cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Selective His-bundle pacing in an adult with atrioventricular canal defect via retrograde His localization.

Abstract Adult congenital heart disease patients may undergo numerous fluoroscopically guided procedures including pacemaker implantation during their lifetime. One alternative to traditional pacemaker setup which may improve long-term pacing outcomes is His bundle pacing. Given the altered His-bundle location, and given increased radiation exposure over a lifetime, we used 3-dimensional mapping to locate the His and to minimize fluoroscopy for placement of a His-bundle pacemaker system in a 31-year old patient with atrioventricular canal defect and complete heart block with 100% RV pacing and epicardial lead fracture. Methods An Octapolar Livewire catheter (Abbott, Minneapolis, USA) was used for mapping and location of the His bundle from a right femoral venous access on the EnSite Precision system 3-dimensional mapping system (Abbott Medical, Abbott Park, IL). The same map was used to guide 3830 lead placement into the posterior-inferior His-bundle position. Results Successful placement of a His-bundle pacing system with thresholds of 1Volt@0.4ms for both the atrial and ventricular leads with selective His-bundle pacing noted. Ten-month follow-up demonstrated His-bundle capture at 0.75V@0.4ms with stable impedance, sensing and with 100% right ventricular pacing a projected longevity of 12 years total. Conclusions Successful placement of selective His-bundle pacing can be achieved in an adult patient with atrioventricular canal defect using 3-dimensional mapping.
Effects of Cell Phone Use on Caregiver Supervision and Child Injury Risk.

OBJECTIVE Unintentional injuries are the leading killer of children in the United States. Caregiver supervision decreases child injury risk; however, little research has examined the effects of distractions (e.g., cell phone use) on caregiver supervision and subsequent ability to protect children from injury. In particular, despite the prevalence of cell phone use, no research has examined the degree to which caregiver cell phone use may impair caregivers' ability to supervise their children effectively. The present study used a within-subjects design to examine whether caregiver cell phone use impacted caregiver vigilance and child engagement with potential hazards. METHODS A total of 51 caregiver-child dyads were observed in a pseudo hazards room across three conditions (cell phone distraction, pen-and-paper distraction, no distraction) to examine the effects of cell phone use on caregiver vigilance and child behavior (i.e., engagement with hazards) related to injury risk. RESULTS Caregiver vigilance was higher in the no distraction condition compared to the two distraction conditions (cell phone and pen-and-paper). Moreover, child engagement with hazards was lower in the no distraction condition than in the two distraction conditions. Although both distraction conditions impaired caregiver vigilance, caregivers were more impaired in the pen-and-paper condition compared to the cell phone condition. DISCUSSION Regardless the form, distracting tasks (both cell phone use and pen-and-paper task) impacted both caregiver and child behavior associated with injury risk. It is important that professionals working with parents educate them about the risks of supervising children while distracted and encourage mindful supervision to ensure safety.
Cities, commons, and the unilateral provision of public goods:

The rise of climate-active municipalities – cities and towns voluntarily creating carbon reduction policy substantially more stringent than their host countries or the international system as a who...
In the Shadow of Anti-Labor Law: Organizing and Collective Bargaining 60 Years after Taft-Hartley

The essays and commentary in this issue mark six decades since an overwhelming majority of Congressional Republicans and Democrats joined forces to vilify and castigate the specter of "big labor" haunting the postwar economy. In June of 1947, the U.S. had a new labor policy when both houses of Congress handily overrode Harry Truman's presidential veto to pass the Taft-Hartley Act amending the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. Future amendments to federal labor law have not mitigated the fundamental antilabor impact of Taft-Hartley. Despite tumultuous shifts in the U.S. and world economy and the precipitous decline in private-sector union membership, Taft-Hartley's amendments to the NLRA remain integral to the legal framework for twenty-first century labor relations. This regime of antilabor law provides the thematic backdrop for the essays and commentary in this special issue of Working USA.
L-Amino Acids Elicit Diverse Response Patterns in Taste Sensory Cells: A Role for Multiple Receptors.

Umami, the fifth basic taste, is elicited by the L-amino acid, glutamate. A unique characteristic of umami taste is the response potentiation by 5’ ribonucleotide monophosphates, which are also capable of eliciting an umami taste. Initial reports using human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells suggested that there is one broadly tuned receptor heterodimer, T1r1+T1r3, which detects L-glutamate and all other L-amino acids. However, there is growing evidence that multiple receptors detect glutamate in the oral cavity. While much is understood about glutamate transduction, the mechanisms for detecting the tastes of other L-amino acids are less well understood. We used calcium imaging of isolated taste sensory cells and taste cell clusters from the circumvallate and foliate papillae of C57BL/6J and T1r3 knockout mice to determine if other receptors might also be involved in detection of L-amino acids. Ratiometric imaging with Fura-2 was used to study calcium responses to monopotassium L-glutamate, L-serine, L-arginine, and L-glutamine, with and without inosine 5’ monophosphate (IMP). The results of these experiments showed that the response patterns elicited by L-amino acids varied significantly across taste sensory cells. L-amino acids other than glutamate also elicited synergistic responses in a subset of taste sensory cells. Along with its role in synergism, IMP alone elicited a response in a large number of taste sensory cells. Our data indicate that synergistic and non-synergistic responses to L-amino acids and IMP are mediated by multiple receptors or possibly a receptor complex.
A PRIME CURVE IS DETERMINED BY ITS VF-MATRIX

