerization

A reaction mechanism for the polymerization of 1,3-propanediol is proposed for two acid catalysts. Population and mass balance equations are derived for small molecules and for polymeric species of chain distributions distinguishable in terms of protonation state and end group functionality. Since the sulfuric acid catalyzed process has two types of polymer linkages, the derivation of the moment equations is challenging. The reverse reactions are also accounted thus creating a moment closure problem. A mass transfer model is developed to predict reaction mixture water content. The Sanchez-Lacombe equation of state is used to calculate phase behavior and species partitioning. Optimization of selected parameters is accomplished by comparison to laboratory data resulting in a fully predictive model.
Sex-Specific Association of Fetuin-A With Type 2 Diabetes in Older Community-Dwelling Adults The Rancho Bernardo Study

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the sex-specific association of plasma fetuin-A levels with prevalent and incident type 2 diabetes in community-dwelling older adults. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Participants were 684 men and 1,058 women (median age, 71 years) whose fetuin-A levels, diabetes prevalence, and diabetes risk factors were evaluated in 1992–1996. The participants were followed for incident diabetes through 2010 (median follow-up, 9 years). RESULTS Women with impaired glucose tolerance had elevated fetuin-A levels compared with women with normal glucose tolerance ( P = 0.019), but fetuin-A levels were not elevated in women with impaired fasting glucose. Fetuin-A did not vary by glucose tolerance status in men. There were significant interactions of fetuin-A by sex for prevalent ( P = 0.007) and incident ( P = 0.020) diabetes. For women, each SD (0.10 g/L) higher fetuin-A level was associated with a higher odds of prevalent diabetes (odds ratio [OR] 1.79, 95% CI 1.47–2.17) and greater risk of incident diabetes (hazard ratio [HR] 1.66, 95% CI 1.18–2.34), adjusting for age and estrogen therapy. These associations were not materially altered by adjustment for diabetes risk factors but were attenuated by adjusting for postchallenge glucose levels. Among men, although positive associations with prevalent (OR 1.15, [0.94–1.41]) and incident (HR 1.24, [0.93–1.65]) diabetes were suggested in age-adjusted models, risk estimates attenuated to one after multivariable adjustment. CONCLUSIONS Higher fetuin-A concentrations were independently associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in older women but were not related to diabetes risk in older men. Fetuin-A may provide novel insights into mechanisms underlying sex differences in glucose homeostasis and diabetes risk in old age.
Particulate air pollution and susceptibility to the development of pulmonary tuberculosis disease in North Carolina: an ecological study

Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), environmental factors may influence disease progression. Ecologic studies conducted in countries outside the USA with high levels of air pollution and PTB have suggested a link between active disease and ambient air pollution. The present investigation is the first to examine the ambient air pollution-PTB association in a country, where air pollution levels are comparatively lower. We used Poisson regression models to examine the association of outdoor air pollutants, PM10 and PM2.5 with rates of PTB in North Carolina residents during 1993–2007. Results suggest a potential association between long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) and PTB disease. In view of the high levels of air pollution and high rates of PTB worldwide, a potential association between ambient air pollution and tuberculosis warrants further study.
Spark ignition of aerosols

An experimental investigation was carried out to determine the minimum spark ignition energy of monodisperse tetraline aerosols in a laminar gas flow. Results, presented in terms of spark ignition frequency, and for droplet sizes between 6.7 μm and 40 μm, showed: a relatively weak dependence on spark duration, an optimum spark gap width between 3 and 4 mm, an increase in minimum spark ignition energy with decreasing oxygen concentration in the gas, a decrease in spark ignition energy as the gas to fuel ratio decreased from lean to stoichiometric, a maximum ignition frequency depending on droplet size, and an optimum droplet size between 22 and 26 μm for minimum spark ignition energy. A model of droplet motion and vaporization allowed an estimation of the non-reactive fuel vapor concentration and droplet motion due to the spark discharge and was used for qualitative discussion of the experimental results.
Platelet Serotonin Transporter in Children and Adolescents with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or Tourette's Syndrome

