cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kratom Exposures Reported to Texas Poison Centers

Kratom use is a growing problem in the United States. Kratom exposures reported to Texas poison centers between January 1998 and September 2013 were identified. No kratom exposures were reported from 1998 to 2008 and 14 exposures were reported from 2009 to September 2013. Eleven patients were male, and 11 patients were in their 20s. The kratom was ingested in 12 patients, inhaled in 1, and both ingested and inhaled in 1. Twelve patients were managed at a healthcare facility and the remaining 2 were managed at home.
Laboratory Evaluation of High Temperatures to Control Cryptotermes brevis (Isoptera: Kalotermitidae)

Rates of thermal increase as low as 0.04°C/ min were measured in large wooden members during high-temperature termite control treatments. It was hypothesized that slow rates of thermal increase might promote termite acclimation to high-treatment temperatures. However, in laboratory studies, 46 and 49°C core temperatures were 100% lethal to Cryptotermes brevis (Walker) nymphs in wooden blocks (13.5 by 13.5 cm) in both 30- and 60-min exposures, whereas equal durations at 46°C were between 30 and 70% effective in 8.5 by 8.5- cm blocks. Rates of temperature increase were slower in larger blocks and were correlated positively with observed thermal tolerance. The negative effect of low rates of increase may be the result of the cumulative effects of sublethal stresses. It was concluded that the commercially recommended target wood-core temperature of54.4°C is sufficient for controlling C. brevis in large timbers. However, priority should be given to achieving lethal temperatures in worst-case areas as opposed to increasing treatment temperatures because higher temperatures may not result in better control and may increase the risk of heat damage to property within the treated structure.
Crop Management Effects on Crop Residue Production and Changes in Soil Organic Carbon in the Central Great Plains

Crop biomass has been proposed as a source stock for bioethanol production. Levels of crop residue removal must be determined to prevent degradation of soil physical and chemical properties resulting from soil organic carbon (SOC) loss. Carbon inputs from crop residues and an estimate of inputs from roots and rhizodeposition (C) were calculated and compared with changes in SOC after seven cropping seasons at Akron, CO. Tillage treatments included a chisel plow (CP) and a no-till (NT) treatment. A crop rotation alternating grasses and broadleaf crops was compared with continuous corn (L.). Irrigation treatments included water application to meet evapotranspiration demand or application only during the reproductive stage of each crop. Total C varied from 25 Mg ha for the delayed irrigation, crop rotation plots to 63 Mg ha for the fully irrigated, continuous corn plots. The change in SOC in the surface 30 cm of soil varied from −0.8 Mg SOC ha for the rotation plots to a gain of 2.8 Mg ha for the continuous corn plots after 7 yr. Correlating crop residue input with change in SOC showed that about 4.6 Mg ha yr C is needed to maintain SOC levels for NT cropping systems and an average of 7.4 Mg ha yr C is needed to maintain SOC levels under chisel tillage. Continuous corn was the only system that consistently provided sufficient crop residue to maintain SOC levels. Residue removal for off-farm use should consider only amounts that can be harvested without decreasing SOC levels.
Ca2+-induced increases in steady-state concentrations of intracellular calcium are not required for inhibition of parathyroid hormone secretion.

Abstract It has been well established that increases in extracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]) inhibit parathyroid hormone (PTH) secretion. The effects of [Ca2+] are mediated through a G-protein-coupled receptor that has been cloned and characterized. Additionally, it has been demonstrated in parathyroid cells that an increase in [Ca2+] results in an increase in steady-state levels of intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i). At present, it has not been fully resolved whether changes in [Ca2+]i are related to changes in PTH secretion. In the current study, the effect of increased [Ca2+] on PTH secretion and the connection regarding changes in concentrations of intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i have been examined in primary cultures of bovine parathyroid cells. PTH secretion was measured by radioimmunoassay and intracellular calcium was determined by single cell calcium imaging. Bovine parathyroid cells pre-incubated with either 0.5 or 1 mM calcium responded to rapid increases in [Ca2+] (≥0.5 mM) with an immediate and sustained increase in steady-state levels of [Ca2+]i that persisted for time intervals greater than 15 minutes. Although the magnitude of the sustained increase in [Ca2+]i varied among individual cells (∼40% to >300%), the overall pattern and course of time were similar in all cells examined (n = 142). In all trials, [Ca2+]i immediately returned to baseline levels following the addition of the calcium chelator, 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA). Additional control studies, however, suggest that sustained increases in [Ca2+]i do not correlate with regulation of parathyroid hormone secretion. Sustained elevations of [Ca2+]i were not observed when [Ca2+] was gradually increased by the addition of 0.1 mM increments at 1 minute intervals. Furthermore, the effect on inhibition of PTH secretion was the same regardless of whether [Ca2+] was increased by gradual or rapid addition.
Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Nanopowders Produced by Liquid-Feed Flame Spray Pyrolysis (LF-FSP) of Metalloorganic Precursors

