cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development and Activation of Human Dendritic Cells In Vivo in a Xenograft Model of Human Hematopoiesis

Dendritic cells (DCs) are derived from CD34+ progenitors and play a central role in the development of immune responses and in tolerance. Their therapeutic potential underscores the need for in vivo models that accurately recapitulate human DC development and function to provide a better understanding of DC biology in health and disease. Using nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice transplanted with human CD34+ cells as a model of human hematopoiesis, we examined DC ontogeny. Progenitors of both myeloid (m) and plasmacytoid (p) DCs were identified in the bone marrow of mice up to 24 weeks after transplant, indicating ongoing and sustained production of DCs after initial engraftment. To determine whether human DCs derived from transplanted stem cells were functional, their response to acute inflammation using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was examined. Eighteen hours after LPS administration, a dramatic increase in the plasma levels of the human inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IL-12p70 was observed. Only mDCs and not pDCs responded in vivo to LPS by upregulating CD86 and CD83. In vivo activation of human mDCs resulted in a substantial increase in the ability of mDCs to induce the proliferation of naive human T cells. Taken together, these data indicate that human CD34+ cells seem to have differentiated appropriately within the NOD/SCID microenvironment into DCs that are developmentally, phenotypically, and functionally similar to the DC subsets found in humans.
Author retrospective on energy conservation techniques for disk array-based servers

This is a retrospective on our original paper titled "Energy Conservation Techniques for Disk Array-based Servers", which was published in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Supercomputing in 2004.Original paper: http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2591635.2591666
The Palmar Fat Pad Is a Reliable Intraoperative Landmark During Carpal Tunnel Release

Purpose During endoscopic or open carpal tunnel release, a palmar fat pad is visualized immediately proximal to the distal end of the transverse carpal ligament (TCL). Visualization of the fat pad allows anticipation of complete release of the TCL without unnecessary distal dissection that could risk iatrogenic injury. This study defines the anatomic relationship of the distal edge of the TCL to the fat pad, the superficial palmar arch, and the motor branch of the median nerve. Methods Eighteen fresh-frozen cadaver hands were dissected, and the proximal aspect of the palmar fat pad, the distal edge of the TCL, the superficial palmar arch, and the motor branch of the median nerve were identified. An electronic caliper was used to measure distances between each structure along the axis of the radial border of the ring finger. A subset of 8 hands was radiographically imaged with fingers flexed and extended (wrist neutral) to determine if finger positioning influenced measurements between marked structures. Results The proximal aspect of the palmar fat pad is 2.0 mm proximal to the distal edge of the TCL. The distal end of the TCL, as measured along the axis of the radial border of the ring finger is 12.7 mm from the most proximal aspect of the palmar arch and 6.5 mm from the nearest aspect of the motor branch. Flexing the fingers decreases the distance between the distal end of the TCL and the fat pad while not markedly affecting the distance between the TCL and the palmar arch or the motor branch. Conclusions The palmar fat pad is a reliable anatomic landmark during carpal tunnel release. When dividing the TCL from proximal to distal, visualization of the proximal aspect of the fat pad indicates that the distal edge of the TCL is within approximately 2 mm and indicates that distal dissection beyond this extent is unnecessary.
Diminished Acoustic Startle in Chronic Cocaine Users

Chronic cocaine use has been shown to produce neurochemical alterations which persist after acute withdrawal. This study assessed the effects of cocaine use on the acoustic startle response and sensorimotor gating using prepulse inhibition (PPI) of startle. Nine male control subjects (mean age = 41.6) and 15 male cocaine users (mean age = 43.2) were tested, the latter after heavy cocaine use ranging from 4 to 27 years (mean age = 16.7). Cocaine users had been cocaine free for four days to six months (mean = 17 days) at testing. Cocaine users exhibited a 68% reduction in startle amplitudes (F = 7.4; df = 1,22; p < .01) compared to controls. There were trends towards increased PPI in cocaine users under certain conditions; however, there were no significant main effects. These results indicate that chronic cocaine use produces impairment of the startle response which persists after cessation of cocaine use. These findings may reflect changes in the dopaminergic system resulting from chronic cocaine use.
Chronic social defeat up‐regulates expression of the serotonin transporter in rat dorsal raphe nucleus and projection regions in a glucocorticoid‐dependent manner

