cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
La contribución de las alteraciones patológicas a la interpretación en antropología forense

Pathology plays a key role in various aspects of interpretation within forensic anthropology. These contributions include observations of the effects of pathological conditions and using them to facilitate identification efforts. In the context of the broader definition of pathology as “something abnormal” it forms the foundation of much of the logic, methodology and practice of forensic anthropology. In fact, only unusual conditions not shared by many others can be utilized for positive identification. Recovery efforts and evaluation of the evidence of foul play, as well as the estimation sex, age at death, ancestry, living stature, time since death and other important components depend upon recognition of normal and abnormal patterns. The multifaceted contributions of pathology to the practice of forensic anthropology are firmly documented in casework applications
Packet communications in a multipath fading mobile radio network

The authors present ARQ (automatic repeat request) strategies for packet communications in a fading mobile radio network. A queuing-theory approach is used to analyze various data-link-control protocols between a mobile node and a base station. Three fading models are considered for the mobile channel, namely, the slow Rayleigh fading model, the Rayleigh/Rayleigh fading model, and the threshold model. Numerical results are also presented for the queuing delay of packets. >
Reverse electrical remodeling of the ventricles following successful restoration of sinus rhythm in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) has been shown to be associated with reduced survival and increased ventricular arrhythmogenesis. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of AF with adequate rate control on the electrophysiologic properties of the ventricles. We hypothesized that AF results in increased ventricular arrhythmogenic risk and that reverse remodeling occurs postsuccessful cardioversion. Methods: In nine patients with persistent AF, we recorded 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) and 1-hour high-resolution Holter ECGs (H12+, Mortara Instrument, Inc. Milwaukee, WI, USA; recorders [1000 sps] immediately following cardioversion (Day 1) and after 30 days of maintaining sinus rhythm (Day 30). We measured QTc, QT dispersion, and calculated estimates of mean ventricular action potential duration (RT), diastolic interval (DI), T-wave width (TW), T-wave peak-to-end, and their respective scatter on Day 1 and Day 30. Maintenance of normal sinus rhythm was confirmed with a weekly trans-telephonic ECG transmission. Results: The average QTc interval decreased from 449 ± 28 ms on Day 1 to 422 ± 36 ms on Day 30 (P = 0.04). There was no significant difference in the average QT dispersion. A significant decrease was also noted in DI and TW scatter at Day 30 when compared with Day 1 (P = 0.03 and 0.04, respectively). A decrease in RT scatter was also noted albeit not statistically significant (P = 0.07). Conclusion: Our results suggest a greater propensity to ventricular arrhythmogenesis in the immediate period following restoration of sinus rhythm and reverse electrical remodeling of the ventricles during the first month after successful maintenance of sinus rhythm. (PACE 2010; 33:1198–1202)
Analyzing Rural Versus Urban Differences in Career Dissatisfaction and Plans to Leave Among Pennsylvanian Physicians.

Purpose This study estimates whether physicians in rural Pennsylvania have higher odds of career dissatisfaction and plans to leave patient care in the next 6 years, compared to their urban counterparts. Rural-urban differences were estimated across specific subgroups of physicians (gender, race, and specialty) and with regard to specific sources of career dissatisfaction. Methods The 2012 Pennsylvania Health Workforce Survey of Physicians allowed for analysis of 17,444 physicians younger than 55 years old actively practicing patient care. Multivariate, logistic regression was performed to estimate the associations with 2 outcome areas: career dissatisfaction and plans to leave patient care in the next 6 years. Controls included rural setting, age, sex, race, work hours, specialty, and practice characteristics. Results Over 12% of under-55 physicians are dissatisfied with their careers and over 18% report plans to leave patient care in the next 6 years. Rural physicians in Pennsylvania have 18.6% higher odds of reporting career dissatisfaction and 29.5% higher odds of leaving patient care in the next 6 years (P < .01 for each) versus their urban counterparts. Conclusions Rates of dissatisfaction and potential attrition among younger physicians are not insignificant, with a stronger association with rural practice. Given the large number of rural health shortage areas, better understanding this association is important to health care providers and policy makers. Regression results suggest that higher rural odds are related more to physician work (ie, stress, practice demands, and lack of autonomy) and family situations and less related to income concerns.
Wikipedia and American Women Writers: Closing the Gender Gap through Collaborative Learning

Despite academic admonitions, Wikipedia continues to be one of the most trafficked websites, and studies show that students regularly use Wikipedia, often at the start of an assignment. In my Nineteenth-Century American Women Writers course, all of my students admitted to using Wikipedia frequently, yet not one of them had ever edited a Wikipedia page. This essay describes how these same students transformed from consumers to producers of the site and used discipline-specific research techniques to develop the Wikipedia presence of some of the writers we were studying. The course encouraged students to cultivate their collaborative skills, to promote more effective use of peer comments, and to guide students toward more nuanced understandings of the use of secondary criticism and the importance of documentation. By participating in web-based knowledge creation and drawing on their collaborative learning in an upper-level literature course, students dipped their toes into the burgeoning field known as the digital humanities.
Resistant Hypertension and Associated Comorbidities in a Veterans Affairs Population