ABSTRACT Previous studies of serotonin transporter protein (5HTPR) indexed in platelets by 3 H-imipramine demonstrate reduction in children with comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome (TS). Objective To use the 5HTPR selective ligand 3 H-paroxetine and homogeneous diagnostic groups to reevaluate these findings. Method Platelet kinetic binding parameters were evaluated using standard techniques from medication-free child and adolescent patients with OCD ( n = 18), with TS ( n = 10), and normal controls ( n = 19). Results Baseline binding capacity (B max ) was significantly reduced in patients with OCD (1,342 ± 952 fmol/mg protein; p p max values at baseline differentiated between responders (1,718 ± 1,041 fmol/mg) and nonresponders (802 ± 713 fmol/mg protein; p n = 10), baseline Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale and B max were positively correlated ( r = .76, p = .01), as was Clinical Global Impression ( r = .67, p = .03). Conclusions Platelet 5HTPR capacity (B max ) is reduced in children and adolescents with OCD, but not in those with TS. 5HTPR may be an indirect measure of basal serotonergic tone.
Comparative analysis of HPC and accelerator devices: Computation, memory, I/O, and power

The computing market constantly experiences the introduction of new devices, architectures, and enhancements to existing ones. Due to the number and diversity of processor and accelerator devices available, it is important to be able to objectively compare them based upon their capabilities regarding computation, I/O, power, and memory interfacing. This paper presents an extension to our existing suite of metrics to quantify additional characteristics of devices and highlight tradeoffs that exist between architectures and specific products. These metrics are applied to a large group of modern devices to evaluate their computational density, power consumption, I/O bandwidth, internal memory bandwidth, and external memory bandwidth.
Stevenson’s Careful Observances

In his own time, Robert Louis Stevenson was admired as a careful technician of language, a stylist to be put in the company of de Quincey or Pater. In our time, he is known primarily as the author of potboiling plot-driven Gothic tales and adventure yarns. Stevenson himself saw no contradiction in pursuing what Lionel Johnson called his “stylistic nicety and exactitude” in fiction aimed at the mass market, but critics both then and now have largely sidestepped the question of how to reconcile these twin allegiances. In this essay I read The Wrecker (1892), arguably the most densely plotted of Stevenson’s novels, as an extended meditation on the historicity of words. The novel continually calls attention to the “refractive” quality of certain keywords around which the story is structured. At the same time, The Wrecker is concerned with the dynamics of narrativity. It is concerned not just with the procedures by which fictional events are translated into intelligible story, but also with the many ways in which narratives are generated through collaboration: between writers and the literary traditions they work in, between writers and words in their historicity, between writers and their readers—real, imagined, and unforeseen.
Studies in the recent new genus record Pseudostachyum (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) from Thailand: notes on its taxonomy, distribution and habitat

A taxonomic review of the genus Pseudostachyum Munro in Thailand is presented including a description of its morphology, geographic distribution and habitat. An illustrated description of the newly recorded species P. polymorphum Munro, discovered in Thailand, is provided and a doubtful species, P. wakha Brandis ex Camus, is reduced to a synonym of P. polymorphum.
Synaptic vesicle proteins in exocytosis: what do we know?

Abstract Synaptic release of neurotransmitters is a fast process that is mediated by Ca2+-dependent exocytosis of synaptic vesicles. Several abundant membrane proteins of synaptic vesicles have been characterized at the molecular level but their function in synaptic vesicle traffic is poorly understood. Recent evidence suggests that some of these proteins are involved in exocytotic membrane fusion.
Adaptation of the Panorex II for use with rare earth screen-film combinations

A series of radiographs of a tissue-equivalent phantom was taken in order to arrive at satisfactory radiographic techniques for the use of rare earth screens with the Panorex II. The radiation reduction needed for use of the rare earth screens was made with various filters. There was a 40% to 60% reduction in patient exposure for all of the rare earth exposures. Raters agreed that all films that were ranked were diagnostically acceptable, although differences were noted.
Modified technique for using vascular sheaths in carotid artery stent placement.

PURPOSE To report a technical modification that will prevent sheath kinking in acutely angled vessels during carotid stent placement. TECHNIQUE If a long vascular sheath kinks when engaging an acutely angled common carotid or innominate artery, the sheath is pulled caudally approximately 2 cm while a 0.014-inch guidewire, supported by a coronary balloon catheter, is advanced toward the internal carotid artery (ICA). Alternatively, to avoid kinking, the original 0.035-inch super stiff wire is maintained within the sheath until the 0.014-inch wire and coronary balloon have exited the sheath's distal tip. CONCLUSIONS If an aortic arch is tortuous and the angle of the common carotid artery is unfavorable, a guiding catheter is preferable to a long vascular sheath for accessing the ICA during carotid stent procedures.
TRIPLET-STATE PROPERTIES AND SINGLET OXYGEN GENERATION IN A HOMOLOGOUS SERIES OF FUNCTIONALIZED FULLERENE DERIVATIVES

