cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME OF PREMATURE INFANTS INBORN AT 24, 25, AND 26 WEEKS GESTATION. † 1636

Because of the frequent inaccuracies in assigning gestational ages, most information available about long term neurodevelopmental outcome in extremely immature infants is reported according to birth weight rather than gestational age. Previously, we have reported that poor outcome may not be related to birth weight, with many infants as small as 500 grams at birth being neurodevelopmentally normal. We questioned whether reevaluating extremely immature infants according to gestational age would be more relevant than birth weight. A detailed review of maternal and infant charts was undertaken by a perinatologist and neonatologist to identify inborn infants born at 24, 25 and 26 weeks gestational age from 1/1/90-12/31/94. A total of 134 infants were admitted to the ICN; 39 died before discharge and 95 infants survived to discharge. One infant expired post discharge and 2 were excluded from the study (one congenital anomaly, 1 CNS insult post discharge). Of the remaining 92 infants, 9 are still within the first year of life. Seven infants have been lost and 74/81 infants have been assessed at ≥10 months adjusted age. We report on their outcome at mean adjusted age of 29 months (s.d. ± 16 mos.). We conclude that the rate of neurologic abnormalities is similar in these three very low gestational ages. However, there is a significant association of gestational age and severe developmental delays for infants born between 24 and 26 weeks gestation. Table
SU-FF-T-228: Investigation of Treatment Planning Parameters as a Corollary to IMRT Patient Specific QA Passing Rate for Treatment of Head and Neck Cancer

Purpose: Patient specific IMRT QA has been an integral part of the IMRT process in most institutions since the advent of IMRT. There has been the question whether we need to continue with this practice for every patient now that we have data for multiple similar cases. However, there have always been singular cases that fail IMRT QA criteria. This study looks to correlate treatment planning parameters and other metrics with the IMRT QA passing rate hoping to predict cases which may still require IMRT QA measurements. Methods and Materials: 15 head and neck treatment plans (101 total treatment beams) were delivered and analyzed using a 2‐dimensional diode array (MapCheck®). Each treatment beam was analyzed using a gamma analysis with evaluation criteria of 10 percent threshold, 3 percent dose deviation and 3 millimeters distance‐to‐agreement as this is the standard for our institution. Parameters used to correlate with passing rate were: monitor units delivered, dose at isocenter, delivery efficiency (MU/cGy), number of segments, average leaf pair opening, and a 2‐dimensional modulation index developed from the original Webb equation. Results: Univariate analysis showed no factors that correlated with passing rate. The R‐squared values ranged from 0.0014 to 0.0565. MU number did have a p value of 0.016, but no other indicator of plan complexity predicted passing rate. Conclusions: This work demonstrates our attempt to show a relationship between IMRT QA passing rates and treatment plan parameters. We are unable to correlate any of these metrics with patient QA pass rate as specified. Treatment delivery uncertainties (e.g. flatness and symmetry) may play as pivot a role in QA passing rate as the treatment planning parameters used. Further investigation will involve combination of these uncertainties.
Nitroxide/substrate weak hydrogen bonding: attitude and dynamics of collisions in solution.

The study of intermolecular collisions and bonding interactions in solutions is of critical importance in understanding and predicting solute/solvent properties. Previous work has established that stable paramagnetic nitroxide molecules are excellent probes of intermolecular interactions for hydrogen bonding in polar solvents. In this study, 1H, 2H, 13C, 15N NMR and liquid/liquid intermolecular transfer dynamic nuclear polarization (L2IT DNP) results are obtained for the paramagnetic probe molecule, TEMPO, interacting with the common aprotic and protic polar solvents, CH3CN and CH3CONH2, yielding a profile of both dipolar and scalar interactions. A significant scalar contact hyperfine is observed for the N−O···H−C interaction (13CH3 hyperfine, a/h = 0.66 MHz) in the CH3CN/TEMPO system, whereas the N−O···H−C and N−O···H−N interactions for the TEMPO/CH3CONH2 system yield 13CH3 and 15N hyperfine couplings of a/h = 0.16 and −0.50 MHz, respectively. The distance and attitude of the scalar interaction for the n...
CHTS ROLE WITHIN THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CHU HSI1