Chronic stress and dysfunction of the serotonergic system in the brain have been considered two of the major risks for development of depression. In this study, adult Fischer 344 rats were subjected to a regimen of chronic social defeat (CSD). To mimic stressful conditions, some rats were not exposed to CSD, but instead treated with corticosterone (CORT) in oral solution while maintained in their home cage. Protein levels of the serotonin transporter (SERT) in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), hippocampus, frontal cortex, and amygdala were examined by Western blotting or immunofluorescence staining. The results showed that CSD up-regulated SERT protein levels in the DRN, hippocampus, frontal cortex, and amygdala regions. This up-regulation was abolished or prevented by adrenalectomy, or treatment with antagonists of corticosteroid receptors mifepristone and spironolactone, alone or in combination. Similarly, up-regulated SERT protein levels in these brain regions were also observed in rats treated with oral CORT ingestion, which was analogously prevented by treatment with mifepristone and spironolactone. Furthermore, both CSD- and CORT-induced up-regulation of SERT protein levels in the DRN and three brain regions were attenuated by simultaneous treatment with fluoxetine, an antidepressant that specifically inhibits serotonin reuptake. The results indicate that up-regulation in SERT protein levels in the DRN and forebrain limbic structures caused by CSD regimen was mainly motivated by CORT through corticosteroid receptors. The present findings demonstrate that chronic stress is closely correlated with the serotonergic system by acting on the regulation of the SERT expression in the DRN and its projection regions, which may contribute to the development of depression.
Civil wars and economic growth: A regional comparison

The paper examines the impact of civil wars on income per-capita growth at home and in neighbors for four regional groupings of countries: Africa, Asia, Latin America, and a pooled Asian and Latin American sample. Both macroeconomic and civil-war influences on growth differ by region. With the use of a distance measure, we demonstrate that the spatial reach from the negative consequences of a civil war are region and time period specific. Generally, there was less dispersion in Africa than in Asia and Latin America. Moreover, Africa demonstrates a greater ability to recover from the adverse effects of civil wars than the other regions tested.
Genetic Determinants of Japanese Encephalitis Virus Vaccine Strain SA14-14-2 That Govern Attenuation of Virulence in Mice

ABSTRACT The safety and efficacy of the live-attenuated Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) SA14-14-2 vaccine are attributed to mutations that accumulated in the viral genome during its derivation. However, little is known about the contribution that is made by most of these mutations to virulence attenuation and vaccine immunogenicity. Here, we generated recombinant JEV (rJEV) strains containing JEV SA14-14-2 vaccine-specific mutations that are located in the untranslated regions (UTRs) and seven protein genes or are introduced from PCR-amplified regions of the JEV SA14-14-2 genome. The resulting mutant viruses were evaluated in tissue culture and in mice. The authentic JEV SA14-14-2 (E) protein, with amino acid substitutions L107F, E138K, I176V, T177A, E244G, Q264H, K279M, A315V, S366A, and K439R relative to the wild-type rJEV clone, was essential and sufficient for complete attenuation of neurovirulence. Individually, the nucleotide substitution T39A in the 5′ UTR (5′-UTR-T39A), the capsid (C) protein amino acid substitution L66S (C-L66S), and the complete NS1/2A genome region containing 10 mutations each significantly reduced virus neuroinvasion but not neurovirulence. The levels of peripheral virulence attenuation imposed by the 5′-UTR-T39A and C-L66S mutations, individually, were somewhat mitigated in combination with other vaccine strain-specific mutations, which might be compensatory, and together did not affect immunogenicity. However, a marked reduction in immunogenicity was observed with the addition of the NS1/2A and NS5 vaccine virus genome regions. These results suggest that a second-generation recombinant vaccine can be rationally engineered to maximize levels of immunogenicity without compromising safety. IMPORTANCE The live-attenuated JEV SA14-14-2 vaccine has been vital for controlling the incidence of disease caused by JEV, particularly in rural areas of Asia where it is endemic. The vaccine was developed >25 years ago by passaging wild-type JEV strain SA14 in tissue cultures and rodents, with intermittent tissue culture plaque purifications, to produce a virus clone that had adequate levels of attenuation and immunogenicity. The vaccine and parent virus sequences were later compared, and mutations were identified throughout the vaccine virus genome, but their contributions to attenuation were never fully elucidated. Here, using reverse genetics, we comprehensively defined the impact of JEV SA14-14-2 mutations on attenuation of virulence and immunogenicity in mice. These results are relevant for quality control of new lots of the current live-attenuated vaccine and provide insight for the rational design of second-generation, live-attenuated, recombinant JEV vaccine candidates.
Computational Evidence for the Subitizing Phenomenon as an Emergent Property of the Human Cognitive Architecture

A computational modeling approach was used to test one possible explanation for the limited capacity of the subitizing phenomenon. Most existing models of this phenomenon associate the subitizing span with an assumed structural limitation of the human information processing system. In contrast, we show how this limit might emerge as the combinatorics of the space of enumeration problems interacts with the human cognitive architecture in the context of an enumeration task. Subitizing-like behavior was generated in two different models of enumeration, one based on the ACT-R cognitive architecture and the other based on the principles of parallel distributed processing (PDP). Our results provide good qualitative fits to results obtained in a variety of empirical studies.
How do people compare themselves with others on social network sites?: The case of Facebook

