cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychological Diffusions: The Cognitive Turn in Alison Bechdel’s Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama

Graphic artist Alison Bechdel has enjoyed widespread success since the publication of her first long form autobiographical comic Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (2006). Already, there is a substantial body of criticism on Bechdel that addresses her cerebral writing style, her personal archive, and her contributions to the graphic narrative form. Lauded for her realistic reproduction of ephemera such as letters, maps, photographs, and marginalia, critics have overlooked moments in which these documents—and her readings of events in her family—fail to produce meaning. In her second graphic narrative, Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama (2012), Bechdel relies upon modernist texts and psychoanalysis in order to represent her complicated relationship with her mother, Helen. Yet, as in Fun Home when the archive fails to explain the circumstances that culminated in her father’s death, psychoanalysis in Are You My Mother? impedes Alison in her quest to understand how her relationship with her mother has affected her adult life:in particular, her craft and her romantic relationships. This paper argues that Bechdel’s reliance on psychoanalysis to shape her narrative overshadows a stronger and more telling presence of precepts commonly associated with cognitive science and neuroscience. In the narrative, Alison articulates a number of cognitive theories, such as pattern making and theory of mind, as well as neurological concepts such as memory consolidation and reconsolidation that better account for the events of the text — and the impulse to tell life narrative — than psychoanalysis. Part of a growing number of texts that are preoccupied with how the mind/brain give rise to autobiographical identity and narrative form, Are You My Mother? challenges the referential certainty of the life narrative genre in conceptually novel and aesthetically complex ways.
Reducing Barriers to Career Entry for Latinos: An Examination of Pathways into Social Work

Demand for bilingual/bicultural social work practitioners presents a mutually beneficial opportunity for the social work profession and Latinos who are increasingly in positions to be employed as social workers (Acevedo, Gonzalez, Santiago, & Vargas-Ramos, 2007; Ortiz-Hendricks, 2007). Uneven academic preparation, limited access to information about college, high tuition/opportunity costs and family obligations are among the barriers to higher education for Latinos (Arbona & Nora, 2007; Hurtado & Ponjuan, 2005; Ortiz et al., 2007). Using comparative methods, this article describes career pathway program models that address obstacles to successful entry into social work careers. These models also demonstrate the potential to reduce barriers to degree completion and career entry for Latinos. Salient program components include reduced tuition and tuition assistance, transportation assistance, child care, support in strengthening oral and written English skills, and access to networks of employers (Takahashi & Melendez, 2004). Implications for social work and social work education are also discussed.
Incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury among active duty U.S. military servicemen and servicewomen.

ABSTRACT Although some studies have reported an increased incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women athletes, little is known about the gender differences in injury patterns in the U.S. military. Using the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database, a search was performed for International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) codes 717.83 (old disruption of ACL) and 844.2 (sprain, strain cruciate ligament of the knee) among all servicemen and servicewomen between 1997 and 2003. Multivariate Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate the rate of ACL injuries per 1,000 person-years, controlling for age and race, for each ICD-9 code. We computed rate ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) by using male as the reference category. The injury rates for code 717.83 were 3.09 cases per 1,000 person-years for men and 2.29 cases per 1,000 person-years for women, controlling for age and race (relative risk, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.71–0.76). The injury rates for ICD-9 code 844.2 were 3.7...
Secret Public Finance: Revenues and Expenditures of the Soviet Communist Party, 1938–1965

Abstract Patterns of the Soviet Communist Party expenditures, major sources of revenue, and patterns of interregional transfers are analysed with special attention to the party's major donors: the army and large cities. Financial records for the period 1938 – 1965 allow us to study the role of the party in the Soviet institutional design and the relationships between central and regional party organisations. In addition to the selection of cadre, supervision of production, and ‘production’ of ideology, the party provided alternative channels for the redistribution of state resources. Empirical evidence suggests that the pattern of the distribution of subsidies through party channels was consistent with investing in political support by creating promotion incentives in the party system.
SU‐FF‐T‐85: Adaptive Planning Due to Daily Dose Variations in Bladder and Rectum with Image‐Guided Radiotherapy

PURPOSE: To study the daily variations in bladder and rectum during a course of definitive prostate radiotherapy and evaluate the necessity of adaptive planning for patients. METHODS and MATERIALS: Two patients who finished the hypofactionated radiotherapy with the prescribed dose 60 Gy in 20 fractions were selected to have the retrospective analysis. Daily MV‐CT images were obtained and registered. Contours of bladder, rectum and prostate were redrawn. The delivered doses of bladder and rectum were recalculated. In order to sum the cumulative doses of these two organs, the demons algorithm was used to register the daily image sets to reconstruct the total delivered doses.RESULTS: The rectum volumes in simulation were 85.85 cc and 84.67 cc for patient 1 and 2 respectively. During treatment, their average volumes were 136.8 cc (±38.6) and 127.9 cc (±30.1). The mean rectum volume encompassed by the prescription dose was 14.3% less in patient 1 and 46.6% more in patient 2. The mean bladder volumes in treatment were 6.8% less (166.2 ± 18.7 cc) and 4.5% more (124.3 ±39.6 cc) for patient 1 and 2 compared to their simulation volumes. The bladder volumes encompassed by the prescription dose were 14.3% and 12.5% higher in patient 1 and 2 respectively. The demons algorithm was used to register the daily MV‐CT image set to the first fraction MV‐CT image set. CONCLUSIONS: Significant variations of bladder and rectum doses were found during the course of prostate treatment. These variations can be ‘blurred’ out during a protracted, fractionated radiotherapy because of the randomness of these variations. They can be significant in hypofractionation radiotherapy. Cumulative doses can be obtained through demons algorithm and adaptive plans can be generated by using the adaptive tool.
Applicability of the Newman-Janis Algorithm to Black Hole Solutions of Modified Gravity Theories

