cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative radiomimetic effect of emulsin, cycasin, methylazoxymethanol and X-rays in Zamia Integrifolia

Root tips of Zamia integrifolia were treated with cycasin (an azoxyglycoside), emulsin (β-glucosidase), an incubated mixture of cycasin and emulsin, methylazoxymethanol (the aglycone of cycasin) and X-rays. Tissues of Zamia contain both azoxyglycosides and emulsin. Allium cepa roots were treated and used as a non-cycad control. The incidence of anaphase bridges was utilized as an index for comparisons. Chemical and radiation treatments resulted in significant increases in the incidence of chromosome bridges in both Zamia and Allium. Certain differences in results between treatments and between Allium and Zamia indicate that in the intact Zamia the emulsin and cycasin are not active radiomimetically. However, both cycasin and emulsin as well as MAM produce significant damage in the intact root cells when treated. This indicates some protective mechanism, either compartmentalization or chemical inhibition, in the intact plant in normal conditions.
Dictyostelium calmodulin: Affinity isolation and characterization

Abstract The Ca 2+ -binding regulatory protein calmodulin (CaM) has been purified from the cellular slime mold, Dictyostelium discoideum . Isolation of homogeneous Dictyostelium CaM was accomplished in high yield by ion-exchange chromatography and Ca 2+ -dependent affinity chromatography on phenothiazine-Sepharose 4B. This isolate has been demonstrated to possess the following physicochemical and functional properties characteristic of other CaM isolates: (i) a molecular weight ca. 16,000; (ii) an amino acid composition similar to other CaMs—with the notable exception that Dictyostelium CaM, as first determined by Bazari and Clarke [(1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256 , 3598–3603] lacks the single trimethylated lysine (Tml) residue identified in nearly all CaMs purified to date; (iii) a CNBr peptide map similar to that of other CaMs; (iv) a Ca 2+ -dependent shift in migration during native- and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analyses; (v) ability to form Ca 2+ -dependent complexes with rabbit skeletal muscle troponin I; and (vi) ability to activate in a Ca 2+ -dependent manner bovine brain cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase.
The use of 18F-fluoride and 18F-FDG PET scans to assess fracture healing in a rat femur model.

Purpose Currently available diagnostic techniques can be unreliable in the diagnosis of delayed fracture healing in certain clinical situations, which can lead to increased complication rates and costs to the health care system. This study sought to determine the utility of positron emission tomography (PET) scanning with 18F-fluoride ion, which localizes in regions of high osteoblastic activity, and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), an indicator of cellular glucose metabolism, in assessing bone healing in a rat femur fracture model.
Expression switching in the stevor and Pfmc-2TM superfamilies in Plasmodium falciparum

Plasmodium falciparum possesses two multigenic families, var and rif, the products of which are expressed on the surface of infected erythrocytes, where via antigenic variation they contribute to malaria pathogenesis and evasion of antibody-mediated host immunity. The products of two smaller gene families, stevor and Pfmc-2TM, also localize to the erythrocyte membrane, although it is not known if they undergo antigenic switching. Herein we use gene-specific quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to investigate the transcription pattern of the stevor and Pfmc-2TM gene families, in both primary and second generation clonal lines of the P. falciparum isolate, NF54. We show that: (i) the expression of stevor and Pfmc-2TM families is clonally variant, (ii) the expression of stevor and Pfmc-2TM families undergoes switching, and (iii) switching rates vary among different variants and different isogenic clones at rates higher than 2% per generation. In addition, we show that chromosomal telomeric deletions are common in clonal lines and result in a spectrum of deletion genotypes. These findings provide evidence that the stevor and Pfmc-2TM gene families play a role in P. falciparum antigenic variation.
Chronic Hydroxychloroquine Use Associated with QT Prolongation and Refractory Ventricular Arrhythmia

Background. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is used for treatment of lupus erythematosus. The cardiac toxicity of HCQ has focused primarily on acute intoxication. We report a case of chronic use of HCQ associated with torsade de pointes. Case report. A 67-year-old female presented with acquired long QT interval syndrome with a refractory ventricular arrhythmia. She was receiving chronic therapeutic doses of HCQ for the treatment of lupus erythematosus. Torsades de pointes was diagnosed in the Emergency Department (ED). After excluding other causes of long QT syndrome, the HCQ was suspected as the cause of her ventricular tachycardia. After discontinuing the HCQ, the QT interval was shorter and the patient recovered after treatment with lidocaine and isoproterenol. Conclusion. The chronic use of HCQ for rheumatic diseases, or as an anti-malarial drug, should be balanced against the risk of developing potentially lethal cardiac arrhythmias.
Parthenolide and costunolide reduce microtentacles and tumor cell attachment by selectively targeting detyrosinated tubulin independent from NF-κB inhibition