Resistant hypertension (RH) is understudied and its reported prevalence varies with study populations. The authors sought to determine its prevalence and association with certain comorbid conditions in a Veterans Affairs population. This cross-sectional study utilized demographic and clinical data from 17,466 patients. Chi-square or t test was used for comparing groups with and without RH. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent associations. Overall, the prevalence of RH was 9%, and 13% of all hypertensive patients met criteria for RH. After adjusting for confounding variables, RH was significantly associated with older age (odds ratio [OR], 1.007), higher body mass index (OR, 1.04), Framingham score (OR, 1.14), and coexisting coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular accident/transient ischemic attack, peripheral vascular disease, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, and metabolic syndrome (OR, 1.3, 1.32, 1.29, 2.88, 2.13, 1.2, 1.12, and 1.2, respectively; all P<.05). Our results indicate a complex interplay of certain comorbid conditions among patients with RH and suggest the need for multifaceted interventions in this high-risk population to prevent cardiovascular events.
On the dynamics of excitations in disordered systems

A new, time-local (TL) reduced equation of motion for the probability distribution of excitations in a disordered system is developed. ToO(k2) the TL equation results in a Gaussian spatial probability distribution, i.e, 〈P(r, t)〉 = [(2πξ)1/2]−dexp(-r2/2ξ2), where ξ = ξ(t) is a correlation length, andr = ¦r¦. The corresponding distribution derived from the Hahn-Zwanzig (HZ) equation is more complicated and assumes the asymptotic (r→ ∞) form: 〈P(r, s)〉(sξd)−1exp(−r/ξ) · (r/ξ)(1-d)/2 where ξ = ξ(s),d is the space dimensionality, ands is the Laplace transform variable conjugate tot. The HZ distribution generalizes the scaling form suggested by Alexanderet al. ford= 1. In the Markov limit ξ(t)√t, ξ(s)1/√s, and the two distributions are identical (ordinary diffusion).
Depressed transformation response by splenic lymphocytes from vitamin A-deficient rats

Abstract Concanaval in A (Con A)-stimulated lymphocytes isolated from the spleen of vitamin A-deficient rats showed decreased [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation compared to pair-fed and ad libitum-fed controls. This decrease was evident over a range of Con A concentrations (1–7 μg/ml), and the mitogen concentration which elicited maximum response was the same (2 μg/ml) for all three dietary groups. A three-day in vivo repletion with retinyl acetate led to recovery of normal or greater than normal [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation at all concentrations of Con A. At time intervals when DNA synthesis was significantly increased by Con A (48, 72 and 96 hours after stimulation) the [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation by vitamin A-deficient lymphocytes was always lower than that of pair-fed and ad libitum-fed controls. Decreased splenocyte blastogenesis was also demonstrated for the B-cell mitogen E. coli lipopolysaccharide, which was not completely accounted for by reduced numbers of B-cells in the spleen of vitamin A-deficient rats.
Schur product of matrices and numerical radius (range) preserving maps

Abstract Let F ( A ) be the numerical range or the numerical radius of a square matrix A . Denote by A ∘ B the Schur product of two matrices A and B . Characterizations are given for mappings on square matrices satisfying F ( A ∘ B ) = F ( ϕ ( A ) ∘ ϕ ( B )) for all matrices A and B . Analogous results are obtained for mappings on Hermitian matrices.
Egocentric Perceptions of the Environment in Primary, but not Secondary, Psychopathy

Several theories of psychopathy link it to an egocentric mode of perceiving the world. This explanatory perspective is quite plausible given that psychopaths are viewed as callous, uncaring, and narcissistic. This explanatory perspective, though, has been an insufficient focus of research, particularly in basic cognitive tasks. Building on the work of Wapner and Werner (1957), an implicit measure of cognitive egocentrism was developed. Continuous variations in primary and secondary psychopathy were assessed in a sample of college undergraduates (N = 80). Individuals high in primary psychopathy exhibited cognitive egocentrism, whereas individuals low in primary psychopathy did not. On the other hand, variations in secondary psychopathy were non-predictive of performance in the task. Results are discussed in terms of theories of psychopathy, distinctions between its primary and secondary components, and the utility of modeling egocentrism in basic cognitive terms.
Using site‐saturation mutagenesis to explore mechanism and substrate specificity in thiamin diphosphate‐dependent enzymes