The social comparison theory and its subsequent studies say that comparing with others can influence an individual in several ways (e.g., evaluation of oneself, influence on self-esteem/self-confidence, and efficient decision making) and people compare with others when they are confronted with information of others. With the popularity of social network sites, many people acquire or are exposed to information of others on social network sites, which implies that people are likely to frequently engage in social comparison behavior on social network sites. The present paper examines social comparison behavior on social network sites (especially on Facebook) using a college students sample. We find that an individual's personality characteristics (i.e., social comparison orientation, self-esteem, self-uncertainty, and self-consciousness) influence the person's social comparison frequency on Facebook. A positive relationship between Facebook use intensity and social comparison frequency on Facebook is found. In addition, we find a positive association between social comparison frequency on Facebook and the frequency of having a negative feeling from comparison. Other findings are also reported in the paper.
The effects of extraneous response requirements on learning by performers and observers

On a first trial, Ss explored a multiple-choice maze. Performers (Ps), in the presence of observers (Os), utilized either a stylus or a radio tube to make each response. The decision as to which response to make was made either by Ps themselves or by Os who told Ps which responses to make. Decision making and complex response requirements (Tube manipulation) were found to interfere with performance on a retention test.
Chromatographic fractionation of wheat gluten on carboxymethylcellulose columns.

Abstract A Chromatographic procedure has been developed to isolate purified gluten components in preparative amounts. These isolated proteins correspond to electrophoretic components demonstrated in wheat gluten protein. The chromatography of wheat gluten was accomplished by stepwise elution from Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) using buffers with increasing hydrogen-ion concentrations. All except the α1 component were obtained by this procedure. Although the strong selective binding of the α1 component to CMC required elution with 8 M urea, the intractable nature of the α1 component isolated in this manner prevented its use in other investigations. The behavior of isolated gluten proteins upon rechromatography and their electrophoretic characteristics suggest that the peaks in gluten patterns represent individual proteins and that these peaks are not due to association effects.
Point scatterer phase approximation for electromagnetic and intensity waves in random media

The validity of a point scatterer approximation for the phases of electromagnetic and also intensity waves is examined for multilayered random media using a transfer matrix approach. In this study the phase of the transmitted light for each scatterer is approximated by the phase characteristic of an infinitely narrow layer with an infinitely large index of refraction. The approximated phase depends only on the transmission coefficient and permits a reduction of the number of microscopic variables required for such a system.
Biosynthesis of carbamyl aspartate in pigeon and rat tissues.

Abstract 1. 1. In a survey of hepatic and various extrahepatic tissues from the pigeon the major portion of carbamyl aspartate synthesis was found to occur in liver. 2. 2. The synthesis of carbamyl aspartate differed from that in rat liver in that all the enzymatic activity was in the mitochondria of pigeon liver whereas in rat liver both mitochondria and supernatant fractions were required. 3. 3. Pigeon liver preparations did not require acetylglutamate for synthesis of carbamyl aspartate in contrast to rat liver preparations which require this or a similar catalyst for carbamyl formation. 4. 4. No carbamyl phosphate formation could be detected in pigeon liver preparations even when ornithine and ornithine transcarbamylase or aspartate and aspartate transcarbamylase were added.
A single amino acid substitution results in a retinoblastoma protein defective in phosphorylation and oncoprotein binding

We have previously identified a small-cell lung cancer cell line (NCI-H209) that expresses an aberrant, underphosphorylated form of the retinoblastoma protein RB1. Molecular analysis of RB1 mRNA from this cell line revealed a single point mutation within exon 21 that resulted in a nonconservative amino acid substitution (cysteine to phenylalanine) at codon 706. Stable expression of this mutant RB1 cDNA in a human cell line lacking endogenous RB1 demonstrated that this amino acid change was sufficient to inhibit phosphorylation. In addition, this cysteine-to-phenylalanine substitution also resulted in loss of RB1 binding to the simian virus 40 large tumor and adenovirus E1A transforming proteins. These results confirm the importance of exon 21 coding sequences and suggest that the cysteine residue at codon 706 may play a role in achieving a specific protein conformation essential for protein-protein interactions.
Alternation minimization training of radial basis function networks

Radial basis function (RBF) networks and their training have garnered much interest in the neural computing literature. Current training methods resemble Expectation-Maximization (EM) techniques and optimize network performance by alternately minimizing performance measures with respect to disjoint parameter sets. Since the number of RBF parameters and the training data sets may be large, efficient training methods are imperative for these networks' practical use. This paper presents two hybrid interior point (IP) training algorithms based upon solvers for linear programming (LP) problems. Presented are small-step and large-step path following algorithms which implement an alternating minimization. The small-step algorithm converges to (epsilon) -neighborhoods of locally optimal solutions with a theoretical O((root)nlog2((root)n/(epsilon) )) iteration rate and O(n3.5log2((root)n/(epsilon) )) floating point operation (flop) cost. It exhibits an empirical cost of approximately O(n2log2(1/(epsilon) )) flops where n is the dimension of an associated LP problem. The large-step algorithm exhibits a constant convergence rate and approximately O(n1.5log2(1/(epsilon) )) flop cost. IP/EM algorithm comparison show that the IP methods exhibit lower order computational properties, and that for some problems the large-step algorithm outperforms the EM algorithm. Also presented are results demonstrating the small-step algorithm's use for training on a system identification problem.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A university drug education project