We show that a prime generic immersion S 1 ! S 2 is determined up to ambient isotopy by its vertex-face matrix, and give an algorithm for obtaining the curve's Gauss code directly from that matrix. 1. The VF-matrix of a curve
Application of spectral analysis techniques in the intercomparison of aerosol data: Part III. Using combined PCA to compare spatiotemporal variability of MODIS, MISR, and OMI aerosol optical depth

Satellite measurements of global aerosol properties are very useful in constraining aerosol parameterization in climate models. The reliability of different data sets in representing global and regional aerosol variability becomes an essential question. In this study, we present the results of a comparison using combined principal component analysis (CPCA), applied to monthly mean, mapped (Level 3) aerosol optical depth (AOD) product from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR), and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). This technique effectively finds the common space-time variability in the multiple data sets by decomposing the combined AOD field. The results suggest that all of the sensors capture the globally important aerosol regimes, including dust, biomass burning, pollution, and mixed aerosol types. Nonetheless, differences are also noted. Specifically, compared with MISR and OMI, MODIS variability is significantly higher over South America, India, and the Sahel. MODIS deep blue AOD has a lower seasonal variability in North Africa, accompanied by a decreasing trend that is not found in either MISR or OMI AOD data. The narrow swath of MISR results in an underestimation of dust variability over the Taklamakan Desert. The MISR AOD data also exhibit overall lower variability in South America and the Sahel. OMI does not capture the Russian wild fire in 2010 nor the phase shift in biomass burning over East South America compared to Central South America, likely due to cloud contamination and the OMI row anomaly. OMI also indicates a much stronger (boreal) winter peak in South Africa compared with MODIS and MISR.
Linear Free-Energy Relationships and the Dynamics of Gating in the Acetylcholine Receptor Channel

The muscle acetylcholine receptor channel (AChR) is a large (Mr ≅290K) transmembrane protein that mediates synaptic transmission. Theactivation of this ion channel can be understood in the framework of athermodynamic cycle with spontaneous gating (i.e., the closed ⇌ open reaction) and ligand-binding events as the elementary steps. Becauseagonists bind more tightly to the open than to the closed state, gating ofliganded receptors is more favorable than that of unliganded receptors.Accordingly, channel opening must involve two major conformationalchanges: the ACh-binding sites switch from a low-affinity to a high-affinityform, and the pore (located ∼ 45 A away from the binding sites)switches from an ion-impermeable to an ion-permeable conformation. Togain insight into the reaction mechanism of fully-liganded gating, wecharacterized the corresponding transition state in the context of the `linearfree-energy relationships' of physical organic chemistry (Φ-valueanalysis). Gating of fully-liganded AChRs was studied by recordingsingle-channel currents using the patch-clamp technique. Perturbations tothe wild-type receptor were either series of different mutations at individualpositions or series of different agonists. Based on the obtained `snapshot'of the gating reaction at the transition state, and aware of the lack ofinformation about the rest of the energy profile, the most parsimoniousmechanism seems to be one where opening proceeds asynchronously, withthe low-to-high affinity change at the binding sites preceding the completeopening of the distant pore.
The Staphylococcus aureus cidC gene encodes a pyruvate oxidase that affects acetate metabolism and cell death in stationary phase.

Summary The Staphylococcus aureus cid and lrg operons have previously been shown to affect murein hydrolase activity and antibiotic tolerance . Based on their similarities to the holin family of proteins it was proposed that the functions of the cidA and lrgA gene products are analogous to bacteriophage-encoded holin and antiholin proteins respectively. The cid operon expresses two overlapping transcripts, one that spans the cidA , cidB and cidC genes and whose expression is induced by the acetic acid generated by aerobic growth in the presence of excess glucose, and the other that spans the cidB and cidC genes only and is expressed in a sigma B-dependent manner. In the study presented here, we have focused primarily on the third gene of this operon, cidC . A sequence analysis of the cidC gene product suggested that it encodes a pyruvate oxidase that catalyses the oxidative decarboxylation of pyruvate yielding acetate and CO 2 . Indeed, a ferricyanide-based spectrophotometric assay revealed that the cidC mutant produced decreased pyruvate oxidase activity relative to the parental and complemented strains. In the presence of excess glucose the cidC mutant accumulated normal levels of acetic acid in the growth medium, likely because of the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. However, in contrast to the wild type and complemented strains, the pH of the cidC mutant culture began to increase gradually until it was able to utilize the acetate for a secondary round of growth. Finally, a mutation in cidA caused reduced cell lysis in stationary phase but only minimally affected cell death. These results indicate that the cidC gene product is involved in the generation of acetic acid that contributes to the cell death and lysis that occurs in high-glucose stationary phase cultures, while the cidA gene product, a putative holin, controls lysis of the dying cells.
Does reduced radiation dose adversely affect the ability to detect abnormal myocardial perfusion on computed tomography during vasodilator stress

