cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preliminary report of electrogastrography in pediatric gastroresection: can it be predictive of alteration of gastric motility?

Abstract Background/Purpose: Gastric resection is an infrequent surgical procedure in childhood. However, the use of the stomach for bladder augmentation and substitution is well documented. Partial gastrectomy performed in gastrocystoplasty (GCP) involves the greater curvature of the stomach, the same area in which gastric pace-maker cells are known to be placed. The aim of this study was to assess, by electrogastrography (EGG), if subtotal gastric resection can alter gastric motility in children submitted to partial gastrectomy for GCP. Methods: Gastric electrical activity (GEA) was evaluated in 25 children using EGG: 10 patients (4 boys, 6 girls; mean age, 11.6 years) previously submitted to GCP, and 15 normal subjects (12 boys, 3 girls; mean age, 8.62 ± 2.77 years) as controls. All patients were submitted to cutaneous EGG; recording GEA for 30 minutes before and after a standard test meal. The percentage of 3 cycles per minute (3CPM), bradygastria, tachygastria, DFIC (dominant frequency instability coefficient), DPIC (dominant power instability coefficient), PDP (period dominant power), PDF (period dominant frequency) were recorded and analyzed using Wilcoxon matched-pair test. Data were considered statistically significant if P Results: Normal subjects as well as operated patients showed a statistically significant difference in bradygastria ( P =.05), PDP and PDF ( P =.05) percentage, comparing pre versus postprandial period. In the normal group, 3CPM ( P =.0012) and DFIC ( P =.0008) were statistically different between the pre- and postprandial period. Patients who underwent GCP did not show any statistically significant difference in 3CPM and DFIC pre- and postprandial. Conclusions: In normal subjects, GEA showed a complete variation after the meal, whereas in operated patients GEA was impaired and only partially modified after the meal. This observation suggests that in patients with gastric resection, adaptation of the stomach to food ingestion is present but incomplete with respect to normal subjects; it can be caused by surgical removal of the pace-maker cells of the greatercurvature. For this reason a follow-up analysis of gastric function is recomended for all patients undergoing GCP. J Pediatr Surg 36:1157-1159. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.
Chronic Alkalosis with Damage to the Central Nervous System

A condition of chronic alkalosis has been described with central nervous system damage. This syndrome is characterized by alkaline blood p H, and elevated total CO2 levels, associated with central nervous system damage. It is apparently caused by sodium retention as indicated from the sodium to chloride ratios in the urine excreted by these patients. In alkalosis, the output of fluid is often greater than the input. Sodium chloride solutions intravenously tend to aggravate the alkalosis. Potassium chloride or ammonium chloride will relieve the alkalosis only temporarily. Pitressin will not correct the abnormal sodium to chloride ratios in the urine. A carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (Diamox) will lower the CO2 levels, and correct the blood p H. Its action seems to be due to its ability to correct the sodium to chloride ratios in the urine excreted. The effect of Diamox will persist for several days after its administration.
Effect of the 21-aminosteroid tirilazad on cerebral pH and somatosensory evoked potentials after incomplete ischemia.

Postischemic evoked potential recovery correlates with acidosis during ischemia and early reperfusion. Acidosis promotes lipid peroxidation in vitro. We tested the hypothesis that the 21-aminosteroid tirilazad mesylate (U74006F), an inhibitor of lipid peroxidation in vitro, ameliorates somatosensory evoked potential recovery and acidosis during reperfusion after severe incomplete cerebral ischemia.Cerebral perfusion pressure was reduced to 11 +/- 1 mm Hg (+/- SEM) for 30 minutes by cerebral ventricular fluid infusion in anesthetized dogs. Cerebral intracellular pH and high-energy phosphates were measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Dogs were randomized to receive vehicle (citrate buffer; n = 8) or tirilazad (1 mg/kg; n = 8) before ischemia in a blinded study.Cerebral blood flow was reduced to 6 +/- 1 mL/min per 100 g during ischemia, resulting in nearly complete loss of high-energy phosphates and an intracellular pH of 6.0-6.1 in both groups. Initial postischemic hyperemia was similar between grou...
Recording intramuscular EMG signals using surface electrodes

The control of multifunctional myoelectric prostheses is a substantive area of research with the potential to dramatically improve the independence of transradial amputees. We present preliminary data for the development of a new technique for obtaining multiple electromyographic (EMG) signals for controlling multifunctional myoelectric hand and wrist prostheses. A completely embedded passive conductor is proposed to transmit intramuscular EMG signals to a distant location just beneath the skin surface with a subcutaneous terminal. These signals can then be recorded with conventional surface electrodes. The surface recorded intramuscular EMG (SRI EMG) signals would closely follow the electrical potential at the muscle fiber source. They would be extremely selective, and the well-known effect of spatial filtering, which reduces the amplitude and frequency content of surface EMG signals, would be virtually eliminated. It would, therefore, be possible to access control signals from deep or small muscles that would otherwise be unavailable. Based on this technique, a new generation of multifunction myoelectric prostheses can be developed. The technique is a simple, inexpensive, and robust alternative to implanted telemetry systems and percutaneous electrodes.
Discrete Harmonic Model for Stacked Membranes: Theory and Experiment