The main properties of the triplet states and the yields of singlet oxygen generation for a series of methano[60]fullerene adducts with increasing numbers of substituents were determined. The triplet properties investigated are energies, triplet−triplet absorption spectra, extinction coefficients, and quantum yields. A strong correlation is observed between several triplet properties and the topology of the fullerene core. Successive fragmentation of the chromophore of the parent C60 results in higher triplet energies and lower triplet quantum yields. In addition, singlet oxygen quantum yields (φΔ) were determined for all adducts and decrease as the area of the conjugated fullerene core decreases.
Racial Diversity and Change in Metropolitan Neighborhoods.

Abstract This study investigates the changing racial diversity and structure of metropolitan neighborhoods. We consider three alternative perspectives about localized racial change: that neighborhoods are bifurcating along a white/nonwhite color line, fragmenting into homogeneous enclaves, or integrating white, black, Latino, and Asian residents into diverse residential environments. To assess hypotheses drawn from these perspectives, we develop a hybrid methodology (incorporating the entropy index and majority-rule criteria) that offers advantages over previous typological efforts. Our analysis of 1990–2000 census tract data for the 100 largest US metropolitan areas finds that most neighborhoods are becoming more diverse and that members of all groups have experienced increasing exposure to neighborhood diversity. However, white populations tend to diminish rapidly in the presence of multiple minority groups and there has been concomitant white growth in low-diversity neighborhoods. Latino population dynamics have emerged as a primary force driving neighborhood change in a multi-group context.
An event-related fMRI investigation of phonological–lexical competition

This study explored the neural correlates of phonological-lexical competition and frequency on word recognition. An event-related fMRI experiment was conducted using an auditory lexical decision task in which word and nonword stimuli varied in terms of neighborhood density (high and low). Word stimuli also varied in terms of frequency (high and low). Behavioral results were similar to those of Luce and Pisoni [Luce, P. A., & Pisoni, D. B. (1998). Recognizing spoken words: The neighborhood activation model. Ear and Hearing, 19, 1-36], with the reaction time data showing a main effect of word frequency and density as well as a significant interaction effect between these two factors. fMRI results revealed an overall greater neural response for high-density compared to low-density words in the left supramarginal gyrus, consistent with the view that there are greater demands on phonological processing under conditions of increased phonological-lexical competition. The comparison between high and low frequency words revealed greater activation for high frequency words in both anterior and posterior left middle temporal gyrus. A significant interaction between density and frequency was found in lateral and medial frontal structures. This frontal activation may reflect the greater computational resources required in integrating frequency and density information in order to access a word. Overall, these findings demonstrate the sensitivity of neural structures to different properties of the lexicon.
Reduction potential and thermodynamic parameters of adrenodoxin by the use of an anaerobic thin-layer electrode☆

An enzymatic system to remove dissolved O2 in solution was applied to an optically transparent thin-layer electrode cell. This combination enabled the easy establishment of anaerobic conditions for the spectroelectrochemical study of O2-sensitive oxidation--reduction enzymes. By the use of the anaerobic cell with a small volume of 80 microliter, the formal reduction potential (E0) of adrenodoxin was found to be -250 +/- 2 mV vs a normal hydrogen electrode at 25 degrees C in a solution containing 0.1 M K-phosphate (pH 7.4) and 0.1 M KCl. Temperature-dependent experiments (5-25 degrees C) yielded the following thermodynamic parameters for the electron-transfer reaction of adrenodoxin: enthalpy (delta H0), -13.6 +/- 0.7 kcal/mol; entropy (S0red-S0ox), -49.6 +/- 2.4 eu. The large negative entropy value is quite unique among iron-sulfur proteins and heme proteins, suggesting that the protein structure changes dramatically upon one-electron reduction.
Decision rules for efficient classification of biological data

Cancer classification using genomic data is one of the major research areas in the medical field. Therefore, a number of binary classification methods have been proposed in recent years. Top Scoring Pair (TSP) method is one of the most promising techniques that classify genomic data in a lower dimensional subspace using a simple decision rule. In the present paper, we propose a supervised classification technique that utilizes incremental generalized eigenvalue and top scoring pair classifiers to obtain higher classification accuracy with a small training set. We validate our method by applying it to well known microarray data sets.
Paraffin Compression Due to the Rotary Microtome