Detyrosinated tubulin, a post-translational modification of α-tubulin and a hallmark of stable microtubules, has gained recent attention given its association with tumor progression, invasiveness, and chemoresistance. We also recently reported that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) promotes tubulin detyrosination through tubulin tyrosine ligase (TTL) suppression. Furthermore, detyrosinated tubulin-enriched membrane protrusions, termed microtentacles (McTN), facilitate tumor cell reattachment to endothelial layers. Given the induction of EMT associated with inflammation and cancer progression, we tested anti-inflammatory nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) inhibitors on a panel of human breast carcinoma cells to examine their effects on detyrosinated tubulin to identify more specific tubulin-directed anti-cancer treatments. Using metastatic human breast carcinoma cells MDA-MB-157, MDA-MB-436, and Bt-549, we measured the impact of NF-κB inhibitors parthenolide, costunolide, and resveratrol on detyrosinated tubulin using protein expression analysis and immunofluorescence. A luciferase reporter assay and a viability screen were performed to determine if the effects were associated with their NF-κB inhibitory properties or were a result of apoptosis. Real-time monitoring of cell-substratum attachment was measured utilizing electrical impedance across microelectronic sensor arrays. We compared the selectivity of the NF-κB inhibitors to specifically target detyrosinated tubulin with traditional tubulin-targeted therapeutics, paclitaxel and colchicine, throughout the study. Sesquiterpene lactones, parthenolide and costunolide, selectively decrease detyrosinated tubulin independent of their inhibition of NF-κB. Live-cell scoring of suspended cells treated with parthenolide and costunolide show reduction in the frequency of microtentacles and inhibition of reattachment. Structural analysis shows that parthenolide and costunolide can decrease detyrosinated microtubules without significantly disrupting the overall microtubule network or cell viability. Paclitaxel and colchicine display indiscriminate disruption of the microtubule network. Our data demonstrate that selective targeting of detyrosinated tubulin with parthenolide and costunolide can reduce McTN frequency and inhibit tumor cell reattachment. These actions are independent of their effects on NF-κB inhibition presenting a novel anti-cancer property and therapeutic opportunity to selectively target a stable subset of microtubules in circulating tumor cells to reduce metastatic potential with less toxicity in breast cancer patients.
DNA repair in man: regulation by a multigene family and association with human disease.

The major mechanism of repair of damage to DNA involves a conceptually simple process of enzymatic excision and resynthesis of small regions of DNA. In man and other mammals, this process is regulated by several gene loci; up to 15 mutually complementary genes or gene products may be involved. Repair deficiency results in an array of clinical symptoms in skin, central nervous system, and hematopoietic and immune systems, the major example being xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), a disease with a high incidence of cancer. Cloning repair genes by straightforward methods has proved difficult, but we have begun the effort by demonstrating that correction of a human repair deficiency can be achieved by transferring very small fragments of DNA from normal hamsters into XP cells. One of the complementation groups of XP cells (group C) appears to express a change in gene regulation such that these cells repair only a small clustered region of the DNA with high efficiency.
Serologically Confirmed Household Transmission of 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) Virus During the First Pandemic Wave—New York City, April–May 2009

Background Understanding transmissibility of influenza viruses within households is critical for guiding public health response to pandemics. We studied serologically confirmed infection and disease among household contacts of index case patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus (pH1N1) infection in a setting of minimal community pH1N1 transmission. Methods We defined index case patients as students and staff of a New York City high school with laboratory-confirmed pH1N1 infection during the earliest phase of the pH1N1 outbreak in April 2009. We visited households of index case patients twice, once in early May and again in June/July 2009. At each visit, household members (both index case patents and household contacts) provided serum samples and completed questionnaires about illness and possible risk factors. Serologic testing was performed using microneutralization and hemagglutination-inhibition assays. Results Of 79 eligible household contacts in 28 households, 19% had serologically confirmed pH1N1 infection, and 28% of those infected were asymptomatic. Serologically confirmed infection varied by age among household contacts: 36% of contacts younger than 10 years were infected, compared with 46% of contacts age 10-18 years, 8% of contacts aged 19-54 years, and 22% of contacts aged 55 years and older. Conclusions Infection rates were high for household contacts of persons with confirmed pH1N1, particularly for contacts aged 10-18 years, and asymptomatic infection was common. Efforts to reduce household transmission during influenza pandemics are important adjuncts to strategies to reduce community illness.
NEW CRETACEOUS CERITHIFORM GASTROPODS FROM THE PACIFIC SLOPE OF NORTH AMERICA

