cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Secondary Myelodysplastic Syndrome after Hydroxychloroquine Therapy.

Abstract Introduction: The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) include a group of marrow disorders united by the common feature of ineffective hematopoiesis. Primary MDS is defined as occurring in the absence of exposure to ionizing radiation, chemotherapeutic agents or myelotoxic drugs. Secondary MDS occurs in the presence of such exposure. The reported hematological side effects of hydroxychloroquine include aplastic anemia, agranulocytosis, thrombocytopenia, and hemolytic anemia in individuals with G-6-PD deficiency. However the frequency of secondary MDS after treatment with hydroxychloroquine is unknown. We report four patients who developed MDS after hydroxychloroquine therapy, a previously unrecognized association. Methods: We did a retrospective chart analysis of 217 patients on hydroxychloroquine for rhematological conditions in 2005. None of these patients had exposure to myelosuppressive drugs including methotrexate, radiation, chemotherapeutic agents, or benzene. Amongst these patients, 4 had been diagnosed with MDS in 2005. The demographics, type of MDS, karyotypic abnormalities, dose and duration of treatment with hydroxychloroquine were reviewed. Results: Two patients were male (M) and two female (F); the median age was 69.75 years, (range 65–76). There was no personal or family history of hematopoietic cancer. The dose of hydroxychloroquine for all patients was 400 mg daily, with median treatment duration of 10.5 years and a range of 6–16. All patients had bone marrow biopsy confirmation of the diagnosis of MDS, and two had karyotype abnormalities. Conclusion: The incidence of MDS in a group older than 70 years ranges from 15 to 50/100,000 persons/year. The diagnosis of four cases of MDS among 217 patients in one year is approximately 123–37 fold higher than the risk of MDS in the general population aged more than 70 years (P Age (years)/sex Dose (daily) / duration of hydroxychloroquine treatment MDS subtype Cytogenetic studies. Case 1 65/M 400 mg/6 years Refractory anemia without ringed sideroblasts. 45 XY case 2 73/F 400 mg/7 years Refractory anemia without ringed sideroblasts. 46 XX case 3 76/M 400 mg/16 years Refractory anemia with excess blasts 49,XY,+4,+8,+12[5]/46,idem,−5, −6,−13[1]/46,XY[15] case 4 65/F 400mg/13 years Refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts 46 XX, del (20) (q11.2q13.3)[2]/46 XX[18] Two (or more) cytogenetically different populations of cells are indicated by a slanted line (/) between their karyotype notations.The number in brackets [ ] indicates the number of cells seen with the preceding karyotype.del (deletion): loss of part of a chromosome. q: the long arm of the chromosome. +: extra copy of the chromosome. −: random loss of chromosomes.
Genomic instability induced in distant progeny of bystander cells depends on the connexins expressed in the irradiated cells.

AbstractPurpose: To examine the time window during which intercellular signaling though gap junctions mediates non-targeted (bystander) effects induced by moderate doses of ionizing radiation; and to investigate the impact of gap junction communication on genomic instability in distant progeny of bystander cells.Materials and methods: A layered cell culture system was developed to investigate the propagation of harmful effects from irradiated normal or tumor cells that express specific connexins to contiguous bystander normal human fibroblasts. Irradiated cells were exposed to moderate mean absorbed doses from 3.7 MeV α particle, 1000 MeV/u iron ions, 600 MeV/u silicon ions, or 137Cs γ rays. Following 5 h of co-culture, pure populations of bystander cells, unexposed to secondary radiation, were isolated and DNA damage and oxidative stress was assessed in them and in their distant progeny (20–25 population doublings).Results: Increased frequency of micronucleus formation and enhanced oxidative changes were...
Human Health Effects of Bisphenol A

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high production endocrine disrupting chemical found in numerous consumer products. BPA has been used commercially since 1957 to make hard polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins used in food-can linings, cash-register receipts, and dental resins. The ubiquity of BPA in our environment results in exposure to this chemical daily in human populations. But controversy remains regarding how much BPA humans actually ingest or otherwise encounter. Many laboratory animal and human studies have linked exposures to BPA, a hormone mimicking chemical, to adverse health effects, including altered behavior and obesity in children, reproductive abnormalities, cardiovascular changes, and various cancers. However, there have been considerable inconsistencies in the outcomes from these studies with respect to the nature of the adverse health effects observed, and questions as to whether the BPA dose at which they occur are within the range of non-occupational human exposures. This chapter reviews the latest research on BPA, focusing on human exposure, discussions of biomonitoring studies and toxicokinetic models, human health effects, and research needs. We also include illustrative examples of animal models that address whether BPA-exposure is associated with changes in certain health endpoints.
House Price, Consumption, and Construction Data