The extent of compression of microtome sections has been studied for blocks with tissue and also blocks of clear paraffin. Thick sections are commonly compressed 15% or more, while in sections below 5 or 10 μ, compression may exceed 50%. Compensatory thickening of sections occurs. The degree of compression for various paraffin samples and for various conditions of knife edge, temperature, etc., is compared. Microscopical work, particularly where quantitative data or reconstructions are involved, is often seriously unpaired by unrecognized artifacts of sectioning. The present work indicates the magnitude of such artifacts. Compensation for distortions of sections is not easy because tissues, particularly dense tissues, may compress less than the paraffin matrix. Section corrugation is due to this inequality in compression. Absorption of water in section flattening causes some tissue readjustment, but this varies with different tissues and different fixations.
Characterization and the Regulation of Inhibin/Activin Subunit Proteins of Cultured Rat Anterior Pituitary Cells*

The production of inhibin/activin by cultured rat anterior pituitary cells was evaluated using specific antisera to inhibin/activin alpha, beta A, and beta B subunit proteins (anti-alpha, anti-beta A, and anti-beta B). Cellular or secreted proteins recognized by the antisera were immunoprecipitated from metabolically labeled cells then analyzed by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Immunoreactive inhibin/activin beta B proteins were visualized in both cell lysates and the media. Experiments with anti-beta B confirmed that activin-B (beta B beta B) is a local secretory product of cultured rat anterior pituitary cells. The secreted beta B-immunoreactive protein band had an apparent size of 24-25 kilodaltons (kDa) or 14-15 kDa, consistent with the size of unreduced beta B dimer or reduced monomer, respectively. Cell lysates contained two proteins that were specifically immunoprecipitated by anti-beta B. One of these had a mobility of greater than 95 kDa (unreduced) or 55-60 kDa (reduced), probabl...
Treatment of Urticaria Pigmentosa With Corticosteroids

• Based on a previous observation that the long-term application of potent topical corticosteroids under occlusion to normal skin resulted in the loss of mast cells, we investigated the effects of intralesional and topical steroids in urticaria pigmentosa (UP). Three patients with UP had lesions that were injected with triamcinolone acetonide. Four weeks after injection, all patients showed a loss of Darier's sign, and, by eight weeks after injection, there was a dramatic clearing of the plaques and a decrease in brown hyperpigmentation. By 12 weeks, mast cells were undetectable by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The injection sites remained dramatically improved for as long as one year after treatment, and histamine content was reduced 95% in one patient 48 weeks after injection. In six patients, the topical application of 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate under occlusion to limited areas induced almost complete clearing of UP lesions. Lesions treated with an emollient under occlusion, as a control, demonstrated no change. After treatment, no mast cells were seen by light microscopy or TEM, and this persisted for at least 24 weeks. There was also a significant decrease in tissue histamine levels in the treated areas. The treated areas remained clinically improved for at least nine to 12 months. These data indicate that steroid therapy dramatically decreases the excess number of normal-appearing mast cells in UP as well as induces a prolonged resolution of UP lesions. Local corticosteroids thus are a useful therapeutic modality for UP. ( Arch Dermatol 1985;121:1516-1523)
Independent component analyses for quantifying neuronal ensemble interactions

The goal of this study was to compare how multivariate statistical methods for dimension reduction account for correlations between simultaneously recorded neurons. Here, we describe applications of principal component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) (Cardoso J-F, Souloumiac A. IEE-Proc F 1993;140:362‐70; Hyvarinen A, Oja E. Neural Comput 1997;9:1483‐92; Lee TW, Girolami M, Sejnowski TJ. Neural Comp 1999;11:417‐41) to neuronal ensemble data. Simulated ensembles of neurons were used to compare how well the methods above could account for correlated neuronal firing. The simulations showed that ‘population vectors’ defined by PCA were broadly distributed over the neuronal ensembles; thus, PCA was unable to identify independent groupings of neurons that shared common sources of input. By contrast, the ICA methods were all able to identify groupings of neurons that emerged due to correlated firing. This result suggests that correlated neuronal firing is reflected in higher-order correlations between neurons and not simply in the neurons’ covariance. To assess the significance of these methods for real neuronal ensembles, we analyzed data from populations of neurons recorded in the motor cortex of rats trained to perform a reaction-time task. Scores for PCA and ICA were reconstructed on a bin-by-bin basis for single trials. These data were then used to train an artificial neural network to discriminate between single trials with either short or long reaction-times. Classifications based on scores from the ICA-based methods were significantly better than those based on PCA. For example, scores for components defined with an ICA-based method, extended ICA (Lee et al., 1999), classified more trials correctly (80.5891.25%) than PCA (73.1490.84%) for an ensemble of 26 neurons recorded in the motor cortex (ANOVA: PB0.005). This result suggests that behaviorally relevant information is represented in correlated neuronal firing and can be best detected when higher-order correlations between neurons are taken into account. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Assessment of the metabolic activity of bone grafts with 18F-fluoride PET