The Newman-Janis algorithm has been widely used to construct rotating black hole solutions from nonrotating counterparts. While this algorithm was developed within general relativity (GR), it has more recently been applied to nonrotating solutions in modified gravity theories. We find that the application of the Newman-Janis algorithm to an arbitrary non-GR spherically symmetric solution introduces pathologies in the resulting axially symmetric metric. This then establishes that, in general, the Newman-Janis algorithm should not be used to construct rotating black hole solutions outside of General Relativity.
Modeling of through-focus aerial image with aberration and imaginary mask edge effects in optical lithography simulation

Aerial image through focus in the presence of aberrations and electromagnetic edge effects modeled by adding ±π/2 phase at pattern edges is expanded by a quadratic equation with respect to focus. The quadratic equation is expressed by four coefficients that are adequately independent of both mask layout and the variations in the optical setting in projection printing, thus saving the computation cost of the quadratic fit for each individual layout edge position in a new mask pattern or variation from a nominal optical setting. The error of this method is less than 1% for any typical integrated circuit features. This accuracy holds when the defocus is less than one Rayleigh unit (0.5λ/NA2, where λ is a wavelength and NA is the numerical aperture) and the root mean square of the existing aberration is less than 0.02λ, which encompasses current lithography practice. More importantly, the method is a foundation for future first-cut accurate algebraic imaging models that have sufficient speed for assessing the desired or undesired changes in the through-focus images of millions of features as the optical system conditions change. These optical system changes occur naturally across the image field, and aberration levels are even programmed in tuning modern tooling to compensate for electromagnetic mask edge effects.
Sensor materials for an intravascular fiber optic nitric oxide sensor

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important regulatory molecule in physiological processes including neurotransmission and the control of blood pressure. It is produced in excess during septic shock, the profound hypotensive state which accompanies severe infections. In-vivo measurement of NO would enhance the understanding of its varied biological roles. Our goal is the development of an intravascular fiber-optic sensor for the continuous measurement of NO. This study evaluated nitric oxide sensitive compounds as potential sensing materials in the presence and absence of oxygen. Using absorption spectroscopy we studied both the Fe II and Fe III forms of three biologically active hemes known to rapidly react with NO: hemoglobin, myoglobin, and cytochrome-c. The Fe II forms of hemoglobin and myoglobin and the Fe III form of cytochrome-c were found to have the highest sensitivity to NO. Cytochrome c (Fe III) is selective for NO even at high oxygen levels, while myoglobin is selective only under normal oxygen levels. NO concentrations as low as 1 (mu) M can be detected with our fiber-optic spectrometer using cytochrome c, and as low as 300 nM using myoglobin. Either of these materials would be adequate to monitor the increase in nitric oxide production during the onset of septic shock.
Renal function in man during transition from hydropenia to water diuresis with superimposed mannitol load.

Renal function studies have been carried out in seven healthy volunteers during the transition from hydropenia to water diuresis with superimposed mannitol load. The glomerular filtration rate increased significantly during the transition from hydropenia to water diuresis, hut remained unchanged when hypotonic mannitol was infused during water diuresis. During osmotic diuresis in hydrated man the free water formation at first increased as a function of increased osmotic load demonstrating a reserve capacity of the distal tubular Na+ reabsorption. At the osmolality clearance exceeding 8 ml/ 100 ml GFR/min however, the free water formation appeared to level off. It is suggested that this level was reached only because of a general Na+ depletion. By comparing the data on urine osmolality, urine flow and osmolar clearance in the same individual during the transition from hydropenia to water diuresis further information could he gained on distal tubular function. It was thus found that the actual dilution of urine exceeded the expected dilution of urine in all individuals even when discrepancies in osmolar clearance were corrected for. Those results were interpreted to mean an increased water permeability in distal tubule of the human nephron during hydropenia.
Simple miniaturized gel system for DNA sequence analysis