Abstract Two new genera and three new species of shallow-marine, warm-water gastropods are reported from outcrops of various Cretaceous formations between British Columbia and Baja California. The potamidid Cedrosia pacifica new genus and species is from Turonian strata on Cedros Island, west coast of Baja California, Mexico. It is the earliest potamidid known from the rock record of the Pacific Slope. Alamirifica corona new genus and species, whose suprageneric relationships are uncertain, is from Turonian strata in southern California. The holotype has a round and rimmed aperture most similar to the photine buccinid Neoteron Pilsbry and Lowe, 1932. The holotype also has a pyramidal spire most similar to some fossil cerithioideans traditionally placed in the potamidid Pyrazus Montfort, 1810, but the type species of Pyrazus does not have a pyramidal spire. Future work might reveal that Alamirifica belongs to a new family. Four other Pacific Slope species are tentatively assigned to Alamirifica: the Aptian...
Amount of stimulus exploration and preference as differential functions of stimulus complexity

Two sets of photographic slides, one made up of scenes from the geographic environment, the other of works of non-representational modern art, were scaled for complexity by obtaining judges’ ratings of amount of variation present on several specified stimulus attributes. Fourteen slides defining a sevenpoint scale of complexity were selected from each set and given to college students to obtain measures of (a) amount of exploratory behavior (number of times S chose to expose each slide briefly), and (b) preference (evaluative ratings on a seven-point scale). In accordance with prediction, the former measure emerged as a linearly increasing function of complexity, while the relationship between complexity and preference was curvilinear, reaching a maximum at an intermediate level of complexity. The results are related to Berlyne’s distinction between specific and diversive stimulus exploration, and implications for the study of aesthetics are discussed.
Effect of GaAs Surface Stoichiometry on The Interface of As-Grown Epitaxial ZnSe/Epitaxial GaAs Heterostructures

In the study reported here, the GaAs surface stoichiometry was systematically varied prior to the nucleation of ZnSe to form epitaxial ZnSe/epitaxial GaAs interfaces. The structures were grown by molecular beam epitaxy and evaluated by several techniques including capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. A dramatic reduction of interface state density occurred when the GaAs epilayer was made As deficient. The resulting interface state densities of as-grown structures are comparable to values obtained with (Al,Ga)As/GaAs interfaces.
Linguistic Magic Bullets in the Making of a Modernist Anthropology

This article engages current debates about concepts of culture in U.S. anthropology by examining how assumptions about language shape them. Characterizing linguistic patterns as particularly inaccessible to conscious introspection, Franz Boas suggested that culture is similarly automatic and unconscious—except for anthropologists. He used this notion in attempting to position the discipline as the obligatory passage point for academic and public debate about difference. Unfortunately, this mode of inserting linguistics in the discipline, which has long outlived Boas, reifies language ideologies by promoting simplistic models that belie the cultural complexity of human communication. By pointing to the way that recent work in linguistic anthropology has questioned key assumptions that shaped Boas's concept of culture, the article urges other anthropologists to stop asking their linguistic colleagues for magic bullets and to appreciate the critical role that examining linguistic ideologies and practices can play in discussions of the politics of culture. [Keywords: Franz Boas, culture concept, linguistic anthropology, language ideologies, scientific authority]
Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) seed dormancy

Abstract Leafy spurge is a herbaceous perennial weed that reproduces asexually through adventitious vegetative buds and sexually by seeds. Seeds can remain viable in the soil for up to 8 yr. The objectives of this research were to determine whether the seed coat and endosperm restrict germination and to assess whether afterripening treatments affect germinability. Germination of nonafterripened intact seeds was 30% after 28 d of incubation. Afterripening seeds for 12 wk under warm moist conditions provided a twofold stimulation to 58% germination after 21 d compared with the control and three other afterripening treatments. Afterripening under warm moist conditions for an additional 12 wk provided nearly complete germination within 7 to 21 d, but seeds harvested in year 2000 also responded in the same way to cool moist conditions. The removal of seed coat (dehulled) and removal of endosperm surrounding the embryonic axis in dehulled seeds led to rapid germination, approaching 80 to 90% in 5 d. Fructose di...
Polymeric carbon Lewis base–acid adducts: poly(NHC–C60)