This chapter reviews the data that is utilised, plus some used for context. Income and the consumption data are taken from the Quarterly National Accounts. Gross domestic product and household final consumption expenditure cover the period 1955Q1 to 2014Q4. The inflation rate is taken as the Retail Price Index. Secured and unsecured lending and household expenditure on consumer durables (CD) is available from datastream, for the second part of the data analysis. Quarterly house price data for the UK is taken from the Nationwide Building Society, covering the period from 1955Q1 to 2014Q4. The regional, vintage, and buyer group covers 32 years from 1983Q1.
Age-related decline in behavioral discrimination of amplitude modulation frequencies compared to envelope-following responses

The ability to discriminate modulation frequencies is important for speech intelligibility because speech has amplitude and frequency modulations. Neurophysiological responses assessed by envelope following responses (EFRs) significantly decline at faster amplitude modulation frequencies (AMF) in older subjects. A typical assumption is that a decline in EFRs will necessarily result in corresponding perceptual deficits. To test this assumption, we investigated young and aged Fischer-344 rats in behavioral AMF discrimination abilities and compared to their EFRs. A modified version of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle reflex (ASR) was used to obtain behavioral performance. A PPI trial contains pulses of sinusoidal AM (SAM) at 128 Hz presented sequentially, a SAM prepulse with different AMF and a startle-eliciting-stimulus. To account for hearing threshold shift or age-related synaptopathy, stimulus levels were presented at 10-dB lower or match to the aged peripheral neural activation (using auditory brainstem response wave I amplitude). When AMF differences and modulation depths were large, young and aged animal behavioral performances were comparable. Aged animal AMF discrimination abilities declined as the AMF difference or the modulation depth reduced, even compared to the young with peripheral matching. Young animals showed smaller relative decreases in EFRs with reduced modulation depths. The correlation of EFRs and AM perception was identified to be more consistent in young animals. The overall results revealed larger age-related deficits in behavioral perception compared to EFRs, suggesting additional factors that affect perception despite smaller degradation in neural responses. Hence, behavioral and physiological measurements are critical in unveiling a more complete picture on the auditory function.
Thomas of Monmouth’s The Life and Passion of William of Norwich : Mapping Commemorative Violence

Miri Rubin’s translation and edition of Thomas of Monmouth’s Life and Passion of William of Norwich facilitates the teaching of this seminal account of ritual murder to undergraduates. This essay approaches Life and Passion from a cultural studies hermeneutic that employs maps and spatial monstrosity (Augustine’s monstrare) to comprehend the construction of the Jew in a specific geographical and historical context. Students interrogate Jewish and Christian identity and ambiguity by mapping the space of the monastery, the Cathedral, and the city and environs of Norwich, thereby discerning the intersection of geography and cultural identity.
DYNAMICS OF THE HYDROGEN BOND NETWORK IN SIMULATED LIQUID WATER

Liquid water is known to be characterized by a fragile connected network1 of hydrogen bonds (HB), well above the percolation threshold.2 Although the strength of the HB in water (V HB) iS roughly 20 kJ/mol,1 a value much larger than kT, the water network is constantly restructuring on a ps time scale.1–3 While the local structure of the HB network has been clarified in the past,4–6 the dynamical processes that underlie the restructuring of the water bond network are still unclear.
Eccentric, mature osseous cap: A distinct imaging feature of sinonasal osteoblastoma.

BACKGROUND With the exception of osteomas, bone neoplasms that originate in the sinonasal cavity are seldom diagnosed on preoperative imaging due to a lack of characteristic radiographic features. Here we described the unusual occurrence of an osteoblastoma in the paranasal sinuses, and we drew focus to its salient imaging features. A highly unique imaging sign was indicated, and its pathologic basis was explained, with concurrent review of the literature. METHODS Case series and review of the literature. RESULTS Two cases of sinonasal osteoblastoma were managed by definitive surgical resection. Both tumors on preoperative computed tomography demonstrated an expansile, heterogeneous fibro-osseous lesion with an eccentric, mature osseous cap. The dense osseous cap seen on imaging corresponded to a rim of mature bone on histopathology. A review of existing literature revealed the presence of this imaging sign in all reported cases. CONCLUSION Sinonasal osteoblastoma is an extremely rare entity with undefined imaging characteristics to guide preoperative decision-making. Here we reported, to our knowledge, the first description of a characteristic imaging sign of an eccentric, mature osseous cap, which corresponded histologically to a single peripheral layer rim of osteoblasts, a unique trait of osteoblastoma.
Regulatory T Cells and Disease State

The regulatory T cells are a subset of T cells which suppress or regulate the immune response, protect from autoimmune disease, and maintain tolerance to self-antigens. This chapter describes the nomenclature and function of various types of Treg cells that possess immunosuppressive function. Their major subsets include natural Treg cells, peripheral Treg cells, Tr1 cells, TH3 cells, CD8 Treg cells, Qa-1-restricted CD8+, CD8+ CD28−, and NKT cells. The factors involved in the mechanism of action of each subset are discussed. Finally, the potential of Treg cells as therapeutic targets for diseases including allergic disease, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, infections, cancer, transplant rejection, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is described. The treatment of patients with antigen-specific Treg cells would be an interesting approach if the issue of their propagation at a mass scale is resolved.
Comparative Effectiveness Research in Gynecologic Oncology