A simple miniaturized gel system suitable for DNA sequencing is described. Small ultrathin polyacrylamide gels are cast, eight or more at a time, using standard microscope slides. Gels, ready to use, can be stored for approximately 2 weeks. Gels are run horizontally in a standard mini-agarose gel apparatus. Typical run times are 6-8 min. A novel sample loading system permits volumes of standard sequencing reactions as small as 0.1 microl to be analyzed. Sequencing ladders were visualized using 35S-labeled DNA by autoradiography and by colorimetric detection. Band resolution compares favorably with that of large gels. The methods introduced here serve as a step toward the miniaturization of DNA sequencing and are amenable to automated sample loading and detection.
Predicting the outcome of competition using experimental data : Maximum likelihood and bayesian approaches

Lotka-Volterra (LV) equations have been used extensively to explore the possible dynamic outcomes of interspecific competition. But while there have been hundreds of papers on the mathematical properties of Lotka-Volterra models, there have been only a handful of papers that explore techniques for fitting these models to actual data, and no papers that explore the interface of experimental design and statistical inference when fitting LV equations to census data. In this paper we present a statistical analysis of Gause's experimental cultures of Paramecium aurelia and P. caudatum, using analytical methods based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian statistics. We compare the effectiveness of these two approaches in addressing several questions about competition from experimental data : Are the mutual effects of competing populations substantial ? Are these competitive effects symmetrical ? Are two populations expected to coexist or to eliminate each other by competition ? We show that even a laboratory-derived data set with minimal variability can entail significant levels of uncertainty about the nature of the competitive interaction. We assess the errors involved in estimating the strength and symmetry of competition, and find that one's conclusions depend critically on assumptions about sources of variability in the data. We also estimate the probabilities of alternative dynamic behaviors for competing species. We use simulations to evaluate how particular experimental designs might improve our power to characterize the dynamic outcome of competition. We show that much more information is gained by running competition experiments at different starting conditions than by replicating the same experiment for a particular starting condition.
Differential induction of help and suppression in mice by bifunctional antigens administered via different routes.

Abstract Bifunctional antigens composed of one rm l -tyrosine -p- azobenzenearsonate (Tyr-ABA) carrier epitope and one dinitrophenyl (DNP) haptenie epitope separated by 6-aminocaproyl or polyprolyl spacers induced weak IgM anti-DNP plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses in the spleens of mice immunized intraperitoneally, without detectable IgG PFC. However, the same antigens introduced into the footpads induced IgG PFC responses in the draining lymph nodes which rose to levels greater than 100 10 6 viable lymphocytes. Moreover, the response in the lymph nodes to booster injections of antigen was characteristic of secondary T-dependent antibody responses, whereas the splenic secondary response simply mirrored the primary. The magnitude of the IgG PFC response was influenced by the size of the spacer and by the strain of mice, although genetic control did not map to the major histocompatibility complex. Prior i.p. immunization suppressed the IgG response to subsequent immunization in the footpads. This suppression could be transferred to normal syngeneic recipient mice with spleen cells from suppressed donors. Suppressor activity was eliminated by treating the spleen cells with anti-Thy-1 antibody prior to transfer, establishing the T-cell dependency of suppression. Suppression was also induced by Tyr-ABA itself, but not by DNP-lysine, indicating the epitope specificity of the suppressor cells. Thus, bifunctional antigens induce dominant suppression in the spleen but significant help in lymph nodes.
The effects of surface texture on EHL point contacts

The effect of surface texture on EHL point contact is studied numerically by using the multigrid method. Numerical simulations have been performed for waviness and random roughness with three different orientations, transverse, oblique and longitudinal. Results reveal a strong domination of unidirectional Couette flow in the EHL conjunction. The geometrical variations at inlet of the contact are transported downstream throughout the EHL conjunction. As a consequence, the oblique surface roughness striations are largely distorted, forming nearly longitudinal wary passages. Results show that the oblique roughness induces local three dimensional EHL pressure fluctuations. The maximum pressure is higher than that of the transverse roughness. For sinusoidal waviness, oblique orientation gives the smallest minimum film thickness as compared with those of longitudinal and transverse waviness.
Formation of organic triplets from solar irradiation of petroleum

Abstract Photochemical production of organic triplets from six different petroleum samples was measured through the cis–trans isomerization of 1,3-pentadiene in Gulf water. The data correlate very well with previously measured singlet oxygen generation rates. Triplet state energies in solar irradiated oil were measured in the range of 280–300 kJ/mol. The photoisomerization state for the petroleum system was reached between 5 and 6 h of irradiation, which is 12 times faster than reported studies for dissolved organic matter. The molar absorptivity for each oil sample showed a weak, negative correlation with the pseudo first order rate constant, k ′ i , for the cis–trans isomerization. There is a weak, negative correlation between k ′ i and absorptivity at 300 nm, 350 nm and 400 nm wavelengths (R 2 = 0.57, 0.52, 0.54 respectively), which indicates that not all of the chromophores are active in producing triplets. Furthermore those chromophores that do not produce triplets are screening light from the compounds that do.
Tactics of dance choice in honey bees: do foragers compare dances?