An innovative drug information and rap program on a Big 10 campus, privately funded for one year, provides elements that may, with variations, be adopted for other campus drug programs. This article proposes a policy and evaluates peer counselors, a library, professional referring, use of films, and services in dorms and in classrooms.
Git on the cloud in the classroom

Numerous CS faculty have demonstrated the benefits of using version control in courses other than software engineering. However, they maintained their own servers, and to the best of our knowledge, none published experiences with version control in CS1 courses for non-CS engineering majors. As a result, even faculty experienced with version control may hesitate to adopt it in some classes, fearing that it is too difficult, time consuming or distracting. In this paper, we describe how we adopted version control in a CS1 course for non-CS engineering majors, and how software hosting services facilitated its use. Our experience indicates that undergraduate engineering majors in CS courses can gain competence in version control, and software hosting services simplify class administration.
Transurethral polytef injection for post-prostatectomy urinary incontinence.

Summary— This report deals with 720 incontinent males injected with Polytef paste. In all cases the incontinence resulted from some form of prostatic surgery. All patients had been incontinent for at least 1 year. Approximately 88% of patients incontinent from transurethral resection (TURP) were cured or improved; 74% of patients undergoing prostatectomy were improved, and approximately 67% of patients incontinent after radical prostatectomy were cured or improved. No major complications or clinical evidence of particle migration were observed. Our 20 plus years' experience with Polytef paste has shown it to be a safe and effective method for the treatment of post-operative male incontinence, with a high success rate.
Mitochondrial DNA topoisomerase I of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

A mitochondrial DNA topoisomerase (type I, ATP-independent) can be biochemically distinguished from the nuclear enzyme DNA topoisomerase I. This conclusion is based on the subcellular localization of the mitochondrial enzyme, its optimal reaction conditions and sensitivity to enzyme inhibitors. Unlike its nuclear counterpart, the mitochondrial DNA topoisomerase exhibits an absolute requirement for a divalent cation (Mg2+ and Ca2+ work equally well in vitro). In addition, it is slightly more sensitive to monovalent salts, with optimal activity obtained in 50–100 mM KCl. The mitochondrial enzyme is equally active at pH 7.5 or pH 9.5, but unlike its nuclear equivalent, is inactivated at higher pH values. The mitochondrial DNA topoisomerase is sensitive to counmermycin, berenil, camptothecin, berenil, camptothecin and 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-4-imidazolidine, a chemical that has no inhibitory effect on DNA topoisomerase I. Immunoblotting studies show that mitochondrial DNA topoisomerase activity is associated with a polypeptide (Mr ∼ 79 000) that cross-reacts with the antiserum against DNA topoisomerase I. Thus, the mitochondrial DNA topoisomerase may be derived by the differential expression of the DNA topoisomerase I gene or from the expression of a gene that is homologous to the DNA topoisomerase I gene.
Comparative study of adsorption behavior of copper, lead, and zinc onto goethite in aqueous systems

The adsorption of lead(II) and zinc(II) onto goethite was studied as a function of pH, total dissolved metal concentration, surface area of goethite, and ionic strength. The results for zinc and lead were compared with those for copper reported earlier. The adsorption edge of lead ranges from pH 4 to 7, similar to that of copper, but the adsorption edge of zinc is displaced by 1.5 pH units toward higher pH. A fourfold increase in goethite surface area had a significant effect on the adsorption edge of lead, but a tenfold increase in the ionic strength of the medium did not affect the adsorption edge of lead and zinc. At neutral pH, 50 percent of the zinc was still available for transport and reactions in aqueous solution, whereas almost 100 percent of the lead and copper were bound to the goethite surface. The distribution coefficients increase sharply with the increase in pH and ranged from 60 to 30,000 ml/g in 2.5 pH units for lead and from 60 to 3000 ml/g in 1.5 pH units for zinc, depending on the goethite surface area and metal concentration. Distribution coefficients were used to calculate the number of protons released per mole of metal adsorbed during the adsorption process, with the average number of protons released per mole of lead and zinc adsorbed estimated to be 0.97±0.07 and 1.32±0.06, respectively. Proton coefficients of copper, lead, and zinc were correlated to their ionic radii and apparent equilibrium binding constant. Although the adsorption behavior of copper and lead were similar and both have the same charge, the drop in pH per mole of metal adsorbed is more in copper than in lead.
Information Management in Families Who Have a Child with a Genetic Condition