SUMMARY In this paper we have discussed the various functions which ch'i serves within the psychology of Chu Hsi. We discussed first the differences among human beings which ch'i is said to cause. Various human characteristics were correlated with the qualities of ch'i which were said to determine them. An attempt was then made to determine precisely how ch'i determines these characteristics. It was decided that ch'i‘s causality in this respect can be classified either as direct (as in the case of longevity) or indirect (as in the case of intelligence). By “indirect” it is meant that ch'i determines a given characteristic through its effect upon li which is the direct cause of the characteristic. Indirect causality can further be distinguished as either active (as in the case of moral behavior) or passive (as in the case of intelligence) depending upon the sense in which ch'i can be said to restrain or obstruct li. All of this can be summed up in the following outline. Characteristics determined by ch'i A. Those which ch'i determines entirely, e.g., lifespan B. Those only partially determined by chi 1. Those due to ch'i's action upon li, e.g., moral behavior a. Those due to the conflict of li and ch'i b. Those due to ch'i's reinforcement of li 2. Those due to ch'i's passive obstruction of li, e.g., intellectual ability C. Those for which the nature of ch'i's determination is not specified, e.g., lot in life Then, having looked at ch'i as the cause of differences within species, it was argued that Chu Hsi believes that ch'i is responsible for all differences among the ten thousand things, differences between species as well as within them. Finally, the two basic types of ch'i, yin-ch'ibl and yang-ch'ibm were discussed in the course of an explanation of how ch'i tself is capable of variation. Therefore, it was concluded that the basic function of ch'i within the psychology of Chu Hsi is to account for difference, all difference. Basically, we can say that this is ch'i‘s most important function within the philosophy of Chu Hsi as a whole. For within his philosophy, psychology is much more important than metaphysics, although we must immediately add that Chu His takes pains to ground the former upon the latter. Speaking in the most general terms, it must be admitted that Chu Hsi is not so much concerned with elucidating the characteristics of “being as such” as he is concerned to explain “being as human.”
Imidazole groups on a linear, cyclodextrin-containing polycation produce enhanced gene delivery via multiple processes

The linear, cyclodextrin-containing polycation (CDP) is one of many non-viral gene delivery vectors that show improved transfection efficiency when modified to have pH-buffering capacity. The buffering activity is presumed to confer enhanced ability to escape the endocytic pathway. Here, the differences in delivery behavior between CDP and its pH-buffering, imidazole-containing variant (CDPim) are investigated in order to elucidate the mechanism(s) by which these related materials exhibit differences in gene delivery. In cell-free assays that include dye exclusion and heparan sulfate displacement, CDP appears to have weaker binding strength with nucleic acids than CDPim. Numerous analyses involving transfected cells, however, indicate that CDPim more readily releases nucleic acids in the intracellular setting. Together, these data suggest that differences in transfection efficiency between CDP and CDPim result from factors beyond buffering activity and endosomal escape.
Osteoneogenesis: a new method for facial reconstruction.

Abstract A method of reconstructing contour defects, including stress-bearing bones, employing particulate cancellous bone for bone induction in a composite alloplastic device of polyethylene terephthalate mesh cloth impregnated with polyether urethane has been described.
The Effect of a Helium Atmosphere on the Beckman Infrared Spectrophotometer

Displacement of the air from the optical path of a Beckman IR2T spectrophotometer by helium was found to result in an increase in the current of the Nernst glower and a displacement of the wavelength calibration of the instrument. The former was attributable to the greater thermal conductivity of helium, while the latter resulted from its lower index of refraction. It was found possible to evaluate the refractive index of other gases from the observed displacements in the wavelength calibration of the instrument.
Validity and reliability of biostereometric measurement of the human female breast.

A measurement technique has been developed for application in the area of noninvasive breast cancer detection. The measurement process involves the use of closerange stereophotogrammetry as a data acquisition device necessary for determination of breast volume and volume distribution. This report details the methodology used to acquire and analyze stereopair photographs necessary to document the validity and reliability of this application. The volume of a test object was determined by both water displacement and stereophotogrammetric analysis to estimate the precision of the proposed methodology. Additionally, the reliability component of the study was documented by analyzing variability of coordinates representing a series of locations marked on the surface of an irregularly shaped object. Both tests confirm that this stereometric analysis is a reliable and valid method of measurement and may be well suited for further development in the field of breast cancer detection.
Deep ocean wave energy conversion using a cycloidal turbine