― A discrete harmonic (DH) model has been developed which describes the static structure factor of stacked membranes. The (DH) model was used to analyze a synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering study in stacked membranes. We studied lyotropic lamellar L α phase samples in a quaternary mixture consisting of thin water layers coated with surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and cosurfactant (pentanol) molecules, separated by oil. The experiments on highly oriented L α phase samples covered a large interlayer spacing range from d = 49.1 to 255.8 A produced by dodecane dilution, which considerably exceeded those of previous high resolution synchrotron scattering studies of powder samples. Two significant differences emerge between the (DH) model and the continuum Caille model description of smectic-A liquid crystals and multilayer membranes. First, whereas the continuum model is necessarily restricted to the vicinity of the Bragg peaks of the structure factor, the discrete nature of the (DH) model allowed us to fit the experimentally measured X-ray structure factor over the full range of wave-vectors and dilutions. This enabled measurements of the membrane bending and multilayer compressibility elastic constants κ and B separately, in contrast to the continuum model which gives a reliable measurement of the product κB. Second, the (DH) model is able to account for the universally observed anomalously large small angle scattering (SAS) in strongly fluctuating dilute fluid multilayer membranes. The (SAS) is shown to contain contributions both due to concentration fluctuations described previously by Porte et al. and Nallet et al., and unexpectedly from a divergent thermal-coherent diffraction effect which dominates in single crystal multilayers.
Letter to the Editor Decreased Atherosclerosis in Mice Deficient in Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Receptor-II (p75)

To the Editor: TNF-α induces a wide variety of proatherogenic molecules,1 and inhibition of TNF-α in apoe−/− mice results in diminished atherosclerosis suggesting the involvement of TNF-α in atherogenesis.2,3 TNF-α elicits its effects by activating 2 cell-surface receptors, namely p55 and p75. Earlier, Blessing et al reported that apoe−/− mice lacking p55 fed a chow diet did not show altered lesion progression or plaque composition.4 Recently, we showed that p75 is required for TNF-α–induced leukocyte–endothelial cell interaction and inflammation in vivo.5 Because inflammation plays an integral role in atherogenesis, we tested whether the proatherogenic activity of TNF-α was mediated by p75. We determined the role of p75 in atherogenesis using apoe−/− mice lacking p75 receptor. We generated p75−/−:apoe−/−, p75+/−:apoe−/−, and p75+/+:apoe−/− by sister–brother mating of p75+/−:apoe−/− parents. Atherosclerotic lesion areas in aortic roots were measured after …
WldS requires Nmnat1 enzymatic activity and N16–VCP interactions to suppress Wallerian degeneration

Slow Wallerian degeneration (WldS) encodes a chimeric Ube4b/nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyl transferase 1 (Nmnat1) fusion protein that potently suppresses Wallerian degeneration, but the mechanistic action of WldS remains controversial. In this study, we characterize WldS-mediated axon protection in vivo using Drosophila melanogaster. We show that Nmnat1 can protect severed axons from autodestruction but at levels significantly lower than WldS, and enzyme-dead versions of Nmnat1 and WldS exhibit severely reduced axon-protective function. Interestingly, a 16–amino acid N-terminal domain of WldS (termed N16) accounts for the differences in axon-sparing activity between WldS and Nmnat1, and N16-dependent enhancement of Nmnat1-protective activity in WldS requires the N16-binding protein valosin-containing protein (VCP)/TER94. Thus, WldS-mediated suppression of Wallerian degeneration results from VCP–N16 interactions and Nmnat1 activity converging in vivo. Surprisingly, mouse Nmnat3, a mitochondrial Nmnat enzyme that localizes to the cytoplasm in Drosophila cells, protects severed axons at levels indistinguishable from WldS. Thus, nuclear Nmnat activity does not appear to be essential for WldS-like axon protection.
Membrane traffic in the post-genomic era

A multi-parametric genetic screening approach sheds light on integrated control of the endocytic pathway in mammalian cells.
Can positron emission tomography improve the quality of care for head-and-neck cancer patients?

Abstract Purpose: Fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) is a functional imaging modality that measures the relative uptake of 18 FDG with PET. The purpose of this review is to assess the potential contribution of FDG-PET scans to the treatment of head-and-neck cancer patients. Methods and Materials: Data were assessed from the literature with attention to what additional information may be gained from the use of FDG-PET in four clinical settings: ( 1 ) detection of occult metastatic disease in the neck, ( 2 ) detection of occult primaries in patients with neck metastases, ( 3 ) detection of synchronous primaries or metastatic disease in the chest, and ( 4 ) detection of residual/recurrent locoregional disease. Results: Although the data are somewhat conflicting, FDG-PET appears to add little additional value to the physical examination and conventional imaging studies (supplemented by biopsy when appropriate) for the detection of subclinical nodal metastases, unknown primaries, or disease in the chest. However, FDG-PET scans are quite useful in differentiating residual/recurrent disease from treatment-induced normal tissue changes. A positive FDG-PET scan at 1 month after radiotherapy is highly indicative of the presence of residual disease, and a negative scan at 4 months after treatment is highly predictive of tumor eradication. Conclusions: Large-scale studies using newer generation equipment and more defined methods are needed to more rigorously assess the potential of FDG-PET in the detection of subclinical primary or simultaneous secondary tumors and of nodal or systemic spread. Currently, however, FDG-PET can contribute to the detection of residual/early recurrent tumors, leading to the timely institution of salvage therapy or the prevention of unnecessary biopsies of irradiated tissues, which may aggravate injury.
A Bayesian network coding scheme for annotating biomedical information presented to genetic counseling clients