The field of gynecologic oncology is faced with a number of challenges including how to incorporate new drugs and procedures into practice, how to balance therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of treatment, how to individualize therapy to particular patients or groups of patients, and how to contain the rapidly rising costs associated with oncologic care. In this chapter we examine three common and highly debated clinical scenarios in gynecologic oncology: the initial management of ovarian cancer, the role of lymphadenectomy in the treatment of endometrial cancer, and the choice of adjuvant therapy for ovarian cancer.
Tuning the host-pathogen relationship through evolution with a special focus on the echinoid Sp185/333 system

Diversification of immune genes in host organisms that are in deadly arms races with pathogens has resulted in a wide range of approaches by which the host survives. Well known examples of adaptive immunity in vertebrates include somatic recombination of the immunoglobulin gene family and assembly of the variable lymphocyte receptors. The CRISPR-Cas system in bacteria and archaea is also considered adaptive. For invertebrates that survive in the absence of adaptive immunity, innate immune diversity is accomplished based on functions of clusters of immune genes such as FREPs, VCBPs, C1qs, TLRs, and R genes. Single copy gene diversity can be accomplished through extensive alternative splicing or increases in alleles in populations. The Sp185/333 gene family in the purple sea urchin has multiple levels in which to generate immune diversity. These include clustered Sp185/333 genes, genomic instability in regions harboring the genes, predicted mRNA editing, expression of broad repertoires of Sp185/333 proteins, and post translational modifications. The Sp185/333 proteins have anti-pathogen activities and an individual recombinant protein can bind to multiple foreign cells and molecular patterns. The underlying characteristics of gene clusters, many with repeats, that are present in unstable genomic regions is common to a number of these examples, and is likely of central importance for organisms that survive solely on innate immunity.
Industrial specialization matters: A new angle on equity home Bias

Abstract This paper theoretically and empirically examines how industrial structure affects international portfolio diversification. I embed portfolio choice in a multi-country, multi-sector model in order to explore how sectoral productivity differences affect a country's risk exposure and hence influence home bias. The model predicts that investors from highly specialized economies who want to hedge their risk have a strong incentive to avoid domestic assets. I confirm the prediction with the data by finding that home bias is negatively correlated with a country's degree of industrial specialization. This finding unveils the interaction between intranational risk hedging across sectors and international risk hedging across countries.
Comparison of Multiple Wire, Radioactive Seed, and Savi Scout® Radar Localizations for Management of Surgical Breast Disease.

Radioactive seed localization (RSL) and the Savi Scout® radar (SSR) are newer alternatives to wire-guided localization (WL) for nonpalpable breast lesions. The aim of this study was to compare three localization devices when multiple devices were used for preoperative localization for breast surgery. Between July 2017 and July 2018, 68 patients had a partial mastectomy (n = 54) or breast biopsy (n = 14) with preoperative image-guided localization using multiple wires or device placement for nonpalpable lesions. Operative timing, outcomes, and 30-day complications were evaluated. Overall, 41 patients (60%) had WL, 11 patients (16%) had RSL, and 16 patients (24%) had SSR localization. Fifty-four patients (79.4%) had localization of two lesions and 13 patients (19.1%) had localization of three lesions. Twenty-three patients (33.8%) had a lesion that was bracketed. There was no difference in retained biopsy clip among the groups (average 7.4%; p = 0.962). For operations performed in the hospital, there was no difference in operative time among the groups, with a median of 77.5 min (p = 0.705) or total perioperative time of 508 min (p = 0.210). Among operations with delayed start times, there was a longer average delay of 95.5 min in WL, compared with 42 min in SSR (p = 0.004). A greater volume of tissue was excised in the WL group (29.5 g WL vs. 15.9 g RSL vs. 12.1 g SSR; p = 0.022). There was no difference in positive margin rate and 30-day complications among groups. SSR and RSL can be used to localize multiple breast lesions, with no difference in positive margin rates or complications and less tissue excised compared with WL.
A distributionally robust boosting algorithm