Abstract A lift based wave energy converter, namely, a cycloidal turbine, is investigated. This type of wave energy converter consists of a shaft with one or more hydrofoils attached eccentrically at a radius. The main shaft is aligned parallel to the wave crests and submerged at a fixed depth. In the two-dimensional limit, i.e. for large spans of the hydrofoil (or an array of these), the geometry of the converter is suitable for wave termination of straight crested Airy waves. Results from two-dimensional potential flow simulations, with thin hydrofoils modeled as either a point vortex or discrete vortex panel, are presented. The operation of the cycloidal turbine both as a wave generator as well as a wave-to-shaft energy converter interacting with a linear Airy wave is demonstrated. The impact on the performance of the converter for design parameters such as device size, submergence depth, and number of hydrofoils is shown. For optimal parameter choices, simulation results demonstrate inviscid energy conversion efficiencies of more than 99% of the incoming wave energy to shaft energy. This is achieved using feedback control to synchronize the rotational rate, blade pitch angle, and phase of the cycloidal wave energy converter to the incoming wave. While complete termination of the incoming wave is shown, the remainder of the energy is lost to harmonic waves traveling in the up-wave and down-wave directions.
Improving Medication Safety in the ICU: The Pharmacist’s Role

Purpose: The clinical impact of a critical care pharmacist in reducing medication errors in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting was evaluated. Methods: The study was divided into two 8-week phases: control phase without a critical care pharmacist and an ICU pharmacist phase with a critical care pharmacist. During both phases, pharmacy staff documented inter- ventions using an electronic documentation system. Interventions that could be classified as medication errors were categorized by type of error and whether they were "averted" (intervention accepted) or "not averted" (intervention not accepted). The type and frequency of medication errors, number of medication errors "avert- ed," and clinical outcomes associated with the medication errors were compared between the control and ICU pharmacist phases. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups for gender and mean age. Of the 267 interven- tions included in the ICU pharmacist phase, 256 were classified as medication errors compared with 54 of 58 interventions for the control phase. The average number of medication errors per day was significantly higher during the ICU pharmacist phase (4.27 ± 5.2) compared with the control phase (0.92 ± 1.29, P < 0.0001). The number of medication errors "averted" was higher in the ICU pharmacist phase compared with the control phase (212 vs 50). The "averted" medication errors during the ICU pharmacist phase were related to a higher percent- age of improved or resolved clinical outcomes compared with the control phase (66/194 (34%) vs 7/46 (15.2%), P = 0.013). Conclusion: A critical care pharmacist improves medication safety by identifying and preventing medication errors and improving outcomes.
MO‐B‐I‐618‐01: Recent Advances and State‐Of‐The‐Art in Screen‐Film Receptors and Film Processing

Purpose: This presentation discusses recent advances in film/screen radiography. These include a high-resolution high-contrast film/screen system for mammography, as well as a high-speed high-resolution film/screen system that provides improved image quality and opportunities for dose reduction, compared to an existing state-of-the-art, general purpose film/screen system. A description of the technical aspects and system design of these new systems is given. The new film features novel silver-halide microcrystals and is dual coated using a split E-layer coating format featuring gradient crossover control. Without sacrificing image quality, the new system can be exposed with existing intensifying screens and provides significant dose reductions. Method and Materials: This paper describes details of the system's design and performance. The film includes: 1) a dual-layer coating structure that provides high-speed and high-resolution imaging of chest and orthopedic imaging; 2) high sensitivity silver-halide microcrystals that provide high contrast and high resolution. Modulation transfer function (MTF) measurements were used to describe the resolution of various film/screen combinations using this new radiographic film and they are compared to existing state-of-the-art film/screen systems. Results: Inverse square sensitometry and MTF measurements, as well as phantom and clinical radiographs using this new film/screen system, demonstrate several benefits. A significant dose reduction is possible without reducing image quality by using standard intensifying screens. In addition, significant image quality improvements are possible in orthopedic imaging using high-resolution extremity-intensifying screens at conventional radiation doses. Conclusions: We have designed, built, and implemented a novel film/screen system for general-purpose radiography that provides high-resolution images with a potential for dose reduction or MTF improvement. Initial clinical evaluation of the system demonstrates a 2X reduction in dose without sacrificing image quality. In addition, significant resolution improvements are possible at the conventional radiation doses.
Cardiac nuclear imaging: principles, instrumentation and pitfalls

Abstract The requirements for cardiac imaging with nuclear techniques are: (1) a radiolabeled tracer that is distributed in proportion to the function under investigation; (2) a collimator to allow photons arising only from specific areas of the heart to interact with the imaging device; (3) an imaging device to convert the gamma photon energy into an electrical signal that can be processed and displayed; and (4) a computer to record the information and permit quantification and optimal display of the data. One characteristic of nuclear imaging techniques is the requirement of averaging of a number of cardiac cycles to provide data for interpretation, whereas the information recorded with nuclear probes can be analyzed on a beat by beat basis. The data can be reviewed both visually and quantitatively. Semiautomatic methods of measuring ejection fraction, which correlate well with data from cardiac catheterization, have been in clinical use for several years. However, these techniques are not capable of correctly analyzing the data from all patients. Partlcular errors occur with gating, tracking the edge of the ventricle or in the selection of a background area, which may result in the calculation of an erroneous ejection fraction. In the future, short-lived radiopharmaceutical agents will result in a lower radiation burden to patients and higher quality studies in a shorter period of time, and tomographic techniques should provide new insights into the structure and function of the heart.
L-Tyrosine Oxidase System in Tuber of Nutsedge.

