cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monitoring thrombolytic therapy.

HROMBOLYTIC THERAPY for acute myocardial infarction (MI) now represents the standard of care for many patients. A large number of clinical trials have demonstrated improvement in survival and cardiac function following treatment of acute MI with thrombolytic agents,‘.’ and the use of thrombolytic therapy is rapidly spreading to community hospitals. A number of clinical trials are focused on expanding the eligibility criteria for thrombolytic therapy to groups excluded from initial studies. The consequent widespread use of thrombolytic therapy will necessitate an understanding of the comphcations of this therapy and a strategy for their management. The major complications are failure of initial coronary reperfusion, coronary reocclusion, and hemorrhage. This article will review the fibrinolytic system and then examine the use of laboratory and noninvasive cardiac monitoring of clinical outcome following fibrinolytic therapy.
Effects of Lighting Spectrum and Disturbance Level on the Growth and Stress Responses of Yellow Perch Perca flavescens

.— We evaluated the effects of different lighting spectra and routine disturbances on the growth and stress responses of yellow perch Perca, flavescens. Fish were reared in tanks under one of three different lighting spectra: blue (405–530 nm), red (600–750 nm). or full spectrum (380–750 nm). For each lighting spectrum, fish were reared under one of two disturbance levels: one in which the fish were exposed to 2–4 daily routine disturbances which typify intensive tank culture conditions (e.g., casting shadows over the tank, sham tank siphoning, and dissolved oxygen measurement: ‘disturbed’). or a second treatment in which such disturbances were minimized (‘undisturbed’). The fish were reared for 87 d under temperature, photoperiod. and feeding conditions near optimal for the growth of yellow perch. The cortisol stress response of the different fish groups was evaluated by measuring baseline serum cortisol levels on days 0, 1,3, and 21, and by measuring cortisol levels 30 min after the application of an acute handling stressor on days 0, 1, and 3. Treatment effects on growth were measured from days 21–86 of the study. On day 87, various organs and parameters were evaluated to compare the health and condition of fish reared under the different treatments. Disturbed fish gained less weight and length, and had a significantly lower condition factor than undisturbed fish. Additionally, the disturbed fish showed no signs of acclimation to the frequent disturbances. The fish under red and full spectrum light gained more length than those under blue light. Frequent disturbance had a greater negative effect on length gain in fish reared under red light than in those reared under the other light treatments. On day 21, but not on other days, baseline cortisol levels were higher in disturbed than in undisturbed fish. Undisturbed fish had higher levels of mesentery fat than disturbed fish. Our results demonstrate that yellow perch growth can be significantly affected by disturbance level and lighting conditions. These factors should be taken into consideration when developing culture strategies to maximize the growth of yellow perch reared under intensive culture conditions.
A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Trials of Rescue Percutaneous Coronary Intervention After Failed Fibrinolysis

Previous trials have suggested clinical benefit with rescue percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after failed fibrinolysis, but more recent, larger studies are conflicting. Therefore, we designed a meta-analysis to determine whether rescue PCI improves outcomes compared with conservative therapy in the setting of early failure of fibrinolysis. We searched MEDLINE for randomized trials by using the Medical Subject Heading terms "angioplasty," "myocardial infarction," "thrombolytic therapy," and "fibrinolysis." The inclusion criteria were (1) acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction initially treated with fibrinolytics, (2) randomization of patients with failed fibrinolysis to immediate PCI or conservative therapy, and (3) available short-term clinical outcome data. The primary end point was short-term mortality and secondary end points were thromboembolic stroke and heart failure. Numbers of events were tabulated for each trial and risk ratios (RRs) were computed. Five trials were included for analysis. The pooled RR estimates showed a 36% decrease in the risk of death in the rescue arm (RR 0.64, 95% confidence interval 0.41 to 1.00, p=0.048) and a marginally significant 28% decrease in the risk of heart failure (RR 0.72, 95% confidence interval 0.51 to 1.01, p=0.06). We also found a marginally increased risk of thromboembolic stroke in the rescue arm (RR 3.61, 95% confidence interval 0.91 to 14.27, p=0.07). In conclusion, rescue PCI in the setting of early fibrinolytic failure improves mortality, but this is tempered by a possible increase in the risk of thromboembolic stroke.
Inhibition of hemagglutination activity of influenza A viruses by SP-A1 and SP-A2 variants expressed in CHO cells.