(1) When a honey bee follows recruitment dances to locate a new food source, does she sample multiple dances representing different food sources and selectively respond to the strongest dance? (2) Several initial findings suggested that foragers might indeed compare dances. First, dance information is arrayed in the hive in a way that facilitates comparison-making: dances for different flower patches are performed close together in time and space. Second, food-source quality is coded in the dances, in terms of dance length (number of circuits per dance). Third, dances to natural food sources vary in length by more than 2 orders of magnitude, indicating that the quality of natural food sources varies greatly. Fourth, foragers seeking a new food source follow several dances before exiting the hive (though only one dance is followed closely). (3) Nevertheless, a critical test for comparison-making revealed that foragers evidently do not compare dances. A colony was given two feeders that were equidistant from the hive but different in profitability. If foragers do not compare dances, then the proportion of recruits arriving at the richer feeder should match the proportion of dance circuits for the richer feeder. This is the pattern that we found in all 11 trials of the experiment. (4) We suggest that the reason foragers do not compare dances is that a colony's foraging success is greater if its foragers distribute themselves among the various food sources being advertised in the hive than if they crowd themselves on the one, best source. (5) Food-source selection by honey bee colonies is a democratic decision-making process. This study reveals that this selection process is organized to function effectively even though each member of the democracy possesses incomplete information about the available choices.
Structure of a PE-PPE-EspG complex from Mycobacterium tuberculosis reveals molecular specificity of ESX protein secretion

Nearly 10% of the coding capacity of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome is devoted to two highly expanded and enigmatic protein families called PE and PPE, some of which are important virulence/immunogenicity factors and are secreted during infection via a unique alternative secretory system termed “type VII.” How PE-PPE proteins function during infection and how they are translocated to the bacterial surface through the five distinct type VII secretion systems [ESAT-6 secretion system (ESX)] of M. tuberculosis is poorly understood. Here, we report the crystal structure of a PE-PPE heterodimer bound to ESX secretion-associated protein G (EspG), which adopts a novel fold. This PE-PPE-EspG complex, along with structures of two additional EspGs, suggests that EspG acts as an adaptor that recognizes specific PE–PPE protein complexes via extensive interactions with PPE domains, and delivers them to ESX machinery for secretion. Surprisingly, secretion of most PE-PPE proteins in M. tuberculosis is likely mediated by EspG from the ESX-5 system, underscoring the importance of ESX-5 in mycobacterial pathogenesis. Moreover, our results indicate that PE-PPE domains function as cis-acting targeting sequences that are read out by EspGs, revealing the molecular specificity for secretion through distinct ESX pathways.
Catalytic double-bond metathesis without the transition metal.

Iminophosphoranes of the type X3PNR (X = Cl, pyrrolyl; R = alkyl, aryl) catalytically metathesize CN bonds of carbodiimides via an addition/elimination mechanism that, despite the lack of d orbital participation in P−N bonding, conserves the key features of metal-catalyzed olefin metathesis. Diazaphosphetidine intermediates, produced by the formal [2 + 2] addition of carbodiimides to the PN bond, have been isolated and characterized. All phosphorus-containing species in the complex catalytic reaction mixtures have been identified and their origins explained. The kinetics of addition of diisopropylcarbodiimide to Cl3PNPri and subsequent elimination were studied, and rate constants were determined: kadd = 1.7 × 10-3 (±0.1 × 10-3) M s-1 and kelim = 4.0 × 10-4 (±0.3 × 10-4) s-1. The rate of these reactions corresponds well with the observed catalytic TOF of 1.44 TO/P/h.
Restriction of Discrete Series of SU(2,1) to S(U(1) × U(1,1))

The group G = SU(2, 1) possesses nonempty holomorphic, antiholomorphic, and nonholomorphic discrete series. The restriction of these discrete series to the spherical subgroup G1 = S(U(1) × U(1, 1)) is studied in this paper. We prove that direct integral decomposition of any restricted discrete series of G is multiplicity free. In (J. Funct. Anal.103 (1992), 352-371), J. Vargas claimed that there was no discrete part in the direct integral of any restricted nonholomorphic discrete series. Unfortunately, his proof was wrong. Our argument in Section 5 shows that there are infinitely many discrete series of G1 occurring in the discrete part for any restricted nonholomorphic discrete series of G, and both the discrete and the continuous parts are not empty. The decomposition in Section 5 confirms a conjecture of B. Gross (B. H. Gross and D. Prasad, Canad. J. Math.44, No. 5 (1992), 974-1002) for these groups. Our main interest is of course in the restriction of nonholomorphic discrete series, but for completeness, we consider all discrete series of G.
Women's Accounts of Domestic Violence

Abstract Critiques of behavioral inventories, qualitative studies of battered women's experiences, and communications research all suggest that women's accounts of violence contain information and a more complex structure than is captured by checklist measures that focus on types of abuse. We conducted a quantitative thematic analysis of 162 women's accounts of domestic violence to assess structure and content. Most women presented domestic violence as a “story” with an introduction, body and a conclusion: 59% presented a “complete story” and 33% a “near story.” Background information and problem statements were the most prevalent content statements in the “introduction,” and relationship issues and explanations were most common in the “conclusion.” Bivariate analyses revealed that accounts did not vary by socio-demographic factors and severity of the incident. Men were less likely to present complete stories, had far briefer narratives, and never discussed relationship issues. Knowledge of the structure ...
Percent Change on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale: A Useful Acute Stroke Outcome Measure

