cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intratesticular injection as a method to assess the potential toxicity of various agents and to study mechanisms of normal spermatogenesis.

To better understand, to optimize, and to validate the technique of intratesticular (i.t.) injection, several parameters related to i.t. injection were examined. Volumes exceeding 50 microliters could be injected i.t.; however, testes frequently became excessively turgid and backflow of injected fluids occurred. Thus, a volume of 50 microliters or less was deemed optimal for injection. To determine the rate of distribution of substances throughout the testis, trypan blue was injected i.t. near the caudal pole of the testis, and the movement of dye was monitored. Within 2 min, the dye had spread approximately 1 cm from the site of injection, and in 5 min it had spread twice that distance. In 2 h, the dye had become distributed throughout the testis except at its extreme cranial pole. Seminiferous tubules did not take up dye, indicating that the spread of dye was via peritubular lymphatics. Seminiferous tubule histology appeared virtually unaffected by i.t. injection, even at regions adjacent to the site of injection, when a sterile 26-gauge or smaller bore needle was utilized. To determine disappearance from the testis, radiolabeled inulin was injected i.t. Half time for absorption was achieved at 1.75 h. Potential vehicles were explored in which compounds with a variety of physical properties could be injected. Gum tragacanth, normal saline, ethylene glycol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) mixed 1:1 with normal saline, sesame oil, and propylene glycol were found to be suitable injection vehicles, whereas ethanol, dissolved in normal saline in concentrations as low as 0.5% was found unsuitable. To assess vehicle efficiency, various vehicles were utilized with a known testicular toxin (taxol) and injected into one testis, and the histology was compared with the contralateral testis injected with vehicle alone. All vehicles, found suitable above, allowed dispersion of taxol to influence areas distant from the site of injection. Intratesticular injection assesses the potential of agents to directly affect the testis, and systemic metabolism is avoided. Their rapid spread throughout the lymphatics of the testes allows seminiferous tubules to be exposed to agents in innocuous vehicles more rapidly and in higher concentration than is often possible when using systemic injections.
Renunciation and Non-Renunciation in Indian Films

Article discussing the renunciation and non-renunciation in Indian films. The author reviews several films to analyze the portrayal of ascetics and householders.
Taking the sting out of lumbar puncture

Ultrasound guided procedures seem less likely to fail Lumbar puncture remains an important and commonly performed diagnostic procedure,1 but training for its performance is not standardized.2 Although most diagnostic lumbar punctures are performed by neurologists, hospitalists, emergency department physicians, and pediatricians, physicians in many different specialties should have some experience with lumbar punctures and may on occasion need to perform one. A well designed linked systematic review and meta-analysis by Shaikh and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.f1720) investigates the benefit of using ultrasound guidance when performing lumbar puncture in routine diagnostic and therapeutic settings and in the performance of epidural catheterizations, mainly for giving anesthesia.3 The meta-analysis looked at 14 randomized studies with results from more than 1300 participants. It found a significant risk reduction for the primary outcome measure of failed procedures for ultrasound guided compared with the traditional anatomic approach to lumbar puncture. Failed procedures were defined conservatively as any failure to achieve the goals intended for the procedure. Epidural catheterizations were judged equivalent …
Endotoxin impairs agonist-stimulated intracellular free calcium (Cai) responses in freshly dispersed aortic endothelial cells

Impairment in endothelial cell intracellular free calcium (Ca(i)) mobilization mechanisms may contribute to decreased nitric oxide (NO) biosynthesis and impaired vasorelaxation responses of endotoxemic guinea pigs to endothelium-dependent vasodilators. We tested this hypothesis using fura-2 microfluorometry to compare agonist-stimulated Ca(i) responses of aortic endothelial cells freshly dispersed from guinea pigs 16 h after intraperitoneal injection of Escherichia coli endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS; 4 mg/kg) or saline (CON). In the presence of normal extracellular Ca2+ (2 mmol/L), basal (non-stimulated) endothelial Ca(i) (340/380 nm fluorescence ratio, R) was not different between CON and LPS cells (1.1 +/- 0.03 and 1.1 +/- 0.03, respectively). However, exposure to ADP (10 micromol/L) produced a biphasic increase in Ca(i) that was markedly decreased in cells from LPS-treated animals (P < 0.0001). Peak ADP-stimulated Ca(i) responses averaged 2.2 +/- 0.21 in CON cells and 1.5 +/- 0.11 (P < 0.01) in cells dispersed from LPS-treated animals. Exposure to acetylcholine (ACh; 10 micromol/L) produced sustained increases in Ca(i) (R = 1.4 +/- 0.13) in CON cells; however, LPS abolished Ca(i) responses to ACh. Exposure of endothelial cells to substance P (100 nmol/L) produced a biphasic increase in Ca(i) that was not different between groups. In the absence of extracellular Ca2+ (plus 10 micromol/L EGTA), exposure to ADP (10 micromol/L) produced transient increases in Ca(i) (Ca2+ release) that were decreased in cells from LPS-treated versus CON animals. Exposure to ACh in zero Ca2+ (10 micromol/L) produced smaller increases in Ca(i) (peak R = 1.3 +/- 0.12) in CON cells (when compared to ADP); however, Ca(i) responses to ACh remained absent in cells from LPS-treated animals. Re-exposure to Ca2+ produced sustained ACh-induced Ca(i) responses (Ca2+ influx) in cells from CON, but not LPS-treated animals; LPS markedly impaired (P< 0.05) ADP-induced sustained Ca(i) responses. Our data demonstrate that in vivo LPS exposure elicits decreased agonist-stimulated endothelial Ca(i) responses primarily involving impaired Ca2+ influx mechanisms. Known dependence of endothelial agonist-stimulated NO synthesis on Ca(i) suggests that defects in cell Ca2+ mobilization may contribute to LPS-induced impaired NO biosynthesis and decreased endothelium-dependent relaxation.
Experimental evaluation of terrestrial LiDAR-based surface roughness estimates