We report here the synthesis of yttrium−aluminum garnet oxide (Y3Al5O12) nanopowders by liquid-feed flame spray pyrolysis (LF-FSP) of combinations of yttrium and aluminum precursors dissolved in EtOH, nBuOH, and/or THF. These include solutions of the following: yttrium and aluminum nitrates in EtOH or nBuOH; yttrium 2-ethylhexanoate and alumatrane [N(CH2CH2O)3Al] in THF or EtOH; yttrium methoxyacetate and alumatrane in EtOH; yttrium acetylacetonate and alumatrane in EtOH, and yttrium propionate and aluminum acetylacetonate in EtOH or THF. Each precursor system was aerosolized with O2 and subsequently ignited. Following combustion, the resulting powders were collected by electrostatic precipitation at rates of 50 g/h. Surprisingly, the precursor choice strongly influences both the initial phase composition and morphology of the LF-FSP powder, as well as the phase changes that occur during annealing. As-collected LF-FSP nanopowders, average particle size (APS) ≤100 nm, had the YAG composition of the precur...
Aroma-active Components of Liquid Cheddar Whey

Fresh Cheddar cheese whey batches from 2 processing plants and 4 starter culture rotations were extracted with diethyl ether followed by isolation of volatiles by high-vacuum distillation. Odorants were evalu- ated by gas chromatography-olfactometry (GCO) and aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA). 2,3-butanedione (buttery), hexanal (green), 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (popcorn), methional (potato), (E,E)-2,4-decadienal (frying oil) and (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal (frying oil) were potent neutral/basic aroma-active compounds identified in all whey samples. Odor intensities of hexanal, (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal, 2,3-butanedione, and (E,E)-2,4-decadienal were variable. Short-chain volatile acids were predominant in acidic fractions and their intensities differed among the whey samples. GCO findings agreed with quantitation results. Liquid whey aroma components are influenced
Cytology and organization in the nucleus lateralis of the cerebellum: the projections of neurons and their processes into afferent axon bundles.

Projections and trabeculae consisting of neurons, neuroglial cells, and their processes extend from the rostral aspect of the nucleus lateralis of the rat. The dendrites of these neurons interweave with large packets of incoming myelinated fibers. Electron microscopy shows that synapses occur between these neurons and the afferent axons. Two possible developmental explanations for this arrangement are considered. (1) The cells may have been induced to migrate away from the main mass of the nucleus as a result of the delayed arrival of an important contingent of afferents. Alternatively, (2) these rostral cells may have migrated a longer distance for intrinsic reasons and consequently met their afferents at a location more peripheral to the main nuclear mass. In either case, the projections and trabeculae may reflect the segregation from the main nuclear mass of a certain group of neurons and their afferents having specific topographic or functional attributes.
Supramicrometer particle shadowgraph imaging in the ionization region of a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer

Abstract An in situ method to image individual aerosol particles upon desorption/ionization in a single particle aerosol mass spectrometer using shadowgraph imaging is presented and applied directly to determine a 2D spatial distribution of 5.0 μ m particles. This new technique is complementary to previously reported methods for the determination of focused particle beam profiles and has several advantages, including a very low particle concentration requirement and the ability to collect the image of an individual particle with a correlated mass spectrum. Images are presented for 1.3, 2.1, 3.0, and 5.0 μ m polystyrene latex spheres. Particle beam profiles are presented in the directions perpendicular and parallel to the particle beam axis. These results are qualitatively compared to those of a complementary particle collection method (dusting) used at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to characterize aerosol beam focusing.
Cyclops, image sensing and interpretation in wireless networks

Technological progress in integrated, low power CMOS imaging [1] and maturing low power wireless sensor network platforms, motivate a new and rich design space exploiting in network dense imaging. In particular, by combining comparably low power CMOS cameras and low power wireless sensor nodes, and implementing on board compression and image analysis techniques, we can greatly enhance the application of dense wireless sensor networks to phenomena that are most readily observed in the optical domain. In this demonstration we will introduce Cyclops. Cyclops (see Figure 1) is a joint project between Agilent Technology and the Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS). It is a low power CMOS imager with a local frame grabber and local computation. It behaves like a sensor for a host and can do local computation and inference, acting as a more capable sensor. Inference can be based on a color histogram, statistical characteristics of images, or a hypothesis such as the existence of motion or a specific template in the scene. The demonstration will showcase the functionality of the first generation of Cyclops, including low duty cycle image capture and participation in a sensor network via an attached Crossbow Mica2.Performance studies will also be presented, along with outstanding challenges and foreseeable opportunities.
Block Play Performance Among Preschoolers As a Predictor of Later School Achievement in Mathematics

Abstract In 1982, an intact group of 37 preschoolers (age 4) attending a play-oriented preschool were tested using the Lunzer Five Point Play Scale (1955) to obtain a block performance measure. To statistically control for social economic status (SES), IQ and gender, the McCarty Scales of Children's Abilities (1972) were given, the gender determined, and an SES score obtained (Hollingshead & Redlick, 1958). In 1998, after these same participants had completed high school, their records were obtained. Outcome measures for the 3rd, 5th, and 7th grades included standardized tests and report card grades in mathematics. High school achievement was determined by using 1) number of courses, 2) number of honors courses, 3) advanced math courses taken, and 4) grades. While controlling for IQ and gender, the block performance measure was correlated and regressed against these outcome variables. No significance was found at the 3rd- and 5th-grade levels by evaluating report card grades and standardized math scores. ...
Butterfly Eye-spots and Corneal Reflections