Purpose The aims of this prospective study were to evaluate quantitative approaches to 18F-fluoride positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in allogenic bone grafts of the limbs, and to assess the time course of graft healing after surgery.
Deep Inelastic Scattering from the AdS/CFT correspondence

Abstract We calculate [J.L. Albacete, Y.V. Kovchegov, and A. Taliotis, JHEP 07, 074 (2008), 0806.1484 ] the cross section of an ultra relativistic nucleus scattering on a q q ¯ pair at large coupling in N = 4 SUSY gauge theory. We study the problem in the context of the AdS/CFT correspondence [J.M. Maldacena, Adv. Theor. Math. Phys. 2 (1998) 231–252]. The nucleus is modeled as a gravitational shockwave in an AdS 5 background moving along the light cone. The dipole ( q q ¯ ) is represented by a Wilson loop moving in the opposite direction. Due to the correspondence, calculating the scattering amplitude of the Wilson loop with the nucleus, reduces to calculating the extreme value of the Nambu-Goto action for an open string. Its two end points are attached to the q q ¯ respectively and it hangs in an AdS5 shockwave spacetime. Six solutions are found two of which are physically meaningful. Both solutions predict that the saturation scale Q s at high enough energies becomes energy independent; in particular it behaves as Q s ∝ A 1 / 3 where A is the atomic number. One solution predicts pomeron intercept α p = 2 and agrees with [R.C. Brower, J. Polchinski, M.J. Strassler, and C.-I. Tan, JHEP 12 (2007) 005, [ hep-th/0603115 ]]. However, there is a parameter window of r (dipole size) and s (c.m. energy) where it violates the black disk limit. On the other hand, the other solution respects this limit and corresponds to pomeron intercept α p = 1.5 . We conjecture that this is the right value for gauge theories at strong coupling.
Palmar-plantar hyperhidrosis occurring in a kindred with nail-patella syndrome

Nail-patella syndrome (NPS) is an autosomal dominant genetic defect, which may be associated with, or closely linked to, the locus controlling palmar and plantar hyperhidrosis (HH). A clinical review of a family with NPS involving six generations was performed. Data were accumulated by personal examination and analysis of medical and family records for the traits characterizing NPS as well as the coincidence of HH. A family pedigree of each entity was constructed and the pedigree for HH was compared to the NPS pedigree. Thirty-three of sixty-eight members of the extended family were affected with NPS and nine members had HH. The NPS pedigree supported the previously known autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. The incidence of HH indicated a direct inheritance and occurred only in members affected with NPS. The pedigree provides evidence for concluding that HH occurred as a spontaneous mutation transmitted as an autosomal dominant trait closely linked to NPS or that HH represents a previous unrecognized associated disorder.
Analysis of Particle Tracking Errors Associated with Spatial Discretization

This paper addresses two particular problems which arise in particle tracking calculations because of the spatial discretization used in the block-centered finite-difference flow model. These two problems are: (1) the presence of a “weak” sink or source (i.e., a sink or source that does not result in complete inward or outward gradients on all interfaces of the cell containing the sink or source); and (2) the use of a model grid with varying vertical cell dimensions within an individual layer. While these problems can be mitigated by using a sufficiently fine spatial discretization, there are always computational and practical limitations on the number of model nodes. Two procedures are presented in this paper which minimize particle tracking errors associated with weak sinks/sources or vertically distorted grids. The first procedure uses an approximate analytical solution to define the velocity distribution inside a model cell containing a weak sink/source so that the capture of the particles entering the cell can be determined accurately. The second procedure establishes an automatic adjustment of the particle vertical coordinate according to the degree of vertical grid distortion. These procedures are shown to be effective, and improve the accuracy of particle tracking results under nonideal spatial discretizations.
Has the time come to recommend catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation as first-line therapy?