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) inhibits hemagglutination (HA) activity and infectivity of influenza A viruses (IAV). As we have showed before in different assays, SP-A2 gene products are more active than SP-A1. Here, we hypothesized that SP-A1 and SP-A2 mammalian CHO-cell-expressed proteins also differentially modulate HA inhibition of IAV. We found that both SP-A1 and SP-A2 equally displayed α(2,3)-linked sialic acids, and had similar activity against a strain (PR-8) that preferentially binds to α(2,3)-linked sialic acids. Based on these findings, we speculate that in human lung SP-A1 and SP-A2 will not be different in their activity against IAV that preferably bind to α(2,3)-linked sialic acids (like avian strains).
A three-stage approach for the resource-constrained shortest path as a sub-problem in column generation

This paper focuses on the common scenario in which the resource-constrained shortest path problem (RCSP) on an acyclic graph is a sub-problem in the context of column generation. It proposes a pseudo-polynomial time, three-stage solution approach. Stages 1 (preprocessing) and 2 (setup) are implemented one time to transform RCSP into a shortest path problem, which is solved by stage 3 (iterative solution) at each column generation iteration, each time with different arc costs. This paper analyzes certain properties related to each stage as well as algorithm complexity. Computational tests compare the performances of this method, a state-of-the-art label-setting algorithm, and CPLEX optimization software on four classes of instances, each of which involves either one or multiple resources, and show that the new method is effective. The new method outperforms the label-setting algorithm when resource limitations are tight-as can be expected in practice, and outperforms CPLEX for all tested instances. The label-setting algorithm outperforms CPLEX for all single-resource RCSP instances and almost all multiple-resource RCSP instances.
Are blind babies delayed in achieving social understanding

Barresi & Moore's account predicts that infants deprived of visual input will be delayed in achieving social understanding, a hypothesis that receives some support from studies of language use. by blind children. It is proposed that recently developed false belief and appearance/reality tasks be used to explore this issue further. Three possibly distracting conceptual issues are also discussed.
Emergency Ultrasound Usage Among Recent Emergency Medicine Residency Graduates of a Convenience Sample of 14 Residencies

Abstract Background: Emergency Medicine (EM) residency graduates are trained to perform Emergency Medicine bedside ultrasound (EMBU). However, the degree to which they use this skill in their practice after graduation is unknown. Objectives: We sought to test the amount and type of usage of EMBU among recent residency graduates, and how usage and barriers vary among various types of EM practice settings. Methods: Graduates from 14 EM residency programs in 2003–2005 were surveyed on their current practice setting and use of EMBU. Results: There were 252 (73%) graduates who completed the survey. Of the 73% of respondents reporting access to EMBU, 98% had used it within the past 3 months. Access to EMBU was higher in academic (97%) vs. community teaching (79%) vs. community non-teaching settings (62%) ( p p
Modulations in the oscillatory activity of the Globus Pallidus internus neurons during a behavioral task-A point process analysis

The behavioral state of a subject is hypothesized to be reflected in the oscillatory modulations of the spiking activity of certain groups of neurons. In particular, the beta- and gamma-bands have been experimentally shown to be related to movement in the motor cortex and parts of the basal ganglia. Here, we analyze the relationship between directional tuning and oscillations in the beta- and gamma-bands of the neurons in the Globus Pallidus internus (GPi) of two healthy nonhuman primates during a radial center-out motor task. We find that, during the planning stages of the movement, the percentage of directionally tuned neurons displaying gamma oscillations increases when compared to the percentage of directionally tuned neurons displaying beta oscillations. A similar trend is not seen in non-directionally tuned neurons. This suggests that the GPi neurons involved in the planning of movement communicate information using an emergence of oscillations in the gamma-band.
Fanning The ‘Judgment of Paris’: The Early Modern Beauty Contest

In this article I consider the ‘Judgment of Paris’ story that decorates the leaf of a fan made in the late seventeenth century. I review the popularity of this legend in seventeenth-century painting, music, and literature and explore how the concept of female beauty in competition was reflected in the practice of female portraiture in the period, particularly in the collections known as ‘beauties series’. I examine how some women (Elisabeth Charlotte d’Orleans, Sophia of Hanover, Marie Mancini Colonna and Hortense Mancini Mazarin) both resisted and participated in these early modern beauty contests, in their written commentary and in their activities as subjects and patrons of art.
Surgical management and radiological characteristics of bronchogenic cysts