Background A single optimal outcome measure in acute stroke has not been established. Changes in neurologic deficits might be useful outcome measures in acute stroke because they can measure within-subject changes on the entire spectrum of the scales starting at baseline. Methods We tested the ability of percent National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score change (baseline-3 months) to predict the traditional functional outcomes in acute stroke (modified Rankin Scale [mRS], Barthel Index, Glasgow Outcome Scale, final NIHSS score). We analyzed data sets from two acute stroke clinical trials involving 44 clinical research centers throughout the United States and 1899 randomized patients. Results The percent NIHSS score change predicted functional outcomes very well, all areas under the curve of 0.90 or greater with all P values less than .001 in receiver operating characteristic analysis. In the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rt-PA) Acute Stroke Trial, benefit from rt-PA was confirmed by a greater improvement on the NIHSS score than with placebo (67% v 50%, P Conclusion This novel approach to the NIHSS score as an outcome measure in acute stroke appears to be an additional useful analytic and communication tool.
Inhibitory deficits in ocular motor behavior in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Backgrounds Many of the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been attributed to deficits in behavioral inhibition mediated by the frontostriatal system. The ability to suppress unwanted saccadic eye movements is mediated by prefrontal cortex–basal ganglia circuitry and thus constitutes a useful measure of inhibitory ability. Methods To evaluate the functional integrity of this circuitry in ADHD, adult ADHD subjects unmedicated for at least 48 hours and normal comparison adults were studied by means of a comprehensive battery of ocular motor paradigms. Results On a prosaccade task, in which subjects were required to generate saccades toward a peripheral visual target after a short stimulus-free interval, ADHD subjects generated significantly more of anticipatory (premature) saccades (reaction time Conclusions Given the recent evidence for the interdependence between the brain systems mediating visual attention and ocular motor behavior, these findings support the notion that deficits in inhibitory mechanisms might underlie the inattention characteristic of ADHD. These results also implicate abnormalities in prefrontal cortex–basal ganglia circuitry in ADHD.
Indians 78, Washington State 0: Stories about Indians and the Law

In the 1970s Washington State lost a series of legal cases related to Native Americans. These cases exemplify the need for knowledge of federal Indian law-but such knowledge, out of context, is insufficient. Key aspects of federal Indian law are hard to accept because of conflicting stories that Americans already believe. The authors discuss the importance of stories and review commonly believed stories that block acceptance of federal Indian law. They then discuss basic principles of Indian law and distill four questions to help determine tribal jurisdiction. The authors review the Marshal trilogy—three Supreme Court cases that set the foundations of modern Native American law—and show how the legal principles play out in an analysis of three contemporary court cases.
Sexual Prejudice: Avoiding Unwanted Sexual Interest?

Sexual prejudice may arise from beliefs that certain sexual orientation groups direct unwanted sexual interest, with the implication that heterosexual men and women hold prejudices against differen...
Kinetics of Bacillus coagulans spore inactivation in tomato juice by combined pressure–heat treatment

Abstract The efficacy of combined pressure–heat treatment was evaluated for the inactivation of Bacillus coagulans spores in tomato juice. A spore crop of B. coagulans 185A was prepared on nutrient agar plus 500 mg L−1 dextrose and 3 mg L−1 MnSO4·H2O, incubated at 50 °C for 7 d. Spores were suspended (1.7 × 108 CFU mL−1) in tomato juice (pH 4.23) and treated at 600 MPa and process temperatures of 75, 85, 95, 100 and 105 °C, or 0.1 MPa and process temperatures of 100 and 105 °C for ≤15 min. The inactivation data was fitted to estimate kinetic inactivation parameters using selected linear and non-linear models. The models were evaluated using the mean square error, regression coefficient and accuracy factor. Depending upon the process temperature, a combined pressure–heat treatment reduced the spore population by 1.5–3.4 logs during the 30 s pressure come-up time. Pressure holding times of 10, 7, 4 and 3 min and 40 s were sufficient to inactivate the spores to below the detection limit (
Decitabine Induced Transient Cardiomyopathy: A Case Report