Distributionally Robust Optimization (DRO) has been shown to provide a flexible framework for decision making under uncertainty and statistical estimation. For example, recent works in DRO have shown that popular statistical estimators can be interpreted as the solutions of suitable formulated data-driven DRO problems. In turn, this connection is used to optimally select tuning parameters in terms of a principled approach informed by robustness considerations. This paper contributes to this growing literature, connecting DRO and statistics, by showing how boosting algorithms can be studied via DRO. We propose a boosting type algorithm, named DRO-Boosting, as a procedure to solve our DRO formulation. Our DRO-Boosting algorithm recovers Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) in particular, thus showing that AdaBoost is effectively solving a DRO problem. We apply our algorithm to a financial dataset on credit card default payment prediction. Our approach compares favorably to alternative boosting methods which are widely used in practice.
Pharmacotherapy for durable left ventricular assist devices.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have revolutionized the care of patients with advanced heart failure, yet still require concomitant medications in order to achieve the best possible clinical outcomes. Since the outset of routine placement of durable, continuous-flow LVADs, much of the medication management of these patients to date has been based on International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) guidance, most recently published in 2013. Since 2013, numerous multidisciplinary pharmacotherapy publications have increased the LVAD community's understanding of best practices with respect to medications. We identified the major domains of LVAD medication management and conducted a comprehensive search of US National Library of Medicine MEDLINE ® database using keywords chosen to identify medication-related publications of significance dated 2013 or later. Trials pertaining to the HeartMate IITM and the HeartMateTM 3 LVADs (Abbott, Chicago IL) and the HeartWareTM HVADTM System (Medtronic, Minneapolis MN) were chosen for inclusion. Highest priority for inclusion was given to prospective, randomized, controlled studies. Absent these, controlled trials (retrospective or prospective observational) were given next-highest consideration, followed by retrospective uncontrolled studies, and finally case series. Reference lists of qualified publications were reviewed to find any other publications of interest that were not discovered on initial search. Case reports were generally excluded, except where the insight gained was deemed to be uniquely pertinent. This document serves to provide a comprehensive review of the current understanding of optimal medication management in patients with durable, continuous-flow LVADs.
Integration of Clinical and Scientific Principles in the Teaching of Drug-Drug Interactions

Evaluation of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) is an integral part of pharmacy practice worldwide. An understanding of the scientific mechanisms behind and the clinical implications of DDIs is important for proper management of pharmacotherapy. Here, we describe an integrated approach to teaching both aspects of DDIs as a standalone module in diverse course settings. These include on-campus and online delivery to international and local audiences in small and large classes. We describe the scientific, clinical, and integrated learning objectives of the module, and we show how these can be achieved through group projects based on published DDI case reports.
Human Rights-Based Social Work Practice with Immigrants and Asylum Seekers in a Legal Service Organization.

The human rights of immigrants and asylum seekers are threatened by the erosion of asylum and a system of crimmigration that combines immigration and criminal law. This paper explores social work practice with immigrants and asylum seekers in a legal service organization. A qualitative research study asked social workers, lawyers, and administrators (n = 27) to discuss the relationship between human rights and social work. Data from key informants were collected in five focus groups and one individual interview. Findings indicate that the participants see social work practice as an important response to the attack on immigrant and asylum seekers' rights. Social workers identified human rights as a primary motivation for their practice, and integral to the profession. The findings also reveal that this legal service organization applies a rights-based approach by integrating social and legal services. Participants described how this rights-based approach protects and promotes the human rights of immigrants and asylum seekers. This paper illustrates the value of rights-based approaches and how they can be incorporated into social work practice.
Flow Cytometric Analysis for Identification of the Innate and Adaptive Immune Cells of Murine Lung

The respiratory tract is in direct contact with the outside environment and requires a precisely regulated immune system to provide protection while suppressing unwanted reactions to environmental antigens. Lungs host several populations of innate and adaptive immune cells that provide immune surveillance but also mediate protective immune responses. These cells, which keep the healthy pulmonary immune system in balance, also participate in several pathological conditions such as asthma, infections, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. Selective expression of surface and intracellular proteins provides unique immunophenotypic properties to the immune cells of the lung. Consequently, flow cytometry has an instrumental role in the identification of such cell populations during steady-state and pathological conditions. This paper presents a protocol that describes a consistent and reproducible method to identify the immune cells that reside in the lungs of healthy mice under steady-state conditions. However, this protocol can also be used to identify changes in these cell populations in various disease models to help identify disease-specific changes in the lung immune landscape.
Electric Control of Magnetic Devices for Spintronic Computing

The scaling of CMOS technology has followed Moore’s Law for more than five decades [1], enabling the continuous growth of the semiconductor industry. This trend, however, currently faces a major challenge due to increasing energy dissipation per unit area [2]. The increase in power dissipation results from the increase of static (standby) leakage power, as well as the continued increase of density as transistors are scaled down [3]. The former is a result of the fact that power needs to be continuously applied to CMOS elements in order for them to retain their information. In addition, the dynamic switching energy per unit area has also been increasing due to the increase of device density. The search for novel low-dissipation solutions at the device-, circuit- and system-levels is thus critical to the future of the electronics industry.
APPLIED EU QUALITY SCHEMES AND ORGANIC PRODUCTS ON ROMANIAN MARKET

The aim of the paper is to identify the market potential for products produced and processed according to the EU quality schemes (organic products, PDO, PGI and TSG) on Romanian market. It provides a description of EU and national policies related to development of new markets like organic, PDO, PGI and TSG products, in particular PGI market. The structure of the paper contains an analysis of the organic products and, separately, the analysis of PGI products in Romania, with examples of products under EU quality schemes. During the analysis, we focused on the following aspects: legal frame, institutions and implementation of the quality schemes, supply side, demand side, trade, investments in the field, problems identified and tendencies. It puts in evidence the main characteristics of the country, tendencies, challenges and particularities, which define the groups of products analysed. The example given in text tries to show practical aspects and ways of implementation of the EU quality schemes, for Romania. The paper provides general conclusions resulted from the EU quality schemes implementations in Romania. In the same time, we identify a few difficulties regarding the expansion of the market. By present paper we open new discussions about trends in the field, future developments and models for a good standard of life.
Coenzyme M, Essential for Growth of a Rumen Strain of Methanobacterium ruminantium