In families with children with genetic conditions, information management may influence how parents view their child; their reproductive decision making; and how, when, what, and why they communicate about the condition to other family members. The purpose of this study was to identify unique patterns of information management and to explore the relationship between these patterns and individual and family characteristics and functioning. The sample was composed of 142 parents in 86 families in which a child had a single-gene condition. Four distinct information management patterns were identified that varied in the parents' understanding of the genetic aspects of the condition: accurate understanding-open (35%, n = 30), accurate understanding-selective (24%, n = 21), discrepant understanding (15%, n = 13), and confused understanding (26%, n = 22). In two patterns, accurate understanding-open and accurate understanding-selective (59%), parents had an accurate understanding of the genetic aspects of the condition, and the patterns were differentiated from one another by parents' views about sharing information. In the discrepant understanding pattern, which included only two-parent families, one parent had an accurate understanding and one parent a confused understanding of the genetic aspects of the condition. In the confused understanding pattern, parents had an inaccurate understanding of one or more of the genetic aspects of the condition. Statistically significant differences were found between information management patterns and parents' education, family annual income, and health insurance coverage. These information management patterns reflect how parents access, interpret, and convey genetic information and can influence the effectiveness of health care providers' interactions with these families.
Intestinal Secretion of Erythromycin Base

Abstract Erythromycin fluxes into rabbit midjejunal segments were studied. When erythromycin was infused into the jugular vein of anesthetized rabbits, the antibiotic was secreted into the segments at a rate of 0.0136 ± 0.0023 mg/min. Preloading of the segments with five and 20 times the plasma concentration did not diminish this secretion. Protein binding of the antibiotic within the lumen could not explain this secretion, since both ultrafiltration and chromatography of luminal solutions indicated that the biological activity was free erythromycin. Moreover, the transmural potential across the intestinal mucosa is not likely to be the principal driving force, since greater than 80 mv would be required to sustain the observed secretion against an imposed 20‐fold concentration difference between blood and lumen. The best explanation for the intestinal secretion of erythromycin appears to be an active transport pathway capable of concentrating erythromycin in the lumen. It is not clear what endogenous substances are transported by this pathway.
Relativistic stellar pulsations in the Cowling approximation

On utilise l'approximation relativiste de Cowling pour traiter les equations des pulsations stellaires non radiales. Dans cette approximation, les equations relativistes forment un systeme proche de celui de Sturm-Liouville et sont valables dans le mode g entierement et dans le mode p pour les etoiles moyennement relativistes seulement
Use of Single-Cycle Infectious Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus To Study Hemorrhagic Fever Arenaviruses

Several arenaviruses, chiefly Lassa virus (LASV) and Junin virus in West Africa and Argentina, respectively, cause hemorrhagic fever (HF) disease in humans that is associated with high morbidity and significant mortality. The investigation of antiviral strategies to combat HF arenaviruses is hampered by the requirement of biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) facilities to work with these viruses. These biosafety hurdles could be overcome by the use of recombinant single-cycle infectious arenaviruses. To explore this concept, we have developed a recombinant lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) (rLCMVΔGP/GFP) where we replaced the viral glycoprotein (GP) with the green fluorescent protein (GFP). We generated high titers of GP-pseudotyped rLCMVΔGP/GFP via genetic trans complementation using stable cell lines that constitutively express LCMV or LASV GPs. Replication of these GP-pseudotyped rLCMVΔGP/GFP viruses was restricted to GP-expressing cell lines. This system allowed us to rapidly and reliably characterize and quantify the neutralization activities of serum antibodies against LCMV and LASV within a BSL-2 facility. The sensitivity of the GFP-based microneutralization assay we developed was similar to that obtained with a conventionally used focus reduction neutralization (FRNT) assay. Using GP-pseudotyped rLCMVΔGP/GFP, we have also obtained evidence supporting the feasibility of this approach to identify and evaluate candidate antiviral drugs against HF arenaviruses without the need of BSL-4 laboratories.
State Disintegration and Human Rights in Africa

This article discusses external and internal disintegrative pressures at work on contemporary African states and examines the consequences of the failure of ideologies of nationalism and nation-statism for human rights. In particular, this paper examines the causes of state disintegration in Liberia and Somalia, suggesting that the effect is to exacerbate the already vulnerable position of marginalized groups.
Analyzing the effect of state legislation on health care utilization for children with concussion.