The rapid proliferation of portable, ground-based light detection and ranging (LiDAR) instruments suggests the need for additional quantitative tools complementary to the commonly invoked digital terrain model (DTM). One such metric is surface roughness, which is a measure of local-scale topographic variability and has been shown to be effective for mapping discrete morphometric features, i.e., fractures in outcrop, landslide scarps, and alluvial fan deposits, to name a few. Several surface roughness models have been proposed, the most common of which is based on the standard deviation of point distances from a reference datum, e.g., DTM panels or best-fit planes. In the present work, we evaluate the accuracy of these types of surface roughness models experimentally by constructing a surface of known roughness, acquiring terrestrial LiDAR scans of the surface at 25 dual-axis rotations, and comparing surface roughness estimates for each rotation calculated by three surface roughness models. Results indicate that a recently proposed surface roughness model based on orthogonal distance regression (ODR) planes and orthogonal point-to-plane distance measurements is generally preferred on the basis of minimum error surface roughness estimates. In addition, the effects of terrestrial LiDAR sampling errors are discussed with respect to this ODR-based surface roughness model, and several practical suggestions are made for minimizing these effects. These include (1) positioning the laser scanner at the largest reasonable distance from the scanned surface, (2) maintaining half-angles for individual scans at less than 22.5°, and (3) minimizing occlusion (shadowing) errors by using multiple, merged scans with the least possible overlap.
Performance is the prize: Language competence and performance among AAC users

The acquisition of language by children who are nonspeaking is associated with special concerns that are sometimes overlooked. A newer view of language competence and performance suggests that, rather than being simply a front for underlying language competence, language performance is what a person really knows about language. Under this view, what the person knows is actually different in different contexts, when different modalities are used for input and output, and when different levels of support are available from the environment. Implications are considered for assessing and fostering development in the domains of phonology, lexicon, syntax, morphology, speech acts, conversation, and discourse. The “domain model” is combined with Snow's (1991) “task model” of communicative competence, which encompasses the dimensions of audience, background, and message. The combined models may be used for designing systematic assessment and intervention activities to help children develop into competent, literate...
Molecular Forms of Acetylcholinesterase: Regulation in a Testosterone-Sensitive Nerve-Muscle Axis

: We measured the distribution of molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in muscles of a song bird, the zebra finch, and found a pattern similar to those reported in other vertebrates. As in other species, the most rapidly sedimenting form of the enzyme decreases to barely detectable levels following denervation. In the muscles of the syrinx, castration causes a large decrease in AChE activity, but has little or no effect on the relative abundance of AChE forms. This suggests that the number of AChE catalytic sites is changing without affecting the distribution of catalytic sites among the molecular forms. This is in marked contrast with the effect of denervation in the syrinx, which causes changes in the distribution of activity, as well as in total activity.
Zinc (hydr)oxide/graphite oxide/AuNPs composites: Role of surface features in H2S reactive adsorption

Abstract Zinc hydroxide/graphite oxide/AuNPs composites with various levels of complexity were synthesized using an in situ precipitation method. Then they were used as H2S adsorbents in visible light. The materials’ surfaces were characterized before and after H2S adsorption by various physical and chemical methods (XRD, FTIR, thermal analysis, potentiometric titration, adsorption of nitrogen and SEM/EDX). Significant differences in surface features and synergistic effects were found depending on the materials’ composition. Addition of graphite oxide and the deposition of gold nanoparticles resulted in a marked increase in the adsorption capacity in comparison with that on the zinc hydroxide and zinc hydroxide/AuNP. Addition of AuNPs to zinc hydroxide led to a crystalline ZnO/AuNP composite while the zinc hydroxide/graphite oxide/AuNP composite was amorphous. The ZnOH/GO/AuNPs composite exhibited the greatest H2S adsorption capacity due to the increased number of OH terminal groups and the conductive properties of GO that facilitated the electron transfer and consequently the formation of superoxide ions promoting oxidation of hydrogen sulfide. AuNPs present in the composite increased the conductivity, helped with electron transfer to oxygen, and prevented the fast recombination of the electrons and holes.
Wafer embedding: Specimen selection in electron microscopic cytochemistry with osmiophilic polymers