For almost 20 years, site-saturation mutagenesis (SSM) has been used to evolve stereoselective enzymes as catalysts for synthetic organic chemistry. Much of this work has focused on enzymes such as lipases and esterases, although the range is rapidly expanding. By contrast, using SSM to study enzyme mechanisms is much less common. Instead, site-directed mutagenesis is more generally employed, with a particular emphasis on alanine variants. In the present review, we provide examples of the growing use of SSM to study not only substrate and reaction selectivity, but also the reaction mechanism of thiamin diphosphate (ThDP)-dependent enzymes. We report that the use of SSM to examine the roles of the catalytic residues of benzoylformate decarboxylase gave rise to results that were at odds with earlier kinetic and structural studies using alanine substitutions and also questioned their conclusions. SSM was also employed to examine the long held tenet that a bulky hydrophobic residue provides a fulcrum by which the V-conformation of the ThDP cofactor is maintained. X-ray structures showed that ThDP stayed in the V-conformation even when the replacement residues were charged or did not contact the cofactor. We also summarize the results obtained when SSM was used to evolve new substrate specificity and/or enantioselectivity in ThDP-dependent enzymes such as benzoylformate decarboxylase, transketolase, 2-succinyl-5-enolpyruvyl-6-hydroxy-3-cyclohexene-1-carboxylate synthase and the E1 component of the 2-oxoglutarate dehydrogenase complex.
Chorioamnionitis: epidemiology of newborn management and outcome United States 2008.

Current American Academy of Pediatric recommendations call for the empirical use of antibiotics for all well-appearing term newborn infants born to women given a diagnosis of chorioamnionitis. The objective of this analysis was to determine among term infants (37–42 weeks gestation) the prevalence of exposure to clinical chorioamnionitis, intrapartum antibiotics, infant antibiotic use and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and the relationship of these risk factors to neonatal mortality. United States-linked infant birth and death certificate files for the year 2008 were used. Maternal demographic variables, labor and delivery risk factors and infant characteristics were analyzed for associations with a reported diagnosis of chorioamnionitis and neonatal death, NICU admission and antibiotic usage. There were 2 281 386 births available with information on the diagnosis of chorioamnionitis. The prevalence of chorioamnionitis in this population was 9.7 per 1000 live births (LB) and the neonatal mortality rate for exposed infants was 1.40/1000 LB vs 0.81/1000 LB for infants without chorioamnionitis, odds ratio (OR)=1.72, 95% confidence interval 1.20–2.45. The OR for neonatal death for infants with chorioamnionitis exposure who received antibiotics vs those who did not was 0.69 (95% confidence interval=0.21–2.26). Exposure to chorioamnionitis is associated with an increased risk of neonatal mortality. Guidelines for treatment of infants exposed to chorioamnionitis with antibiotics are followed in only a small proportion of such cases.
Employee turnover in the Maquiladoras

In a country beset with a myriad of economic woes, the maquila (in-bond) program has been a major success story for Mexico. From its inception barely twenty years ago, the maquila program has grown dramatically. By 1987 there were approximately 1,000 maquila plants, employing over 330,000 workers and contributing nearly three billion dollars to the Mexican economy (Instituto Nacional 1988). As a source of income to the Mexican economy, the maquila industry has moved into second place, ahead of tourism, trailing only oil. And while the oil industry has been buffeted by dramatic price fluctuations, the income from the maquila industry has been stable and rising. Furthermore, most of the investment capital is provided by the parent (non-Mexican, generally U.S.) firms, a tremendous benefit for a country which has virtually no available funds left for private investment (Royatyn and Altman 1986).
CT colonography: determination of optimal CT technique using a novel colon phantom

The aim of this study was to determine the thickest slice at the lowest radiation dose for detection of colon polyps larger than 5 mm in diameter at computed tomographic (CT) colonography. A colon phantom containing haustral folds, flexures, and straight segments was constructed of borosilicate. One hundred forty simulated polyps (5, 7, 10, and 12 mm) of various shapes (sessile, flat, and pedunculated) were attached at different colon locations (wall, base of fold, on the fold and fold tip). Polyps were positioned parallel, perpendicular, and oblique to the CT gantry. The air-filled phantom was scanned at different slice thicknesses (1.25-5 mm) and x-ray tube currents (5-308 mA). All polyps were identified in all data sets except one (1.25 mm slice thickness, 5 mA). In this acquisition, image noise reduced polyp visibility, and five of 140 (3%) polyps could not be identified. Unidentified polyps were 5 mm, flat or sessile in shape, located on the colon wall or base of the fold, and oblique or parallel to CT gantry. All tested CT techniques provided optimal polyp detection except settings at 1.25 mm and 5 mAs. Thin collimation ( < 5 mm) scans may not be necessary to detect clinically significant polyps.
‘Big bang’ for tertiary birds?