A growth factor present in rumen fluid and essential for growth of a rumen strain of Methanobacterium ruminantium was shown to be coenzyme M, 2-mercaptoethanesulfonic acid.
Why De Minimis

De minimis cutoffs are a familiar feature of risk regulation. This includes the quantitative individual risk thresholds for fatality risks employed in many contexts by EPA, FDA, and other agencies, such as the 1-in-1 million lifetime cancer risk cutoff; extreme event cutoffs for addressing natural hazards, such as the 100 - year - flood or 475 - year - earthquake; de minimis failure probabilities for built structures; the exclusion of low - probability causal models; and other policymaking criteria. All these tests have a common structure, as I show in the Article. A de minimis test, broadly defined, tells the decisionmaker to determine whether the probability of some outcome is above a low threshold and makes this determination relevant, in some way, to her choice. De minimis cutoffs are deeply problematic, and have been generally misunderstood by scholars. First, they are warranted - if at all - by virtue of policymakers' bounded rationality. If policymakers were fully rational, de minimis cutoffs would have no justification. (This is true, I suggest, across a wide range of normative theories, and for the full gamut of de minimis tests). Second, although it seems plausible that some de minimis tests are justified once bounded rationality is brought into the picture, it is not clear which those are, or even how we should go about identifying them.
New approach for efficient diagnosis of large and complex space systems

We present a novel algorithmic approach and a new algorithm for solving the diagnosis problem. We report the results of the performance of the new algorithm and compare them with the traditional and standard algorithms. These results show the strong performance of our new algorithm with more than an order of magnitude improvement over the traditional approach.
Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha in Induction of Murine CD14 Gene Expression by Lipopolysaccharide

We previously demonstrated CD14 gene expression in myeloid and epithelial cells of the mouse and showed that expression of the CD14 gene in both is modulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Here we test the hypothesis that the induction of CD14 in these cells is an indirect effect of LPS, one mediated by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). TNF-alpha induced a transient increase in levels of CD14 in plasma with a peak at 6 to 8 h, and this increase in levels of CD14 antigen in plasma was accompanied by increased levels of CD14 mRNA in lung, liver, and kidney. Moreover, in situ hybridization studies revealed that CD14 mRNA was induced in both myeloid cells and epithelial cells, the same cells that respond to LPS. Pretreatment of mice with anti-TNF antiserum reduced the LPS-mediated increase in levels of CD14 in plasma and significantly reduced the level of induction of CD14 mRNA in selected epithelial cells in the kidney and liver. The antiserum did not appear to block LPS-mediated induction in myeloid cells in the tissues examined. In C3H/HeJ mice, the epithelial response to LPS was markedly attenuated whereas the response to TNF-alpha was normal. Thus, regulation of CD14 gene expression by LPS differs in epithelial and myeloid cells, with the epithelial responses in kidney and liver being mediated, in part, by TNF-alpha.
Invariant imbedding and time-dependent scattering of light in a one-dimensional medium

Abstract : By means of the invariant-imbedding technique, the integral equations for the reflection and transmission coefficients of radiation in a one dimensional medium are obtained, allowing for the release of absorbed energy with a random time delay. Furthermore, the reflected and transmitted intensities for the fluorescence problem in a one-dimensional medium are expressed in terms of these coefficients, assuming no distribution of emitting sources in the medium.
Real-Time Intraoperative Detection of Breast Cancer Axillary Lymph Node Metastases Using a Green Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Herpes Virus

Objective: To investigate the use of a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing oncolytic herpes virus to enable real-time intraoperative detection of breast cancer lymph node metastases. Background Data: Axillary lymph node status is the most important factor determining treatment, recurrence, and overall survival for women with breast cancer. The current methods of determining nodal status, however, have limitations. NV1066 is a novel oncolytic herpes viral strain that specifically infects cancer cells and expresses GFP. Methods: Seven human breast cancer cell lines were infected in vitro with NV1066 and assessed for GFP expression, viral replication, and cytotoxicity. An in vivo model of breast cancer lymphatic metastasis was established in mice. Tumor-bearing mice were treated with NV1066 via injection into the primary tumor. Axillary lymph nodes were analyzed using an in vivo fluorescent imaging system. Histologic and molecular assessment of lymph nodes were performed using immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase PCR and operating characteristics were determined. Results: NV1066 infected, expressed GFP, replicated within, and killed all human breast cancer cell lines in vitro. Injection of NV1066 into primary breast tumors resulted in viral transit to axillary lymph nodes, infection of lymphatic metastases, and GFP expression that was visualized with in vivo fluorescent imaging. Histologic and molecular confirmation demonstrated favorable operating characteristics of this method (sensitivity 80%; specificity 96%). Conclusions: We introduce a novel, sensitive, and specific method of lymphatic mapping that utilizes NV1066-guided cancer cell-specific viral production of GFP to enable real-time intraoperative detection of lymphatic metastases.
Recent developments in the econometrics of panel data analysis