In the nutsedge, Cyperus rotundus L., the oxidation of L-tyrosine follows steps similar to those reported for mammalian liver and Blattella conjuncta. The system is activated by α-keto-glutarate, L-ascorbic acid, glutathione, and pyridoxal phosphate. Folic acid markedly inhibits the reaction.
It's all in the family: multiple Toll-like receptors offer promise as novel therapeutic targets for stroke neuroprotection.

Ischemic tolerance is a biological process that can be utilized to unlock the brain’s own endogenous protection mechanisms and, as such, holds true promise for patients at risk of ischemic injury. Experimentally, preconditioning with various Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists has now been demonstrated to successfully attenuate ischemic damage, partly through genomic reprogramming of the body’s response to stroke. This treatment diminishes the inflammatory response to stroke and at the same time enhances the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines and neuroprotective mediators. This review discusses recent discoveries about the role of TLRs in preconditioning and ischemic tolerance.
Eccrine poroma of the heel.

A 67-year-old African–American woman had a tender red nodule on the posterior aspect of her left heel of 20 years' duration. The lesion had initially grown quickly to its present size, but subsequently remained unchanged through the years. No previous history of trauma to the area could be elicited. The lesion was not tender or painful, although the patient related some recent discomfort when wearing shoes with high heel counters. Examination revealed a soft, multilobulated, skin-colored nodule, measuring approximately 1.1 cm at its greatest diameter ( Fig. 1), with a rim space or moat ( Fig. 2) surrounding the lesion. Biopsy of the lesion demonstrated a uniform proliferation of basaloid cells exhibiting a sharp demarcation between the adjacent normal epidermis ( Fig. 3). No horn cysts were present. The papillary dermis demonstrated multiple ectatic blood vessels ( Fig. 4) which may be responsible for its reddish appearance. Figure 1 Multilobulated,. red, granulating lesion on the posterior heel Download figure to PowerPoint Figure 2 Note. the characteristic ‘‘moat’' surrounding the lesion Download figure to PowerPoint Figure 3 Biopsy. reveals a proliferation of uniformly small cuboidal cells sharply demarcated from the adjacent normal epidermal cells Download figure to PowerPoint Figure 4 Ectatic. vessel dilatation most likely responsible for the reddish color of the lesion Download figure to PowerPoint
Comments on “On the very idea of a system dynamics model of Kuhnian science”

Wittenberg notes some differences between models of theories and models of real systems and then concludes that validation of these two types of models must be fundamentally different: Behavior validation, which is important in validating models of real systems, loses its meaning in validating models of theories, where emphasis must shift to structural validity. My first disagreement with this argument is its implication that for models of real systems emphasis is normally on behavior validity. In fact, since system dynamics models are causal ones, structural validity must always be crucial, whether one deals with models of theories or models of real systems. Without structural validity, behavior validity is meaningless for any system dynamics model, by definition. (This is not true for noncausal, statistical models.) I therefore find superfluous, even misleading, Wittenberg's suggestion that emphasis be shifted to evaluating the structural validity of models of theories. My other objection to Wittenberg's conclusion is its suggestion that behavior validity is spurious for all models of theories, by their nature. This is a false generalization. It is often possible (sometimes necessary) to carry out tests of behavior validity on models of theories. In fact, the boundary adequacy test that Wittenberg himself performs on Sterman's model is an important counterexample. Since a major stated purpose of Sterman's model is to test the dynamic consistency of Kuhn's theory, behavior validity becomes crucial! If we argue as Wittenberg suggests, that behavior validity of Sterman's model is spurious by definition (because we have no "objective" access to the alleged behavior), then this means that the model makes a major claim tbat is impossible to test, which is tantamount to declaring tbe model void. The only way to evaluate the dynamic consistency of any theory is to compare its alleged behavior with its deduced behavior. Since Wittenberg states that the purpose of models of theories is in general "to probe an argument's internal consistency," bis conclusions about behavior validity would render all models of theories void, in principle. My disagreement with Wittenberg's distinction between validating models of real systems and validating models of theories should not imply that I am against any such distinction. One could come up with a number of practical differences
Genetic diversity of ‘Cadidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ strains in the United States and Mexico revealed by simple sequence repeat markers

‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ is associated with the Zebra Chip (ZC) disorder of potatoes. A panel of eight simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers was developed and used to genetically characterize ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ strains obtained from ZC-affected potato plants in the United States and Mexico. The multilocus SSR markers in this study effectively differentiated genotypes and estimated genetic diversity of ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ strains. Genotype assignment analyses identified two major lineages of ‘Ca. L. solanacearum’ in the North American populations while only one lineage type was identified in Mexican population. No clear genetic structure was found among haplotypes based on geographical proximity or host. The high resolution power of the SSR marker system developed in this study provides a useful tool for genotyping closely related strains and tracking sources of the pathogen. Genotype information combined with epidemiological data will advance knowledge of ZC disease and will facilitate development of effective disease management.
Pittsburgh engineering attitudes scale — Revised: Evidence for an improved instrument

In the current study, we present data from the administration of our third and final version of the PEAS-R instrument as well as a final set of items. We administered the scale to 980 engineering students in conjunction with established measures of student motivation and strategic learning. An item analysis and a principle axis analysis with an oblimin rotation indicated student responses to the items were internally reliable and structurally valid. A confirmatory factor analysis, a more rigorous test of structural validity, also produced useful results. Finally, a correlational analysis between parceled items from the revised scale and established motivational measures provided evidence of concurrent validity.
Functional electrical stimulation as a component of activity-based restorative therapy may preserve function in persons with multiple sclerosis

Objective To examine the effect of functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling on disability progression in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Design Retrospective cohort, 40 participants with mean follow-up of 15 months. Setting International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, a rehabilitation referral center. Participants Forty consecutive persons with MS undergoing rehabilitation from 2007 to 2011, with at least two evaluations based on the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI). Interventions FES cycling as part of activity-based restorative therapy interventions. Outcome measures Change in Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and ISNCSCI motor, light touch, and pin prick scores from baseline to latest evaluation. Results In 71% of patients, activity-based rehabilitation included FES cycling. There was no disability progression on the EDSS. Lower extremity motor scores improved or stabilized in 75% of pati...
TIMOLOL MALEATE—A PROMISING NEW BETA ADRENERGIC BLOCKER FOR GLAUCOMA

Summary The pharmacology and clinical effects of timolol maleate, an adrenergic beta-blocking agent, are discussed. Timolol maleate appears to exert its action by reducing aqueous production. It produces a significant drop in intraocular pressure of prolonged duration and is remarkably free from side effects. The systemic preparation reduces both intraocular pressure and systemic blood pressure.
Challenges to interdisciplinary discourse

Many of the world's critical problems involve human interactions with nature and their long-term implications for environmental quality and the sustainability of resource/ecological systems. These problems are complex-defined by the collective behaviors of people as well as by the structure and function of ecosystems-suggesting that both the social and the natural sciences should focus efforts on dimensions of these problems. The separate efforts of social and natural sciences are unlikely to fully illuminate the fabric of or fashion solutions to environmental problems. Rather, much might be gained by truly interdisciplinary research-endeavors where each constituent discipline informs the investigation of the others and where hypotheses might even be jointly formed. Interdisciplinary research seems the best hope for unraveling the complex interactions between the collective behavior of Homo sapiens and their environment and yielding workable solutions to these problems. If interdisciplinary research is needed to solve critical problems, it seems logical that interdisciplinary research journals would be forthcoming. Indeed it is only with credible platforms for communication that any scientific endeavor can persist. One could go as far as to define a science as simply an ongoing dialog among a group of scientists. Scientists are successful only to the extent that they enter the dialog in a credible fashion, where credibility is certified by the refereed journals of their discipline. For interdisciplinary research (and researchers) to be successful as a science (and scientists), it follows that refereed outlets are needed to certify its discus
Catalytic reduction of carbonyl groups in oxidized PAPC by Kvβ2 (AKR6).