We developed a Bayesian network coding scheme for annotating biomedical content in layperson-oriented clinical genetics documents. The coding scheme supports the representation of probabilistic and causal relationships among concepts in this domain, at a high enough level of abstraction to capture commonalities among genetic processes and their relationship to health. We are using the coding scheme to annotate a corpus of genetic counseling patient letters as part of the requirements analysis and knowledge acquisition phase of a natural language generation project. This paper describes the coding scheme and presents an evaluation of intercoder reliability for its tag set. In addition to giving examples of use of the coding scheme for analysis of discourse and linguistic features in this genre, we suggest other uses for it in analysis of layperson-oriented text and dialogue in medical communication.
Direct Coupling of a Seven-Transmembrane-Span Receptor to a Gαi G-Protein Regulatory Motif Complex

Group II activator of G-protein signaling (AGS) proteins contain one or more G-protein regulatory motifs (GPR), which serve as docking sites for GαiGDP independent of Gβγ and stabilize the GDP-bound conformation of Gαi, acting as guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitors. The GαGPR interaction is regulated by seven-transmembrane-spanning (7TM) receptors in the intact cell as determined by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). It is hypothesized that a 7TM receptor directly couples to the GαGPR complex in a manner analogous to receptor coupling to the Gαβγ heterotrimer. As an initial approach to test this hypothesis, we used BRET to examine 7TM receptor–mediated regulation of GαGPR in the intact cell when Gαi2 yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) was tethered to the carboxyl terminus of the α2A adrenergic receptor (α2AAR-Gαi2YFP). AGS3– and AGS4–Renilla luciferase (Rluc) exhibited robust BRET with the tethered GαiYFP, and this interaction was regulated by receptor activation localizing the regulation to the receptor microenvironment. Agonist regulation of the receptor-Gαi-GPR complex was also confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation and cell fractionation. The tethered Gαi2 was rendered pertussis toxin–insensitive by a C352I mutation, and receptor coupling to endogenous Gαi/oβγ was subsequently eliminated by cell treatment with pertussis toxin (PT). Basal and agonist-induced regulation of α2AAR-Gαi2YFPC352I:AGS3Rluc and α2AAR-Gαi2YFPC352I:AGS4Rluc BRET was not altered by PT treatment or Gβγ antagonists. Thus, the localized regulation of GαGPR by receptor activation appears independent of endogenous Gαi/oβγ, suggesting that GαiAGS3 and GαiAGS4 directly sense agonist-induced conformational changes in the receptor, as is the case for 7TM receptor coupling to the Gαβγ heterotrimer. The direct coupling of a receptor to the GαiGPR complex provides an unexpected platform for signal propagation with broad implications.
Sensitivity of the South Asian monsoon to elevated and non-elevated heating

Elevated heating by the Tibetan Plateau was long thought to drive the South Asian summer monsoon, but recent work showed this monsoon was largely unaffected by removal of the plateau in a climate model, provided the narrow orography of adjacent mountain ranges was preserved. There is debate about whether those mountain ranges generate a strong monsoon by insulating the thermal maximum from cold and dry extratropical air or by providing a source of elevated heating. Here we show that the strength of the monsoon in a climate model is more sensitive to changes in surface heat fluxes from non-elevated parts of India than it is to changes in heat fluxes from adjacent elevated terrain. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that orography creates a strong monsoon by serving as a thermal insulator, and suggests that monsoons respond most strongly to heat sources coincident with the thermal maximum.
DESENHO DE EXPERIÊNCIAS COLABORATIVAS PARA A EDUCAÇÃO A DISTÂNCIA

Este artigo apresenta um estudo de caso contextualizado no Programa de Pos-graduacao a Distância em Curriculum e Instructional Technology da Iowa State University EUA. Este programa foi criado para servir professores do K-12 (pre-primaria ate a decima-segunda serie) que, sem ele nao teriam a oportunidade de completar uma pos-graduacao em Educacao. O modelo de aprendizagem experiencial de David Kolb e usado para estruturar as atividades de aprendizagem colaborativa e usado como quadro de referencia para o desenvolvimento de um dos cursos a distância em Desenho Educacional. Este curso e discutido em detalhe no que respeita a comunidade de aprendizagem formada, abordagens de ensino utilizadas e projetos desenvolvidos com a finalidade de resolver problemas educacionais reais. Exemplos desses projetos realizados por equipes virtuais sao fornecidos ao mesmo tempo que a sua pertinencia em termos praticos e explicada. De igual forma, a avaliacao dos alunos e do curso e discutida. Este artigo termina com sugestoes para o desenvolvimento de cursos a distância que usem um quadro de referencia identico como forma de contribuir para uma reflexao que potencie um uso mais alargado de aprendizagem experiencial e colaborativa na Educacao a Distância.
Toxicity of a Series of Dimethoate Analogues to Resistant and Susceptible House Flies