Forty-two patients with bronchogenic cysts were treated over a 30-year period (1962 to 1991). The location was mediastinal in 37 and intrapulmonary in 5. Cysts were symptomatic in 21 patients (50%) and complications occurred in 11 (26%). The complications included infection in 5 patients, hemorrhage into the cyst in 2 patients, dysphagia due to esophageal compression in 2, adenocarcinoma arising from a bronchogenic cyst in an 8 1/2-year-old girl, and an esophagobronchopleurocutaneous fistula as a result of previous incomplete resection in 1 patient. Magnetic resonance imaging has been found to provide specific diagnostic information about bronchogenic cysts. All but 2 patients were treated with complete excision. One patient was managed by observation and another had drainage of the cyst by mediastinoscopy. Complications of treatment occurred in only 2 patients. One had a minor wound infection and the other had Clostridium difficile enterocolitis. Only 4 patients were lost to follow-up. No late complication or recurrence developed in those patients having complete excision. We recommend complete excision in most instances to confirm the diagnosis, relieve symptoms, and prevent complications.
Performance assessment model for academic libraries

Academic libraries are facing increased difficulties in carrying out their functions by traditional means. The continuing explosion of information coupled with spiraling costs are challenging library managers to accommodate these trends with little or no increase in funding. To meet this challenge, library managers must utilize and allocate resources in a more institutionally effective manner. Effective decision-making and planning, however, require appropriate management information. This article describes a conceptual framework for the development of a management information system including performance assessment components for linking institutional goals, library performance, and library management decision-making. The operational methodology required to evaluate resource allocations consistent with aggregate user needs and delineated organizational objectives is outlined. The resultant system would continuously monitor user needs, document availability, service utilization, and user productivity as means both to identify problems and opportunities and to assess the consequences of management decisions.
Nonlinear spin waves in ferrite waveguides: solitons, bullets, wave front reversal

Nonlinear spin waves in ferrite film waveguides provide a superb model system for experimental investigations of nonlinear waves. Propagation and collisions of envelope solitons and bullets, parametric amplification, and wave front reversal can be directly observed in ferrite films.
Development and the Household: Missing the point?

Over the past two decades development has been shifting its focus toward smaller scales and particular problems. As a result, the household has become an increasingly important institution for development, and has come under increased scrunity as development practitioners and scholars seek to better understand this institution’s functions and foundations, trying to ‘get the household right’. These efforts, rather than clarifying the character and the function of the household, have contributed to its indeterminacy by reifying the very institution they seek to analyse. Arguing that these efforts fundamentally miss the point of examining the household, this paper introduces a different framework of analysis that addresses the household not as a fixed object of research, but as a local construction that embodies flows of power and knowledge both within and transcending the local. Using the example of varying constructions of the household in two villages in Ghana’s Central Region, this article illustrates how such an approach allows us to address the various functions of the household as particular embodiments of these flows, an approach that better explains the endurance or ephemerality of these functions. Such an approach provides a stronger foundation for the consideration of how particular constructions of this institution may have troubling implications for issues like gender equity and sustainability.
Application Of The Laser-Induced Fluorescence Technique To The Study Of Heterogeneous Catalytic Reactions

The laser-induced fluorescence technique has been employed to detect hydroxyl radicals (HO) present in the decomposition of water (H20) and the oxidation of hydrogen (H2) by several oxidants over polycrystalline platinum surfaces. The activation energy and the internal energy content of the HO formed in the desorption process: H* + O* -- HO* + * -- HO(g) + 2* have been quantitatively determined for the first time. The mechanism for the catalytic oxidation of H2 and the decomposition of water as well as the dynamics of HO radical production will be reviewed in detail.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Why a mechanical disc