Rapid formation of thermally robust polymeric Lewis adducts between the poly(N-heterocyclic carbene) [poly(NHC)] Lewis base and the carbon Lewis acid C60 is utilized to develop a powerful synthetic strategy for the convenient and efficient synthesis of C60-containing polymers with an unprecedented level of C60 incorporation (up to 69.3 wt%). The resulting polymer Lewis adducts, poly(NHC–C60), exhibit several intriguing properties pertaining to their molecular weights, thermal stability, cross-linking, and morphologies of donor(D)/acceptor(A) blends. Most significantly, the morphology of the D/A bulk heterojunction (BHJ) using poly(NHC–C60) appears to be more controlled and the C60 domain size is apparently much smaller and more uniform, as compared to the D/A BHJ directly using C60 with the same D/A ratio.
Vitamin D Deficiency among Adolescent Females with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Abstract Study Objective Studies have suggested that low vitamin D levels may play a role in the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The aim of our study was to compare 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels in adolescent females with and without PCOS. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective chart review at a tertiary care medical center for female adolescents aged 12-21 years with serum 25(OH)D measurements within a 5-year period. Participants were categorized as having PCOS or as controls based on National Institutes of Health PCOS diagnostic criteria. Main Outcome Measure Exact logistic regression analysis was done to compare normal (≥30 ng/mL) vs low ( Results Two hundred ninety-nine charts were reviewed and 107 participants were included in the study. Of the included participants, 37 were in the PCOS group and 70 were in the control group, with a mean age of 15.2 years. In the PCOS group, 97.2% were obese and vitamin D deficiency was noted among 62.2% females. The mean serum 25(OH)D level was 18.4 and 21.6 ng/mL in PCOS and control groups, respectively. The difference in mean 25(OH)D levels between the 2 groups was not statistically significant (P > .05) when controlled for ethnicity, body mass index percentile, and season. Conclusion In our study, there was no statistically significant difference in mean 25(OH)D levels between PCOS and control groups. The majority of participants in PCOS group were obese. Further studies in adolescent females with PCOS and normal body mass index could be helpful in delineating the role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of PCOS.
Resolution cannot polynomially simulate compressed-BFS

Many algorithms for Boolean satisfiability (SAT) work within the framework of resolution as a proof system, and thus on unsatisfiable instances they can be viewed as attempting to find proofs by resolution. However it has been known since the 1980s that every resolution proof of the pigeonhole principle (PHPnm), suitably encoded as a CNF instance, includes exponentially many steps [18]. Therefore SAT solvers based upon the DLL procedure [12] or the DP procedure [13] must take exponential time. Polynomial-sized proofs of the pigeonhole principle exist for different proof systems, but general-purpose SAT solvers often remain confined to resolution. This result is in correlation with empirical evidence. Previously, we introduced the Compressed-BFS algorithm to solve the SAT decision problem. In an earlier work [27], an implementation of a Compressed-BFS algorithm empirically solved $\overline{\mathrm{PHP}_{n}^{n+1}}$ instances in ?(n4) time. Here, we add to this claim, and show analytically that these instances are solvable in polynomial time by Compressed-BFS. Thus the class of tautologies efficiently provable by Compressed-BFS is different than that of any resolution-based procedure. We hope that the details of our complexity analysis shed some light on the proof system implied by Compressed-BFS. Our proof focuses on structural invariants within the compressed data structure that stores collections of sets of open clauses during the Compressed-BFS algorithm. We bound the size of this data structure, as well as the overall memory, by a polynomial. We then use this to show that the overall runtime is bounded by a polynomial.
On the least-squares approximation of structured covariances

State covariances of the linear systems satisfy certain constraints imposed by the underlying dynamics. These constraints dictate a particular structure of state covariances. On the other hand, sample covariances (e.g., obtained in experiments) almost always fail to have the required structure. In view of this, it is of interest to approximate sample covariances by positive semi-definite matrices of the required structure. The structured covariance least-squares approximation problem is formulated and the Lyapunov-type matrical linear constraint is converted into an equivalent set of trace constraints. Efficient quasi Newton and generalized Newton methods capable of solving the corresponding unconstrained dual problems with the large number of variables are developed.
Experimental investigation of random loading sequence effect on fatigue crack growth

Abstract An experimental study is proposed to investigate the effect of random loading sequence effect on the fatigue crack growth behavior of Al 7075-T6. The testing matrix includes different overload cycle percentage, overload ratios, and deterministic and random loading sequences in the current investigation. Multiple specimen tests and statistical data analysis are performed to show the effect of random loading sequence on the median and scatter behavior of fatigue crack growth. The proposed experimental study suggests that extreme value distribution is a good approximation of fatigue life distribution. It is observed that the effect of uncertain loading is different under different loading spectrums. For high overload cycle percentage spectrums, the random loading sequence has no major impact on the probabilistic crack growth behavior compared to the deterministic loading sequence with identical load cycle distributions. For low overload cycle percentage spectrums, the random loading sequence has huge impact on the probabilistic crack growth behavior compared to the deterministic loading sequence with identical load cycle distributions, for both the median and the scatter of the fatigue crack length curves. Finally, all experimental observations are reported in table format in Appendix A for future numerical model development and validation for interested readers.
Familial aggregation of clinical and neurocognitive features in sibling pairs with and without schizophrenia.