The topical LD30 values of 34 analogues of dimethoate were determined using dimethoate-resistant (R) and susceptible (S) strains of Musca domestica L. Dimethoate and dimethoxon were the most toxic to R and S strains of house flies. Resistance was demonstrated in the R strain to all the compounds tested. In no case was resistance circumvented by using the various analogues. Studies with, N- alkyl and N, N -dialkyl analogues of dimethoate demonstrated that and amidase was not involved in the resistance mechanism. Resistance generally was higher to the phosphates than to their phosphorothionate counterparts, indicating that the resistance mechanism probably was associated with the degradation of the phosphate analogues.
Maintaining nonvoluntary relationships with disliked partners: an investigation into the use of distancing behaviors

Theory in interpersonal communication usually assumes that people maintain their relationships voluntarily and that they like their relational partners. Neither assumption is necessarily correct. This research examines nonvoluntary relationship with disliked partners (NR/Ds). Heider's balance theory predicts that when people dislike their relational partners they will feel discomfort. It was hypothesized that people would try to attenuate this discomfort by increasing psychological distance between themselves and their disliked partners. Participants (n = 185 in Study 1, n = 158 in Study 2) responded to questionnaires about their maintenance of voluntary and nonvoluntary relationships with liked and disliked partners. The results showed that people use distance to attenuate the discomfort created by an NR/D. Thirty-six distancing behaviors were found through content analysis. Using hierarchical cluster analysis, these behaviors were grouped into clusters that suggested 3 basic profiles of regulating distance in NR/Ds - expressing detachment, avoiding involvement, and showing antagonism.
An investigation of sidewall adhesion in MEMS

Adhesion or stiction is a key problem in surface micromachining technology, affecting the reliability of most MEMS. To date, the quantitative analysis of the phenomenon has been limited to in-plane adhesion. Since many micromechanisms involve contacts between sidewalls, we have designed a microinstrument to measure sidewall adhesion. Here, we describe the design, modeling, results and problems encountered with this first generation of sidewall adhesion devices.
Privacy-preserving publication of diagnosis codes for effective biomedical analysis

Patient-specific records contained in Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems are increasingly combined with genomic sequences and deposited into bio-repositories. This allows researchers to perform large-scale, low-cost biomedical studies, such as Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) aimed at identifying associations between genetic factors and complex health-related phenomena, which are an integral facet of personalized medicine. Disseminating this data, however, raises serious privacy concerns because patients' genomic sequences can be linked to their identities through diagnosis codes. This work proposes an approach that guards against this type of data linkage by modifying diagnosis codes in a way that limits the probability of associating a patient's identity to their genomic sequence. Experiments using EMRs from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center verify that our approach generates data that can support up to 29:4% more GWAS than the best-so-far method, while permitting biomedical analysis tasks several orders of magnitude more accurately.
Susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to weak acids

The susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis to a range of weak acids and acid pH was investigated. M. tuberculosis was found to be more susceptible to acid pH and weak acids than M. smegmatis. The weak acids were more active against M. tuberculosis at acid pH than at neutral pH. M. tuberculosis was found to be less able to maintain its internal pH and membrane potential at acid pH than M. smegmatis. The antituberculous activity of weak acids correlated with their ability to disrupt the membrane potential but not the internal pH. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to M. tuberculosis physiology and development of new antituberculous agents.
Psychological control: style or substance?

The construct of psychological control, important in research on parenting and adolescent development, is much in need of clarification.
Top Management Compensation and Corporate Performance

The article looks at the findings of studies on executive salaries in the U.S. using individual executive reward and top management group as variables. The author seeks to determine whether executi...
Shopper age and the use of self‐service technologies

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of shopper age on attitudes toward and use of retail self‐service technology (SST). The age variable has received relatively little attention in the literature.Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaire responses from three age groups are compared. Also, cluster analysis is used to group subjects based on similarity in attitudes toward and use of SST.Findings – Compared to younger consumers, older consumers had experience with fewer types of SSTs, less confidence in using SST, reported missing human interaction to a greater degree, used self‐checkout less often when the option was available, were less willing to pay a premium for express checkout, and were more likely to attribute a corporate self‐interest for the introduction of SST. For the total sample of 718 subjects, 40 percent reported using store self‐checkout 15 percent of the time or less when the option was available. Only 25 percent of subjects reported using automated store chec...
Metamorphism of Precambrian Granitic Xenoliths in a Mica Peridotite at Rose Dome, Woodson County, Kansas: Part 1, Rb-Sr Isotopic Studies