The wings of the order Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) demonstrate many interesting optical principles. Within the 165,000 species identified to date are combinations of colours and patterns that would impress the most sophisticated of art critics. The patterns and colours are achieved by the precise placement of both pigmented and non-pigmented scales which take advantage of light absorption, diffraction and scattering. For example, the colour white in the centre of the pattern in Fig. 1 is from light scattering, produced by air spaces within the scales, whereas the brilliant iridescent blues of the wings of the Morpho peleides are due to light diffraction. Of all the fascinating aspects of the butterfly patterns, that of the 'eye-spot' entices me most as an ophthalmologist. Experiments using birds and butterflies with eye-spots have demonstrated that when the peacock butterfly, Nymphalis io, suddenly displays its eye-spots by raising its hindwings and retracting the fore wings, attacking birds draw back. When the eye spot pattern is rubbed off the butterfly wings by the experimenter, the birds attack and eat the butterflies [1, 2]. One of the interesting subtleties of the eye-spot is
Relationships Among Pain, Protective Parental Responses, and Disability for Adolescents With Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: The Mediating Role of Pain Catastrophizing

Objectives Children learn to cope with pain within the context of the family and parental responses to pediatric pain can impact health outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine relationships among pain, protective parental responses to pain, functional disability, and pain catastrophizing for adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes. Methods Initial evaluation records for 138 adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain who consulted a pediatric multidisciplinary pain management clinic were examined. Measures were collected at the time of the initial evaluation and included adolescent self-reports of their own usual pain intensity, perceived parental responses to their pain, adolescent functional disability, and pain catastrophizing. Results Pain catastrophizing was significantly correlated with pain intensity, protective parental responses to pain, and functional disability. Multiple regression analyses further suggest that pain catastrophizing serves as a mediator of relationships between: (1) pain and disability and (2) protective parenting responses and disability. Evidence supporting a significant indirect effect for pain catastrophizing on disability was found within both models through bootstrap and Sobel analyses. Discussion Pain catastrophizing seems to play an important role in understanding relationships between pain, protective parental responses, and disability for adolescents with musculoskeletal pain. Our findings suggest that strategies that help modify adolescent catastrophic pain beliefs and parental responses to pain, may help improve adolescent functioning.
Genetic Selection inEscherichia colifor Active Human Immunodeficiency Virus Reverse Transcriptase Mutants

Abstract Most catalytically active human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcriptase (RT) mutants characterized to date have been isolated from the virus after treatment with HIV RT inhibitors such as nucleoside analogs. However, detailed understanding of structure–function relationships, and of the roles of the several catalytic activities of HIV RT in viral replication, requires characterization of a greater diversity of mutant enzymes than has been obtained from viral variants. Coupling of a bacterial genetic selection system for functional HIV RT with random mutagenesis has yielded a large number of active mutant enzymes, most of which have not been found in viral variants. The genetic selection system, combined with biochemical characterization of active mutant proteins, affords three major benefits. First, we can increase our understanding of the roles of individual amino acids in catalysis. Second, the mutational spectrum observed among active HIV RT variants can identify amino acids that are intolerant, or relatively intolerant, of substitution. Third, this system provides us with HIV RT variants with altered biochemical properties, such as replicational fidelity and processivity. Characterization of HIV harboring these mutant RTs with defined structural and functional alterations will contribute to elucidation of the roles of each catalytic activity of HIV RT in viral replication.
Morphometry of a peptidergic transmitter system: dynorphin B-like immunoreactivity in the rat hippocampal mossy fiber pathway before and after seizures.

While the morphometry of classical transmitter systems has been extensively studied, relatively little quantitative information is available on the subcellular distribution of peptidergic dense core vesicles (DCVs) within axonal arbors and terminals, and how distribution patterns change in response to neural activity. This study used correlated quantitative light and electron microscopic immunohistochemistry to examine dynorphin B-like immunoreactivity (dyn B-LI) in the rat hippocampal mossy fiber pathway before and after seizures. Forty-eight hours after seizures induced by two pentylenetetrazol injections, light microscopic dyn B-LI was decreased dorsally and increased ventrally. Ultrastructural examination indicated that, in the hilus of the dentate gyrus, these alterations resulted from changes that were almost entirely restricted to the profiles of the large mossy-like terminals formed by mossy fiber collaterals (which primarily contact spines), compared to the profiles of the smaller, less-convoluted terminals found on the same collaterals (which primarily contact aspiny dendritic shafts). Dorsally, mossy terminal profile labeled DCV (lDCV) density dropped substantially, while ventrally, both mossy terminal profile perimeter and lDCV density increased. In all terminal profiles examined, lDCVs also were closely associated with the plasma membrane. Following seizures, there was a reorientation of lDCVs along the inner surface of mossy terminal profile membranes, in relation to the types of profiles adjacent to the membrane: in both the dorsal and ventral hilus, significantly fewer lDCVs were observed at sites apposed to dendrites, and significantly more were observed at sites apposed to spines. Thus, after seizures, changes specific to: (1) the dorsoventral level of the hippocampal formation, (2) the type of terminal, and (3) the type of profile in apposition to the portion of the terminal membrane examined were all observed. An explanation of these complex, interdependent alterations will probably require evoking multiple interrelated mechanisms, including selective prodynorphin synthesis, transport, and release. Hippocampus 1999; 9:255–276. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Liver-Directed Therapies for Colorectal Metastases