Abstract The early evolution of living birds has been sharply debated, with two disparate interpretations. Molecular-clock studies consistently date the emergence of modern bird orders at ∼100 million years ago or older, coincidental with major continental breakup. This is supported by some biogeographers who use phylogenetics, accept an ancient evolutionary origin and use historical geology to guide their reasoning. The fossil record, however, provides evidence that modern birds represent an explosive Tertiary radiation, following the Cretaceous–Tertiary cataclysm, and their origins are almost 50 million years younger than that predicted by molecular studies. Here, I argue that this explosive, punctuated model conforms to the typical pattern of vertebrate evolution characterized by rapid diversification following a major extinction event.
Influences of Fiber Geometry on the Performance of Nonwoven Air Filters

The effects of fiber cross-sectional shape on the filtration performance of nonwoven fabrics were examined empirically. Compared to round fibers, performance was better with fibers having three or four lobes but poorer with fibers having two lobes, Performance improved with lobe depth. Some of these results, which were obtained with small (10-cm diameter) patch filters, were con firmed by measurements made with a one-bag laboratory baghouse. The results obtained are similar to theoretical predictions of capture efficiency of lobed fibers in electric fields, and therefore it is proposed that the response of filter performance to fiber shape is partly electrostatic in origin. Some experimental support for this hypothesis is presented.
Active Reading Procedures for Moderating the Effects of Poor Highlighting

We investigated two active reading techniques intended to eliminate the negative effect on reading comprehension of preexisting, inappropriate highlighting. College students read passages in three highlighting conditions: no highlighting, appropriate highlighting, and inappropriate highlighting. In Experiment 1, 30 students read the passages while using a finger as if it were a highlighter. In Experiment 2, another 30 students used blue highlighters while reading the passages. The results showed that both using a finger as a highlighter and using a blue highlighter eliminated previously documented negative effects of preexisting, inappropriate highlighting. Further, metacomprehension was poor in the presence of inappropriate highlighting.
Heterosexual dysfunction: evaluation of treatment procedures.

As professional and public awareness of the potential for treatment of sexual problems increases, there are an ever-expanding number of available therapeutic services. As researchers as well as clinicians, we find ourselves in the dilemma of maintaining services without having good research data to support our treatment techniques and therapy. So-called successful sexual dysfunction techniques are often based on isolated case reports. However, with few exceptions these techniques and reports of techniques generally lack retrospective and prospective predictive ability, standardization, objectivity parameters, detailed outcome evaluation, and adequate follow-up. Often they tend to be anecdotal and limited in their ability to provide usable information to professionals in the same or allied areas.
Evaluation of Interfaces for 3d Pointing

A variety of tasks with robots require directing the robot to interact with objects or locations in the world. While many interfaces currently exist for such interactions, in this paper, we focus on inputs which can be categorized as emph{pointing}. Specifically, we look at two ways of using the head as a pointing input: Google Glass, and a head pose estimation technique which uses RGBD data. While both of these input modalities have their own advantages and disadvantages, we evaluate them simply as pointing devices, looking at how the device characteristics affects pointing performance. This is evaluated in a user study in which participants perform a series of object designation tasks. We then use distance, time, and object size data to evaluate input devices using Fitts' Law.
An Update on Retinal Stem Cell Therapy

The use of stem cells will likely have a critical role to play in the coming years in regenerative medicine. The retina has been one of the earliest targets for stem cell derived replacement therapy due to easy access and the potential for direct monitoring of replacement cells. In this review, we will cover recent advances in differentiating human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into retinal cells, transplantation of hESC-derived retinal cells into animal models of retinal degeneration, and current human clinical trials involving subretinal transplantation these cells.
Purification, crystallization and X-ray diffraction analysis of human synaptotagmin 1 C2A-C2B.

Synaptotagmin acts as the Ca2+ sensor for neuronal exocytosis. The cytosolic domain of human synaptotagmin 1 is composed of tandem C2 domains: C2A and C2B. These C2 domains modulate the interaction of synaptotagmin with the phospholipid bilayer of the presynaptic terminus and effector proteins such as the SNARE complex. Human synaptotagmin C2A-C2B has been expressed as a glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein in Escherichia coli. The purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of this protein are reported here. The crystals diffract to 2.7 A and belong to the orthorhombic space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 82.37, b = 86.31, c = 140.2 A. From self-rotation function analysis, there are two molecules in the asymmetric unit. The structure determination of the protein using this data is ongoing.
Shell Configurations to Suppress Bending

Thin shell design for minimum bending stresses and transverse shear for composite materials with low interlaminar shear strength
Linear relationship in the thermodynamics of gas-liquid chromatography

Discussion du calcul des grandeurs d'exces; origine du manque de correlation entre grandeurs
Complications Related to Indwelling Caval Catheters on a Gynecologic Oncology Service

Abstract Objective. To assess the rate of complications of indwelling caval catheter (ICC) use on a gynecologic oncology service and to compare complication rates between subcutaneous ports and external catheters. Methods. A retrospective analysis of 185 patients who underwent 216 ICC placements between April 1, 1987 and April 1, 1997, was performed. Patient and catheter characteristics were analyzed as they related to the rate of pneumothorax, bacteremia, and deep neck and thoracic vein thrombosis (DNVT). Results. A total of 216 ICCs were placed including 152 implanted ports and 64 external catheters. Pneumothorax occurred in 2% of ICC insertions. Bacteremia complicated 16% of ICCs. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that external catheters ( P P P P Conclusions. Implantable ICCs appear to offer a significant advantage compared to external devices with regard to the development of bacteremia and unplanned catheter removal. Though catheter type, neutropenia, and TPN are associated with an increased incidence of bacteremia, multivariate analysis does not include TPN as an independent risk factor for ICC-related bacteremia. A significant increase in the rate of DNVT among a small number of patients with clear cell gynecologic malignancies warrants further study.
No Place Like Home: A Study of Two Homeless Shelters