The ability of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) to detect stress-induced myocardial perfusion abnormalities is of great clinical interest as a potential tool for the combined evaluation of coronary stenosis and its significance. However, stress testing requires repeated scanning, which is associated with additional radiation exposure and iodine contrast. Our goal was to determine the effects of reduced tube voltage and contrast dose on the ability to detect perfusion abnormalities. We studied 40 patients referred for CT coronary angiography (CTCA). Images were acquired at rest and during regadenoson stress (256-channel scanner, Philips) using 120kV tube voltage with 80–90 ml contrast in 20 patients and 100kV with 55–70 ml contrast in the remaining 20 patients. Custom software was used to define 3D myocardial segments and measure segmental x-ray attenuation. In each group of patients, myocardial attenuation was averaged for segments supplied by arteries with stenosis causing >50% narrowing on CTCA, and separately for segments supplied by arteries without significant stenosis. In both groups, myocardial attenuation was equally reduced in segments supplied by diseased arteries, despite the 74% reduction in radiation and the 28% reduction in contrast. Regadenoson stress MDCT imaging can detect hypoperfused myocardium even when imaging settings are optimized to provide a significant reduction in radiation and contrast doses.
Due Process in Law

This article assesses the history of the concept of due process in Anglo-American jurisprudence. While the actual phrase ‘due process of law’ first appeared in the Magna Carta, the concept of due process was transformed when the American colonists adopted it as a limiting principle not only on the use of executive power but also on the scope of the laws that could be passed. Due process protects substantive rights by requiring procedural regularity in the exercise of governmental power and insists that procedural regularity may not be altered by the normal operations of political power. In the twentieth century, due process law in the United States developed in three central phases – substantive, procedural, and functional due process – and these trends continue into the twenty-first century.
Control Parameters for Track Continuity of Cyclones Passing over the South-Central Appalachian Mountains

AbstractThe tracks of all 42 tropical cyclones (TCs) passing over the south-central Appalachians from the east or west during 1850–2011 are found to be continuous. By estimating the basic-flow and vortex Froude numbers, and the basic-flow and vortex Rossby numbers (U/Nh, Vmax/Nh, U/fLx, and Vmax/fR, respectively; where U is the basic-flow speed, Vmax is the maximum tangential wind speed, N is the buoyancy frequency, h is the mountain height, f is the Coriolis parameter, R is the radius of cyclone center to Vmax, and Lx is the mountain width), from the hurricane reanalysis data, the lack of track discontinuity is explained by weaker blocking associated with lower mountains. The track discontinuity is found to be mainly controlled by Vmax/Nh and Vmax/fR (greater than 1.5 and 4.0, respectively), and less sensitive to U/Nh and U/fLx, consistent with a previous study. It is hypothesized that stronger blocking associated with weaker near-surface tangential winds of extratropical cyclones tends to make their tra...
Proposal tips for the engineer: why the facts aren't enough

It is pointed out that all too frequently engineers assigned to prepare bids are unfamiliar with the persuasive nature of proposals. While they are fine technical experts, they may not understand how to translate that expertise into a document that influences a potential customer. The author addresses this problem and presents proposal tips to the engineer. It is noted that, like engineering endeavors, presenting a proposal is a disciplined, systematic process. It follows, then, that the successful use of a strategy involves systematic steps: evaluate the competitive situation, design the strategy, and incorporate it throughout the document. >
Concurrent and Longitudinal Relations Between Children’s Sleep and Cognitive Functioning: The Moderating Role of Parent Education

Relations between children's sleep and cognitive functioning were examined over 2 years, and race and socioeconomic status were assessed as moderators of effects. Third-grade African American and European American children (N = 166; M = 8.72 years) participated at Time 1 and again 2 years later (N = 132). At both Time 1 and Time 2, sleep was examined via self-report and actigraphy. Children were administered selected tests from the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities, and Stanford Achievement Test scores were obtained from schools. Children's sleep was related to intellectual ability and academic achievement. Results build substantially on an emerging literature supportive of the importance of sleep in children.
INTEGRATION OF HIGH TEMPERATURE GAS REACTORS WITH IN SITU OIL SHALE RETORTING

This paper evaluates the integration of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) to an in situ oil shale retort operation producing 7950 m3/D (50,000 bbl/day). The large amount of heat required to pyrolyze the oil shale and produce oil would typically be provided by combustion of fossil fuels, but can also be delivered by an HTGR. Two cases were considered: a base case which includes no nuclear integration, and an HTGR-integrated case.
Autonomic dysreflexia manifested by severe hypertension.