The β-subunits of the voltage-gated potassium channel (Kvβ) belong to the aldo-keto reductase superfamily. The Kvβ-subunits dock with the pore-forming Kv α-subunits and impart or accelerate the rate of inactivation in Kv channels. Inactivation of Kv currents by Kvβ is differentially regulated by oxidized and reduced pyridine nucleotides. In mammals, AKR6 family is comprised of 3 different genes Kvβ1-3. We have shown previously that Kvβ2 catalyzes the reduction of a broad range of carbonyls including aromatic carbonyls, electrophilic aldehydes and prostaglandins. However, the endogenous substrates for Kvβ have not been identified. To determine whether products of lipid oxidation are substrates of Kvβs, we tested the enzymatic activity of Kvβ2 with oxidized phospholipids generated during the oxidation of 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PAPC). Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analysis showed that Kvβ2 catalyzed the NADPH-dependent reduction of several products of oxPAPC, including 1-palmitoyl-2-(5-oxovaleroyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (POVPC), 1-palmitoyl-2-(epoxycyclopentenone)-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (PECPC), 1-palmitoyl-2-(5,6)- epoxyisoprostane E2-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (PEIPC). These results were validated using high resolution mass spectrometric analysis. Time course analysis revealed that the reduced products reached significant levels for ions at m/z 594/596 (POVPC/PHVPC), 810/812 (PECPC/2H-PECPC) and 828/830 (PEIPC/2H-PEIPC) in the oxPAPC + Kvβ2 mixture (p < 0.01). These results suggest that Kvβ could serve as a sensor of lipid oxidation via its catalytic activity and thereby alter Kv currents under conditions of oxidative stress.
Motor and cognitive relaxation in the desensitization of anger.

Abstract Three procedures were assessed to determine their effectiveness in reducing anger. The procedures were: desensitization, desensitization with cognitive relaxation, and desensitization with the absence of relaxation training. Anger was aroused by exposing white males, selected for their reports of anger toward blacks, to black racial stimuli. The desensitization group reported reductions in anxiety and disgust relative to a no-treatment control group. Therapist ratings indicated reductions in anger for S s in both the desensitization and desensitization with cognitive relaxation groups. In addition the latter group reported reductions in anger concurrently with increases in diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Post-hoc analyses indicated that S s for whom desensitization was most effective reported less anger after the pretreatment anger arousal procedure, greater depth of relaxation during treatment, and were liked more by their therapists. These S s also reported a greater reduction in ethnocentrism and a trend toward lower overt hostility following treatment.
Selection of intracellular calcium patterns in a model with clustered Ca2+ release channels

A two-dimensional model is proposed for intracellular Ca 2 + waves, which incorporates both the discrete nature of Ca 2 + release sites in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane and the stochastic dynamics of the clustered inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP 3 ) receptors. Depending on the Ca 2 + diffusion coefficient and concentration of IP 3 , various spontaneous Ca 2 + patterns, such as calcium puffs, local waves, abortive waves, global oscillation, and tide waves, can be observed. We further investigate the speed of the global waves as a function of the IP 3 concentration and the Ca 2 + diffusion coefficient and under what conditions the spatially averaged Ca 2 + response can be described by a simple set of ordinary differential equations.
Influence of strain rate and temperature on the structure/property behavior of high-purity titanium

The effect of strain rate, temperature, grain size, and texture on the substructure and mechanical response of high-purity polycrystalline titanium is presented. The compressive stress-strain response of 20 and 240 {mu}m grain size high-purity Ti was found to depend on both the applied strain rate; 0.001 {le} {epsilon} {le} 7500 s{sup -1}, and the test temperature; 77 {le} T {le} 873 K. The rate of strain hardening in Ti is seen to increase with increasing strain rate. The substructure of high-purity Ti deformed at high-strain-rate or quasi-statically at 77K displayed a higher incidence of deformation twinning than during quasi-static deformation at 298K.
Opposing actions of chronic stress and chronic nicotine on striatal function in mice.

Abstract Stress is a major risk factor in drug addiction development and relapse. Virtually all drugs of abuse act by increasing extracellular dopamine levels in the striatum. To gain an understanding of the interaction between stress and drug exposure, we studied the effects of concomitant chronic nicotine and chronic stress exposure on mouse striatal dopamine levels. C57Bl6/J mice were treated with nicotine in the drinking water or control solution for at least 6 weeks. Some mice were chronically stressed by daily exposure to cold, shaking or restrain. Nicotine-treated mice showed up-regulation of epibatidine binding in several brain regions. In mice treated with both chronic nicotine and stress, epibatidine binding was increased in all studied areas except the dorsal striatum. Therefore, microdialysis was used to measure extracellular dopamine levels in the dorsal striatum of mice chronically treated with nicotine, stress, or both. To have a measure of striatal response to different challenges, we performed microdialysis after acute injection of saline, nicotine, and cocaine. Chronic nicotine enhanced nicotine-dependent dopamine release, while chronic stress blunted the response to cocaine. When mice were subjected to both chronic nicotine and chronic stress, nicotine- and cocaine-dependent dopamine release was undistinguishable from that of control animals. In conclusion, our data suggest that chronic stress and chronic nicotine counteract each other's effect on dopamine release in the striatum. This effect might be mediated by changes in nicotinic acetylcholine receptor up-regulation. This “normalization” of striatal function when both nicotine and stress are present might help explain the comorbidity between stress-related disorders and drug abuse.
Uneven Magnitude of Disparities in Cancer Risks from Air Toxics