IMPORTANCE: In 2009, Washington State enacted legislation outlining the medical care of children and adolescents with concussion (ie, the Lystedt Law), with all other states and Washington, DC passing legislation by January 2014. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of concussion laws on health care utilization rates from January 1, 2006, through June 30, 2012, in states with and without legislation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: For commercially insured children aged 12 to 18 years from all 50 states and DC from January 1, 2006, through June 30, 2009, we examined the following: (1) prelegislation trends in concussion-related health care utilization from January 1, 2006, through June 30, 2009, (2) postlegislation trends in states without concussion legislation, and (3) the effect of state concussion laws on trends in states with concussion legislation in effect by means of negative binomial multivariable estimation with state and time fixed effects. EXPOSURES: Concussion diagnosis. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Emergency department and related health care utilization rates for concussion. RESULTS: Between academic school years 2008-2009 and 2011-2012, states with legislation experienced a 92% increase in concussion-related health care utilization, while states without legislation had a 75% overall increase in concussion-related health care utilization during the same period. In the multivariable fixed-effects models, controlling for differences across states, rates of treated concussion in states without legislation were 7% higher in the 2009-2010 school year, 20% higher in the 2010-2011 school year, and 34% higher in the 2011-2012 school year compared with the prelegislation trends (2005-2009) (all P CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Increased health care utilization rates among children with concussion in the United States are both directly and indirectly related to concussion legislation. A portion of the increased rates (60%) in states without legislation is attributable to an ongoing upward trend demonstrated before enactment of the first state law in 2009. The remaining 40% increase in these states is thought to have resulted from elevated awareness brought about by heightened local and national media attention. Concussion legislation has had a seemingly positive effect on health care utilization, but the overall increase can also be attributed to increased injury awareness. Language: en
Continuous epidural infusion of 0.05% bupivacaine plus hydromorphone for labor analgesia: an observational assessment in 1830 parturients.

IMPLICATIONS We evaluated a continuous epidural infusion containing bupivacaine 0.05% plus the opioid hydromorphone in 1830 women requesting pain relief during labor and delivery. The infusion provided effective analgesia with minimal adverse events for patients differing in parity and at varying stages of labor. Pain relief was maintained in most patients without the need for epidural reinforcement with more concentrated doses of local anesthetic.
Media Geographies: Uncovering the Spatial Politics of Images

Geographers are increasingly interested in the study of media. This article thinks through media geographies via a review of the recent literature on media, space, and place. In doing so, it suggests that geographers are situated in a particularly useful place to think about the spatial politics of media and images. But, in order to do so, they must wrestle with some unaddressed issues regarding those politics, particularly regarding the struggles over social power through media and images. It is argued that geographers’ most important contributions to these questions will come from a focus on the spatial processes, terrain, and built environment of these struggles, not just on the images themselves.
The determination of mustard oils in rapeseed meal.

A modified method for the determination of mustard oils (isothiocyanates) in rapeseed meal is described. The reproducibility of duplicate analyses is good. A considerable variation in mustard oil c...
Intraoperative clinical evaluation of lymph nodes in women with gynecologic cancer

Abstract Objective: This study was undertaken to determine the accuracy of systematic intraoperative clinical evaluation of lymph nodes in women with gynecologic cancers and to examine the factors affecting such accuracy. Study Design: The characteristics and overall intraoperative clinical impression of lymph node metastases were prospectively recorded for 178 consecutive women undergoing lymphadenectomy. The overall clinical impression and lymph node characteristics (enlargement, firmness, and adherence) were correlated with the final histopathologic diagnosis. Results: The overall clinical impression showed excellent agreement with the final histopathologic diagnosis (κ = 0.753) but had a high false-negative rate (25.8%). The combination of enlargement and firmness had the highest overall accuracy (93.3%). Accuracy of clinical evaluation varied significantly according to the type of cancer, node positivity, and the proportion of positive nodes with respect to the total number of nodes. Conclusion: Although systematic intraoperative clinical evaluation of lymph nodes by a trained surgeon has high overall accuracy and correlates well with the final histopathologic diagnosis, it has a high false-negative rate and cannot substitute for histopathologic examination. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;184:1177-81.)
Notes on evaluating the ecology of rehabilitation praxis

Abstract Rehabilitation services are typically regarded as an intervention, delivered by a professional service provider, designed to achieve the outcome of functional improvement in the life of the client or patient The primary evaluation question is whether that intervention is an effective and efficient means to the given end of functional improvement I suggest an alternative way of thinking of both rehabilitation and evaluation: The phrase ‘ecology of rehabilitation praxis’ is used to emphasize that rehabilitation is a matter of a situated, lived, technical, moral, and political interaction of people with their environment, with each other, and with the artifacts of their environment Three conceptual tools are discussed for understanding the ecology of rehabilitation praxis: community‐based practice philosophy, community of practice, and the discursive nature of a practice. When rehabilitation is conceived as ecology, and not simply a treatment, then a different way of thinking about evaluation is req...
In vitro effects of endotoxin on bovine and sheep lung microvascular and pulmonary artery endothelial cells