Background Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a sudden and exaggerated autonomic response to stimuli in patients with spinal cord injuries or dysfunction above the splanchnic sympathetic outflow (T5-T6). Hypertension is a relatively common manifestation of AD. Case report We describe a case of a young man with T4-T6 spinal cord tumor who developed severe hypertension before any other clinical feature of AD, leading to a subsequent clinical evaluation and the correct diagnosis. Treatment with labetalol was only partially successful in controlling the elevated blood pressure. Hypertension resolved immediately after bladder decompression. Conclusions AD manifested by severe hypertension is uncommon. Bladder decompression appears to be safe and effective for management of hypertension in patients with AD.
Stream restoration and the surprisingly social dynamics of science

Stream restoration is deeply shaped by social influences. A substantial body of literature has demonstrated the ways in which social dynamics shape myriad aspects of restoration practice. After illustrating these findings via brief reviews of existing research on public participation and environmental justice, I turn to the less commonly addressed influence of social dynamics on the practice and content of river science. I first review the approach and some of the key findings of Science and Technology Studies, a body of research that takes the practice of science as its empirical object of study. I then use the Rosgen Wars, a conflict that has strongly influenced the development of stream restoration science and practice in the United States, as a case study for examining the impacts of social dynamics on the practice of river scientists, the redistribution of scientific authority, and on fluvial landscapes more broadly. Given that is impossible to avoid social influences, I argue that it is crucial that we examine them, and that we choose research and implementation practices that reflect our ecological, scientific, and political commitments rather than passively accepting the existing commitments embedded in our work. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Yanomamö Interactive: The Ax Fight

Yanomamo Interactive: The Ax Fight. Biella. Peter. Napoleon A. Chagnon. and Gary Seaman. Harcourt Brace College Publishers: New York, 1997.
The metabolism of exogenous fatty acids by preimplantation mouse embryos developing in vitro

The utilization of fatty acids from the culture medium has been examined in preimplantation mouse embryos developing in vitro. Incorporation of exogenous fatty acid into embryo lipids was examined by culturing 8-cell mouse embryos for 2 h in a medium containing 0·1 HIM [9, 10-3H]palmitic acid (900 mCi/mmol). Lipids were extracted from the embryos, and the total lipid extract was fractionated into various neutral lipid and polar lipid classes by thin-layer chromatography. Most of the radioactivity, over 93 %, was recovered in neutral glycerides (mono- di-, and triacylglycerols). about 2% of the total radioactivity was recovered in other neutral lipid species including fatty acids, fatty alcohols, and sterol esters. The remainder of the radioactivity was recovered in polar lipids. Seventy-four per cent of the polar lipid radioactivity was present in the choline phosphatides. Other labelled phospholipid and glycolipid species included ethanolamine phosphatides, inositol and/or serine phosphatides, sphingomyelin, choline lysophosphatides, sulfatides, cerebrosides, and monoglycosylglycerides. Chemical degradation studies of labelled embryo lipids indicated that the tritium label was entering into embryo lipids as the fatty acid and not via metabolic recycling. The oxidation of exogenous fatty acids by mouse embryos was assessed by incubating variously staged embryos for 4h in medium containing 0·1 mM [U-14C]palmitic acid (50 mCi/mmol) and quantitating the production of 14CO2. The rate of fatty acid oxidation was found to be relatively constant from the unfertilized egg up to the 8-cell stage and then increase significantly between the 8-cell and late blastocyst stages. The results suggest that preimplantation mouse embryos developing in vitro can utilize fatty acids from the medium both for incorporation into embryo lipids and for energy production via oxidation.
Porous plate analog burner study of composite solid propellant flamestructure

A porous plate burner system for studying the structure and interaction of diffusion flames from adjacent unlike sources of oxidizer to simulate the behavior of solid propellant flames is presented. The passage of oxidizer gases through ports of determined diameters represents decomposing oxidizer crystals, and are adjustable for various oxidizer/fuel ratio experiments. Tests with air, ethane, oxygen, and oxygen-air mixtures are described, with parameters of flow rate, oxygen/fuel ratio, and pressure. Coarse ports are found to be oxidizer rich, while fine ports are stoichiometric. More heat feedback is found with fine ports, indicating that fine particle propellant systems burn faster unless fuel allocation is such that the reduced temperature overcomes the reduced diffusion length. Further observations on the interactions of flames are reported.
HIGHWAY HYPNOSIS: AN HYPOTHESIS.