Abstract Low back pain secondary to degenerative disc disease is an overwhelming and growing problem in the United States and Western countries. Most degenerative disc disease can be treated nonoperatively. There are, however, substantial numbers of patients who have not benefited from exhaustive nonoperative treatments and subsequently seek surgical solutions to their incapacitating back pain. Lumbar fusion for back pain and/or leg pain associated with degenerative disc disease is considered the gold standard by which other treatments are judged. A challenge to spinal fusion for degenerative disc disease is now being offered in the form of the artificial disc. The implantation of an artificial lumbar disc allows for maintenance or restoration of physiologic movement at affected segments. A major long-term complication of spinal fusion is degeneration of a disc adjacent to the fused segments. Theoretically, the maintenance of motion could minimize development of adjacent disc degeneration as seen with spinal fusion. It is interesting to note that fusion of the hip or knee is not considered a primary procedure, but fusion is a primary procedure for the lumbar spine. Four artificial lumbar discs are discussed in this article. Early results are promising in terms of clinical results and movement, but long-term follow-up clinical trials must be done in order to gain an accurate comparison with spinal fusion. Trials are currently ongoing. The clinical results up to now and the potential for maintaining lumbar mobility throughout life warrant continuation of this surgical procedure.
Dual Role of Ancient Ubiquitous Protein 1 (AUP1) in Lipid Droplet Accumulation and Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) Protein Quality Control

Quality control of endoplasmic reticulum proteins involves the identification and engagement of misfolded proteins, dislocation of the misfolded protein across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, and ubiquitin-mediated targeting to the proteasome for degradation. Ancient ubiquitous protein 1 (AUP1) physically associates with the mammalian HRD1-SEL1L complex, and AUP1 depletion impairs degradation of misfolded ER proteins. One of the functions of AUP1 in ER quality control is to recruit the soluble E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBE2G2. We further show that the CUE domain of AUP1 regulates polyubiquitylation and facilitates the interaction of AUP1 with the HRD1 complex and with dislocation substrates. AUP1 localizes both to the ER and to lipid droplets. The AUP1 expression level affects the abundance of cellular lipid droplets and as such represents the first protein with lipid droplet regulatory activity to be linked to ER quality control. These findings indicate a possible connection between ER protein quality control and lipid droplets.
The effects of intergroup competition and assigned group goals on group efficacy and group effectiveness

Goal setting and competition are two motivation techniques that are thought to have similar effects on goal variables and performance. This study tests the proposition that assigned goals and compe...
Investigations of a series of PPDI‐based polyurethane block copolymers. II. Annealing effects

In a previous study, the morphologies of a group of paraphenylene diisocyanate (PPDI)-based polyurethane block copolymers were examined. These polyurethanes exhibited a multiphase structure with an interfacial boundary thickness estimated to be on the order of 1 nm and crystallization of the polyoxytetramethylene (POTM) flexible segment. Further studies involving annealing of these polyurethanes are reported here. An annealing time of 4 h was used, and the annealing temperature varied from 125 to 200°C. The samples have been characterized using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and with wide- and small-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS, SAXS) in order to determine the effects of annealing on the microphase structure. Annealing increases the phase separation of the two phases as evidenced by sharper endotherms in DSC thermograms and increased intensities in WAXS diffractometer traces. Annealing also slightly increases the transition zone thickness and long-period spacing. At the highest annealing temperature in this study, the long-period spacing increases dramatically due to hard segment domain aggregation.
Composition matters: multi‐context informal mentoring networks for low‐income urban adolescent girls pursuing healthcare careers

In the career research literature focused on adults, diversely composed mentoring networks are advocated due to their effectiveness in providing a wide range of mentoring functions. This study investigates the composition of informal mentoring networks utilized by low‐income urban adolescent girls with healthcare college and career aspirations. In this study, sixty ethnically diverse students in their third year of secondary school participated in a survey about their future educational and career plans and the persons providing support for their future plans. The number of mentoring sources and the number of contexts from which mentoring was derived were both positively associated with the number of mentoring functions (i.e., receiving both socio‐emotional and instrumental functions, more comprehensive array of instrumental mentoring functions). Results suggest that diversely composed, or multi‐context, informal mentoring networks are effective in supporting adolescents in their educational and career pu...
Phylogeny, divergence time estimates, and phylogeography of the diploid species of the polypodium vulgare complex (Polypodiaceae)