Case report: A 75-yr-old gentleman, with a past medical history of diabetes mellitus and Acute Myeloid Leukemia presented to our emergency department with a chief complaint of exertional dyspnea and chest pain. A week prior to this visit, he had recieved a cycle of decitabine chemotherapy at 20 mg/metered square for ten days. This was his second cycle of decitabine. His out patient medications included megesterol, omeprazole, morphine sulfate and insulin glargine. The patient was admitted to the Coronary Care Unit for Acute Coronary Syndrome. His cardiac enzymes were elevated (peak troponin 30 ng/mL, CKMB 67.4 ng/mL). His 12 lead EKG revealed sinus tachycardia with a ventricular rate of 113, but without acute ST–T wave changes. The BNP was 259 pg/mL. A 2D echo revealed moderate diffuse hypokinesis with an EF of 35%. He subsequently underwent a left heart catheterization, which showed non-obstructive CAD. In our patient, the elevated troponins (peak troponin 30 ng/mL) and BNP were seen concomitant with the onset of cardiogenic shock. Two months ago, his 2 D echocardiogram revealed an ejection fraction of about 55%–65% with slightly increased left ventricular (LV) wall thickness. Discussion: The most common adverse effects of decitabine include cytopenia, nausea, pain and erythema/nodules at the injection site. To date, there has been only one reported case of a hypomethylating agent inducing acute myocarditis. We a present a case of reversible, non-ischemic cardiomyopathy secondary to decitabine chemotherapy, which resolved after the drug was discontinued. Trials involving decitabine for the treatment of MDS reported no myocarditis. In our case, the diagnosis of transient cardiomyopathy was highly probable since the patient's troponins and echocardiogram returned to baseline after discontinuation of treatment. Also, the patient never had any further chest pain at his 6 month follow up. In this case, we believe that the elevated Troponin I levels, along with a cardiac catheterization revealing patent coronary vessels, favor our hypothesis that our patient suffered from acute myocarditis as a result of direct toxicity from decitabine chemotherapy. We doubt that there was an underlying infectious etiology, since the patient had three negative blood cultures, two negative urine cultures and a negative viral serology. Our case demonstrates that chest pains in a patient treated with hypomethylating agents should be further explored in order to rule out acute myocarditis.
Wnt signaling receptor LRP6 interacts with amyloid precursor protein and regulates its trafficking and processing

The processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) to Ab is an important event in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Previous studies suggest that dysregulation of Wnt signaling is involved in the etiology of AD. Genetic variation in the Wnt receptor, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related 6 (LRP6), which is associated with reduced Wnt signaling has been reported as a risk factor for AD. In the present study, we found that LRP6 expression is down-regulated in AD brains. LRP6 and APP colocalized in neurons and interact with one another through their extracellular domains. LRP6 overexpression increases cell surface levels of APP and decreases Ab production, while RNA interference of LRP6 expression increases APP endocytosis and Ab levels. These results demonstrate that LRP6 plays an important role in the regulation of APP trafficking and processing to Ab. Our findings suggest that rescuing LRP6-mediated Wnt signaling might be an attractive therapeutic strategy for AD.
HYPERBOLIC HEAT CONDUCTION WITH RADIATION IN AN ABSORBING AND EMITTING MEDIUM

Hyperbolic heat conduction with radiation is considered in a finite absorbing and emitting slab for the cases of a constant and a pulsed heat flux boundary condition. For small optical thicknesses, the wave nature of hyperbolic heat conduction gives rise to a thermal front propagating from the back surface which results from the heating of the back surface by radiation through the medium. MacCormack's explicit predictor-corrector scheme is used to solve the problem, and the results from the hyperbolic solutions are compared to those obtained from the parabolic equation.
Standardization of instrument kits reduces stock, speeds orientation.

(1967). Operating Room: Standardization of Instrument Kits Reduces Stock, Speeds Orientation. Hospital Topics: Vol. 45, No. 9, pp. 111-117.
Regional electroanalgesia and its potentialities in control of orofacial pain

Abstract In recent years, studies have been conducted to assess the feasibility of using electrical currents to induce noninvasive electroanalgesia. An extensive variety of wave forms, ranging from direct current to alternating currents in the radiofrequency spectrum, has been investigated. Recently, evidence has arisen from several independent experimental approaches which indicates that alternating wave forms of frequencies of less than 1,000 Hz may have significant potentialities as agents to control regional pain, including orofacial pain.
The Effectiveness of Textbook, Student-Generated, and Pictorial Versions of Presenting Mathematical Problems in Ninth-Grade Algebra.

A relatively new area within the field of complex problem solving involves the subject's mode of conceptualizing and representing a problem either verbally or visually. Frandsen and Holder (1969) suggested that when problems such as anagrams, syllogisms, and rate of travel are presented verbally, solving them requires "holding in mind" and manipulating the multiple components of the problems. Evidence of the facilitative effect of pictorial presentations in learning appears inconclusive. Runquist and Hunt's (1961) results indicated that in a concept-learning task, verbal presentation was superior to pictorial presentation. Koenke (1970) found that relevant pictures added little to the recall of descriptive paragraphs and that specific directions to attend to the pictures were not effective. In the bulk of studies on learning to read (Samuels, 1970), the conclusion was that pictures interfere with the acquisition of reading responses, especially with poor readers. Pictures used as adjuncts to printed text did not facilitate comprehension. Although Cronbach and Snow (1969) and Gagn6 and Gropper (1965) did not find evidence of spatial or verbal aptitude interactions with the learning of verbal or pictorially illustrated concepts, Sherrill (1970) demonstrated that in presentations of mathematical word problems, prose together with an accurate picture was superior to prose alone, which, in turn, was superior to prose together with a distorted picture. The subjects' performances were significantly correlated with IQ, reading score, and grade average, which suggests that the results may not be ranked in the same order for groups of subjects with different aptitudes. The verbal structure of mathematical problems is a neglected area of research. Kilpatrick (1960) found that word-problem length was the best predictor of problem difficulty, and that variables such as vocabulary
Endocannabinoid system, pharmacogenomics and response to therapy.