Abstract The hypothesis is advanced that some accidents on modern superhighways may best be attributed to a form of naturally-occurring hypnosis. Factors conducive to trance induction, such as monotony and bright points of fixation, are discussed. Illustrative verbal reports of trance-like experiences while driving are presented. It is shown that hypnotized subjects can successfully perform complex driving behavior. Methods of minimizing the trance inductive effects while driving are discussed.
Markov chain analysis of IEEE 802.11 wireless networks with greedy behavior and heterogeneous traffic

In this paper, we investigate various greedy behavior scenarios that may appear in IEEE 802.11 wireless networks, and provide performances of the MAC layer using a two-dimensional Markov chain analytical model. We obtain the performance of greedy behaving nodes having different Poisson packet arriving rates for different wireless network topology structures and multiple greedy strategies. Besides the analytical results, we present also the simulation results.
An efficient power electronics solution for lateral multi-junction solar cell systems

Compared to a single junction solar cell, a multi-junction (MJ) solar cell can extract higher energy from sun by splitting the solar spectrum. Depending on the spectrum splitting techniques, two different structures of MJ solar cells are possible: vertical multijunction solar cell (VMJ) and lateral multijunction solar cell (LMJ). Both of these structures have their own advantages and limitations. LMJ solar cell has the potential to emerge as an effective solution for solar energy conversion although the availability of research materials on LMJ is limited compared to that of VMJ. In this paper, a complete photovoltaic (PV) power system constructed from lateral multijunction solar cells is proposed along with a new interconnection technique. The I/V characteristics of the solar cells have been matched in the proposed interconnection using a multi-input dc-dc converter. In order to ensure maximum power point (MPP) operation, particle swarm optimization algorithm is applied that requires only one maximum power point control for four solar modules resulting in cost and complexity reduction. Particle swarm optimization algorithm has the potential to track the global maxima of the system even under complex illumination situations. A complete functional system with the implementation of the proposed algorithm has been presented in this paper with relevant experimental results.
Circulating prostaglandin E2 concentrations and patent ductus arteriosus in fetal and neonatal lambs.

We used pregnant sheep and their fetuses as well as newborn lambs (with and without severe respiratory distress due to prematurity) to study the differences in plasma clearance rate, production rate, and circulating concentrations of immunoreactive PGE 2 . Fetal PGE 2 concentrations were significantly higher than simultaneous maternal concentrations. After delivery by cesarean section, all newborn animals were paralyzed and mechanically ventilated. The PGE 2 concentrations fell in those lambs that required only minimal ventilatory support (FI O 2 O 2 >0.55) continued to have concentrations that were even greater than fetal concentrations. The elevated PGE 2 concentrations in severely distressed lambs were due not only to a decreased plasma clearance rate but also to an increased production rate of PGE 2 . Since PGE 2 appears to maintain the patency of the ductus arteriosus in the fetus and preterm neonate, we examined the patency of the ductus arteriosus in 3-hour-old newborn lambs by radioactive microsphere injections. The ductus was more widely patent in lambs with higher concentrations of PGE 2 . The increased circulating concentrations of PGE 2 in newborn lambs with severe respiratory distress may contribute to the pathogenesis of patent ductus arteriosus by exerting an additional vasodilatory effect on the vessel.
Azole Drugs Are Imported By Facilitated Diffusion in Candida albicans and Other Pathogenic Fungi

Despite the wealth of knowledge regarding the mechanisms of action and the mechanisms of resistance to azole antifungals, very little is known about how the azoles are imported into pathogenic fungal cells. Here the in-vitro accumulation and import of Fluconazole (FLC) was examined in the pathogenic fungus, Candida albicans. In energized cells, FLC accumulation correlates inversely with expression of ATP-dependent efflux pumps. In de-energized cells, all strains accumulate FLC, suggesting that FLC import is not ATP-dependent. The kinetics of import in de-energized cells displays saturation kinetics with a Km of 0.64 uM and Vmax of 0.0056 pmol/min/108 cells, demonstrating that FLC import proceeds via facilitated diffusion through a transporter rather than passive diffusion. Other azoles inhibit FLC import on a mole/mole basis, suggesting that all azoles utilize the same facilitated diffusion mechanism. An analysis of related compounds indicates that competition for azole import depends on an aromatic ring and an imidazole or triazole ring together in one molecule. Import of FLC by facilitated diffusion is observed in other fungi, including Cryptococcus neoformans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Candida krusei, indicating that the mechanism of transport is conserved among fungal species. FLC import was shown to vary among Candida albicans resistant clinical isolates, suggesting that altered facilitated diffusion may be a previously uncharacterized mechanism of resistance to azole drugs.
Cys−Cys Cross-Linking Shows Contact between the N-Terminus of Lethal Factor and Phe427 of the Anthrax Toxin Pore