A single infusion of Escherichia coli endotoxin into sheep results in structural evidence of pulmonary endothelial injury, increases in both prostacyclin and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in lung lymph, and an increase in pulmonary micro-vascular permeability. Endotoxin-induced lung endothelial damage can also be induced in vitro, but to date these studies have utilized endothelium from large pulmonary vessels. In the present study, we have grown endothelial cells from peripheral lung vessels of cows and sheep and exposed these microvascular endothelial cells to endotoxin. Controls included lung microvascular endothelium without endotoxin and endothelial cells from bovine and sheep main pulmonary artery with and without addition of endotoxin. We found that endotoxin caused significant increases in release of prostacyclin and PGE2 from both bovine and sheep lung microvascular and pulmonary artery endothelium. Normal bovine and sheep pulmonary artery and bovine lung microvascular endothelium released greater levels of prostacyclin than PGE2 (ng/ng); release of PGE2 from the microvascular cells was greater than from the pulmonary artery endothelium in both species. Exposure of endothelial cells from cow and sheep main pulmonary artery to endotoxin results in endothelial cell retraction and pyknosis, a loss of barrier function, increased release of prostacyclin and PGE2 and eventual cell lysis. In lung microvascular cells, the increases in prostanoids were accompanied by changes in cell shape but occurred in the absence of either detectable alterations in barrier function or cytolysis. Thus, while endotoxin causes alterations to endothelial cells from both large and small pulmonary vessels, the effects are not identical suggesting site specific phenotypic expression of endothelial cells even within a single vessel. To determine whether the response of either the large or small pulmonary vessel endothelial cells in culture mimics most closely the in vivo response of the lung to endotoxin requires further study.
Changes in tip structure measured during STM lithography

Abstract STM lithography by pulsing the tip-sample bias was used to deposit nanometer-sized clusters on a copper surface using gold tips. Prior to writing each cluster, we extracted the local tip radius of curvature from STM images of slip band steps previously formed on the copper surface. This novel technique permitted in-situ observation of changes in both cluster size and local tip structure while using a single tip. It was found that the cluster diameter increases with the square root of tip radius. Using a model in which we assume that deposition occurs only from that region of the tip within a certain distance from the sample surface, we were able to derive an expression consistent with the experimental data.
Hydrogen peroxide and human cataract.

Oxidation of membrane protein followed by extensive oxidation of lens cytosol proteins accompanies the development of cataract. A possible oxidant involved in the process may be H~O 2. Determination of in vivo H202 levels in the aqueous humor from cataract patients indicates a wide range from 10 to 660 #M. In seven of 17 cataract cases, significantly higher concentrations of H~O~ were noted in the aqueous fluid than was found with putative normal human cases. The ft202 concentration determined from the cataractous lens population was found to be right skewed and lognormally distributed. The mean aqueous H~02 concentration in eataractous patients was 69/~M (n = 17) while for the putative normal patients it was 24 #M (n = 5). These normal values were, within experimental error, the same as levels found in other normal animal aqueous: primates 27/eM (n = 6) and bovine, 25#M (n = 12). The total human primate aqueous H202 concentration was found to be normally distributed with a mean value of 26/z~. A small (P 0" 1 ) was found with aqueous ascorbate levels. The source of presumptive exogenous H~O2 remains unknown.
The relationship between formal thought disorder and executive functioning component processes.

In 2 studies, associations between formal thought disorder (FTD) and 2 components of executive functioning, processing of context and interference resolution, were investigated. One study, involving people with schizophrenia, examined associations between performance on processing of context (N-back) and interference resolution (interference in Sternberg probe recognition) tasks and FTD. The second study, involving nonpsychiatric participants, was an analogue study that examined the effects of stimulated processing of context (performance of 1-back with distraction) and interference resolution (telling new stories about previously seen pictures) deficits on FTD in a speech production task. In both studies, processing of context deficits predicted FTD. Moreover, in both studies, the effect of processing of context deficits on FTD was especially pronounced when combined with interference resolution deficits.
Neuroleptic-sensitive posture and movement related to subordinate social status in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus)

Mongolian gerbils that were subordinate during brief paired encounters exhibited postural and motor behaviors similar to those seen in catecholamine-deficient animals. To examine the relationship between postural/motor behavior and subordination, several doses (0, 1, 3, and 9 mg/kg) of haloperidol, a neuroleptic drug that interferes with catecholaminergic activity, were administered to 20 male gerbils, which were then subjected to a battery of motor tests. Gerbils with a high degree of drug-induced akinesia/catalepsylike behaviors after haloperidol showed a relatively large number of subordinate behaviors when paired undrugged with another male in an open field. Animals that exhibited less akinesia/catalepsy in response to haloperidol were more likely to exhibit dominant behavior in undrugged paired encounters. Behavior exhibited by subordinate gerbils may have some neurochemical substrates in common with drug-induced catecholamine deficiency. It is hypothesized that an individual animal's social status might reflect in part its natural level of catecholaminergic function in the basal ganglia or related neural structures.
[32P]ATP inhibits the growth of xenografted tumors in nude mice