Rb-Sr isotopic analyses of whole-rock and mineral-separate samples obtained from drill core and surface boulders of the granitic rocks exposed near the apex of Rose Dome, Wood-son County, Kansas, show that the “granite” is of Precambrian age and originally crystallized about 1,200 m.y. ago. The granitic rocks include: (1) coarse-grained, apparently plutonic material, (2) recrystallized granitic breccia, and (3) granitic breccia showing pronounced alignment of quartz and feldspar grains that is suggestive of flow. Eight whole-rock analyses of type (1) “granite” yield an isochron indicating an age of 1,190 ± 100 m.y. with an initial Sr 87 /Sr 86 ratio of about 0.706. Eight samples of granite types (2) and (3) yield analyses that do not plot on the whole-rock isochron. Although the granitic rocks appear to have intruded the Pennsylvanian sedimentary section of Rose Dome, it seems likely that they were emplaced in their present stratigraphic position passively when mica peridotite that occurs in the shallow subsurface was intruded during Late Cretaceous time. The Rb-Sr isotope system of some of the granitic material may have been disturbed during emplacement, but evidently the minerals were not re-equilibrated.
CONSTITUTIVE MODELS OF FOODS

Linear and nonlinear viscoelastic properties of food materials are important to product design and process design if they can be quantitatively defined. This paper covers prediction of dilute and concentrated solution, linear viscoelastic properties and models for nonlinear viscoelastic properties. The usefulness of various constitutive models in predicting these properties are discussed and demonstrated.
Lactase and other enzymes bound to chitin with glutaraldehyde

Acid tolerant lactase (I), α-chymotrypsin (II), and acid phosphatase (III) were immobilized on chitin with glutaraldehyde. Pretreatments of the chit in with acid, alkali, ammonia, and pronase were compared with respect to release of titratable amino groups and ability to retain lactase activity. Shrimp chitin appeared to be more sensitive to pretreatment conditions and so effort was concentrated on crab. An acid-alkali pretreatment was selected as most practical and economical, and the properties of enzymes fixed on crab chitin were studied intensively. The pH optima of the fixed enzymes were shifted about one pH unit; the shift for I was toward more acid pH, for II was toward alkaline pH, and for III was toward acid pH. The retained activity of immobilized I was approximately 60% that of the native enzyme. A column in continuous operation with I on chitin-glutaraldehyde gave an apparent activity half-life of 27 days.
Application of FT-based MMSE deconvolution method for cerebral blood flow measurement in patients with leukoaraiosis.

Abstract Introduction The bolus-tracking (BT) technique is the most popular perfusion-weighted (PW) dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI method used for estimating cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume and mean transit time. The BT technique uses a convolution model that establishes the input–output relationship between blood flow and the vascular tracer concentration. Singular value decomposition (SVD)- and Fourier transform (FT)-based deconvolution methods are popular and widely used for estimating PW MRI parameters. However, from the published literature, it appears that SVD is more widely accepted than other methods. In a previous article, an FT-based minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) technique was proposed and simulation experiments were performed to compare it with the well-established circular SVD (oSVD) method. In this study, the FT-based MMSE method has been used to estimate relative CBF (rCBF) in 13 patients with white matter lesions (WMLs) (leukoaraiosis), and results are compared with the widely used oSVD method. Materials and Methods Thirteen patients with leukoaraiosis were imaged on a 1.5-T Siemens whole-body scanner. After acquiring the localizer and structural scans consisting of FLAIR (fluid attenuated with inversion recovery), T 1 -weighted and T 2 -weighted images, perfusion study was implemented as part of the MRI protocol. For each patient and method, two values were calculated: (a) rCBF for normal white matter (NWM) ROI, obtained by dividing the average CBF value in NWM ROI with average CBF in gray matter (GM) ROI, and (b) rCBF for WML ROI, obtained by dividing the average CBF value in WML ROI with average CBF in GM ROI. Results for the two deconvolution methods were computed. Results and Discussion A significant ( P
Eating high-fat chow enhances sensitization to the effects of methamphetamine on locomotion in rats

Abstract Eating high-fat chow can modify the effects of drugs acting directly or indirectly on dopamine systems and repeated intermittent drug administration can markedly increase sensitivity (i.e., sensitization) to the behavioral effects of indirect-acting dopamine receptor agonists (e.g., methamphetamine). This study examined whether eating high-fat chow alters the sensitivity of male Sprague Dawley rats to the locomotor stimulating effects of acute or repeated administration of methamphetamine. The acute effects of methamphetamine on locomotion were not different between rats (n = 6/group) eating high-fat or standard chow for 1 or 4 weeks. Sensitivity to the effects of methamphetamine (0.1–10 mg/kg, i.p.) increased progressively across 4 once per week tests; this sensitization developed more rapidly and to a greater extent in rats eating high-fat chow as compared with rats eating standard chow. Thus, while eating high-fat chow does not appear to alter sensitivity of rats to acutely-administered methamphetamine, it significantly increases the sensitization that develops to repeated intermittent administration of methamphetamine. These data suggest that eating certain foods influences the development of sensitization to drugs acting on dopamine systems.
Teaching Algebra to Students with Learning Difficulties: An Investigation of an Explicit Instruction Model