Electrophysiological studies of wild-type and mutated forms of anthrax protective antigen (PA) suggest that the Phe clamp, a structure formed by the Phe427 residues within the lumen of the oligomeric PA pore, binds the unstructured N-terminus of the lethal factor and the edema factor during initiation of translocation. We now show by electrophysiological measurements and gel shift assays that a single Cys introduced into the Phe clamp can form a disulfide bond with a Cys placed at the N-terminus of the isolated N-terminal domain of LF. These results demonstrate direct contact of these Cys residues, supporting a model in which the interaction of the unstructured N-terminus of the translocated moieties with the Phe clamp initiates N- to C-terminal threading of these moieties through the pore.
Neurological deficits during treatment with tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists

Abstract Introduction Neurological deficits that occur during treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antagonists are rare, and their clinical features have not been fully elucidated. Methods Retrospective review of medical records of 9 patients who were given TNF-α antagonists, subsequently developed neurological deficits and were cared for at the Medical University of South Carolina between January 2002 and May 2010. Adverse drug reaction probability scale was used for the assessment of their causal connection. Results The underlying diseases for which TNF-α antagonists were administered included rheumatologic disorders (4), sarcoidosis (3), psoriasis (1) and Crohn’s disease (1). Etanercept, infliximab or adalimumab was administered to these patients. Neurological complications included central or peripheral demyelination (5), antiphospholipid syndrome/central nervous system lupus (1), Epstein-Barr virus encephalitis (1), axonal sensory polyneuropathy (1) and small fiber polyneuropathy (1). TNF-α antagonists were discontinued in 8 patients and clinical improvement was seen in 3 of them. Additional therapies were given in 4 patients. An adverse drug reaction probability score suggested probable (3/9) and possible (6/9) causal relationships. Conclusions Neurological deficits that develop during treatment with TNF-α antagonists are relatively rare but important potential complications of these drugs. Determining if the relationship between the neurological deficits and TNF-α antagonist therapy is causal can be challenging and can impact patient care.
Subsurface mapping of a buried paleoindian living surface, Lime Creek site, Nebraska, USA

Analysis of continuous core and drill cuttings from drill holes was compared and correlated to data obtained from bore hole geophysical logs to obtain subsurface stratigraphic information at the Lime Creek Paleoindian site, southern Nebraska. The analysis of these bore holes indicated that sedimentary layers and a significant buried soil horizon could be correlated throughout the preserved terrace fill at the site. Geophysical information obtained in well bores in 1993 was compared to lithologic and radiocarbon data from recent core holes and then integrated with archaeological profiles and artifacts collected between 1947 and 1950. A paleotopographic analysis of the soil horizon where the majority of the artifacts were discovered was then made. This ancient living surface was found to have developed on the banks of an abandoned channel, now deeply buried, that ran parallel to modern Lime Creek about 10,000 B.P. Paleoindian people likely camped on the banks of this channel, protected from cold northerly winds by a large bluff to the north of the site. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Fistulae in a Canine Model

Various diagnostic techniques currently are used to detect the presence of a cerebrospinal fluid fistula. High resolution computerized tomography scanning with the instillation of an intrathecal nonionic contrast medium yields the most accurate diagnostic results. Occasionally, even with optimal conditions, little information is gained other than the confirmation of the presence of a fistula. Intrathecal fluorescein can provide accurate information on the exact location of the fistula. The current study was designed to refine the clinical examination for cerebrospinal fluid fistulae with the use of intrathecal fluorescein. The canine model that we used also served as a vehicle to investigate the histopathologic effects of fluorescein on the central nervous system. We modified a commonly used xenon light source to enable examination with 490 nm light. In the canine model, this allowed accurate visualization of surgically created fistulae using very low doses of intrathecal fluorescein. An examination of the histopathologic features of the central nervous system of the canine model after acute instillation of a higher dose of fluorescein revealed microscopic changes consistent with the introduction of an irritant material. The changes induced by the chemical trauma may explain the serious neurologic sequelae sometimes seen in patients after the instillation of intrathecal fluorescein. Recommendations on the correct dosage of intrathecal fluorescein for diagnosis of cerebrospinal fluid fistulae are proposed.
Physiology: Cost-free longevity in mice?

Studies of worms have revealed hundreds of proteins that, when mutated, extend lifespan. Can this work tell us anything about mammalian ageing? A look at the effects of one such protein on lab mice suggests that it can.
Effect of residual slow pathway function on the time course of recurrences of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia after radiofrequency ablation of the slow pathway.