The search for new therapeutic agents that are effective against cancer has been difficult and expensive. The activity of anticancer candidate agents against human cancer-derived cell lines in immunocompromised mice is an important tool in this search. Because ATP is a naturally occurring small molecule, its radiolabeled form poses many advantages as a potential anticancer therapeutic agent. We previously found that a single, low-dose intravenous injection of [32P]ATP inhibited the growth of xenografted tumors in nude mice for up to several weeks. The current study describes the biodistribution and the results and advantages of multi-dose administration of this potential drug. Future studies should investigate the mechanism involved in the possible use of [32P]ATP as a cytotoxic agent that homes naturally to the tumor microenvironment.
Late Cenozoic deposits at Reedy Glacier, Transantarctic Mountains: implications for former thickness of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

Abstract Deposits corresponding to multiple periods of glaciation are preserved in ice-free areas adjacent to Reedy Glacier, southern Transantarctic Mountains. Glacial geologic mapping, supported by 10Be surface-exposure dating, shows that Reedy Glacier was significantly thicker than today multiple times during the mid-to-late Cenozoic. Longitudinal-surface profiles reconstructed from the upper limits of deposits indicate greater thickening at the glacier mouth than at the head during these episodes, indicating that Reedy Glacier responded primarily to changes in the thickness of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Surface-exposure ages suggest this relationship has been in place since at least 5 Ma. The last period of thickening of Reedy Glacier occurred during Marine Isotope Stage 2, at which time the glacier surface near its confluence with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet was at least 500 m higher than today.
Isoxyl aerosols for tuberculosis treatment: preparation and characterization of particles.

Isoxyl is a potent antituberculosis drug effective in treating various multidrug-resistant strains in the absence of known side effects. Isoxyl has been used exclusively, but infrequently, via the oral route and has exhibited very poor and highly variable bioavailability due to its sparing solubility in water. These properties resulted in failure of some clinical trials and, consequently, isoxyl’s use has been limited. Delivery of isoxyl to the lungs, a major site of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, is an attractive alternative route of administration that may rescue this abandoned drug for a disease that urgently requires new therapies. Particles for pulmonary delivery were prepared by antisolvent precipitation. Nanofibers with a width of 200 nm were obtained by injecting isoxyl solution in ethanol to water at a volume ratio of solvent to antisolvent of 1:5. Based on this preliminary result, a well-controlled method, involving nozzle mixing, was employed to prepare isoxyl particles. All the particles were 200 to 400 nm in width but had different lengths depending on properties of the solvents. However, generating these nanoparticles by simultaneous spray drying produced isoxyl microparticles (Feret’s diameter, 1.19–1.77 μm) with no discernible nanoparticle substructure. The bulking agent, mannitol, helped to prevent these nanoparticles from agglomeration during process and resulted in nanoparticle aggregates in micron-sized superstructures. Future studies will focus on understanding difference of these isoxyl microparticles and nanoparticles/nanoparticle aggregates in terms of in vivo disposition and efficacy.
SOCIAL CONTEXT AND “NATURAL RECOVERY”: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE RESOLUTION OF DRUG-ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS

This paper explores the social context of "natural recovery" from problems associated with the misuse of intoxicants. Using data collected from in-depth interviews with 46 former alcohol- and drug-dependent persons, this paper examines how the social capital that these respondents had accumulated prior to their addiction and maintained during it aided in their recovery without treatment. We specifically explore how the relations within their lives and the actual and virtual resources available to subjects through their social capital aided in our respondents' "natural recovery" from drug-use related problems. We conclude with a discussion of the implications an analysis of social capital has for the treatment of drug-associated problems as well as for drug policy.
Characteristics of a Kilowatt-Plus Helium Microwave-Induced Plasma Utilizing 2- and 3-cm-Depth TM010 Resonator Cavities

A kilowatt-plus microwave-induced plasma (KiP-MIP) system was modified for better analytical performance. Modifications included the use of a redesigned plasma torch and a new plasma resonator cavity. The use of the redesigned plasma torch improved the detection of aqueous chloride by 2 orders of magnitude. With the redesigned plasma torch, the performance of the KiP-MIP utilizing the original 3-cm-depth and 2-cm-depth resonator cavities were studied. Results indicated that the KiP-MIP with the 2-cm-depth resonator cavity exhibited better characteristics in terms of plasma energy coupling, excitation characteristics, and determination of aqueous chloride.
Information requirements analysis for manufacturing planning and control

Information integration is a driving force underlying many major efforts in manufacturing systems, ranging from MRP and MRP II to the current research on CIM. The problem of integration, however, has not been sufficiently studied previously from the perspective of information. The authors analyze the information aspects of the evolution of integrating manufacturing planning with its control. A conceptual framework is developed to help identify the potentials and requirements of information integration. The strengths and limitations of MRP II are discussed in the light of the framework, leading to a formulation of further integration. A modeling methodology using this framework is also suggested. >