This study examines race- and income-based disparities in cancer risks from air toxics in Cancer Alley, LA, USA. Risk estimates were obtained from the 2005 National Air Toxics Assessment and socioeconomic and race data from the 2005 American Community Survey, both at the census tract level. Disparities were assessed using spatially weighted ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and quantile regression (QR) for five major air toxics, each with cancer risk greater than 10−6. Spatial OLS results showed that disparities in cancer risks were significant: People in low-income tracts bore a cumulative risk 12% more than those in high-income tracts (p < 0.05), and those in black-dominant areas 16% more than in white-dominant areas (p < 0.01). Formaldehyde and benzene were the two largest contributors to the disparities. Contributions from emission sources to disparities varied by compound. Spatial QR analyses showed that magnitude of disparity became larger at the high end of exposure range, indicating worsened disparity in the poorest and most highly concentrated black areas. Cancer risk of air toxics not only disproportionately affects socioeconomically disadvantaged and racial minority communities, but there is a gradient effect within these groups with poorer and higher minority concentrated segments being more affected than their counterparts. Risk reduction strategies should target emission sources, risk driver chemicals, and especially the disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Structures of α-type ions formed in the 157 nm photodissociation of singly-charged peptide ions

One hundred fifty-seven nm photodissociation of singly-charged peptide ions induces the cleavage of α-carbon to carbonyl-carbon bonds along the backbone. an + 1 radical ions are observed as the primary photolysis products of peptides with N-terminal arginines in a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. The radical elimination pathways undertaken by the an + 1 radical ions to form more stable even-electron species are studied in hydrogen-deuterium (H/D) exchange experiments. Two types of an ions along with d-type ions are observed as secondary elimination products. The relative abundance of each depends on the C-terminal residue of the radical fragment ion.
NEGATIVE AFFECT AND PAIN IN ARTHRITIS

Rheumatic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), and fibromyalgia (FM) are characterized by a chronic disease course and relative resistance to most available medical treatments. Few medical patients suffer as much intense pain and discomfort as those with arthritis, 34 and epidemiologic studies suggest that individuals with chronic pain tend to have higher levels of affective distress (e.g., anxiety and depression) than do nonpain populations. 74 The purpose of this article is to explore how pain, affective distress, and arthritis are related. The first section of this article addresses basic definitions and theoretic issues regarding the relationship between pain and negative affect in arthritis. The second section examines extant empirical research about the relationships between pain and negative affect in arthritis and also considers possible mechanisms for these relationships. The third section briefly addresses future research directions and highlights treatment implications. Because most of the authors' research has focused on RA, the article concentrates on RA, although certain aspects of OA and FM literatures are addressed.
POLARIZATION OBSERVABLES FOR K+Λ AND K+Σ0 PHOTOPRODUCTION FROM POLARIZED PROTONS

The search for undiscovered excited states of the nucleon continues to be a focus of experiments at Jefferson Lab. Recent LQCD calculations have confirmed long-standing quark-model predictions of many more states than have so far been identified.1 A large effort for the N* program has been launched using the CLAS detector to provide the database that will allow nearly model-independent partial wave analyses to be carried out in the search for such states. Polarization observables play a crucial role in this effort, as they are essential in disentangling overlapping resonant and non-resonant amplitudes. In 2010, double-polarization data were taken at JLab using circularly polarized photons incident on a transversely polarized frozen-spin butanol target.2 Our current analysis yields preliminary data of the T and F asymmetries of the K+Λ and K+Σ0 final states, which are compared to predictions of recent multipole analyses. This work is the first of its kind and will significantly broaden the world database for these reactions.
Response to Coyne et al

The Coyne, Issacs, and Schwartz comment appears to rest on a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between a critique and an original work.
Neutralizing IL-6 Reduces Human Arterial Allograft Rejection by Allowing Emergence of CD161+ CD4+ Regulatory T Cells