Homelessness is one of the most pressing social problems today. Society has responded to the problem with the creation of homeless shelters. Yet, the nature of the operation of the shelter is not defined. This study explored the operations of two single adult homeless shelters to understand how they operate in addressing the problem of homelessness. The study identified two different types of services, one called “house” and the other “home.” House services provided basic food, shelter, and linkage to social services, which fulfilled the basic definition of the problem of homelessness as defined by the Institute of Medicine. Home services provided the basic services of house but also went one step beyond by providing these services within the context of a supportive environment, thus creating informal social supports. The study discusses the implications of each of these modalities in addressing the problems associated with people who are homeless as well as the differences in policies and structures which contribute to one shelter providing house and the other home services.
The Remote Borderland: Transylvania in the Hungarian Imagination

The Remote Borderland: Transylvania in the Hungarian Imagination. Laszlo Kurti. New York: State University of New York Press, 2001. 259 pp.
Modulation of the Phenotypic Diversity of Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell anemia is noted for being phenotypically heterogeneous. This suggests that there are genetic influences that moderate the effects of the sickle hemoglobin mutation. In this review I focus on genetically determined modulation of hemoglobin concentration and fetal hemoglobin levels. Each of these variables has important influences upon sickle hemoglobin polymerization and the resulting pathophysiology.
The relationship between coronal and interplanetary magnetic fields

Abstract The morphology of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is being used increasingly often to diagnose the state and solar origin of interplanetary plasma. For example, the heliospheric current sheet has been used to locate the magnetic equator and relate it to the coronal streamer belt. More often, recently, has been use of variance analysis of the IMF to infer the topology of apparent magnetic loops, magnetic draping, and relationships between the IMF and photospheric fields. These time-dependent IMF variations open new horizons for relating the IMF to the coronal field. Here, I review applications of coronal magnetic field models to predicting the quasi-steady IMF morphology and review recent applications of IMF variance analysis to diagnose origins and history of solar wind plasma.
Protein and gene expression of Ca2+ channel isoforms in murine colon: effect of inflammation

L-Type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (L-VDCC) mediate calcium influx in response to membrane depolarization and regulate intracellular processes such as contraction, secretion, neurotransmission, and gene expression. Colonic inflammation significantly attenuates calcium currents in smooth muscle; however, the basis for this remains unclear. In this study we examined the protein and mRNA expression of two isoforms of Cav1.2, encoded by either exon 1a or 1b. Both isoforms were detected by Western blots, immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR in smooth muscle cells. Neither the protein nor mRNA expression measured by real-time PCR of either isoforms was affected in colonic myocytes from dextran sulfate sodium-treated mice. In whole-cell voltage-clamp experiments, the amplitude of the calcium currents were decreased by almost 70% by inflammation. The calcium channel currents were attenuated by 50±3% by the c-src kinase specific inhibitor, PP2, in control cells but only 19±7% in cells from inflamed mice. These studies suggest that decreased calcium channel currents following colonic inflammation are not due to decreased expression but may result from altered regulation by the non-receptor cellular tyrosine kinase, c-src kinase.
Social support and occupational stress: Talking to supervisors

Abstract The contents of communications between supervisors and subordinates were investigated in the context of occupational stress as potential forms of social support for 225 registered nurses randomly selected from seven hospitals. Survey results supported a three-form typology of contents of communications: positive job-related, negative job-related, and non-job-related communications. Nurses' perceptions of social support from their supervisors (functional social support) were more closely related to positive job-related communications and non-job-related communications than to negative job-related communications. Main effects on individual strains were found for both functional social support and contents of communications, especially positive communications. The so-called buffering effect, in which social support interacts with job stressors to reduce the strength of the stressor-strain relationship, was especially found for non-job-related communications as a form of social support.
Rank and biclique partitions of the complement of paths

The problem was posed of determining the biclique partition number of the complement of a Hamiltonian path (Monson, Rees, and Pullman, Bull. Inst. Combinatorics and Appl. 14 (1995), 17–86). We define the complement of a path P, denoted $\overline{P}$, as the complement of P in Km,n where P is a subgraph of Km,n for some m and n. We give an exact formula for the biclique partition number of the complement of a path. In particular, we solve the problem posed in [9]. We also summarize our more general results on biclique partitions of the complement of forests. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 27: 111–122, 1998
Adenine-induced orotic aciduria in rats fed diets with and without orotic acid