that the cellular, biochemical and behavioral responses to marijuana use are encoded in our genes [3,4]. Much of this progress in cannabi­ noid genomics is providing genetic variants and mutations in the ECS that deepen our under­ standing of cannabinoid pharmaco genomics. Such recent advances in understanding the biological actions of marijuana, cannabinoids and eCBs are unraveling the genetic basis of marijuana use, with functional implication for cannabinoid pharmacotherapy [3,4].
Rationalizing the Political Business Cycle: A Workhorse Model

An incumbent policymaker has incentives to expand the money supply prior to elections to stimulate the economy and thereby further her chances of re-election. In its original formulation, the Nordhaus political business cycle hypothesis relies on adaptive inflation expectations and naive retrospective voting. This article develops a simple model of a political cycle in inflation and output growth, assuming rational inflation expectations and rational retrospective voting. Voter scrutiny of the incumbent's economic performance has policy and selection effects, with ambiguous consequences for welfare: the policymaker manipulates the money supply for electoral purposes, but an incumbent of above average quality is more likely to remain in office.
The Relationship Between Military Service Eras and Psychosocial Treatment Needs Among Homeless Veterans With a Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorder

This article will examine baseline assessment data from consecutive admissions to the MISSION Program, a transitional case management program for homeless veterans, to better understand the differences across military service eras that impact the psychosocial treatment needs of homeless, mentally ill, substance-abusing veterans. In all, 373 homeless veterans with a co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorder received the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Diagnosis, a modified Addiction Severity Index, the BASIS-32, and a comprehensive assessment battery focusing on other psychosocial treatment needs. Chi-square analysis and ANOVA were used to measure differences in mental health, substance use, physical health status, and homelessness across service eras, broken down by Vietnam era, post-Vietnam era, and Persian Gulf/Middle East era. Persian Gulf/Middle East era veterans were significantly more likely to have mental health problems than other veteran cohorts, especially problems with p...
Management of a Solitary Thyroid Nodule

The solitary thyroid nodule, defined as a palpably discrete swelling within an otherwise apparently normal gland, is usually a benign lesion. However, patient and physician alike are typically concerned about the possibility of thyroid cancer. This review describes a strategy for the treatment of clinically euthyroid patients who have a solitary thyroid nodule that prevents unnecessary testing while identifying the few patients who require therapy. Management has changed in recent years, but important differences of opinion remain over which nodules should be surgically excised. Several recent reviews address these issues comprehensively1–3. Prevalence of Thyroid Nodules and Cancer The . . .
Taiwan and the Limits of British Power, 1868

When the treaty system between the western powers and China was firmly established in I86o, a new 'cooperative' approach emerged in Great Britain's commercial and diplomatic transactions. British authorities believed that a conciliatory manner would bring greater gain in fostering British commercial and developmental interests in China rather than aggressive demands. The treaty system, they envisioned, would bring stability and reason to what had been an arbitrary and often combative relationship. After nearly a decade of trial under the new system, two disturbing incidents occurred on Taiwan which severely tested the treaty system and the cooperative policy and revealed a limitation of Britain's ability to control the use of force and maintain adherence to established policy by practitioners in the field. Moreover, an early consideration of British predominance on Taiwan came to an end. Beginning in 1825 British temptation in Taiwan had been whetted by the potential for commercial gain and possibly military advantage. At that time, an illicit trade in which opium was exchanged for camphor was carried on by British merchants. In 1839 WilliamJardine proposed to Lord Palmerston, the British Foreign Secretary, that Taiwan be considered for acquisition. Three years later, observers on the China coast reenforced this view; and although such exhortations fell upon a sympathetic ear, Britain was too preoccupied with the opium conflict to consider seriously such prospects. The foundering of British ships on the Taiwan coast, such as the Nerbudda and Ann (I84 1I842) resulting in the murder of 197 survivors followed by the loss of the Larpent ( 851 ), caused diplomatic dissension but not the establishment of a clear policy of acquisition. Nevertheless, they heightened interest among the mercantile community, diplomatic personnel, and military professionals for extending Britain's growing China trade to the island. Britain's primary interest, however, was across the Taiwan Strait in the coastal cities, particularly Canton. The completion of early treaty arrangements in 1860 encouraged the
Giant aneurysm of the ascending aorta.

History A 28-year-old man with no prior medical history presented with new onset dyspnea. He was not on any medication at the time of admission, and he denied using cigarettes or alcohol. There is no family history of sudden cardiac death. A month prior to the admission he was running three miles a day. On physical examination he was 75 inches tall and weighed 163 lbs. His vital signs on admission were stable, although his cardiac examination revealed a grade III/VI early diastolic murmur.
d-Amphetamine: disruptive effects on the long-term store of memory and proactive facilitatory effects on learning in inbred mice.