Perioperative injuries to an allograft exacerbate graft rejection, which in humans is primarily mediated by effector memory T cells. IL-6 transcripts in human coronary artery segments rapidly increase posttransplantation into immunodeficient mouse hosts compared with those of pretransplant specimens and fall dramatically by 30 d. Adoptive transfer of human PBMCs allogeneic to the artery 2 d postoperatively results in T cell infiltrates and intimal expansion 4 wk later. Ab neutralization of human IL-6 reduces the magnitude of intimal expansion and total T cell infiltration but increases the relative expression of CD161 while decreasing other Th17 markers. Coculture of MHC class II-expressing human endothelial cells (ECs) with allogeneic CD4(+) memory T cells results in T cell activation and EC secretion of IL-6. Neutralizing IL-6 in primary allogeneic T cell-EC cocultures results in enhanced T cell proliferation of CD161(+) CD4(+) T cells, reduces total T cell proliferation upon restimulation in secondary cultures (an effect dependent on CD161(+) T cells), increases expression of FOXP3 in CD161(+) T cells, and generates T cells that suppress proliferation of freshly isolated T cells. These data suggest that IL-6 released from injured allograft vessels enhances allogeneic T cell infiltration and intimal expansion in a model of human allograft rejection by inhibiting an increase in CD161(+) regulatory T cells.
Near-Ideal Strength in Gold Nanowires Achieved through Microstructural Design

The ideal strength of crystalline solids refers to the stress at elastic instability of a hypothetical defect-freecrystalwithinfinitedimensionssubjectedtoanincreasingload.Experimentallyobservedmetallicwires of a few tens of nanometers in diameter usually yield far before the ideal strength, because different types of surface or structural defects, such as surface inhomogeneities or grain boundaries, act to decrease the stress required for dislocation nucleation and irreversible deformation. In this study, however, we report on atomistic simulations of near-ideal strength in pure Au nanowires with complex faceted structures related to realistic nanowires. The microstructure dependence of tensile strength in face-centered cubic Au nanowires with either cylindrical or faceted surface morphologies was studied by classical molecular dynamics simulations. We demonstrate that maximum strength and steep size effects from the twin boundary spacing are best achieved in zigzagAunanowiresmadeofaparallelarrangementofcoherenttwinboundariesalongtheaxis,and{111 ¯ }surface facets. Surface faceting in Au NWs gives rise to a novel yielding mechanism associated with the nucleation and propagation of full dislocations along {001}110slip systems, instead of the common {111 ¯ }112partial slip observed in face-centered cubic metals. Furthermore, a shift from surface dislocation nucleation to homogeneous dislocationnucleationarisesasthetwinboundaryspacingisdecreasedbelowacriticallimitinfacetednanowires. It is thus discovered that special defects can be utilized to approach the ideal strength of gold in nanowires by microstructural design.
The design of optical cloaks based on dielectric resonator arrays comprised of chalcogenide glass

The recently introduced coordinate transformation method provides the mathematical foundation for designing electromagnetic “invisibility” cloaks based on a prescribed spatial variation in their constitutive parameters [1–5]. It was demonstrated that by using a reduced set of material parameters for TE/TM incident waves, a cylindrical cloak design would require only one component of permeability/permittivity to be variable in the radial direction, although one undesirable side effect of this simplification is that it resulted in a non-perfect impedance match. The microwave cloak demonstarted in [2] for a TE incident wave was built from a metamaterial consisting of split-ring resonators (SRRs) that provided variable permeability. Moreover, in [4] it was suggested that an optical cloak could be designed from composite layers comprising metal nanowires to provide for permittivity variation under TM excitation. However, losses due to the metallic components employed in these cloak designs should significantly degrade the cloak performance [3], especially at higher frequencies of operation (e.g., infrared and visible). It is, therefore, very attractive to consider all-dielectric metamaterials for application in optical cloaking. The possibility of constructing all-dielectric metamaterials from ceramic dielectric resonators (DRs) for operation at microwave frequencies was demonstrated in [6, 7]. Recently, the properties of chalcogenides have attracted a lot of attention due to their high refractive index and low-loss over a relatively wide spectral range (near- to mid-infrared). For example, chalcogenide glass has been used to fabricate photonic crystals [8]. This paper introduces a design methodology for low-loss optical cloaks that is based on arrays of chalcogenide glass resonators. We employ full-wave electromagnetic simulations to investigate resonance modes of DRs, examine experimentally measured material parameters of available chalcogenide glass, and design resonator configurations and their arrangenment in the cloak for operation in the near-infrared range. Coupling effects in these DR arrays are considered and taken into account.