Objective Neurocognitive impairment was found to be heritable in individuals with schizophrenia and their relatives. However, the heritability of neurocognitive measures in families with and without schizophrenia has not been directly compared. In this study, we examined the genetic structure of clinical and neurocognitive measures in sibling pairs with and without schizophrenia to test the hypothesis that the familial aggregation of such measures may be altered by having schizophrenia.
Utopia in the Midst of Oppression? A Reconsideration of Guaraní/Jesuit Communities in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Paraguay

This essay is an examination of the 17th–18th century Guarani/Jesuit communities in Paraguay, which were exalted as utopias by countless witnesses. These authors have stressed the long periods of peaceful coexistence, the rich and fruitful syncretistic melding cultures, the successful and bountiful economic life, and the relative justice. Nevertheless, controversy has always marked these communities because many believe that the Jesuit/Guarani missions are best understood as integral to the larger oppressive imposition of European polity and culture. These authors stress evidence of condescending paternalism, structural inequality, restricted freedom of choice, and the erosion of a pristine Guarani culture. This essay is an attempt to examine the language of “utopia” as a fitting description of these communities. Like all so‐called utopian projects, the Reductions were conceived and developed in order to contradict the mainstream cultural forces which were unjust, violent, and led to miserable conditions ...
Is cefepime safe for clinical use? A Bayesian viewpoint

Cefepime hydrochloride is approved for pneumonia, empirical therapy for febrile neutropenia, uncomplicated and complicated urinary tract infections, uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections and complicated intra-abdominal infections. A recent meta-analysis by Yahav et al .( Lancet Infect Dis 2007; 7: 338– 48) concluded that cefepime was associated with a statistically significant increase in mortality (risk ratio 1.26, 95% confidence interval 1.08 –1.49) when compared with other antibiotics. The US FDA decided to re-evaluate the meta-analysis data in collaboration with the drug sponsor. Two years later the FDA Alert summarized that ‘data do not indicate a higher rate of death in cefepime-treated patients. Cefepime remains an appropriate therapy for its approved indications.’ However, a thorough evaluation of the 52-page FDA report still shows that safety remains an unresolved issue. A Bayesian re-appraisal of the findings by the FDA and by Yahav et al. indicates that there is a 90.9% (by FDA trial-level meta-analysis), 80.8% (by FDA patient-level meta-analysis) and 99.2% (by Yahav et al. meta-analysis) probability that cefepime raises mortality in neutropenic fever patients, which translates into the following numbers needed to harm (NNH), i.e. to cause one extra death with the use of cefepime: FDA trial-level meta-analysis, NNH ¼ 109; FDA patient-level meta-analysis, NNH ¼76; Yahav et al. meta-analysis, NNH¼ 54. A similar harmful probability was observed with skin structure infections but not with pneumonias, intra-abdominal infections and urinary tract infections. In conclusion, cefepime should be avoided in patients with neutropenic fever or with skin structure infections.
The Fibronectin-Binding Protein EfbA Contributes to Pathogenesis and Protects against Infective Endocarditis Caused by Enterococcus faecalis

EfbA is a PavA-like fibronectin adhesin of Enterococcus faecalis previously shown to be important in experimental urinary tract infection. Here, we expressed and purified the E. faecalis OG1RF EfbA and confirmed that this protein binds with high affinity to immobilized fibronectin, collagen I, and collagen V. We constructed an efbA deletion mutant and demonstrated that its virulence was significantly attenuated (P < 0.0006) versus the wild type in a mixed inoculum rat endocarditis model. Furthermore, efbA deletion resulted in diminished ability to bind fibronectin (P < 0.0001) and reduced biofilm (P < 0.001). Reintroduction of efbA into the original chromosomal location restored virulence, adherence to fibronectin, and biofilm formation to wild-type levels. Finally, vaccination of rats with purified recombinant EfbA protein protected against OG1RF endocarditis (P = 0.008 versus control). Taken together, our results demonstrate that EfbA is an important factor involved in E. faecalis endocarditis and that rEfbA immunization is effective in preventing such infection, likely by interfering with bacterial adherence.
Baclofen improves abstinence in alcoholic cirrhosis : Still better to come?

Effectiveness and safety of baclofen for maintenance of alcohol abstinence in alcohol-dependent patients with liver cirrhosis: randomised, double-blind controlled study. Addolorato G, Leggio L, Ferrulli A, Cardone S, Vonghia L, Mirijello A, Abenavoli L, D'Angelo C, Caputo F, Zambon A, Haber PS, Gasbarrini G. Background Intervention to achieve alcohol abstinence represents the most effective treatment for alcohol-dependent patients with liver cirrhosis; however, anticraving drugs might worsen liver disease. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of baclofen in achieving and maintaining alcohol abstinence in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods Between October, 2003, and November, 2006, 148 alcohol-dependent patients with liver cirrhosis were referred to the Institute of Internal Medicine, Rome, Italy. 84 were randomly allocated either oral baclofen or placebo for 12 weeks. Primary outcome was proportion of patients achieving and maintaining alcohol abstinence. Measures of this outcome were total alcohol abstinence and cumulative abstinence duration, which were assessed at outpatient visits. Relapse was defined as alcohol intake of more than four drinks per day or overall consumption of 14 or more drinks per week over a period of at least 4 weeks. Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00525252. Findings Of 42 patients allocated baclofen, 30 (71%) achieved and maintained abstinence compared with 12 (29%) of 42 assigned placebo (odds ratio 6.3 [95% CI 2.4–16.1]; p =0.0001). The number of dropouts (termination of treatment) did not differ between the baclofen (6/42 [14%]) and placebo (13/42 [31%]) groups ( p =0.12). Cumulative abstinence duration was about twofold higher in patients allocated baclofen than in those assigned placebo (mean 62.8 [SE 5.4] vs 30.8 [5.5] days; p =0.001). No hepatic side-effects were recorded. Interpretation Baclofen is effective at promoting alcohol abstinence in alcohol-dependent patients with liver cirrhosis. The drug is well tolerated and could have an important role in treatment of these individuals. [Abstract reproduced by permission of Lancet 2007;370:1915–1922]
Impact of Blade Cooling on Gas Turbine Performance Under Different Operation Conditions and Design Aspects