Abstract Male, C57BL/6J mice were given two daily trials on an appetitively-motivated successive brightness discrimination maze problem; they then received daily intraperitoneal injections of saline or d-amphetamine for 5 days. When trained again in the maze, mice in all d-amphetamine groups tended to display impaired retention: retention was significantly impaired in the 2.0 mg/kg group. Naive mice were treated exactly as were the pretrained mice except that they received no initial maze training prior to drug treatments. Mice in all naive d-amphetamine groups tended to display enhanced acquisition of the maze problem: acquisition was significantly enhanced in the 1.0 mg/kg group. These results could not be explained as effects of d-amphetamine on attentional, motivational or other performance factors.
Thar's gold in your patient's NG! Hold the scalpel, hold the endoscope, hold the trochars.

As someone concerned about the overuse of diagnostic and therapeutic ERCP in patients with an initial episode of mild gallstone pancreatitis, I was intrigued to review the manuscript by Acosta et al. published in this issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology (1). Moreover, who can argue with simple bedside or laboratory tools (presence of ongoing biliary colic, absence of bile in the gastric aspirate, and elevated serum bilirubin) to define persistent ampullary obstruction as opposed to stone passage (or disimpaction), and the need for urgent as opposed to elective intervention? As such, the authors prospectively studied 132 consecutive patients with presumed biliary pancreatitis between 1986 and 1996 and concluded that the sudden resolution of biliary colic, presence of golden bile in an NG aspirate, and rapid fall in bilirubin was associated with stone disimpaction. In the 121 patients subjected to intraoperative cholangiography or ERCP, moreover, the composite of these symptoms and signs had a sensitivity for ampullary obstruction of 100%, a specificity of 92%, and a positive predictive value of 61%. Never mind that open surgery with IOC were the procedures performed in 112 patients, ERCP and endoscopic sphincterotomy in five patients, and both procedures in the remaining patients who underwent intervention. Never mind that defining pancreatitis severity within the first 48 h of admission and quantitating pain are notoriously difficult. Never mind also that the bulk of these patients had mild disease, that there was significant overlap in serum bilirubin in patients with and without impacted calculi, and that 20 of the patients believed to have disimpacted their stones (16.5%) and elective operation still had calculi within their bile duct at time of operative cholangiography. Or that 14 of the 21 patients operated on urgently (11.5% of those who underwent surgery) indeed had impacted stones.
Small intestinal production of nitric oxide is decreased following resuscitated hemorrhage.

Abstract Background. Small intestine microvascular vasoconstriction and hypoperfusion develop after resuscitation (RES) from hemorrhage (HEM), despite restoration of central hemodynamics. The responsible mechanisms are unclear. We hypothesized that the microvascular impairment following HEM/RES was due to decreased intestinal microvascular nitric oxide (NO) production. Methods. Male Sprague–Dawley rats (195–230 g) were utilized and three experimental groups were studied: (1) SHAM (cannulated but no HEM), (2) HEM only, and (3) HEM/RES. HEM was to 50% of baseline mean arterial pressure for 60 min, and RES was with shed blood and an equivalent volume of saline. Ex vivo isolated intestinal perfusion and a fluorometric modification of the Greiss reaction were used to quantify production of NO metabolites (NO x ). Perfusate von Willebrand factor (vWF) was used as an indirect marker of endothelial cell activation or injury. To assess the degree of NO scavenging by oxygen-derived free radicals, immunohistochemistry was used to detect nitrotyrosine formation in the intestine. Results. Intestinal NO x decreased following HEM/RES (SHAM 1.35 ± 0.2 mM vs HEM/RES 0.60 ± 0.1 mM, P x levels between the three groups. Release of vWF was increased during the HEM period (SHAM 0.18 ± 0.1 g/dl vs HEM 1.66 ± 0.6 g/dl, P Conclusions. Intestinal NO metabolites decrease following HEM/RES. Elevated vWF levels during HEM and the lack of detectable nitrotyrosine suggest that this is due to decreased endothelial cell production of NO. HEM/RES-induced endothelial cell dysfunction may contribute to persistent small intestine post-RES hypoperfusion and vasoconstriction.
The crystallization and dissolution of sodium urate

Abstract The kinetics of dissolution and crystallization of monosodium urate monohydrate have been studied at 37°C using a highly reproducible seeding technique involving a specific sodium ion electrode. The relatively rapid rate of dissolution is proportional to the degree of undersaturation and appears to be controlled by the diffusion of electrolyte through a hydrodynamic layer at the crystal surface. The rate of growth, however, follows the square of the relative supersaturation and the evidence points to a surface-controlled process. The electrophoretic mobility of sodium urate crystals has also been measured in the presence of additives such as an organic phosphonate and sodium heparin. The influence of these substances upon the rate of crystallization of the negatively charged sodium urate is negligible. In contrast, methylene blue, a cationic dye, reduces the rate of reaction at moderately high levels (13 ppm).