Hepatic metastases are frequently the primary source of symptoms and mortality in metastatic colorectal cancer. This article addresses the rationale and technique of various modalities that are used to try to eradicate or control these lesions through locally-directed therapy.
Simultaneous measurement of hepatic and splenic stiffness using MR elastography: preliminary experience

Purpose To compare MR elastography (MRE) using a single and a dual driver excitation for the quantification of hepatic and splenic stiffness (HS and SS), and to investigate the performance of HS and SS measured with single or dual driver excitation for the detection of liver cirrhosis in subjects with liver disease.
Plasma exchange with a rotating filter

Plasma exchange with a rotating filter. We have modified a rotating filter system to provide therapeutic plasma exchange. Seventeen patients underwent 188 treatments. Blood flows to the filter ranged from 75 to 100 ml/min; mean filtration fraction was 64 ± 1% (± SE, N=188). Mean plasma removal rate per treatment was 40.2 ± 0.6 ml/min; net plasma removed per treatment was 3231 ± 53ml (N = 188); mean treatment time was 83 ± 2 minutes (N = 188). Mean percent decline in platelet count was 15 ± 4% (N = 46). Immunoglobulin kinetics were evaluated in order to validate our method of treatment prescription. The apparent volume of distribution (AVD) for each immunoglobulin class was compared to our estimate for plasma volume (EPV). The fraction AVD/EPV for IgG was 0.97 ± 0.04 (N = 14), for IgA was 0.87 ± 0.04 (N = 13) and for IgM was 0.96 ± 0.3 (N = 26). Use of the EPV allowed for accurate prediction of treatment results. Correlation between expected and actual decline in serum levels revealed an r value of 0.86 for IgG (P = 0.0002), 0.88 for IgA (P = 0.0001), and 0.57 for IgM (P
A Transplacental Carcinogenicity Bioassay in CD-1 Mice with Zidovudine

Abstract In oral carcinogenicity bioassays, zidovudine (ZDV) induced vaginal epithelial cell tumors in mice given 30 or 40 mg/kg/day and rats given 300 mg/kg/day. To determine if lifetime exposure to ZDV, beginning perinatally, would alter this pattern of carcinogenicity, two groups of 60 pregnant CD-1 mice were given 20 or 40 mg/kg/day of ZDV in 0.5% methyl cellulose from Gestation Day 10 through Lactation Day 21. At weaning, 2 pups per sex from each of 35 litters in each group were assigned to the study and given 20 or 40 mg/kg/day of ZDV in the drinking water until 17–35 days of age, followed by daily gavage for 24 months. Two additional groups of 60 pregnant CD-1 mice each were given 40 mg/kg/day of ZDV daily from Gestation Day 10 through Lactation Day 21; in one, ZDV treatment was halted at weaning and in the other, treatment was stopped 90 days after weaning. Two other groups of 60 pregnant CD-1 mice were left untreated (environmental control) or were given 0.5% methyl cellulose beginning on Gestation Day 10 (vehicle control). Vehicle control progeny received plain drinking water for 17–35 days postweaning and then 0.5% methyl cellulose daily by gavage for 24 months. ZDV treatment did not affect survival or body weight in either sex. In females given 20 or 40 mg/kg/day of ZDV for 24 months there was mild macrocytic anemia. Similar, non-dose-related changes were seen in males in these groups. ZDV-related tumor findings were limited to the vagina, where there were 2 and 11 vaginal squamous cell carcinomas in mice given 20 or 40 mg/kg/day of ZDV daily, respectively. This incidence was not remarkably different from that seen in previously reported bioassays. It was concluded that lifetime oral treatment of mice with ZDV, beginning perinatally, did not alter the previously reported pattern of carcinogenicity and that under the conditions tested ZDV was not a transplacental carcinogen.
Shining Light on Skin Pigmentation: The Darker and the Brighter Side of Effects of UV Radiation†

The term barrier function as applied to human skin often connotes the physical properties of this organ that provides protection from its surrounding environment. This term does not generally include skin pigmentation. However, skin pigmentation, which is the result of melanin produced in melanocytes residing in the basal layer of the skin and exported to the keratinocytes in the upper layers, serves equally important protective function. Indeed, changes in skin pigmentation are often the most readily recognized indicators of exposure of skin to damaging agents, especially to natural and artificial radiation in the environment. Several recent studies have shed new light on (1) the mechanisms involved in selective effects of subcomponents of UV radiation on human skin pigmentation and (2) the interactive influences between keratinocytes and melanocytes, acting as "epidermal melanin unit," that manifest as changes in skin pigmentation in response to exposure to various forms of radiation. This article provides a concise review of our current understanding of the effects of the nonionizing solar radiation, at cellular and molecular levels, on human skin pigmentation.
Nitrate removal from water using cyclically operated fixed-film bio-denitrification reactors