The increase of power need raises the awareness of producing energy more efficiently. Gas turbine has been one of the important workhorses for power generation. The effects of parameters in design and operation on the power output and efficiency have been extensively studied. It is well-known that the gas turbine inlet temperature (TIT) needs to be high for high efficiency as well as power production. However, there are some material restrictions with high-temperature gas especially for the first row of blades. As a result blade cooling is needed to help balance between the high TIT and the material limitations. The increase of TIT is also limited by restriction of emissions. While the blade cooling can allow a higher TIT and better turbine performance, there is also a penalty since the compressed air used for cooling is removed from the combustion process. Therefore, an optimal cooling flow may exist for the overall efficiency and net power output. In this paper the relationship between the TIT and amount of cooling air is studied. The TIT increase due to blade cooling is considered as a function of cooling air flow as well as cooling effectiveness. In another word, the increase of the TIT is limited while the cooling air can be increased continuously. Based on the relationship proposed the impact of blade cooling on the gas turbine performance is investigated. Compared to the simple cycle case without cooling, the blade cooling can increase the efficiency from 28.8 to 34.0% and the net power from 105 to 208 MW. Cases with different operation conditions such as pressure ratios as well as design aspects with regeneration are considered. Aspen plus software is used to simulate the cycles.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Cardiac performance as a function of intracellular oxygen tension in buffer-perfused hearts

Critical intracellular myocardial oxygen tension was determined by optical spectroscopic measurement of myoglobin oxygen saturation in crystalloid-perfused guinea pig hearts. Accurate end-point det...
Long-term correlations in the spike trains of medullary sympathetic neurons.

Fano factor analysis was used to characterize the spike trains of single medullary neurons with sympathetic nerve–related activity in cats that were decerebrate or anesthetized with Dial-urethan or...
Optimal Timing for Post-Activation Potentiation in Women Collegiate Volleyball Players

Post-activation potentiation (PAP) has been shown to acutely amplify muscular power output and may be advantageous for athletes looking to improve performance. PAP may have an acute window of effectiveness between 2 to 20 min. With correct timing and implementation it may be possible to induce PAP in competitive situations. The purpose of this study was to examine the time frame of potentiation following a PAP warm-up in collegiate female volleyball players. In this study, nine female collegiate volleyball players completed three laboratory sessions over the course of 10 days. During the first session, the athlete's 5-RM back squat was determined for subsequent use as the conditioning activity to initiate PAP. A repeated measures experimental design was then employed for Sessions 2 and 3 where half of the participants alternately performed either a dynamic or PAP warm-up prior to performing a standing long jump (SLJ) at 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 min. A mixed-factor repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine the effects of the two warm-up strategies (PAP vs. dynamic) on standing long jump (SLJ) performance across time. There was a significant effect for time (p 0.05). Further analysis included non-parametric pairwise comparisons (Wilcoxon signed-rank tests) between the SLJ scores at 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18 min (PAP vs. dynamic). The non-parametric results were consistent with the parametric results. Within the parameters of this study, it is concluded that performing a 5-RM back squat induces a measureable PAP effect for up to 10 min.
Prostatic Abscess Owing to Anaerobic Bacteria

Abscess of the prostate is seen infrequently. We report a prostatic abscess owing to anaerobic bacteria in a 46-year-old man with a 10-year history of irritable voiding symptoms. Preoperative computerized tomography confirmed the diagnosis of prostatic abscess, which was treated with transurethral resection and broad-spectrum antibiotics.
The control of viral diseases, with special reference to mumps, rubella, and interferon.