The Polypodium vulgare complex (Polypodiaceae) comprises a well-studied group of fern taxa whose members are cryptically differentiated morphologically and have generated a confusing and highly reticulate species cluster. Once considered a single species spanning much of northern Eurasia and North America, P. vulgare has been segregated into 17 diploid and polyploid taxa as a result of cytotaxonomic work, hybridization experiments, and isozyme studies conducted during the 20th century. Despite considerable effort, however, the evolutionary relationships among the diploid members of the P. vulgare complex remain poorly resolved. Here we infer a diploids-only phylogeny of the P. vulgare complex and related species to test previous hypotheses concerning relationships within Polypodium sensu stricto. Using sequence data from four plastid loci (atpA, rbcL, matK, and trnG-trnR), we recovered a monophyletic P. vulgare complex comprising four well-supported clades. The P. vulgare complex is resolved as sister to the Neotropical P. plesiosorum group and these, in turn, are sister to the Asian endemic Pleurosoriopsis makinoi. Using divergence time analyses incorporating previously derived age constraints and fossil data, we estimate an early Miocene origin for the P. vulgare complex and a late Miocene-Pliocene origin for the four major diploid lineages of the complex, with the majority of extant diploid species diversifying from the late Miocene through the Pleistocene. Finally, we use our node age estimates to reassess previous hypotheses, and to propose new hypotheses, about the historical events that shaped the diversity and current geographic distribution of the diploid species of the P. vulgare complex.
Theory of helium submonolayers: Formulation of the problem and solution in the zero coverage limit

We are concerned here with the physical adsorption of helium atoms on a crystal surface. A general formulation of the problem is first given, which takes into account both the static periodic potential of a model substrate and He-He interactions. This formulation leads in a natural way to expressions of surface phonon states obtained recently by Jackson. As the first step of carrying out our formalism, we extend an earlier single-particle calculation by Lennard-Jones and Devonshire. A set of basis functions consisting of products of Mathieu functions and eigenfunctions of a Morse Hamiltonian are defined, and a low-order perturbative calculation is performed. While the procedure provides a qualitative description of the energy bands, it appears to be quantitatively inadequate. To facilitate a basis for future work, which will include the effects of correlations between the helium atoms, we carry out variational calculations in this zero-coverage limit, using various combinations of Gaussian and Morse functions. A reasonably single combination results in a ground-state energy which is just 1% higher than that of Ricca, Pisani, and Garrone, who performed elaborate computations to solve a secular equation obtained with harmonic oscillator basis functions.
Priorities in the financing of education

Abstract No state budget in any country will be able to satisfy in the future the exploding social demand for education. Therefore, resources for educational expansion will have to be provided increasingly from private sources. The limited state resources for education will have to be targeted mainly to activities associated with efficiency, equity and externalities. This includes primary education, general communications skills, demonstrated quality inputs, the initial funding of a student loan scheme and scholarships for the poor.
Effect of Plethora and Hemorrhage on Left Ventricular Volume and Pressure

By combining conventional methods for recording pressures from the left ventricle and pleural cavity with a new procedure for estimating end-diastolic volume (EDV) and end-systolic volume (ESV) of the left ventricle it was found in the closed-chest dog that plethora increased EDV, ESV and stroke volume while hemorrhage had the opposite effect. There were linear relationships between EDV and ESV, and between EDV and stroke volume. There was little change in left ventricular "effective" end-diastolic pressure when the EDV changed over a wide range, beginning with the smallest EDV consistent with life; but after a certain large EDV had been reached, large increases in effective end-diastolic pressure were associated with little or no further increase in EDV.
Heterogeneity in Vaccine Immune Response: The Role of Immunogenetics and the Emerging Field of Vaccinomics

Recent advances in the fields of immunology, genetics, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and the Human Genome Project have allowed for the emergence of the field of vaccinomics. Vaccinomics encompasses the fields of immunogenetics and immunogenomics as applied to understanding the mechanisms of heterogeneity in immune responses to vaccines. In this study, we examine the role of HLA genes, cytokine genes, and cell surface receptor genes as examples of how genetic polymorphism leads to individual and population variations in immune responses to vaccines. In turn, this data, in concert with new high-throughput technology, inform the immune-response network theory to vaccine response. Such information can be used in the directed and rational development of new vaccines, and this new golden age of vaccinology has been termed "predictive vaccinology", which will predict the likelihood of a vaccine response or an adverse response to a vaccine, the number of doses needed and even whether a vaccine is likely to be of benefit (i.e., is the individual at risk for the outcome for which the vaccine is being administered?).
Assessing the Effect of Estimation Error on Population Viability Analysis: An Example Using the Black-Capped Vireo