Abstract The present paper surveys different issues related to the econometric analysis of panel data. It discusses the controversy over fixed effects vs. random effects models, specification error tests with panel data, the problem of specification of the distribution of initial values in dynamic models, maximum-likelihood estimation of dynamic models, tests for serial correlation with panel data, serial correlation vs. state dependence, multiple equation models with panel data, and errors in variables in panel data. References are also given for certain other miscellaneous problems involving panel data.
Antenatal betamethasone increases vascular reactivity to endothelin-1 by upregulation of CD38/cADPR signaling.

Antenatal steroid administration is associated with hypertension in adult life; however, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are unclear. The aim of this study was to further characterize the effects of antenatal glucocorticoid exposure on the endothelin (ET-1) system, specifically to ascertain the role of the cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose (cADPR)/ryanodine receptor pathway in the increased sensitivity to ET-1 observed in the offspring exposed to antenatal glucocorticoids. Pregnant sheep were randomly treated with betamethasone (Beta; 0.17 mg/kg) or vehicle at 80 and 81 days of gestation. In adults, we studied endothelium-denuded arterial segments of the brachial arteries. ET-1-induced vasoconstriction was significantly higher in the arteries from Beta sheep (F=3.5, P<0.05). Inhibition of ADP-ribosyl cyclase with 2-2'-dihydroxy-azobenzene significantly decreased the ET-1-induced contraction in Beta but not in vehicle-treated sheep. Nicotinamide attenuated ET-1 contraction in both, but it was significantly more pronounced in the Beta-treated sheep. No significant differences were observed following KCl-induced (6.25–75 mM) contraction. Nicotinamide (10 mM) significantly attenuated the KCl-induced vasoconstriction in both groups. In KCl (62.5 mM)-constricted arteries, the effect of nicotinamide (NIC) was significantly greater in the vehicle-treated sheep (50% relaxation v. 40% relaxation; t=2.2, P<0.05). In contrast, the sodium nitroprusside (SNP) relaxation was not statistically different. An additive effect was observed when NIC and SNP were used in combination and it was also more pronounced in vehicle-treated sheep. We conclude that the increased response to ET-1 is mediated by activation of the CD38/cADPR signaling pathway. Further studies are required to identify the effectors downstream from cADPR affected by exposure to antenatal steroids.
Diurnal Variation of Summer Convection Over West Africa and the Tropical Eastern Atlantic During 1974 and 1978

Abstract Four-times daily infrared images from the geostationary satellite Meteosat- I are used to compare thediurnal variations of deep convection over West Africa and the eastern Atlantic during the summer of 1978with the variations observed by the SMS-l satellite during Phases II and III of GATE (28 July 19 September, 1974). A subjective method similar to that employed by McGarry and Reed (1978) in analyzing the 1974 data is used in estimating the degree of convective activity. A close agreement is found between the behavior of the convection in the two years. In particular:1)Maximum convective activity in the area of the GATE ship hexagon occurred again in the lateafternoon and the amplitude of the convective cycle was again larger at the eastern edge of the outerhexagon than at the western edge.2)Closer to shore the peak activity occurred near noon, as in 1974, and in the immediate vicinity of theshore the amplitude of the cycle was again very small.3)Over the highlands of West Africa, explosive grow...
A comparison of the effects of atropine on real-feeding and sham-feeding of sucrose in rats.

Abstract In Experiment 1 the influence of atropine methyl nitrate on the sham-feeding response of adult female rats to sucrose solution was determined. Atropine (1 or 5 mg/kg) reliability suppressed the sham-intake of sucrose when the drug was administered 30 or 0 min prior to, or 17 min after the start of the feeding session. The suppressive effect was less, however, when the drug was administered 30 min before testing compared to the other two injection-test conditions. In Experiment 2 atropine failed to reliably decrease the real-feeding of a sucrose solution whether it was injected 30, 15, or 0 min prior to testing. These results were replicated in Experiment 3; atropine (0 min injection-test interval) reduced the sham-intake but not the real-intake of a sucrose solution. However, atropine decreased the rate of feeding under both real- and sham-feeding conditions. The fact that atropine reduced feeding rate but not meal size in the real-feeding condition was attributed to the drug's lack of effect on postingestive satiety. The present findings along with other recent results indicate that (1) the injection-test interval is a potentially important variable in studies involving atropine; (2) results obtained with sham-feeding animals do not always generalize to real-feeding animals; and (3) cholinergically-mediated cephalic responses are of questionable importance in the control of meal size.
Features and Management of Colonic Diverticular Disease