The approaches to specific control of viral infectious diseases are immunologic, chemical, and host resistance (interferon). Immunologic control is discussed in reference to latest advances and progress toward control of measles, mumps, and rubella by vaccines. Mumps vaccine was recently licensed for general use and rubella vaccine should become generally available in the foreseeable future. Chemical agents offer the only significant hope for treating the cell once infected and offers some promise for prophylaxis as well. To date, the rewards have been meager considering the effort, and few chemicals of clinical usefulness have been developed. Interferon per se shows little promise as a means for preventing or treating human viral disease, primarily because of source, yield, and cost. By contrast, inducers of interferon show great promise. The recent discovery of interferon induction by double-stranded RNA has opened a new era of possibility for utilization of the interferon mechanism and is being actively pursued.
First-in-Human Phase 1 Trial of Agarose Beads Containing Murine RENCA Cells in Advanced Solid Tumors:

Purpose: Agarose macrobeads containing mouse renal adenocarcinoma cells (RMBs) release factors, suppressing the growth of cancer cells and prolonging survival in spontaneous or induced tumor animals, mediated, in part, by increased levels of myocyte-enhancing factor (MEF2D) via EGFR- and AKT-signaling pathways. The primary objective of this study was to determine the safety of RMBs in advanced, treatment-resistant metastatic cancers, and then its efficacy (survival), which is the secondary objective. Methods: Thirty-one patients underwent up to four intraperitoneal implantations of RMBs (8 or 16 macrobeads/kg) via laparoscopy in this single-arm trial (FDA BB-IND 10091; NCT 00283075). Serial physical examinations, laboratory testing, and PET-CT imaging were performed before and three months after each implant. Results: RMBs were well tolerated at both dose levels (mean 660.9 per implant). AEs were (Grade 1/2) with no treatment-related SAEs. Conclusion: The data support the safety of RMB therapy in advanced-malignancy patients, and the preliminary evidence for their potential efficacy is encouraging. A Phase 2 efficacy trial is ongoing.
The “incredible” difficulty of proving “incredibility” – Example of fire-induced multiple spurious operations

Abstract “Risk-informed” regulation is often an alternative to “deterministically-based” regulation that offers relaxation in criteria for acceptability while possibly requiring greater analytical effort. “Risk-informed determinism” is an attempt to meld the best of both worlds by using risk information to set deterministic acceptance criteria a priori . A recent joint effort by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) originally endeavored to do this for several examples involving fire-induced multiple spurious operations (MSOs) in electrical circuits at nuclear power plants. While a noble effort, this did not consider the actual distributions involved in the events, originally limiting the analysis to mean values and, in some cases, qualitative considerations. A much more comprehensive and defensible approach is performed here where the probabilistic distributions for all the factors are considered via simulation to meet quantitative acceptance criteria related to the concept of “incredibility” that is often the figure of merit that must be met in a deterministic world. The effort demonstrates that it can be “incredibly” difficult to prove “incredibility” in this context.
Cell sheet engineering for integrating functional tissue in vivo : Successes and challenges

“Bottom-up” assembly of fully functional cell-based materials has enormous potential for replicating endogenous tissues. Currently, most tissue-engineering strategies are based on incorporating dissociated cells into an artificial three-dimensional matrix of supportive structural elements that direct cellular migration, proliferation, and organization. The matrix provides “top-down” guidance cues that impose assembly directions on the cells; however, the matrix also competes for space and limits fully functional, cell-dense tissues. This article focuses on bottom-up fabrication of functional tissue by cell sheet engineering. Cell sheet engineering is based on the sequential stacking and adhesion of confluent and organized cell monolayers from two-dimensional cell culture without the need for artifical scaffolds or structural intermediates. The resulting functional cellular monolayers (either individually or as stacked sheets) can then be directly implanted into living systems. Clinical successes are highlighted as well as attempts to overcome the vascularization limit often observed in engineered tissues.
The Gendered Politics of Violence

Donahoe explores the history of Northern Ireland leading up to and during the Troubles. As Catholic and Protestant communities became polarized against each other and escalated toward violence, they turned inward and became entrenched in conservatism and tradition. The politics turned from demands for civil rights to the constitutional question: should Northern Ireland be united with UK or the Republic of Ireland? Women’s public roles were limited by a masculine militarism while simultaneously expanded by the demands of the violence. Women became actively and publicly involved in caring for their families and communities as their houses were searched, curfews placed on their neighborhoods, and their men interned. This chapter closes with an assessment of the costs of this political violence.
Optimal Driving Policies for Autonomous Vehicles Based on Stochastic Drift Counteraction

Abstract This paper focuses on high-level control and decision-making for an autonomous car. We develop a hybrid probabilistic model that describes the motion of a car and its surrounding traffic on a two-lane highway/road, where the acceleration of the car and the lane changes serve as control variables. Using approximate dynamic programming (ADP) techniques and an enhanced version of the value iteration algorithm, a control policy is obtained that maximizes the expected time that the car maintains a prescribed minimum (safe) headway. Simulation results for different settings are provided to validate the approach.
Structure and Dynamics of Paramagnetic Transients By Pulsed EPR and NMR Detection of Nuclear Resonance