Abstract Some centers have suggested complete elimination of slow pathway function to ensure a successful long-term outcome after slow pathway ablation to eliminate AVNRT. 1 The results of the present study demonstrate that this may not be necessary. As long as an isoproterenol infusion is administered and AVNRT is no longer inducible, residual slow pathway function with or without a single AV nodal echo beat is an adequate end point for the ablation procedure. Once the inducibility of AVNRT has been eliminated, attempts to completely ablate the slow pathway may serve only to prolong the procedure and to expose the patient and the operators to unnecessary radiation exposure.
Evidence for a time-dependent crossover from surfacelike to bulklike flux relaxation in YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 − δ

dc flux-relaxation experiments were performed on single crystals of ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$ at low magnetic fields. A sharp, time-dependent crossover in the logarithmic magnetization decay rate was observed in two different crystals. Consideration of the size dependence of the relaxation rate in one of the ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$ crystals suggests that the crossover in the relaxation rate is due to a transition from surface-controlled to bulk-controlled relaxation behavior. Our observations seem to indicate that, over a certain range of temperatures and magnetic fields, surface pinning may play a significant role in the flux-relaxation behavior of ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$.
The controlled release of drugs from emulsified, sol gel processed silica microspheres

Controlled release silica sol gels are room temperature processed, porous, resorbable materials with generally good compatibility. Many molecules including drugs, proteins and growth factors can be released from sol gels and the quantity and duration of the release can vary widely. Processing parameters render these release properties exquisitely versatile. The synthesis of controlled release sol gels typically includes acid catalyzed hydrolysis to form a sol with the molecules included. This is then followed by casting, aging and drying. Additional steps such as grinding and sieving are required to produce sol gel granules of a desirable size. In this study, we focus on the synthesis of sol gel microspheres by using a novel process with only two steps. The novelty is related to acid-base catalysis of the sol prior to emulsification. Sol gel microspheres containing either vancomycin (antibiotic) or bupivacaine (analgesic) were successfully synthesized using this method. Both drugs showed controlled, load dependent and time dependent release from the microspheres. The in vitro release properties of sol gel microspheres were remarkably different from those of sol gel granules produced by grinding and sieving. In contrast to a fast, short-term release from granules, the release from microspheres was slower and of longer duration. In addition, the degradation rate of microspheres was significantly slower than that of the granules. Using various mathematical models, the data reveal that the release from sol gel powder is governed by two distinct phases of release. In addition, the release from emulsified microspheres is delayed, a finding that can be attributed to differences in surface properties of the particles produced by emulsification and those produced by casting and grinding. The presented results represent an excellent data set for designing and implementing preclinical studies.
Infrared emission from X-ray binaries - IRAS observations

Theoretical calculations show that detectable amounts of FIR radiation can be produced by accretion disks around compact sources. Here, the HEAO A-1 Catalog (Wood et al., 1984) and Bradt and McClintock (1983) are used to select a likely set of candidate sources, and the IRAS Point Source Catalog and IRAS Serendipitous Survey Catalog are used to search for characteristic IR emission from sources in fields around them. Eighty-one candidates with 242 IRAS field sources were examined and color corrected. Eight of these have IR flux measurements which are consistent with emisison from an accretion disk S/N, although other mechanisms for their IR emission cannot yet be ruled out. Most have poor positional corespondences and must be considered suspect as identifications.
Genetic Resistance to Lethal Flavivirus Encephalitis. II. Effect of Immunosuppression

Genetic resistance of C3H/RV mice to lethal infection with Banzi virus (flavivirus) was severely compromised by immunosuppression with cyclophosphamide, sublethal X-irradiation, or thymus (T-) cell depletion. The mortality rate among immunosuppressed mice was usually 100%, but average survival times were shorter for mice treated with cyclophosphamide or for X-irradiated mice (10 days) than for T-cell-depleted mice (17 days). Mice treated with cyclophosphamide had high titers of virus in brain, lymphoid tissues, pancreas, and serum. Viral antigen was widespread in brain and pancreas, and mice developed nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis and pancreatitis. Yields of virus, spread of viral antigen, and lesions in T-cell-depleted mice were similar but less severe. Mice treated with cyclophosphamide did not have detectable hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody. T-cell-depleted mice developed hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody but were not protected from lethal infection. These results indicate that genetic resistance of C3H/RV mice to Banzi virus requires immunological factors, and that T-cells play a significant role in resistance to infection with Banzi virus.
2,3,7,8-TCDD Effects on Visual Structure and Function in Swim-Up Rainbow Trout

An understanding of mechanisms of contaminant effects across levels of biological organization is essential in ecotoxicology if we are to generate predictive models for population-level effects. We applied a suite of biochemical, histological, and behavioral end points related to visual structure and function and foraging behavior to evaluate effects of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on swim-up rainbow trout. We detected a dose-dependent decrease in densities of retinal ganglion cells (RGC), key retinal neurons that link the eye with the brain. These changes resulted in corresponding deficits in visual/motor function including reductions in visual acuity and in scotopic and photopic thresholds due to TCDD. The loss of RGCs suggests an increase in convergence of synapses from photoreceptors to RGCs as a cellular mechanism for the visual deficits. Dose-dependent increases in immunohistochemical detection of CYP1A protein in the vasculature of the brain and eye choroid was proportional with decre...
The acute effects of nicotine on positive and negative affect in adolescent smokers