Thirty-four matched pairs of sixth- and seventh-grade students were selected from 358 participants in a comparison of an explicit concrete- to-representational-to-abstract (CRA) sequence of instruction with traditional instruction for teaching algebraic transformation equations. Each pair of students had been previously labeled with a spe- cific learning disability or as at risk for difficulties in algebra. Students were matched according to achievement score, age, pretest score, and class performance. The same math teacher taught both members of each matched pair, but in different classes. All students were taught in inclusive settings under the instruction of a middle school mathematics teacher. Results indicated that students who learned how to solve algebra transformation equations through CRA outperformed peers receiving traditional instruction on both postinstruction and follow-up tests. Additionally, error pattern analysis indicated that students who used the CRA sequence of instruction performed fewer procedural errors when solving for variables. Abstract thinking requires a person to work with infor- mation that is not readily represented at the concrete or pictorial level (Hawker & Cowley, 1997). To work with abstract information is to understand theoretical properties and think beyond what a person can touch or see. On a practical level, an ability to work with abstract concepts allows one to work with predictions of what may happen and expectations about what is happening elsewhere. Abstract knowledge may also be considered a conscious awareness that a symbol stands for some
An Affect Theory of Social Exchange

This article develops a theory that explains how and when emotions, produced by social exchange, generate stronger or weaker ties to relations, groups, or networks. It is argued that social exchange produces positive or negative global feelings, which are internally rewarding or punishing. The theory indicates that social units (relations, groups, networks) are perceived as a source of these feelings, contingent on the degree of jointness in the exchange task. The jointness of the task is greatest if (1) actors find it difficult to distinguish their individual effects on or contributions to solving the exchange task (nonseparability) and (2) actors perceive a shared responsibility for success or failure at the exchange task. The theory explicates the effects of different exchange structures on these conditions and, in turn, on cohesion and solidarity. Implications are developed for network‐to‐group transformations.
ATP Synthesis and Oxidative Metabolism in Human Spermatozoa

In the absence of a glycolyzable substrate, ATP levels and the motility of human sperm decline rapidly. This decline is not appreciably affected by the addition of succinate which is oxidized at a high rate or by pyruvate which is oxidized more slowly. If glucose is present initially, ATP levels are maintained constant over a 3-hr test period. Moreover, the addition of glucose to sperm suspensions, previously given oxidizable substrates only, markedly increases motility and ATP levels. Possible causes for this apparent inefficiency of human sperm oxidative metabolism and for the low rates of oxidation of pyridine-nucleotide-linked substrates are discussed.
Personal Identity and the Body

I see someone who looks vaguely familiar. I wonder if he could be the same person I had a fight with on my birthday ten years ago. I hear that some scientist has received the Nobel prize in chemistry for some work very similar to that which interested the brightest boy in my chemistry class twenty years ago. I wonder if that scientist and the brightest boy might be the same person. What facts, if they could be discovered, would be decisive in answering these questions? Are there any facts that, if it turns out that they do not obtain, would show conclusively that the two people are not the same person? That is, are there any necessary conditions for personal identity? Are there any facts that, if it turns out that they do obtain, would show conclusively that the two people are the same person? That is, are there any sufficient conditions for personal identity?
A Sex Pheromone of the Female Face Fly, Musca autumnalis, and Its Role in Sexual Behavior

Data obtained from olfactometer tests demonstrated the presence of a sex pheromone in the hexane extract of 5-day-old virgin female face flies, Musca antumnalis De Geer (Diptera: Muscidae). Results of chromatography and simple chemical procedures suggest that the pheromone is an unsaturated hydrocarbon. The sex pheromone of the female face fly probably influences the behavior of the male in 2 ways, by attracting him to the pheromone source and by sexually stimulating him to initiate copulation. Apparently, both visual and olfactory stimuli are involved in the orientation mechanism of the male to the female face fly. The pheromone is perhaps operative over a relatively great distance whereas vision is probably used by pheromonestimulated males for only short-range orientation.
An Adult Patient with Hypomyelination with Atrophy of the Basal Ganglia and Cerebellum Misdiagnosed as Cerebral Palsy (P03.137)

Objective: Prompt proper diagnosis of hypomyelination disorders will facilitate early symptomatic treatment that could improve the quality of life of these individuals, as well as family orientation about prognosis and genetic counseling. Background The leukodystrophies are a heterogeneous group of diseases, which primarily affect white matter and for its common presentation as a cerebral palsy-like encephalopathy can lead to misdiagnosis. Hypomyelination disorders constitute the largest single category among leukoencephalopathies of unknown origin. Hypomyelination with atrophy of the basal ganglia and cerebellum (H-ABC) is a recently defined disorder and only a few patients have been described in the literature. Design/Methods: One adult male patient diagnosed with cerebral palsy at infancy presenting with progressive neurological deterioration was carefully examined and clinical history was reviewed. Imaging, neurophysiologic studies, genetic and metabolic tests were done to describe detailed findings and characteristics. Literature was reviewed regarding similar cases reported with similar clinical findings and tests results. Results: Based on clinical presentation, MRI findings and lack of relevant laboratory tests abnormalities, patient was diagnosed with hypomyelination with atrophy of basal ganglia and cerebellum. Our patient was found to have mild slowed conduction velocities of sensory and motor peripheral nerves. Baclofen and Leucovorin were started as an attempt to improve symptoms and delay further clinical deterioration. Conclusions: Due to the highly variable clinical presentations of the hypomyelination disorders is unlikely that they represent a single disease entity. Cases reported with H-ABC have typical MRI features, are sporadic and clinical laboratory and genetic tests are all unremarkable. Cases reported in the literature were diagnosed on infancy and some of them had improvement of symptoms after symptomatic treatment was started. Disclosure: Dr. De Jesus has nothing to disclose. Dr. Massey has nothing to disclose. Dr. Overby has nothing to disclose.
Single and Symmetric Double Two-Dimensional Hole Gases at Si/SiGe Heterojunctions Grown by Rapid Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition

Two dimensional hole gases have been investigated in Si/SiGe modulation doped heterostructures grown by RT-CVD for the first time. Single, both normal and inverted, and double heterostructures were studied. The results suggest that any asymmetry due to dopant segregation or autodoping between the normal and inverted structures occurs on a scale of less than 1 nm.
Resistance of guinea pigs to action of alloxan.