During the past decade, catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF) has evolved from being a novel unproven procedure for treatment of AF to its role today as an important, commonly performed treatment option for patients with symptomatic AF refractory to antiarrhythmic drug therapy. The 2012 Heart Rhythm Society, European Heart Rhythm Association, and European Society of Cardiology (HRS/EHRA/ECAS) expert consensus document1 on catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation provides a “class 1 level of evidence A” recommendation for catheter ablation of AF for patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation for whom treatment with at least 1 antiarrhythmic medication failed and a “class 2 level of evidence B” recommendation for patients with paroxysmal AF for whom antiarrhythmic drug therapy has not failed. Similar recommendations are made by the 2012 update of the European Society of Cardiology Atrial Fibrillation Guidelines.2
Vascular smooth muscle and the anisotropy of dog carotid artery.

Segments of dog carotid artery were held at in-situ length and studied in vitro after excitation of the muscle with norepinephrine and after poisoning of the muscle with potassium cyanide. In-situ length corresponded to a longitudinal strain of .57±.02 relative to the unstretched length. The longitudinal elastic modulus was about 4.1x106 dyn/cm2 at in-situ length and zero transmural pressure. This value was not altered by excitation of the vascular smooth muscle. The longitudinal stress due to traction decreased as the longitudinal stress due to transmural pressure increased, and it was suggested that this interaction underlies the relative constancy of vessel length in situ. The Poisson's ratio between the circumferential and longitudinal directions was about 0.3 and was found to decrease slightly with activation of the vascular muscle. The data for the longitudinal modulus and for Poisson's ratio were used to compute the circumferential elastic modulus. Activation of the muscle increased the circumferen...
The Marxist Conceptual Framework and the Origins of Totalitarian Socialism

One of the few things modern liberals, classical liberals, and conservatives can agree on is the charge that some of the worst features oftotalitarian socialist regimes have their origins in the writings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Nevertheless, the nature of this claim, and therefore the reasons for accepting or rejecting it, are oftenleft obscure.If it is understood simply as a causal statement, then it must be confirmed or disconfirmed by empirical social science. The political philosopher can at most assist by providing a clear characterization of the conceptual content of the beliefs which constitute the independent variable in the alleged causal relation: those beliefs concerning Marx's and Engels's thoughts which are said to have exerted the causal influence in question. Even if empirical research did showthat beliefs about Marxist theory were a significant causal influencein the rise of certain features of totalitarian socialism, this wouldbe of limited philosophical interest if the beliefs in question were misunderstandings of the theory and if the correct explanationof why these misunderstandings occurred appealed to factors external to the theory itself. However, it would be of considerable philosophical interest if correct beliefs about Marxist theory exerted a causalinfluence on some of the more undesirable aspects of totalitarian socialism, or if incorrect beliefs did and the existence of thesemisunderstandings could be traced to ambiguities or gaps in the Marxist theory itself. The political philosopher has a legitimate interestin the relationship between the writings of Marx and Engels on the rise of totalitarian socialism, not because he is interested in articulating and testing causal connections between beliefs and social phenomena in general, but because Marxist theory is supposed – by its authors – to inspire and guide change toward a better society.
Force potential for non-uniform-density fluids

Abstract Force potential for all fluid particles coincides with the potential constructed as the sum of mechanical energies of a separate particle only when particles are indistinguishable, i.e., when density of a fluid is uniform or varies only with depth. An error caused by the application of a potential model to a non-potential flow (the indefiniteness of the integral due to the multiplicity of ways of integration when density varies on horizontal planes) can be easily determined as the area in the plot of specific weight/depth.
Voltammetry and in-situ Fourier transform IR spectroscopy of two anthraquinone disulfonates adsorbed on graphite electrodes

Abstract 1,5- and 2,6-anthraquinone disulfonate irreversibly adsorbed on graphite electrodes were examined by cyclic voltammetry and in situ IR reflectance spectroscopy. Both adsorbed reactants exhibit multiple voltammetric peaks with magnitudes which change as the adsorption proceeds. Comparison of the voltammetric peaks with the IR spectroscopic responses, when they were present, indicated that the anthraquinones were adsorbed in configurations or on sites which changed with time and coverage. The results are consistent with a model in which each anthraquinone is initially adsorbed with its molecular plane parallel to the electrode surface but the orientation becomes more perpendicular to the surface as the adsorption proceeds.
Coexisting NPY and NE synergistically regulate renal tubular Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity.