A new wafer embedding procedure is described that permits light microscopic screening of embedded tissue prior to ultrathin sectioning. It is particularly valuable when used on specimens obtained with an automatic sectioner and treated cytochemically to obtain visible intermediate or visible and electron opaque final reaction products. Aldehyde-fixed tissues are cut into sections with an automatic sectioner, incubated cytochemically including osmication if required, then embedded in epoxy resin between fluorocarbon-coated coverglasses which are supported by a platform specially designed for this purpose. The resultant wafer, less than 0.2 mm thick, is examined by light microscopy for optimal areas of cytochemical reaction and desirable structural features. Such areas are cut out and glued to blank blocks with fast curing cyanoacrylate cement for subsequent ultrathin sectioning. The usefulness of this technique is demonstrated by the location of: (1) esterase-positive lysosomes in kidney and trigeminal ganglia; (2) palatal sensory endings stained for acetylcholinesterase; and (3) phagosomes arising from the resorption of horseradish peroxidase tracer by the cuboidal parietal epithelial cells of Bowman's capsule in the male mouse.
Role of Water and Carbonates in Photocatalytic Transformation of CO2 to CH4 on Titania

Using the electron paramagnetic resonance technique, we have elucidated the multiple roles of water and carbonates in the overall photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to methane over titania nanoparticles. The formation of H atoms (reduction product) and •OH radicals (oxidation product) from water, and CO3− radical anions (oxidation product) from carbonates, was detected in CO2-saturated titania aqueous dispersion under UV illumination. Additionally, methoxyl, •OCH3, and methyl, •CH3, radicals were identified as reaction intermediates. The two-electron, one-proton reaction proposed as an initial step in the reduction of CO2 on the surface of TiO2 is supported by the results of first-principles calculations.
A compact nX DC-DC converter for photovoltaic power systems

A compact nX dc-dc converter-based PV power system is proposed to perform the power electronic interface with small size, light weight, low cost, high efficiency, and suitable for high temperature of solar power. The 1-kW 8X dc-dc converter prototype is built to investigate its performances, including size, weight, voltage gain, and efficiency. The results verify the 8X dc-dc converter best suitable for PV power system, due to its small size (7 inches length by 3 inches width), light weight, and high efficiency (no need for special heat sink) larger than 98%, and the magnetic-less design provides an excellent candidate in application to high temperature of solar power.
Tertiary Tectonics of the White Pine–Grant Range Region, East-Central Nevada, and Some Regional Implications

The White Pine-Grant Range area is a 400 sq mile region located in east-central Nevada, east of the Antler erogenic front, and west of the Sevier-Laramide thrust belt. About 20,000 feet of Paleozoic rock are overlain by 3000 to 5000 feet of Eocene-Oligocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks, and 0 to 10,000 feet of Mio-Pliocene sedimentary rocks. The near concordance of Paleozoic and early Tertiary strata indicates that the major deformation of the area is post-Oligocene in age. Mesozoic tectonic movements were limited to the formation of gentle folds and high-angle faults of limited displacement. The structure of the area is dominated by north-trending folds, some overturned, which involve both Tertiary volcanic and Paleozoic rocks. These folds are cut by a series of low-angle faults emplacing younger rocks over older; six faults are present in the White Pine Range and two in the northern Grant Range. A series of complex discrete slide masses 1 to 3 miles long characterizes the southwestern Horse Range; a relatively unfaulted overturned Paleozoic section characterizes the southeastern Horse Range. Displacement along these faults increases from the center toward the ends of the ranges; the faults are not continuous throughout the length of the range, and probably do not represent features of a regional d ecollement. Relations suggest that deformation or movement on these faults was probably nearly surficial, partly a product of uplift of the ranges and partly the result of basement extension. Much observable movement took place during deposition of Mio-Pliocene sediments, accompanied by emplacement of gravity slide masses and monolithic breccia of Paleozoic and volcanic rock in the Mio-Pliocene sedimentary basin. Differences in intensity of folding and degree of low-angle faulting in the White Pine, Horse Range, and northern Grant Ranges suggest that these areas were deformed separately. The north-trending folds may be the result of gravity effects on the flanks of major uplifted blocks, but probably reflect a period of postvolcanic crustal shortening in this region.
The Effect of Orthographic Structure on the Word Search Performance of Good and Poor Readers.