In this paper, a study of cyclically-operated fixed-film bio-denitrification to remove nitrates from drinking water is reported. The purpose of the study was to investigate the ability of these two-stage systems to remove nitrate and residual organics from treated water as compared to single-stage units. In the cyclically-operated system, the second stage (i.e. follow) reactor is operated in series with the first stage (i.e. lead) reactor. After a given period of operation, the flow regime is reversed so that the follow reactor becomes the lead one and vice versa . The active solids remaining in the follow reactor (previously the lead one) are capable of removing residual soluble organics and nitrates to levels below the concentrations provided by single-stage units. Cyclically operated fixed-film bio-denitrification reactors were found to reduce long term effluent residual organics concentrations without adverse effects on the nitrate concentrations. The system also was found to be more effective in reducing nitrates, nitrites and soluble organic concentrations in the effluent than a single-stage system operated at the same hydraulic retention times and organic loading rates.
Economic reform, social change, and illegal Chinese emigrants

Focusing on current human smuggling operations in China, this article analyzes and attempts to explain the background of illegal Chinese emigrant activities. It argues that, contrary to the common representation of these illegal emigrants as hopeless, destitute people who have no choice but to flee from their country, in truth many are young people driven by restlessness and ambition, from various social origins. Recent political, economic, and social reforms within China provide those dreaming of a better life in foreign countries the opportunity to leave.
Inefficient Toll-Like Receptor-4 Stimulation Enables Bordetella parapertussis to Avoid Host Immunity

The recognition of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by host Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 is a crucial step in developing protective immunity against several gram negative bacterial pathogens. Bordetella bronchiseptica and B. pertussis stimulate robust TLR4 responses that are required to control the infection, but a close relative, B. parapertussis, poorly stimulates this receptor, and TLR4 deficiency does not affect its course of infection. This led us to hypothesize that inefficient TLR4 stimulation enables B. parapertussis to evade host immunity. In a mouse model of infection, B. parapertussis grew rapidly in the lungs, but no measurable increase in TLR4-mediated cytokine, chemokine, or leukocyte responses were observed over the first few days of infection. Delivery of a TLR4 stimulant in the inoculum resulted in a robust inflammatory response and a 10- to 100-fold reduction of B. parapertussis numbers. As we have previously shown, B. parapertussis grows efficiently during the first week of infection even in animals passively immunized with antibodies. We show that this evasion of antibody-mediated clearance is dependent on the lack of TLR4 stimulation by B. parapertussis as co-inoculation with a TLR4 agonist resulted in 10,000-fold lower B. parapertussis numbers on day 3 in antibody-treated wild type, but not TLR4-deficient, mice. Together, these results indicate that inefficient TLR4 stimulation by B. parapertussis enables it to avoid host immunity and grow to high numbers in the respiratory tract of naive and immunized hosts.
Nazarov Approach to 4‐Benzoyloxymethyl‐cyclopent‐2‐enone, a Precursor to the Helminthosporols

Abstract A short, scalable route to 4‐hydroxymethylcyclopent‐2‐enone, based upon a silicon‐directed Nazarov cyclization, is described. Noteworthy in this study is the success of the cyclization with an oxygenated substrate.
Primary care physician perspectives on providing adult vaccines.

Abstract Recently, several new vaccines have been recommended for adults. Little is known regarding the immunization purchase and stocking practices of adult primary care physicians. To determine the proportion of family practice and internal medicine physicians who routinely stock specific adult vaccines and their rationale for those decisions, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in 2009 of a national random sample of 993 family physicians (FPs) and 997 general internists (IMs) in the US. Of the 1109 respondents, 886 reported that they provide primary care to adults aged 19–64 years and 96% of these physicians stock at least one vaccine recommended for adults. Of those, 2% plan to stop and 12% plan to increase vaccine purchases; the rest plan to maintain status quo. Of the respondents, 27% (31% FPs vs 20% IMs) stocked all adult vaccines. We conclude that many primary care physicians who provide care to adults do not stock all recommended immunizations. Efforts to improve adult immunization rates must address this fundamental issue.
(Re-)Dressing the KKK: Fred Shuttlesworth’s Precept Hermeneutic and the Rhetoric of African American Prophetic Patriotism

This article focuses on Fred Shuttlesworth, founder and president of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights and the one who convinced Martin Luther King Jr. to participate in the Birmingham civil rights campaign of 1963. A folksy preacher and an exceptional leader, the article examines his use of the precept hermeneutic in his rhetoric. Like King, Shuttlesworth falls within the African American jeremiad tradition of David Walker, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth. Unlike King, the author argues, Shuttlesworth utilizes the precept hermeneutic to repudiate segregation but not simply because of his fundamentalist worldview; he deployed this form of exegesis to foreground larger principles of progressive patriotism, religious activism, and racial egalitarianism. As a result, Shuttlesworth constructs a rhetorical strategy that, drawing upon a canonized view of scripture, paradoxically deconstructs, disrupts, and dismantles canonized perspectives on racial, religious, national and international identities.
An FPGA-based 3D image processor with median and convolution filters for real-time applications