SummaryBoth the normal and scorbutic guinea pig have been found highly resistant to the production of the diabetic state by alloxan as judged by blood sugar levels and urinary sugar excretion.
The Meaning of the Accounting Logos——Taking CPA Professional Community's Logos in China as An Example

Taking Durkheim's sociology of religion as an analytical frame,this article analyzes the logos of 32 CPA associations in China on the basis of a careful statistical survey,trying to delve what lies in the accounting logos. It also tries to answer why accounting professional community's value orientation needs to be represented in the accounting logos and what these values are.It is not surprising that exploration and answering to these basic problems are keys to understand accounting professional community's nature.Through analyzing the data from a statistical survey,the writer points out that accounting logo carrier is totally different from accounting logo significance in nature.Not only the identity of professional accountants but also the value orientation of accounting professional community is embodied in accounting logos,demonstrating the symbolic meaning of accounting justice.
Fabrication and Characterization of Cu 2 ZnSn(S 1−x Se x ) 4 Thin-Film Solar Cells

This chapter deals only with the fabrication of thin-film solar cells using CZTS, CZTSe, and CZTSSe absorbers. The band structures of heterojunctions such as CZTS/CdS and CZTS/ZnS with different orientations of buffer layers are discussed. The cells made with different kinds of techniques are explained with several examples and processes. The I–V characterization of the samples provides the efficiency, series resistance, shunt resistance, open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, and fill factors. The reasons for low and high efficiencies in the thin-film solar cells are explained. How the composition of the absorber affects the efficiency of the cells is well described. The annealing recipe on the absorber is one of the important factors to decide photovoltaic parameters. The carrier concentration and resistances of the samples also play a big role in the thin-film solar cells to achieve high efficiency. The cells made with other environmentally friendly window layers are explained. The band gaps of absorber, buffer, and window layers can be determined from quantum efficiency measurements.
Fractal Approaches to the Microcirculation

That there is marked heterogeneity of regional myocardial blood flows has long been recognized (Yipintsoi et al., Circ. Res. 33:573, 1973). The suspicion that much of the heterogeneity might have been an artifact of the microsphere deposition technique has been laid to rest by the studies of Baer et al. (Am. J. Physiol. 246:H418, 1984), King et al. (Circ. Res. 57:285, 1985), and by Bassingthwaighte et al. (Circ. Res. 66:1328, 1990) who showed that the technique had high reproducibility, with error much smaller than the variance in regional flows. The standard deviations of left ventricular myocardial blood flows in 100 mg pieces were 25 to 30% of the mean flow, with ranges from 1/5 of the mean to about twice the mean, while the microsphere variability is only about 8%.
A Novel Approach to Integrating 3D/4D Printing and Stretchable Conductive Adhesive Technologies for High Frequency Packaging Applications

This paper demonstrates a new method for the free standing 3D printing of a polyurethane (PU)-based electrically conductive adhesive (ECA). Due to the special mechanical and electrical properties of the in-house-made ECAs [1, 2], which has an ultralow resistivity of &#x2248;1.0 × 10-5 &#x03A9;cm, our approach opens new avenues for creating soft electronics applications, such as strain sensors [3], soft robotics [4, 5] and flexible, wearable RF devices [6]. A proof-of-concept fractal 3D Hilbert dipole antenna at 433 MHz ISM band is designed and fabricated by this method.
Rett Syndrome, Seizures and Non-Seizures

Prolonged video/EEG/polygraphic monitoring was conducted in 82 Rett syndrome females, ages 2 to 30 years, at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
Outcomes of Full-Right-Full-Left Split Liver Transplantation in Adults in the USA: A Propensity-Score Matched Analysis.

Background: Splitting a liver for utilization in adult/pediatric recipients has been shown to decrease mortality on the wait list without increasing the overall risk of long-term graft failure compared to a whole graft. However, splitting a single donor organ for two adult recipients, full-right-full-left split liver transplantation (FRFLSLT), to overcome organ shortage is still considered controversial. Objective: This study assessed the outcome of FRFLSLT comparing full-right (FR) and full-left (FL) with whole liver (WL) allografts in adults (1998–2010) using UNOS standard transplant analysis and research (STAR) file. Methods: Unadjusted allograft and patient survival were estimated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Adjusted analyses of survival were conducted controlling for propensity for WL allograft. Results: There were 83,313 cases of WL, 651 FR and 117 FL. Significant differences were evident in the unadjusted cohort between recipients who received FR and FL including donor, cold ischemic time, and days on transplant waiting list. Use of FL allograft resulted in a trend toward lower graft and patient survival compared to WL and FR, which was not statistically significant (p=0.07). In the matched cohort, FL hemiliver allograft had no detrimental effect on the allograft or patient survival after split liver transplantation when compared to FR and WL. Conclusion: After adjusting for donor and recipient characteristics, there was no difference in allograft or patient survival with the use of FL, FR, or WL after liver transplantation in adults. FRFLSLT is a valuable and safe option to expand the donor pool.
SDF-1/CXCR4 Interactions in Idiopathic Myelofibrosis.