Abstract Good and poor third-grade readers searched for target words through fields consisting of words, pseudowords, and nonwords. Both groups searched faster through nonword fields than pseudoword fields and faster through pseudoword fields than word fields. The better readers did not show larger orthographic structure effects. In fact, both speed and accuracy performance measures tended to indicate a greater sensitivity to orthographic structure on the part of the poorer readers. It is argued that the results are better accounted for by compensatory rather than serial stage models of the organization of the component subskills of reading.
Late presentation of congenital muscular torticollis: use of MR imaging and CT scan in diagnosis

A 17-year old boy presented with a 10-year history of progressive head tilt to the right. Bilateral posterolateral cervical pain was mild and he was fully functional. The right sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle was prominent without rotation of the head to the left. The SCM had a cord-like consistency on palpation. Magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) scan imaging of the neck musculature suggested fibrous tissue within the substance of the muscle. This was histopathologically confirmed when the right SCM was surgically explored and resected. Congenital muscular torticollis is usually seen in newborns, infants, and children but may also present in adolescence and young adulthood. It should be included in the differential diagnosis of cervical dystonia as one of the nondystonic causes of abnormal head posture. Combined use of MR and CT scan of neck muscles may be of help in the diagnosis.
URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION: THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL ISSUES

The overall goal of this paper is to place the gentrification and reinvestment process in the context of broader metropolitan growth and change. In the first section, the gentrification and reinvestment processes are examined within the broader contexts of several general models of urban morphology. In general, these processes are viewed as normal responses of a residential area to changing economic and ecological forces in the city. In the second section, weaknesses in the literature on revitalization are identified and a research design to overcome these weaknesses is suggested. This research, if pursued, would overcome the myopia of previous research by placing revitalization in the context of overall change in the internal structure of the city.
Pulmonary tuberculosis presenting as fever without source in a pediatric patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Children who undergo treatment for malignancies are at high for infection with both typical and opportunistic pathogens. Fever in these children prompts extensive evaluation and empiric treatment with broad-spectrum antimicrobials. In the United States (US), tuberculosis is an infrequently reported cause of fever in the pediatric cancer patient and has not been well described. In this report we describe a case of primary pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in a boy with precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and review the pertinent literature. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009; 53:1318–1320. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Respiratory impairment in coke oven workers: Relationship to work exposure and bronchial inflammation detected by sputum cytology☆

Coke oven workers are at excess risk of developing lung cancer and may be at risk for chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD). We have studied 3799 male workers to assess the relationship between the two diseases. Repeated lung function and sputum cytology tests were obtained over a 3-year period. Sputum samples were assessed using standardized methods; in addition to metaplastic and neoplastic changes, we reproducibly assessed the presence and extent of acute and chronic inflammatory changes. Spirometric flow rates (FEV1) were significantly reduced in workers most exposed to coke oven emissions, particularly in those with excessive inflammatory cells and regular metaplasia in sputum. The presence of reactive bronchial epithelial cells and metaplasia were potent predictors of an abnormal FEV1/FVC. Studies like these may offer a means to investigate the relationship between COLD and lung cancer. Such changes in sputum may identify individuals at risk of developing both diseases.
Atheroembolism during percutaneous renal artery revascularization

Introduction Atheroembolization during renal artery angioplasty and stenting (RA-PTAS) has been postulated as a cause for the inferior renal function results observed when compared with those with surgical revascularization. To further characterize procedure-associated atheroembolism, we analyzed recovered atheroembolic debris and clinical data from patients undergoing RA-PTAS with distal embolic protection (DEP). Methods RA-PTAS procedures were performed with DEP using a commercially available temporary balloon occlusion and aspiration catheter system between July 2005 and December 2006. Following RA-PTAS but prior to deflation of the distal occlusion balloon, the static column of blood proximal to the balloon was aspirated and submitted for embolic particle analysis. Angiograms, demographics, and laboratory data were reviewed. Glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was estimated before RA-PTAS and at 4 to 8 weeks postintervention using the abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease formula. Associations between clinical factors, captured particle counts, and changes in renal function were examined using univariate techniques and multiple linear regression. Results Twenty-eight RA-PTAS procedures were performed with DEP. Mean total number of embolic particles counted per procedure was 2033 ± 1553 for particles 20-60 μm and 265 ± 132 for particles >60 μm. Significant positive associations with quantity of captured particles 20 to 60 μm were observed for African American race ( P = .002), predilation ( P = .005), and stent diameter ( P (P =.016). Quantity of captured particles >60 μm was positively associated with ratio of stent to renal artery diameter ( P =.009). Change in eGFR was positively associated with preoperative aspirin use ( P = .006) and preoperative eGFR ( P 60 μm ( P = .015). Conclusion These results demonstrate the liberation of thousands of atheroembolic particles during RA-PTAS. Clinical, anatomic, and device-related factors may be predictive of procedural embolization, and increasing captured particle counts >60 μm were associated with inferior renal function results. Further investigation is warranted to establish relationships between atheroembolism, end organ functional impairment, and clinical responses.
The Theoretical Constitution of Metallic Beryllium