Diverticular disease is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal conditions to afflict Western populations. Although the majority of patients with diverticulosis remain asymptomatic, about one third will develop symptoms at some point in their lives. Symptomatic diverticular disease can range from chronic mild gastrointestinal distress to acute bouts of diverticulitis complicated by abscess or frank colonic perforation. The mainstay of treatment of symptomatic diverticular disease has long been bowel rest, antibiotics, and pain control, reserving surgery for those with complicated disease. This review discusses the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of the spectrum of diverticular disease, including recent advances in the treatment of chronic diverticular disease.
Toward Validation of a Minimal Competence Phonetic Core for African American Children

Purpose This study aimed to show (a) whether the minimal competence core (MCC) of consonants used by African American preschoolers in I. Stockman (2006) can be observed in a larger group of childre...
Prevention of 5-FU induced NADPH-D translocation in colonic epithelium by antibiotics and the effect on the intestinal bacterial flora.

One hundred and thirty-two mice were studied for the effects of 5-FU, neomycin, and penicillin on the histology and histochemical localization of dehydrogenases in colonic epithelium. These effects were correlated with the aerobic and anaerobic enteric bacterial flora. 5-FU induces a luminal distribution of NADPH-D in colonic epithelium. Both neomycin and penicillin prevent this translocation. It was not observed in control animals or with the NADH-D reaction. Neomycin and penicillin both had definite effects on the mouse colonic flora, but these effects were not similar and the reason they prevent this translocation is not clear, although it appeared to be related to an alteration in the aerobic coliform bacterial flora.
Registration of congenital anomalies in ART populations: pitfalls

Various methodological pitfalls preclude simple validation of the ostensible safety of offspring conceived thorough assisted reproductive technologies (ART). These pitfalls include lack of an appropriate comparison group (control), failure to take into account potential confounding variables, anomaly surveillance that is either too rigorous or too lax compared to the way in which anomalies are sought in general population surveys, and inconsistent criteria with respect to classifying anomalies (inclusion or exclusion of minor anomalies, internal anomalies evident only on ultrasound, and anomalies present in terminated pregnancies). To minimise these pitfalls, we recommend prospective surveillance for major anomalies, best defined as defects resulting in death, causing major handicap or necessitating surgery. Surveillance should ideally begin as soon as pregnancy is diagnosed. Data should be gathered allowing potential confounding variables to be taken into account, and systematic neonatal surveillance for anomalies should be performed during a designated time interval.
Comparison of electrical conductivities of various brain phantom gels: Developing a ‘brain gel model’

Abstract The use of conducting gels to mimic brain and other tissues is of increasing interest in the development of new medical devices. Currently, there are few such models that can be utilized at physiologic temperatures. In this work, the conductivities of agar, agarose and gelatin gels were manipulated by varying NaCl concentration from 0–1 mg/ml. The AC conductivity was measured at room and physiological temperatures (37 °C) in the 100–500 Hz frequency range. Conductivity (σ) was nearly independent of frequency but increased linearly with NaCl concentration and was higher at physiological temperatures in these gels. A formula for predicting conductivity as a function of NaCl concentration was derived for each gel type. The overall goal is to develop a ‘brain gel model’, for studying low frequency electrical properties of the brain and other tissues at physiological temperatures.
Reconstituting Modular Activity from Separated Domains of 6-Deoxyerythronolide B Synthase †

The hallmark of a type I polyketide synthase (PKS), such as the 6-deoxyerythronolide B synthase (DEBS), is the presence of catalytic modules comprised of covalently fused domains acting together to catalyze one round of chain elongation. In addition to an obligate ketosynthase (KS), acyl transferase (AT), and acyl carrier protein (ACP), a module may also include a ketoreductase (KR), dehydratase (DH), and/or enoyl reductase (ER) domain. The size, flexibility, and fixed domain-domain stoichiometry of these PKS modules present challenges for structural, mechanistic, and protein-engineering studies. Here, we have harnessed the power of limited proteolysis and heterologous protein expression to isolate and characterize individual domains of module 3 of DEBS, a 150-kD protein consisting of a KS, an AT, an ACP, and an inactive KR domain. Two interdomain boundaries were identified via limited proteolysis, which led to the production of a 90-kD KS-AT, a 142-kD KS-AT-KR 0 , and a 10-kD ACP as structurally stable stand-alone proteins. Each protein was shown to possess the requisite catalytic properties. In the presence of the ACP, both the KS-AT and the KS-AT-KR 0 proteins were able to catalyze chain elongation as well as the intact parent module. Separation of the KS from the ACP enabled direct interrogation of the KS specificity for both the nucleophilic substrate and the partner ACP. Malonyl and methylmalonyl extender units were found to be equivalent substrates for chain elongation. Whereas ACP2 and ACP4 of DEBS could be exchanged for ACP3, ACP6 was a substantially poorer partner for the KS. Remarkably, the newly identified proteolytic sites were conserved in many PKS modules, raising the prospect of developing improved methods for the construction of hybrid PKS modules by engineering domain fusions at these interdomain junctions.
Luteal function and blastocyst development in ewes following treatment with PGF2α and GnRH