Abstract Diets with 0, 0.05, 0.25, and 1% adenine sulfate, each with and without 1% orotic acid, were fed for 10 days to female weanling rats, 5 animals per treatment. In the absence of dietary orotic acid, urinary excretion of orotic acid was increased 8-fold (0.09 to 0.73 mg/day) by 0.25% adenine sulfate. In the presence of dietary orotic acid, excretion was 50 times greater and was enhanced 3-fold (4.4 to 12.7 mg/day) by 0.25% adenine sulfate. Adenine sulfate at 0.05% was ineffective at stimulating orotic acid excretion; adenine sulfate at 1.0% was as effective as 0.25% but led to symptoms of adenine toxicity. The two high levels of adenine also prevented development of fatty livers induced by orotic acid. Thus, the prevention of such fatty livers is associated with increased excretion of orotic acid. The orotic aciduria could be due to competition for renal reabsorption by adenine metabolites but more likely results from competition between pyrimidine and purine metabolism in the liver.
Duloxetine treatment of pediatric chronic pain and co-morbid major depressive disorder

In the United States, the novel compound duloxetine has been approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) and diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain in the adult population. There are currently no published data on the use of duloxetine in children and adolescents. This report describes the successful treatment of 2 adolescent females with chronic pain and co-morbid MDD. Both patients required admission to a tertiary-care pediatric hospital due to the chronicity, severity, and treatment resistance of their pain syndromes. In both cases, duloxetine provided rapid improvement in the experience of pain, as well as mood symptoms, at minimum dosages. Pain symptom reduction and restoration of a euthymic state was maintained at 4- and 3-month follow-up visits, respectively, with minimal to no adverse effects being reported. These cases present preliminary evidence of promising uses for duloxetine in the pediatric population.
Pyroptosis: Macrophage Suicide Exposes Hidden Invaders

Caspase-1 plays a key role in host defense through its dual function in inducing a pro-inflammatory cell death termed pyroptosis and in promoting the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. A new study now highlights the specific importance of pyroptosis in resistance to intracellular pathogens.
The social transformation of American surgery.

American surgery, from its humble beginnings in colonial times and especially around 1760, embarked on a long voyage, continuously responding to challenges and worthwhile enterprises. The ascendancy of science, from the late 19th century to our times, gave to this discipline social and cultural empowerment and a well-justified authority. Academic, economic, and political forces, in addition, delayed or sometimes stimulated the acceptance of the surgeon's profession. Patients and society recognized, through various historical American eras, how acceptance was linked to the improved results of less morbidity and mortality. They also recognized that tolerance to pain did not have to be an ingredient of surgery in this century. From this historic review, it is evident that science, surgical research, and good clinical training represented the most important forces shaping the surgery of our day. As one considers the social transformation of American surgery, the road winds from an unsophisticated discipline, ...
Variable-pressure capillary impregnation of a gassaturated porous medium

Variable-pressure impregnation of a gas-saturated porous medium differs considerably from the constant-pressure case. The periodic pressure falls and rises have marked effects on the gas content. Pressure cycling can increase the extent to which the gas is displaced.
Environmental considerations in the fertilizer use decision

The increase in the use of fertilizer in agricultural production has been associated with a substantial increase in agricultural productivity in the United States. This increase in fertilizer use has been driven by a variety of economic forces including variations in the price of output and changing relative factor prices. Associated with the increase in the use of fertilizer have been adverse environmental consequences that are not reflected in the costs and returns of agricultural production. That is, externalities exist whose cost need to be internalized. Because the use of fertilizer has been shown to respond to market forces, it is efficient to use the market to control the use of fertilizer. This can be done through, for example, the use of a fertilizer tax.
Evidence for a molecule heavier than methane in the atmosphere of Pluto

THE recent occultation of a 12th magnitude star by Pluto provided a unique opportunity for studying its atmosphere. Analyses of measurements made at the Hobart observatory in Australia and the Kuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) have been published1,2. It is generally agreed that Pluto possesses a substantial atmosphere, with a surface pressure of ∼l0µbar. Both occultation measurements are sensitive primarily to the atmospheric conditions at the 1-μbar level. Analysis of the Hobart data reveals an atmospheric scale height of 46–57 km at a radial distance of 1,240–1,290 km, whereas the scale height derived from the KAO data is 59.7 ± 1.5 km at 1,214 ± 20 km. The existence of an optically thick dust layer along the line of sight at the limb has been inferred from the KAO measurements, raising doubts about the true surface radius of Pluto2. The measured scale heights are consistent with a purely methane atmosphere at a temperature of 50–61 K for the Hobart data1 and 67±6K for the KAO data2. These values are close to the surface temperature3. Here we examine the energy balance in the atmosphere and conclude that the temperature near 1 μ bar is ∼100K rather than the surface temperature; consequently, the mean molecular weight of the atmosphere is close to 25a.m.u., and a molecule heavier than (and in addition to) methane must be present in the atmosphere.
Rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta ) succeed on a computerized test designed to assess conservation of discrete quantity