Median Filtering and Convolution operations constitute 60-70% of the preprocessing operations performed on digital images. Software implementations of 3D filters in general-purpose processors do not match the speed requirements for real-time performance. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) support reconfigurable architectures that are sufficiently flexible to implement more than one operation in the existing hardware, yielding higher speed for real-time execution. We present a linear systolic array architecture for median filtering, that implements bit-serial searching and majority voting. The unique arrangement of line delay units endows parallelism to the bit-serial median finding algorithm. Convolution operation, based on the fast embedded multiplier units in the FPGA and an optimized Carry Save Adder array is also presented. The application of the above designs to 3D image preprocessing is described. A voxel rate of 220MHz is achieved for median filtering and 277MHz for convolution operation.
Yin Yang 1 Regulates the Transcriptional Activity of Androgen Receptor

The multifunctional protein Yin Yang 1 (YY1) has an important role in epigenetic regulation of gene expression. YY1 is highly expressed in various types of cancers, including prostate cancer. Currently, the mechanism underlying the functional role of YY1 in prostate tumorigenesis remains unclear. In this report, we investigated the functional interplay between YY1 and androgen receptor (AR), and the effect of YY1 on AR-mediated transcription. We found that YY1 physically interacts with AR both in a cell-free system and in cultured cells. YY1 is required for the optimal transcriptional activity of AR in promoting the transcription of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) promoter. However, ectopic YY1 expression in LNCaP cells did not further enhance the reporter driven by the PSA promoter, suggesting that an optimal level of YY1 is already established in prostate tumor cells. Consistently, YY1 depletion in LNCaP cells reduced endogenous PSA levels, but overexpressed YY1 did not significantly increase PSA expression. We also observed that YY1-AR interaction is essential to YY1-mediated transcription activity of AR and YY1 is a necessary component in the complex binding to the androgen response element. Thus, our study demonstrates that YY1 interacts with AR and regulates its transcriptional activity.
Seismic data fusion anomaly detection

Detecting anomalies in non-stationary signals has valuable applications in many fields including medicine and meteorology. These include uses such as identifying possible heart conditions from an Electrocardiography (ECG) signals or predicting earthquakes via seismographic data. Over the many choices of anomaly detection algorithms, it is important to compare possible methods. In this paper, we examine and compare two approaches to anomaly detection and see how data fusion methods may improve performance. The first approach involves using an artificial neural network (ANN) to detect anomalies in a wavelet de-noised signal. The other method uses a perspective neural network (PNN) to analyze an arbitrary number of “perspectives” or transformations of the observed signal for anomalies. Possible perspectives may include wavelet de-noising, Fourier transform, peak-filtering, etc.. In order to evaluate these techniques via signal fusion metrics, we must apply signal preprocessing techniques such as de-noising methods to the original signal and then use a neural network to find anomalies in the generated signal. From this secondary result it is possible to use data fusion techniques that can be evaluated via existing data fusion metrics for single and multiple perspectives. The result will show which anomaly detection method, according to the metrics, is better suited overall for anomaly detection applications. The method used in this study could be applied to compare other signal processing algorithms.
Decomposition of the diagonal map

Abstract This paper presents a new method for using cup product information to draw conclusions about the Lusternik–Schnirelmann category of a space. The key idea is that of the Hopf set in X of a map f : S n−1 →L ; if K = L ∪ f D n ⊆ X , then cat X ( K )=cat X ( L ) if and only if ∗ is in the Hopf set in X of f . The main result explicitly constructs elements of the Hopf set in X of f in terms of members of the Hopf set in X of the attaching maps of lower dimensional cells. Applications include: a calculation of the category of Sp (2) without higher order cohomology operations; new, easily used upper bounds for Lusternik–Schnirelmann category that apply to any space; and new information about the category of the CW skeleta of loop spaces and free loop spaces on even-dimensional spheres.
Use of partial koch boundaries for improved return loss, gain and sidelobe levels of triangular patch antenna

The Koch fractals beyond the third iteration take on complex geometrical shapes and thus are difficult to implement. The possible solution to achieving high performance in antennas and to alleviate implementation issues is the use of partial Koch fractals. The introduction of partial boundaries to triangular patches results in antenna designs with high gain (9.44 dBi), low sidelobe levels (≤ - 20 dB), and improved return loss (- 59dB). The design antenna can be used in applications such as indoor LANs, GSM booster units etc.
An integrative descriptive model of ethical decision making

This paper presents an integrative, descriptive model of ethical decision making, with special attention given to issues of measurement. After building the model, hypotheses are developed from a portion of it. These hypotheses are tested in an exploratory analysis to determine if further research and testing of this model and the measurement instruments it employs are warranted.
Bilateral emphysematous pyelonephritis.