Interactions between SDF-1 and CXCR4 determine in part the retention, migration and mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells during steady state hematopoiesis and following a variety of stimuli. Chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis (CIMF) is characterized by constitutive mobilization of CD34 + hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells as well as endothelial progenitor cells (Barosi et al, Blood98: 3249, 2001 and J Clin Oncol, in press, 2005). This abnormal cell trafficking has been attributed to dysfunction of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment and/or the presence of a proteolytic environment which disrupts adhesive interactions which favor retention of CD34 + cells within the BM (Xu et al, Blood105:4508, 2005). We examined the role of SDF-1/CXCR4 in CD34 + cell trafficking in patients with CIMF. The median level of plasma SDF-1 in CIMF patients (N=27) was 2008 pg/ml (955–2981 pg/ml) which was significantly higher than that found in the plasma of normal individuals (N=13, 1411 pg/ml, 945–1803, p + cells were characterized by decreased expression of CXCR4 as well as by decreased in vitro migration in response to SDF-1 (p + cells was, however, significantly increased by incubation with SCF and IL-6 (7.2% to 18.0%). The expression of the cell-bound MMP-2 and MMP-9 by IM CD34 + cells was significantly increased by pre-incubation with SDF-1 in vitro (p + cells of 5/14 patients with CIMF. HIF-1α levels can be regulated by external stimuli such as hypoxia, cytokines or by the constitutive expression of pp60 −src (c-src). The elevated HIF-1α expression of the CD34 + cells in a subpopulation of IM were associated with increased expression of c-src. The abnormal distribution of SDF-1 in CIMF, therefore, has multiple biological consequences including: down modulating the CXCR4 expression of CD34 + cells, up regulating CD34 + cell-bound MMP-2 and MMP-9, and promoting the growth and survival of BM stromal cells. These multiple effects of SDF-1 in CIMF likely alter the trafficking of CD34 + cells as well as promote BM fibrosis and osteosclerosis.
Assessment of Bacterial Micro-flora in College Cafeterias of Private Colleges inKathmandu, Nepal

Indoor air quality (IAQ) issues are not new in Nepal. However, lack of study, data and local regulation become one of the major contributions towards this problem especially with the educational sector.In this study the level of bacterial contamination in cafeterias of different colleges were presented. The cafeterias of six private colleges of Battisputali and Old Baneshwor area were selected for the study. Air borne bacterial microflora were sampled using standard plate exposure technique.Then the micro flora were isolated and identified on the basis of cultural characteristics andbiochemical properties. Eight different genera of bacteria were isolated and identified. Most of the identified bacteria are Gram positive. Among the identified bacteria species of Bacillus, Micrococcus, Streptococcus and Escheria coli were predominant in all the samples. Other genera include Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Alcaligens, Flavobacterium. Among the studied colleges GCM has the highest diversity of air borne bacteria.
A weighted multiple-relaxation-time lattice Boltzmann method for multiphase flows and its application to partial coalescence cascades

We present a lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with a weighted multiple-relaxation-time (WMRT) collision model and an adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) algorithm for direct numerical simulation of two-phase flows in three dimensions. The proposed WMRT model enhances the numerical stability of the LBM for immiscible fluids at high density ratios, particularly on the D3Q27 lattice. The effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed WMRTLBMAMR is validated through simulations of (a) buoyancy-driven motion and deformation of a gas bubble rising in a viscous liquid; (b) the bag-breakup mechanism of a falling drop; (c) crown splashing of a droplet on a wet surface; and (d) the partial coalescence mechanism of a liquid drop at a liquidliquid interface. The numerical simulations agree well with available experimental data and theoretical approximations where applicable.
Inwieweit ist der Geistbegriff des deutschen Idealismus ein legitimer Erbe des Pneumabegriffs des Neuen Testaments

Der Aufsatz beginnt mit Reflexionen zum wissenschaftstheoretischen Status der Theologie, die sowohl von der Religionswissenschaft als auch von der Religionsphilosophie unterschieden werden muss und, trotz mancher wesentlicher Differenzen, am ehesten der Jurisprudenz verglichen werden kann. Er behandelt ferner die wichtigsten Stellen des Neuen Testaments, in denen von pneuma die Rede ist, und geht der Frage nach, inwieweit der Geistbegriff, der bei Fichte und Hegel, dem fruhen wie dem spaten, eine wichtige Rolle spielt und von ihnen als Weiterfuhrung des neutestamentlichen Begriffs verstanden wurde, wirklich mit diesem zusammenhangt. Aufgedeckt werden sowohl Kontinuitaten als auch Differenzen.