Calculations of total energy as a function of lattice constant, and of some other properties, have been made for metallic beryllium, by a self-consistent field method. Since such calculations have not been made before for any but monovalent metals, the principal object was to find out how far the various assumptions which are usually made in them remain valid for higher valencies, and to test the practicability of certain methods of making the calculations. The theoretical values of binding energy, lattice constant, and compressibility agree reasonably well with experiment. The calculated work function, however, could be made to coincide with the experimental value only by assuming a surface double layer of over 5 volts, which seems impossibly large. This suggests a very large deviation of the exchange energy from the value for completely free electrons. An investigation of the behavior of the exchange energy yields an expression for the deviation from the free electron value which is valid for low electron densities, but not for those which occur in beryllium. The distribution of the electronic states in energy is found to be of the sort needed to account for the diamagnetism of beryllium. Concerning methods of calculation, it is shown that a rather complicated procedure is necessary to obtain quantitative results when a Hartree ion core field is used (as was done in the present case), and that construction of an empirical field is preferable. The assumption ${E}_{k}={E}_{0}+\frac{\ensuremath{\alpha}{\ensuremath{\hbar}}^{2}{k}^{2}}{2m}$, for the energy of an electron with wave vector $k$, cannot be used for calculations of lattice constant or compressibility for a divalent metal; it is therefore necessary to calculate directly the energies of states near the Fermi surface. This was done by the "orthogonalized plane wave" method, which is shown by tests to be capable of fairly high accuracy, though laborious. This method suggests a simple qualitative way of understanding a number of features of the electronic energy spectrum of a metal and its manner of variation with lattice constant. Incidental results include a proof that the interaction of the $1s$ shells is entirely negligible, and a calculation of the electrostatic interaction energy of the ions as a function of the $\frac{c}{a}$ ratio.
Non-linear formulation for elastic rods in three-space

Abstract Six one-dimensional deformation measures are defined to describe the state of deformation of a naturally curved and twisted rod experiencing large displacements and rotations. In terms of these deformation measures six exact kinematic equations and six equations of equilibrium are formulated. A general elastic deformation functional of the deformation measures is proposed as the necessary link between the two sets of equations.
Diet Quality and Nutrient Intakes of Black Southern Rural Elderly

Abstract This study of 604 Black rural elderly residing in 11 southern states revealed low intakes of calcium, dietary energy and dietary fiber and high intakes of fat and cholesterol. They consumed fewer servings of bread/cereals, fruits/vegetables and milk/cheese, and more servings of meat/poultry/fish than recommended, resulting in inadequate intake of some key nutrients and over-consumption of fats/cholesterol. Compared with three-meal eaters, meal skippers consumed fewer servings in all four food groups and had lower dietary adequacy scores. Only 7.3 % of participants had post secondary education, only 7% had monthly family income over $1000, and the majority (75%) prepared their own meals. Efforts to alleviate transportation problems and systematic nutrition counseling tailored to suit the rural elderly with low education and limited income are recommended.
Plastic flow in a disordered bubble raft (an analog of a metallic glass)

Abstract As Bragg and his coworkers have demonstrated in their classical investigation soap bubbles of diameter about 1.2 mm floating on the surface of water interact according to a potential closely resembling that existing in close-packed metals. A raft made of a randomized mixture of two different sizes of bubbles in roughly equal numbers has many structural characteristics of a metallic glass and can serve as a quantitatively accurate analog for it. The two-dimensional pair distribution function of such a raft resembles those in glassy metals. In addition this structure permits a simple definition of free area as a two-dimensional analog of free volume and the accurate determination of its distribution. When sheared the rafts are observed to change shape by a collection of very local shear transformations. These transformations are in the nature of either relatively equiaxed regions of about 5 bubble diameters undergoing complex internal rearrangements or are in the form of two-dimensional slip patches involving sharp shear translations of two adjacent nearly close packed bubble rows that are about 5 bubbles in length. These observations lead by analogy to the postulate that in metallic glasses the corresponding three-dimensional processes are also shear transformations in correspondingly small volume elements. These are either in the form of equiaxed regions undergoing some redundant internal rearrangements of atoms imposed by the specific disordered structure or are in the form of very narrow pennyshaped shear transformations resembling dislocation loops.
Can Positive Duties be Derived from Kant’s Categorical Imperative?