Coexisting NPY and NE synergistically regulate renal tubular Na + , K + -ATPase activity. The sympathetic renal nerves are of central importance for the regulation of sodium balance. Sodium excretion decreases following renal nerve activation and increases following denervation. These effects have been attributed to norepinephrine (NE) acting on α-adrenergic receptors. In the present study, using isolated permeabilized rat renal proximal convoluted tubule (PCT) cells, neuropeptide Y (NPY) was shown to stimulate Na + , K + -ATPase activity. This 36-amino acid peptide is a messenger molecule in the sympathetic nervous system which is co-stored with NE and dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH), the NE synthesizing enzyme in the renal nerves. The effect is likely to be mediated via the NPY Y 2 receptor, a pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive G-protein, and calcium. It is partically antagonized by α-adrenergic antagonists, and enhanced by the subthreshold doses of α-adrenergic agonists. Our results suggest an important role for this peptide in the regulation of the sodium balance in the kidney.
Phonons in nanostructures: device applications

This review highlights the utility of the dielectric and elastic continuum models for describing phonons in nanostructures. The properties of confined, interface and propagating modes in wurtzite quantum-confined structures may be described theoretically in terms of the dielectric continuum and Loudon's model for uniaxial semiconductors. Moreover, dimensionally confined acoustic phonon modes in nanostructures and carbon nanotubes may be described in terms of the elastic continuum models.
Local inputs to aldosterone-sensitive neurons of the nucleus tractus solitarius.

Abstract Aldosterone-sensitive neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) become activated during sodium depletion and could be key neural elements regulating sodium intake. The afferent inputs to these neurons have not yet been defined, but one source may be neurons in the area postrema, a neighboring circumventricular organ that innervates the NTS and exerts a powerful inhibitory influence on sodium appetite [Contreras RJ, Stetson PW (1981) Changes in salt intake after lesions of the area postrema and the nucleus of the solitary tract in rats. Brain Res 211:355–366]. After an anterograde axonal tracer was injected into the area postrema in rats, sections through the NTS were immunolabeled for the enzyme 11-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (HSD2), a marker for aldosterone-sensitive neurons, and examined by confocal microscopy. We found that some of the aldosterone-sensitive neurons received close appositions from processes originating in the area postrema, suggesting that input to the HSD2 neurons could be involved in the inhibition of sodium appetite by this site. Axonal varicosities originating from the area postrema also made close appositions with other neurons in the medial NTS, including the neurotensin-immunoreactive neurons in the dorsomedial NTS. Besides these projections, a dense field of neurotensinergic axon terminals overlapped the distribution of the HSD2 neurons. Neurotensin-immunoreactive axon terminals were identified in close apposition to the dendrites and cell bodies of some HSD2 neurons, as well as unlabeled neurons lying in the same zone within the medial NTS. A local microcircuit involving the area postrema, HSD2 neurons, and neurotensinergic neurons may play a major role in the regulation of sodium appetite.
THE NATURE OF THE ANTAGONISM BY METHOXAMINE OF THE CHRONOTROPIC AND INOTROPIC EFFECTS OF CATECHOLAMINES.

Chronotropic and inotropic concentration-effect curves were determined concurrently with a preparation consisting of the right atrium of a guinea-pig, beating spontaneously, and a strip of the left atrium driven at a constant frequency. In concentrations below 10−4, M, methoxamine usually had no effect upon the strength or frequency of contraction; at higher concentrations it depressed both. Methoxamine produces an approximately parallel shift in the log concentration-effect curves for l-isoproterenol, l-norepinephrine, and l-epinephrine, the chronotropic and inotropic curves being shifted about equally. A substantial shift is produced by concentrations of methoxamine that have no inotropic or chronotropic actions themselves. The positive chronotropic effect of histamine is not influenced by methoxamine. The evidence obtained is consistent with the hypothesis that the methoxamine-isoproterenol antagonism is a simple competitive one with a pA2 of 5.2. The methoxamine-epinephrine antagonism is more complicated, possibly partly as a result of a depressant effect of epinephrine itself in high concentrations.