Although adolescent cigarette smoking remains a critical public health concern, little is known about the reinforcing mechanisms governing smoking in this vulnerable population. To assess predictions derived from both positive and negative reinforcement models of drug use, the authors measured the acute effects of nicotine, as administered via tobacco cigarettes, on both positive and negative affect in a group of 15- to 18-year-old smokers. A matched group of nonsmokers served as a comparison group. Findings revealed that whereas adolescents who smoked a cigarette experienced reductions in both positive and negative affect, the observed reductions in negative affect were moderated by nicotine content of the cigarette (high yield vs. denicotinized), level of nicotine dependence, level of baseline craving, and smoking expectancies pertinent to negative affect regulation. Nonsmokers experienced no change in affect over the 10-min assessment period, and no interaction effects were observed for positive affect. Overall, the findings conform to a negative reinforcement model of nicotine effects and strongly suggest that, even among young light smokers, nicotine dependence and resultant withdrawal symptomatology may serve as motivating factors governing smoking behavior.
Temperature-sensitive membrane association of pp60src in tsNY68-infected cells correlates with increased tyrosine phosphorylation of membrane-associated proteins.

Abstract Incubation of membrane vesicles from normal and Rous sarcoma virus-transformed chick embryo fibroblasts (CEF) with [γ- 32 P]ATP resulted in the phosphorylation of a large number of proteins. The major differences observed between the membrane vesicles of untransformed and transformed cells were: (1) a 5- to 10-fold increase in the proportion of labeled phosphotyrosine in transformed vesicles and (2) the phosphorylation of pp60 src in vesicles from transformed cells. Of the many proteins labeled, in vitro , only pp60 src was immunoprecipitated by TBR serum. Phosphorylation of the immunoprecipitated pp60 src occurred on tyrosine in the 26-kDa carboxy-terminal Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease fragment. pp60 src was not phosphorylated in vitro in membrane vesicles prepared from tsNY68-infected cells grown at the nonpermissive temperature. The proportion of labeled phosphotyrosine in membrane proteins from tsNY68-infected cells grown at the nonpermissive temperature was only slightly increased relative to that observed in membranes prepared from normal cells. Subcellular fractionation indicated that while pp60 src was membrane associated in tsNY68-infected cells grown at the permissive temperature, pp60 src was chiefly soluble in tsNY68-infected cells grown at the nonpermissive temperature. Temperature-sensitive membrane association of pp60 src in tsNY68-infected cells was also observed by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy. When membranes were prepared from tsNY68-infected cells that had been downshifted from the nonpermissive to the permissive temperature, the reappearance of in vitro phosphorylated pp60 src and the increase in the proportion of labeled phosphotyrosine in membrane vesicles correlated with the kinetics of src immune complex kinase reactivation and membrane association of pp60 src .
A monoenergetic 6130-keV gamma-ray source for detector calibration

Abstract : A monoenergetic 6130-keV gamma-ray source based upon the reaction 13C(alpha, n)16O has been fabricated using 244Cm as the alpha source. (Author)
Erosive Burning of Solid Rocket Propellants—A Revisit

A solid-propellant rocket motor test that exhibited unexpected erosive burning led to an extensive literature review of the subject. A qualitative theory that explains why higher burning-rate propellants are less prone to erosive burning, why propellants with similar burn rates have similar erosive behavior, and why erosive burning decreases as motor size increases evolved. The decrease in erosive burning with increasing motor size is caused by a decrease in the gas velocity that causes turbulence at the flame zone. This is predicted based on equations for the developing laminar boundary-layer velocity profile on a flat plate in compressible flow. The erosive burning data in the literature correlate well with the specific mass velocity, and useful equations for the ballistician are provided.
Cigarette smoking and colorectal carcinoma mortality in a cohort with long-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that colorectal carcinoma (CRC) may be a tobacco-associated malignancy. METHODS In the current study, the authors examined the association between cigarette smoking and CRC mortality in the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry study, a cohort of 39,299 men and women with an average of 26 years of follow-up. To assess whether the association was stronger in participants with a potentially long history of smoking, the authors also stratified the analysis using a baseline age ≥ 50 years versus < 50 years. RESULTS Using multivariate Cox regression analysis, there was a marginally significant trend (P = 0.06) for men and women combined between smoking and CRC mortality. In the age-stratified analysis in the older participant group, there was no apparent association for men, women, or men and women combined. In the younger participant group, there appeared to be dose-response relations for women and for men and women combined (P value for trend = 0.008 and 0.03, respectively) between smoking and CRC mortality. The relative risk for women who smoked >20 cigarettes/day compared with never smokers was 2.49 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.87–7.12), and was 1.87 for men and women combined (95% CI, 1.08–3.22). CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study support an association between cigarette smoking and CRC mortality, particularly in women age < 50 years. Cancer 2004;100:288–93. © 2003 American Cancer Society.