Kant’s moral philosophy usually considers two types of duties: negative duties that prohibit certain actions and positive duties commanding action. With that, Kant insists on deriving all morality from reason alone. Such is the Categorical Imperative that Kant lays at the basis of ethics. Yet while negative duties can be derived from the Categorical Imperative and thus from reason, the paper argues that this is not the case with positive duties. After answering a number of attempts to derive positive duties from the Categorical Imperative, most notably those of Barbara Herman, it sketches an alternative approach to understanding the relationship between the universal moral law and specific moral contents.
A positron floodlight for PET attenuation measurements

A new technique to image the patient surface has been developed to assist in the segmented attenuation correction, currently finding favor in positron emission tomography (PET). The goals of this approach are to outline the body's contours quickly, with an inherent surface enhancement that would permit transmission scanning after the emission scan. To achieve this, an orbiting, thin-windowed source, mounted out of the detector plane, illuminates the patient's skin with a soft positron flux, while a static emission scan quickly delineates the patient outline. The ability to visualize internal structures is a welcome, if unexpected, windfall. The measurements of resolution and sensitivity cover a grid of three positron radionuclides and two source assemblies imaging several phantoms to challenge four commercial scanners. Currently mounted on a CTI 933/04, the positron floodlight is well suited to virtually any ring-array PET scanner, with the potential for adaptation to the dual-headed camera instruments emerging on the market today.
Drugs, diabetes and pharmacogenomics: the road to personalized therapy.

Pharmacogenetics can trace its history back to the late 1800s and in its infancy focused on familial clustering of drug reactions [1]. Considerable advances in human genomics, in particular transformative technologic advances, have facilitated the identification and characterization of susceptibility loci underlying complex diseases and disease-related quantitative traits. Today, an investigator can dissect the entirety of the human genetic code, assess the expression of thousands of genes, quantify the milieu of proteins produced by those thousands of genes, assess transcriptional regulatory sites across the genome, and use public database information to annotate all this information. The need to parse diverse data on such a large scale has introduced the term ‘integromics’, subsequently becoming a new area of scientific research [2]. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex disease clinically characterized by obesity, insulin resistance and b-cell dysfunction that has clear genetic and environmental components. T2DM has clearly benefited from this transformative era of human genomics. Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have identified 38 susceptibility loci for T2DM with additional loci likely to be identified in the near future. An even greater number of loci underlying variation in T2DM-related quantitative traits have been identified, expanding the knowledge base for understanding the pathogenesis of glucose intolerance and subsequent T2DM. However, despite this new-found knowledge, the pharmaco genomics of T2DM therapy appears to be lagging in comparison to other complex human diseases. Empirical data in support of this statement can be derived by a simple search of the literature. PubMed reports 2080 papers (886 review articles) using the naive search terms ‘pharmacogenetics’ and ‘cancer’. Replacing
Effect of chronic ethanol administration on hepatic eNOS activity and its association with caveolin-1 and calmodulin in female rats

Although chronic and excessive alcohol consumption is associated with liver disease, the mechanism of alcoholic liver injury is still not clear. Whether reduced hepatic production of nitric oxide, which is evident in models of liver injury, is associated with alcohol-induced liver injury has not been investigated. We measured nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in the liver of pair-fed rats receiving liquid diet with or without alcohol [3% (vol/vol)] for 12 wk. Compared with control rats, hepatic NOS activity was significantly reduced in alcohol-treated rats along with the evidence of liver injury. Interestingly, there was no difference in the hepatic expression of endothelial NOS (eNOS) between ethanol-fed and pair-fed rats. We then tested the hypothesis that an imbalance between the binding of eNOS with inhibitory and stimulatory proteins may underlie the reduced activity of eNOS because eNOS catalytic activity is regulated partly through dynamic interactions with the inhibitory protein caveolin-1 and the stimulatory protein calmodulin. We found that hepatic caveolin-1 was markedly increased in alcohol-treated rats compared with control rats, whereas calmodulin remained unaltered. The binding of caveolin-1 and calmodulin with eNOS was increased and decreased, respectively, in alcohol-treated rats. Our results suggest that chronic alcohol intake attenuates hepatic eNOS activity by increasing the expression of the inhibitory protein caveolin-1 and enhancing its binding with eNOS.
Surgery for Aneurysms of the Aortic Root A 30-Year Experience

Background— This study evaluated long-term results of aortic root replacement and valve-preserving aortic root reconstruction for patients with aneurysms involving the aortic root. Methods and Results— Two-hundred three patients aged 53±16 years (mean±SD; 153 male, 50 female) underwent elective or urgent aortic root surgery from 1971 to 2000 for an aortic root aneurysm: 149 patients underwent a composite valve conduit reconstruction, and 54 patients underwent valve-preserving aortic root reconstruction. Fifty patients had Marfan syndrome. In-hospital and 30-day mortality was 4.0% (8/203) overall: for a composite valve conduit procedure, the corresponding value was 4.0% (6/149) and for valve-preserving procedure, 3.7% (2/54) (P=NS). Morbidity included 3 strokes (1%), 10 perioperative myocardial infarctions (5%), and 8 reoperations for bleeding (4%). Actuarial survival at 5, 10, 15, and 20 years was 93% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 88% to 97%), 79% (95% CI = 71% to 87%), 67% (95% CI = 57% to 79%), and 52...
Rents, Selling Prices and Financing Premiums