Conservation of quantity occurs through recognition that changes in the physical arrangement of a set of items do not change the quantity of items in that set. Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were presented with a computerized quantity judgment task. Monkeys were rewarded for selecting the greater quantity of items in one of two horizontal arrays of items on the screen. On some trials, after a correct selection, no reward was given but one of the arrays was manipulated. In some cases, this manipulation involved moving items closer together or farther apart to change the physical arrangement of the array without changing the quantity of items in the array. In other cases, additional items were added to the initially smaller array so that it became quantitatively larger. Monkeys then made another selection from the two rows of items. Monkeys were sensitive to these manipulations, changing their selections when the number of items in the rows changed but not when the arrangement only was changed. Therefore, monkeys responded on the basis of the quantity of items, and they were not distracted by non-quantitative manipulations of the sets.
Cortexillin I Is Required for Development in Polysphondylium

The actin binding proteins cortexillin I and II play a major role in Dictyostelium cytokinesis, in which they are found localized to the membranes of the cleavage furrow. Here we report on cortexillin I mutants isolated by gene trapping in Polysphondylium. The original mutation and reconstructed versions of the original, as well as cortexillin I deletions, are unable to form aggregation streams under starvation conditions. The fruiting bodies that do form when cells are grown on bacterial lawns lack the one- and two-dimensional symmetries so apparent in wild type. These two phenotypes and the proposed structural basis for them suggest that cortexillin I functions in chemotaxis and morphogenesis in addition to its role in cytokinesis.
Control of Avian Encephalomyelitis: A Historical Account

SUMMARY. Avian encephalomyelitis control methods were not developed until the 1950s although the disease had been discovered and described over 20 yr earlier. Inability to transmit the infection by other than intracerebral inoculation, lack of suitable immunologic methods, the unknowing use of immune chickens or embryos for experimental studies, and reliance on a highly adapted strain of virus rather than fresh field isolates were the main reasons for a general lack of progress. In the absence of supportive experimental data, at least two commercial breeding organizations turned to the use of a crude chicken brain-propagated virus for vaccination of breeder replacement flocks in the 1950s. This control procedure turned out to be practical and efficacious. Development of suitable embryo infection methods and immunologic tests and the chance finding that antibody-free flocks were essential for experimental studies led to the development of embryo-susceptibility tests to identify immune breeder flocks and formed the basis for another commercially applied control program, the testing and selection of only immune flocks for hatching purposes. The application of the new testing methods coupled with a switch from the adapted Van Roekel strain of virus to fresh field isolates for experimentation resulted in a rapid unraveling of the epizootiology and pathogenesis of the disease and also to the development of a safe and effective vaccine that was licensed for administration to breeder replacements in 1962.
Q-switched ruby laser treatment of a congenital melanocytic nevus.

Background.The treatment of medium-sized (1.5–20 cm diameter) congenital melanocytic nevi (CMN) has been the concern of dermatologists for decades. Although many techniques have been described and utilized, no single treatment has emerged as applicable under all circumstances.MethodsThe Q-switched r
Efficacy of ethacrynic acid in patients with refractory congestive heart failure resistant to meralluride

Abstract We have studied 21 patients who had lifethreatening congestive heart failure refractory to standard anticongestive measures. The condition of 1 patient was unresponsive both to ethacrynic acid and to meralluride, and this patient was the only one whose condition was refractory to ethacrynic acid irrespective of dosage. Two patients had greater initial responses to large doses of meralluride than to relatively small doses of ethacrynic acid, but larger doses of ethacrynic acid evoked responses equal to those of meralluride. In 5 patients, large doses of meralluride and initial doses of ethacrynic acid were equally potent. In the largest group, of 13 patients, ethacrynic acid was far more potent than meralluride, although in some of these patients hypokalemia and digitalis intoxication were induced by ethacrynic acid. After ethacrynic acid therapy, reversal of dilutional hyponatremia was a dramatic response in some of the patients.
Teaching data structures to students who are blind

We present our work in assisting students who are blind to understand fundamental data structures. We have developed a system called PLUMB EXTRA3 (EXploring data sTRuctures using Audible Algorithm Animation) that conveys an algorithm animation using audio cues and speech. This extends our earlier work on presenting graphs to users who are blind.
Analysis of scaling in the geomagnetic polarity reversal record

Abstract The geomagnetic polarity reversal record, for the past 165 Ma, is analysed for evidence of chaotic dynamics by searching for fractal scaling exponents in the statistical distribution of polarity intervals. The test involves counting the number of polarity intervals longer than a given cutoff size as a function of the cutoff size and plotting the results on log-log coordinates. The resulting graph does suggest a straight line pattern (i.e., ‘scaling’ with an exponent roughly equal to −1.5) over a fairly large cutoff range (0.5–10 Ma) and could be interpreted as evidence for lack of an intrinsic time-scale in the dynamical processes leading to reversal. However, it is shown that a non-stationary Poisson model (the prevailing view of the statistics of polarity intervals) easily predicts such scaling and that it is arising from the trend toward longer intervals near the Mid-Cretaceous. Therefore the scaling does not warrant special significance here even though low-dimensional chaos has sometimes been advocated for the geodynamo based on the chaotic reversals of current flow in coupled disc-dynamo models. It is suggested that the long-term trend or non-stationarities in reversal rate may pose difficulties for the demonstration of chaos in the reversal record, as it has for other statistical questions concerning the record, such as interval independence and periodicities.
WE‐E‐L100J‐06: Simulation Studies On Contrast Enhanced Dual Energy Mammography