Structure and dynamics of transient radicals in pulse radiolysis can be studied by time resolved EPR and NMR techniques. EPR study of kinetics and relaxation is illustrated. The NMR detection of nuclear resonance in transient radicals is a new method which allows the study of hyperfine coupling, population dynamics, radical kinetics, and reaction mechanism.
SETTING THE FOUNDATION FOR EFFECTIVE LEARNING: UTILIZING THE COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, AND PSYCHOMOTOR DOMAINS TO ESTABLISH RIGOROUS PERFORMANCE LEARNING OBJECTIVES IN POSTSECONDARY AVIATION PROGRAMS

Institutions of American higher education have become increasingly scrutinized by governmental agencies, organizations, and the public (Wingspread Group on Higher Education, 1993). Accountability to these constituents has presented itself as a unique challenge to higher education. Greater accountability has also manifested an increased demand for effective assessment programs (Banta, Lund, Black, & Oblander, 1996). Accountability and assessment have undoubtedly emerged into postsecondary aviation as well. Consequently, aviation programs must continually justify their existence in providing a highly needed and important resource to society by preparing well-educated and skilled graduates for the workplace. If credible assessment programs reveal problems in educational outcomes, then likely candidates for review are the performance learning objectives in the classroom. The authors present the argument that rigorous, well-developed performance learning objectives provide the underlying foundation for effective learning. The importance of establishing clearly stated, specific performance learning objectives and its relationship to the learning environment are also discussed. Effective performance learning objectives will not only enhance student learning experiences in the aviation classroom, but will favorably affect program strength and ultimately, institutional effectiveness.
A Kansas wheat harvest: Near-fatal asphyxiation with wheat grains

We present a patient who had a near-fatal asphyxiation with wheat particles. A previously healthy 11-year-old boy slipped into wheat being unloaded from a transport wagon and was immediately submersed. On arrival at the hospital, he was found to have grain impacted in both mainstem bronchi. A combination of flexible and rigid bronchoscopy with optical forceps and Fogarty balloon catheters was successful in clearing the airways. The removal of the particles through the use of small bronchoscopic instruments is a tedious and delicate procedure, but in this case, it resulted in a life saved.
Osteosarcoma of the skull cap. Differential diagnosis and clinical considerations

Differential Diagnosis and Clinical Aspects: Osteosarcoma is a rare type of bone tumor that usually occurs only towards the end of a long bone. This article reports the case of a primary osteosarcoma of the skull and discusses important clinical issues. CT played an important role in the assessment of the tumor.
Documenting the Lives of Ohio Hopewell People: A Philosophical and Empirical Foundation

How does one come to know another? Ethnographers, social psychologists, historians, biographers, and economists and political scientists of micro decision-making each face this most fundamental issue in exploring and studying the social and individual lives of people. It is no less true of anthropological archaeologists who wish to come to know a past people. In actuality, all human beings share this concern, to the extent that they depend on others and must understand them and adapt to them at some level in the course of social relations.
MEMS/NEMS and BioMEMS/BioNEMS: Materials, Devices, and Biomimetics

Micro-/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) micro-/nanoelectromechanical system (MEMS/NEMS) need to be designed to perform expected functions in short durations, typically in the millisecond to picosecond range. The expected life of devices for high-speed contacts can vary from a few hundred thousand to many billions of cycles, e.g., over a hundred billion cycles micromirror device (DMD) digital for digital micromirror devices (DMDs), which puts serious requirements on materials. The surface-area-to-volume ratio in MEMS/NEMS is large, and in systems involving relative motion, surface forces such as adhesion, friction, and meniscus and viscous forces become very large compared with inertial and electromagnetic forces. There is a need for fundamental understanding of adhesion, friction friction/stiction, stiction wear, lubrication, and the role of surface contamination and environment, all on the nanoscale. Most mechanical properties are known to be scale dependent, therefore the properties of nanoscale structures need to be measured. For bioMEMS/bioNEMS, bioMEMS/bioNEMS adhesion between biological molecular layer molecular layers and the substrate, and friction and wear of biological layers, can be important. Component-level studies are required to provide a better understanding of the tribological phenomena occurring in MEMS/NEMS. The emergence of the fields of nanotribology nanotribology and nanomechanics nanomechanics, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based techniques, has provided researchers with a viable approach to address these problems. The emerging field of biomimetics biomimetics holds promise for the development of nanomaterial biologically inspired biologically inspired nanomaterials and nanotechnology products. One example is the design of surfaces with superhydrophobicity roughness-induced roughness-induced superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning, and low adhesion based on the so-called lotus effect. This chapter presents an overview of nanoscale adhesion nanoscale adhesion, friction, and wear wear studies of materials and lubrication lubrication for MEMS/NEMS and bioMEMS/bioNEMS, and component-level studies of stiction phenomena in MEMS/NEMS devices, MEMS/NEMS deviceas well as hierarchical nano-structured surfaces for superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning self-cleaning, and low adhesion.