This paper examines the effects of below-market financing on rents and selling prices of residential income properties. A recursive model is used to estimate rent and price equations in order to determine the effect of favourable financing on each variable. The results indicate that below-market financing has a negative effect on rent and a positive effect on selling price. Average monthly rent per unit with below-market financing is about $43 less than the average rent with current-market financing. The degree of capitalisation of the financing premium (as indicated by cash equivalence) in the selling price is less than 100 per cent. The average financing premium reflected in the selling price is $4818. Various factors, including differences in marginal and average costs and leverage effects, are presented to explain these results.
Skin peptides protect juvenile leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) against chytridiomycosis

One issue of great concern for the scientific community is the continuing loss of diverse amphibian species on a global scale. Amphibian populations around the world are experiencing serious losses due to the chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis . This pathogen colonizes the skin, leading to the disruption of ionic balance and eventual cardiac arrest. In many species, antimicrobial peptides secreted into the mucus are thought to contribute to protection against colonization by skin pathogens. Although it is generally thought that antimicrobial peptides are an important component of innate immune defenses against B. dendrobatidis , much of the current evidence relies on correlations between effective antimicrobial peptide defenses and species survival. There have been few studies to directly demonstrate that antimicrobial peptides play a role. Using the northern leopard frog, Rana pipiens, we show here that injection of noradrenaline (norepinephrine) brings about a long-term depletion of skin peptides (initial concentrations do not recover until after day 56). When peptide stores recovered, the renewed peptides were similar in composition to the initial peptides as determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and in activity against B. dendrobatidis as determined by growth inhibition assays. Newly metamorphosed froglets depleted of their peptide stores and exposed to B. dendrobatidis died more rapidly than B. dendrobatidis -exposed froglets with their peptides intact. Thus, antimicrobial peptides in the skin mucus appear to provide some resistance to B. dendrobatidis infections, and it is important for biologists to recognize that this defense is especially important for newly metamorphosed frogs in which the adaptive immune system is still immature. * AMP : antimicrobial peptide APBS : amphibian phosphate buffered saline Bd : Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis C t : cycle threshold (the number of cycles necessary for the fluorescence signal to exceed background) H&E : hematoxylin and eosin HPLC : high performance liquid chromatography MALDI-TOF : matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight MIC : minimal inhibitory concentration MS : mass spectrometry m / z : mass to charge ratio NA : noradrenaline OD490 : optical density at 490 nm qPCR : quantitative polymerase chain reaction
The children's menu assessment: development, evaluation, and relevance of a tool for evaluating children's menus.

Abstract Restaurant foods represent a substantial portion of children's dietary intake, and consumption of foods away from home has been shown to contribute to excess adiposity. This descriptive study aimed to pilot-test and establish the reliability of a standardized and comprehensive assessment tool, the Children's Menu Assessment, for evaluating the restaurant food environment for children. The tool is an expansion of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey-Restaurant. In 2009-2010, a randomly selected sample of 130 local and chain restaurants were chosen from within 20 miles of Little Rock, AR, to examine the availability of children's menus and to conduct initial calibration of the Children's Menu Assessment tool (final sample: n=46). Independent raters completed the Children's Menu Assessment in order to determine inter-rater reliability. Test–retest reliability was also examined. Inter-rater reliability was high: percent agreement was 97% and Spearman correlation was 0.90. Test–retest was also high: percent agreement was 91% and Spearman correlation was 0.96. Mean Children's Menu Assessment completion time was 14 minutes, 56 seconds±10 minutes, 21 seconds. Analysis of Children's Menu Assessment findings revealed that few healthier options were available on children's menus, and most menus did not provide parents with information for making healthy choices, including nutrition information or identification of healthier options. The Children's Menu Assessment tool allows for comprehensive, rapid measurement of the restaurant food environment for children with high inter-rater reliability. This tool has the potential to contribute to public health efforts to develop and evaluate targeted environmental interventions and/or policy changes regarding restaurant foods.
Constructing Summary Indices of Quality of Life: A Model for the Effect of Heterogeneous Importance Weights

The authors consider how to construct summary indices (e.g., quality-of-life [QOL] indices) for a social unit that will be endorsed by a majority of its citizens. They assume that many social indicators are available to describe the social unit, but individuals disagree about the relative weights to be assigned to each social indicator. The summary index that maximizes agreement among citizens can then be derived, along with conditions under which an index will be endorsed by a majority in the social unit. The authors show that intuition greatly underestimates the extent of agreement among individuals, and it is often possible to construct a QOL index that most citizens agree with (at least in direction). In particular, they show that the equal-weighting strategy is privileged in that it minimizes disagreement among all possible individuals' weights. They demonstrate these propositions by calculating real QOL indices for two surveys of citizens' actual importance weights.
Bridge to transplantation: the Penn State experience.