Purpose: Technique optimization for contrast‐enhanced dual energy mammography in a breast CT scanner. Method and Materials: Using kVp accuracy and HVL measurements physically performed on the x‐ray source of a dedicated cone beam breast CT system, a mathematical spectral model was calibrated to have the same spectral and output properties as the physical system. Mathematical breast phantoms were fabricated by generating random sized and randomly placed glandular spheres on an adipose background to approximate the anatomical noise of the breast. The simulated imaging geometry matched that of the breast CT system. Quantum noise was simulated using Poisson model and a validated random number generator. Contrast‐enhanced dual energy mammography was optimized for parameters including kVp, x‐ray spectral filtration, and mAs distribution between high and low energy images. Mean glandular dose to the breast was calculated using dose coefficients generated from previously published Monte Carlo simulations. A figure of merit of the contrast‐to‐noise ratio at constant mean glandular dose was chosen for the optimization task to maximize image quality at minimal radiation dose levels. Optimization was carried out over a range of breast diameters, breast compositions, and iodine concentrations. Results: Spectra study suggested the optimal kVp to be between 120kV and 140kV for the high energy image, and between 50kV and 60kV for the low energy image, for the studied ranges of breast diameters and compositions. Added copper filtration up to 1mm for the high kVp spectra continued to improve CNR at set dose levels. Iodine as diluted as 0.05% of the 350mg/mL standard solution could be detected with a 2.5mGy total dose. Optimized mAs distribution suggested a higher dose proportion for the low kVp image than for the high kVp image.Conclusion: An optimized contrast‐enhanced dual energy mammography can efficiently suppress anatomical noise and significantly improve contrast detection.
FULL LENGTH MOUSE GLYCOPHORIN GENE CONSTRUCTED USING RECOMBINANT POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION

Recently, an incomplete cDNA clone for a major mouse glycophorin gene, pGP315, and a genomic clone, pGX7 (which contains the first exon and nucleotide sequences around the transcription start sites) was isolated and sequenced by Matsui et al. (1). Since there were no available restriction sites for the construction of a full length mouse glycophorin A gene, the recombinant PCR technique was adapted to splice together the above two partial sequence clone inserts to obtain a full length recombinant DNA fragment (1053 bp) containing the proper sequence of mouse glycophorin A cDNA. The PCR reconstructed DNA fragments were verified by: gel electrophoresis to contain the expected sizes, hybridization to probes made from the DNA components before recombination, and confirmed by the restoration of a previously destroyed restriction enzyme site. The corrected gene sequence for pGP315 is also reported.
Large displacement analysis of plates by a stress-based finite element approach

Abstract A mixed-hybrid incremental variational formulation, involving orthogonal rigid rotations and a symmetric stretch tensor, is proposed for finite deformation analysis of thin plates and shells. Isoparametric eight-noded elements are based upon the Kirchhoff-Love hypotheses, the assumption of plane stress, and the moderately large rotations of Von Karman plate theory. Semilinear elastic isotropic material properties are assumed, and the right polar decomposition of the deformation gradient is used. The symmetrized Biot-Lure (Jaumann) stress measure gives a unique complementary energy density and a set of variational principles with a priori satisfaction of linear momentum balance, a posteriori angular momentum balance, and interelement traction reciprocity by means of Lagrange multipliers. The incremental modified Newton-Raphson solution procedure is generated by a truncated Taylor series expansion of the functional in a total Lagrangian formulation. The theory is applied to laterally loaded and buckled thin plates, and numerical results are compared with truncated series solutions.
An anatomic approach to endoscopic intranasal ethmoidectomy

Objectives: To develop an anatomic and functionally based approach to endoscopic intranasal ethmoidectomy. To develop such an approach using the salient features of the anterior to posterior (AP) and posterior to anterior (PA) intranasal sinus operations. To assess the safety of this form of ethmoidectomy in a patient population. Study Design: Retrospective chart review of patients undergoing ethmoidectomy by author or by residents under his direct supervision. Setting : University teaching hospital. In the 509 patients meeting study criteria, 168 anterior ethmoidectomies, 586 total ethmoidectomies, 264 sphenoidotomies, 290 frontal sinusotomies, and 838 antrostomies were performed between April 1992 and August 1997. Results: A complication rate of 0.98% and revision rate 2.9% were observed. Conclusions: Combining an AP approach to conserve sinus anatomy with a PA approach to avoid surgery directed toward the skull base provides a functional and safe procedure as demonstrated by the reported results.