Abstract Emphysematous pyelonephritis is an uncommon and serious infection associatedwith gas forming coliform bacteria. Bilateral involvement is rare with only 10 reported cases in the English literature. Prompt and aggressive management is required to salvage these patients. Presvation of renal function using broad-spectrum antibiotics and surgical drainage provides the greatest benefit to these patients. Three new cases are presented with a brief review of the results of management in the reported cases.
Thyroidal iodide transport. III. Comparison of iodide with anions of periodic group VIIA.

Abstract The present study offers evidence that the TcO 4 − and ReO 4 − ions, like iodide, are concentrated in sheep thyroid slices by a mechanism that requires cellular integrity, metabolic energy, and K + ion. The K m values are smaller than for iodide, being about 3·10 −7 M for TcO 4− and about 1·10 −6 M for ReO 4 − as compared to about 3·10 −5 M for I − . The ions are concentrated unchanged, whereas the lower homologue MnO 4 − was reduced in this system. Mn 2+ ion is concentrated but does not appear to require cellular integrity, metabolic energy or K + , and appears thus to be concentrated by a quite different system. The transport mechanism for TcO 4 − and ReO 4 − is similar to I − not only in the requirements for cellular integrity, K + and metabolic energy but also in that it is inhibited to the same extent by “competing” ions such as ClO 4 − , SCN − and BF 4 − . Furthermore, I − , TcO 4 − and ReO 4 − , are mutually inhibitory for transport in the thyroid slices. It is concluded that most, if not all, of the I − , TcO 4 − or ReO 4 − concentrated in thyroid tissue is transported by the same mechanism.
The So-Called Extended Synthesis and Population Genetics

In recent years, several prominent biologists have pointed to the relatively new field of evolutionary developmental biology (EvoDevo) as evidence of an Extended Synthesis in evolutionary biology. More particularly, these biologists claim that theoretical and empirical EvoDevo research is extending the Modern Synthesis framework of evolutionary theory through investigation of evolutionarily important concepts that are not part of the framework developed during the 20th century. To describe the current changes in evolutionary biology as an Extended Synthesis, however, is incorrect. Through review of Extended Synthesis arguments and analysis of the same biological concepts used to support these arguments, I argue that the foundation of the Modern Synthesis framework, theoretical population genetics, faces significant, perhaps insurmountable challenges from the concepts highlighted by EvoDevo research. As the foundation of the Modern Synthesis framework will require considerable remodeling—if possible—in light of the concepts emphasized by EvoDevo, it is incorrect to describe the ongoing changes in evolutionary biology as an Extended Synthesis.
Nuclear Interactions of Protons, Neutrons, and Shower Particles of Very High Energy in Nuclear Emulsion

Eighty-four interactions of protons and neutrons were located in a 22 liter stack of nuclear emulsion by tracing back showers of minimum-ionizing particles to their origins. The distribution of the number of shower particles, and the number of heavily ionizing prongs are presented for 57 events with dip angles 17\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The average energy of these events is 3.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{12}$ ev. The average number of shower particles emitted in nucleon-nucleon collisions at this energy is 15\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5, as estimated from 8 interactions without heavy prongs. The angular distributions of the shower particles are presented for the 57 events. They can be transformed into a system in which the angular distribution is roughly symmetric. This is true even for the collisions with heavy target nuclei (${N}_{h}5$). The degree of anisotropy of the angular distributions is in disagreement with a hydrodynamical model of nucleon-nucleus collisions. A lower limit for the collision mean free path of the primary particles of 20 cm in emulsion was obtained. By scanning the forward cone of the primary interactions, 76 secondary interactions of charged and neutral shower particles were found. The distribution of the prong numbers, of the energy, and the characteristics of their angular distribution are presented. The best estimate of the ratio of secondary collisions produced by neutral particles, and the number produced by charged particles is: $\frac{{N}_{n}}{{N}_{\mathrm{ch}}}=0.40\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.11$. Adding this result to other published data, it is concluded that 30\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}6% of the particles produced in collisions having a primary energy of several Tev are not $\ensuremath{\pi}$ mesons. A collision mean free path of 41\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}8 cm was found for the forwardcone shower particles.
Treatment of Postcataract Fibrinous Membranes with Tissue Plasminogen Activator

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy and toxicity of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in treatment of postcataract fibrinous membranes. Methods: The authors injected 25,μg of tPA into the anterior chamber of 52 pseudophakic eyes with moderate to severe fibrinous membranes that developed after cataract surgery. Results: Intraocular tPA injection resulted in complete fibrinolysis in 47 of 52 eyes (90%) and partial fibrinolysis in 5 of 52 eyes (10%). In cases of complete fibrinolysis, resolution of the fibrinous membrane occurred within 30 minutes in 22 of 47 eyes (47%) and within 1 hour in 25 of 47 eyes (53%). No evidence of toxicity was observed as measured by slit-lamp biomicroscopy, intraocular pressure, and corneal endothelial cell density, size, and morphology. Complications of tPA administration included periorbital pain (4 eyes), anterior chamber hemorrhage (4 eyes), and anterior chamber turbidity (3 eyes). Conclusion: The authors believe that intraocular tPA is effective and safe in the treatment of postcataract fibrinous membranes.
Differential Effects of Interleukin-2 and Interleukin-15 versus Interleukin-21 on CD4+ Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma Cells