Abstract Background . During the past decade, ventricular assist devices as a bridge to transplantation have moved from the experimental arena to accepted therapy. Our institution has been at the forefront of the development of this technology and consequently has had extensive experience with the devices that are currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as a bridge to heart transplantation. Methods . The successful management of patients with assist devices hinges on patient and device selection as well as perioperative management strategies. The routine use of agents such as aprotinin, vasopressin, milrinone, and inhaled nitric oxide has contributed to successful management of these patients. We present our perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of the Thermo-Cardiosystems HeartMate 1000 IP device and the Thoratec (Pierce-Donachy) system. We also discuss our protocols and methods for patient selection, preoperative preparation, intraoperative strategy, and postoperative management that have resulted in improved patient outcomes. Results . More than 60 device implantation procedures have been performed since the inception of our bridge to transplantation program. During this time, two thirds of our patients were successfully bridged to transplantation. Of these patients, 92% were alive at 1 month after transplantation, and 83% were alive at 1 year after transplantation. Conclusions . Both support systems are effective in supporting patients to heart transplantation. We have developed a preference for the Thermo-Cardiosystems HeartMate 1000 IP device because of its portability and associated better quality of life. However, the Thoratec device is the more versatile device, and circumstances exist when its use is clearly advantageous. In our institutional experience, outcome for bridging to transplantation has not been device dependent.
Tissue property estimation and graphical display for teleoperated robot-assisted surgery

Manual palpation of tissue and organs during a surgical procedure provides clinicians with valuable information for diagnosis and surgical planning. In present-day robotassisted minimally invasive surgery systems, lack of perceptible haptic feedback makes it challenging to detect a tumor in an organ or a calcified artery in heart tissue. This study presents an automated tissue property estimation method and a real-time graphical overlay that allow an operator to discriminate hard and soft tissues. We first evaluate experimentally the properties of an artificial tissue and compare seven possible mathematical tissue models. Self-validation as well as cross-validation confirm that the Hunt-Crossley model best describes the experimentally observed phantom tissue properties and is suitable for our purpose. Second, we present the development of a system in which the phantom tissue is palpated using a teleoperated surgical robot, and the stiffness of the Hunt-Crossly model is estimated in real time by recursive least squares. A real-time visual overlay representing tissue stiffness is created using a hue-saturation-luminance representation on a semi-transparent disc at the tissue surface. Hue depicts the stiffness at a palpated point and saturation is calculated based on distance from the point. A simple interpolation technique creates a continuous stiffness color map. In an experiment, the graphical overlay successfully shows the location of an artificial calcified artery hidden in phantom tissue.
Mountain Fires: The Red Army's Three-Year War in South China, 1934-1938

In October 1934, the badly beaten Red Army set out on the Long March from southern and central China, leaving behind a rearguard to fight the overwhelming Nationalist government forces. Three bloody years followed, in which many guerrillas were killed, some abandoned the Revolution, and others deserted to the enemy. When survivors of the lost legions came down from their mountain hideouts in 1937, they regrouped as the New Fourth Army, whose renowned force helped drive the Nationalists from the mainland. The dramatic story of the Chinese Communists in southern and central China has been hidden in the shadow of the Long March. Now Gregor Benton reconstructs their history, using oral interviews, legends, letters, documents and local archives to show how they survived terrible isolation and repressive counter-revolution. Shattering myth and propaganda, he exposes both the misery and triumph of the Chinese Communist victory.
Harnessing Economic Drivers for Successful Clinical Implementation of Pharmacogenetic Testing

Before pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing has a major impact on clinical practice, two levels of evidence must be generated. First, studies demonstrating the links between genetic variation and response to medications in defined populations are needed, along with development of valid tests to measure these specific variants. Second, studies should be conducted to evaluate whether PGx testing improves health outcomes for patients and whether the decision to test is cost-effective relative to usual care. This latter set of questions is typically of greatest relevance to clinicians and payers, the ultimate gatekeepers for the clinical integration of pharmacogenetics. To date, nearly all of the research efforts and funding for PGx have been focused on the first set of issues-getting the science right. However, now is the time to increase our research efforts on the second set of issues-to improve the PGx evidence base for both clinical and economic decision making.
On the Detection of Chemically-Induced Hot Electrons in Surface Processes: From X-ray Edges to Schottky Barriers

The potential involvement of electron−hole pair excitations in atomic/molecular processes such as sticking/adsorption/dissociation at metal surfaces has long been debated, particularly by those previously involved with similar issues in electron spectroscopies of localized core levels in solids. Recent experiments have detected hot electrons produced as various gases were adsorbed on a thin metal film that formed a Schottky barrier with an n-type Si substrate upon which the film was deposited. Drawing upon analogies with spectroscopic processes leading to the X-ray edge singularity, a theoretical model for the electronically nonadiabatic effects is presented here that accounts for the observed hot electron production.