Luteal function and blastocyst development were compared in ewes treated with GnRH (100 μg) on Day 1 (Day 0 = day of estrus) or in ewes previously induced into estrus with PGF2α. In Experiment 1, the duration of estrous cycles of ewes previously treated with PGF2α were longer (P<0.06) than those that received PGF2α plus GnRH, GnRH alone, or remained untreated (control) ewes. Progesterone concentrations were lower (P<0.07) on Day 1 and higher (P<0.01) on Days 16 and 17 of the estrous cycles following PGF2α treatment relative to those of the natural (control) cycles. In Experiment 2, blastocysts of ewes treated with PGF2α were less developed (P<0.06) by Day 13 of pregnancy than those of the control ewes. The GnRH treatment did not influence any of these characteristics. Treatment with PGF2α delayed luteal formation during the subsequent estrous cycle, increased the duration of the estrous cycle and slowed the rate of blastocyst development relative to GnRH-treated and untreated ewes.
Environmental Context Influences Visually Perceived Distance

What properties determine visually perceived space? We discovered that the perceived relative distances of familiar objects in natural settings depended in unexpected ways on the surrounding visual field. Observers bisected egocentric distances in a lobby, in a hallway, and on an open lawn. Three key findings were the following: (1) Perceived midpoints were too far from the observer, which is the opposite of the common foreshortening effect. (2) Thisantiforeshortening constant error depended on the environmental setting — greatest in the lobby and hall but nonsignificant on the lawn. (3) Context also affected distance discrimination; variability was greater in the hall than in the lobby or on the lawn. A second experiment replicated these findings, using a method of constant stimuli. Evidently, both the accuracy and the precision of perceived distance depend on subtle properties of the surrounding environment.
EPR and Luminescence Studies of Er + 3 in Acceptor-Doped ZnTe

${\mathrm{Er}}^{+3}$ can be incorporated in the ZnTe lattice in significant concentrations by co-doping with an acceptor species. From EPR studies at 4\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K, the symmetries of the dominant sites in ZnTe (Er,P) are trigonal (${g}_{\mathrm{II}}=1.254$, ${g}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=9.469$) and cubic ($g=5.93$). For ZnTe (Er,Li) crystals, the same cubic site is observed, but the dominant site has trigonal symmetry (${g}_{\mathrm{II}}=4.066$, ${g}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=8.068$). Thermal treatments which are known to remove Li from electrically active centers in ZnTe greatly increase the strength of the cubic spectrum and greatly reduce the strength of the trigonal spectrum. The sharp-line emission observed in photoluminescence occurs in the region 663 nm and represents a transition from $^{4}F_{\frac{9}{2}}$ to the ground state of ${\mathrm{Er}}^{+3}$. This sharp-line emission is weakest in those samples in which the cubic EPR spectrum is the strongest, which indicates that ${\mathrm{Er}}^{+3}$ on a substitutional Zn site with nonlocal charge compensation is not an efficient radiative-recombination center for rare-earth emission. Rare-earth electroluminescence at 77\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K is observed from diodes fabricated from ZnTe(Er,Li) and ZnTe(Er,P) substrates.
Neurotransmitter regulation of cytosolic calcium in osteoblast-like bone cells.

The nervous system may play a role in regulation of bone metabolism. The effects of norepinephrine(NE), vasoactive intestinal peptide(VIP), and ATP on cytosolic Ca2+ were assessed in a rat osteoblast-like osteosarcoma cell line (UMR-106) responsive to PTH. All three transmitters transiently increased Ca2+, with ATP≫PTH>NE=VIP, and then caused sustained increases in Ca2+. The ATP-induced transient resulted from mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ store, while NE and VIP-induced transients also involved influx of Ca2+. Later sustained increases by all agonists were dependent upon extracellular Ca2+. Release of intracellular Ca2+ by ATP was associated with a marked increase in IP3 but without a significant change in cAMP. NE, VIP, and ATP, through regulation of Ca2+ metabolism, may be involved in various osteoporotic conditions.
Stakeholder Perspectives and Business Risk Perception

Stakeholder theory calls for decision makers to balance stakeholder interests, but before this can happen, management must understand how other parties view its decisions. Effective stakeholder dialogues convened to reach this understanding require management to appreciate how others perceive the risks posed by their decision. Although understanding others’ risk perception is crucial for effective communications, we do not have a clear idea of how viewing a situation from multiple stakeholder perspectives affects risk perception. Based on a technique derived from risk perception studies of health and environmental issues, an experiment with 224 business students examined how an individual’s risk perception can account for both managerial and customer perspectives. Factors described as customer participation, extent of the effect, and management input, together with the respondent’s self-assessed understanding of the decision process, help categorize overall risk perceptions and are shown to be associated with behaviors based on the decision’s riskiness. Discussion includes implications for designs of business communications, including their content and transparency, and for understanding the audience for these communications.