In this study, we compared the effects of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-15, and IL-21 on gene expression, activation of cell signaling pathways, and functional properties of cells derived from CD4+ cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Whereas both IL-2 and IL-15 modulated, in a CTCL cell line, the expression of >1,000 gene transcripts by at least 2-fold, IL-21 up-regulated <40 genes. All three cytokines induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Jak1 and Jak3 in CTCL cell lines and native leukemic (Sezary) cells. However, only IL-2 and IL-15 strongly activated signal transducers and activators of transcription 5, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt, and mitogen-activated protein/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase/ERK signaling pathways in the cell lines and mitogen-primed native cells. In contrast, IL-21 selectively activated signal transducers and activators of transcription 3. Whereas all three cytokines protected CTCL cells from apoptosis, only IL-2 and IL-15 promoted their proliferation. The effects of the cytokine stimulation were Jak3 kinase- and Jak1 kinase- dependent. These findings document the vastly different effect of IL-2 and IL-15 versus IL-21 on CTCL cells. They also suggest two novel therapeutic approaches to CTCL and, possibly, other CD4+ T-cell lymphomas: inhibition of the Jak1/Jak3 kinase complex and, given the known strong immunostimulatory properties of IL-21 on CD8+ T, natural killer, and B cells, application of this cytokine to boost an immune response against malignant CD4+ T cells.
Temperature and composition dependence of young's modulus for ordered B2 polycrystalline CoAl and FeAl

Young's modulus E for 18 specimens of ordered polycrystalline CoAl and FeAl was measured using the piezoelectric ultrasonic composite oscillator technique. The modulus was determined in the cobalt content range 48.5–55.8 at.% and the temperature T interval 300–1300 K for CoAl, and in the iron content range 51–60 at.% and the temperature interval 300–1125 K for FeAl. It is shown that CoAl is stiffer than FeAl at all temperatures used. Both alloys showed similar composition dependences with moduli clustering near 295 GPa and 260 GPa for CoAl and FeAl respectively at room temperature. A linear dependence on temperature was found for the moduli with values of −dE/dT near 0.070 GPa K−1 and 0.085 GPaK−1 for CoAl and FeAl respectively.
Initial disulfide formation steps in the folding of an ω-conotoxin

To determine whether the native disulfides of ω-conotoxins are preferentially stabilized early in the folding of these small proteins, the rates and equilibria for disulfide formation were measured for three analogues of ω-conotoxin MVIIA. In each analogue, one of the three pairs of disulfide-bonded Cys residues was replaced with Ala residues, leaving four Cys residues that can form six intermediates with one disulfide and three species with two disulfides. For each analogue, all of the disulfide-bonded species were identified, and the equilibrium constants for forming the individual species via exchange with oxidized and reduced glutathione were measured. These equilibrium constants represent effective concentrations of the Cys thiols and ranged from 0.01 to 0.4 M in the fully reduced protein. There was little or no preference for forming the native disulfides, and the equilibria for forming the first and second disulfides decreased only slightly upon the addition of 8 M urea. The data for the four-Cys a...
Quality Improvement in the Surgical Approach to Advanced Ovarian Cancer: The Mayo Clinic Experience

Background After observing disparate rates of cytoreduction, we initiated efforts to improve outcomes through feedback and education, and we reassessed outcomes. Study Design Outcomes from group A (2006 and 2007, n = 105) were compared with those from the cohort predating quality-improvement efforts (group B, 2000 to 2003, n = 132). All stage IIIC ovarian cancer patients at our institution were evaluated for tumor dissemination, age, performance status, surgical complexity, residual disease (RD), morbidity, and mortality. A surgical complexity score previously described was used to categorize extent of operation. Results No significant differences in age, performance status, or extent of disease were observed between cohorts. Surgical complexity increased after initiation of quality improvement (mean surgical complexity score, 5.5 to 7.1; p Conclusions Analysis of outcomes with appropriate feedback and education is a powerful tool for quality improvement. We observed improvements in rates of cytoreduction and use of specific radical procedures, with no increase in morbidity as a result of this process.
Theory into Practice: Promoting an “Active Start” for Young Children: Developing Competent and Confident Early Movers

(2009). Theory into Practice: Promoting an “Active Start” for Young Children: Developing Competent and Confident Early Movers. Strategies: Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 30-32.
Isolated gastric crystal-storing histiocytosis: a rare marker of occult lymphoproliferative disorders.

Rare incidental endoscopic findings may have grave implications requiring a high index of suspicion with a low threshold for histopathological examination. We present a case of just such an incidental gastric lesion, which on histopathological analysis was determined to be Crystal-Storing Histiocytosis (CSH), a rare manifestation of lymphoproliferative disorders. An elderly patient presented for an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with longstanding symptoms suggestive of gastroesophageal acid reflux despite proton pump inhibitor use. The upper endoscopy reported a normal oesophagus and duodenum. However, a questionable submucosal lesion was noted in the antrum. This resulted in a referral to our centre for an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). While performing the EUS, a 2 cm whitish patch was incidentally noted on the greater curvature of the …