Population viability analysis (PVA) is usually conducted assuming that values of factors that characterize both average conditions and natural variability (stochasticity) are error-free. However, those values are often estimates of true parameters and, therefore, have an associated estimation error. This error, also called uncertainty, arises from limitations of the methods used to estimate parameter values, such as sampling, measurement, and expert opinion error. Natural resource management decisions must be made in spite of incomplete information, and the impact of uncertainty when establishing specific management objectives must be assessed. We propose a strategy to reflect our current degree of knowledge about stochastic and average system conditions by accounting for error in parameter estimates of PVA models and assessing its effect on establishing endangered species conservation objectives. Using the computer simulation model vortex, we applied this strategy to the black-capped vireo (Vireo atricapillus), an endangered neotropical migrant land bird species. We pursued two conservation goals in this study: probability of persistence and retention of genetic diversity of at least 95 and 90%, respectively, over the next 100 years. We evaluated two situations, one accounting for uncertainty, the other not. Achieving the conservation goals while explicitly accounting for estimate uncertainty required more demanding management objectives than that assuming no uncertainty. Under static carrying capacity, we had to increase fecundity 40% from 2.5 to 3.5 young fledged per female per year to meet the conservation goals. Explicitly incorporating estimation error into PVA allows us not only to assess the range of possible fates an endangered species may face, but also to establish measures necessary for meeting the conservation goals despite current levels of uncertainty.
Electrocardiographic presentation of blacks with first myocardial infarction does not explain race differences in thrombolysis administration.

Abstract Background Previous studies have suggested that thrombolysis is used less often in blacks than in whites. However, whether the greater prevalence of contraindications or less specific electrocardiographic manifestations of myocardial infarction (MI) account for this difference is unclear. Methods and Results We studied 498 consecutive patients (32% blacks) with first MI. Initial electrocardiograms were analyzed, blinded to race and outcome, for ST-segment deviation and bundle branch block to determine eligibility for thrombolysis. The relation of electrocardiographic eligibility for thrombolysis and actual use of thrombolysis in both races was explored. Among blacks, 45% received thrombolysis compared with 66% of whites ( P P =.116), but 62% of electrocardiography-eligible blacks were treated with thrombolysis compared with 75% of whites ( P =.016). After accounting for eligibility for electrocardiography and other clinical variables likely to affect the decision to administer thrombolysis by means of conditional logistic regression, blacks were still less likely to receive thrombolysis (relative risk 0.73; 95% confidence interval 0.55 to 0.97). Conclusions We conclude that the differences in thrombolysis administration to blacks and whites are not accounted for by differences in electrocardiographic presentation or other measured variables. Unmeasured differences in clinical presentation of MI may explain racial differences in thrombolysis and merits further study. (Am Heart J 2000;140:200-5.)
Foraging patterns of yellow-bellied marmosts: role of kinship and individual variability

Two colonies of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) at an elevation of 2900 m in Colorado were studied to elucidate the role of various behavioral and ecological factors as determinants of spatial foraging patterns. The locations of known individuals were periodically recorded. These locality data were plotted as three-dimensional block diagrams, the peak heights representing the frequency of observation. Predation risk and vegetation distribution influenced the location of foraging areas; kinship was an important factor in the determination of the amount of foraging area shared between individual marmots. Spatial overlap tended to be greater among close kin, but this was modified by individual behavioral characteristics, reproductive state, the existence of separate burrow systems within a colony, and the age of the animal. Mothers and juveniles, and littermates as young and resident yearlings, had nearly identical foraging areas.
Parietal control of attentional guidance: The significance of sensory, motivational and motor factors

The lateral intraparietal area (LIP), a portion of monkey posterior parietal cortex, has been implicated in spatial attention. We review recent evidence showing that LIP encodes a priority map of the external environment that specifies the momentary locus of attention and is activated in a variety of behavioral tasks. The priority map in LIP is shaped by task-specific motor, cognitive and motivational variables, the functional significance of which is not entirely understood. We suggest that these modulations represent teaching signals by which the brain learns to identify attentional priority of various stimuli based on the task-specific associations between these stimuli, the required action and expected outcome.
Abstract 1554: Rosiglitazone and Gemcitabine combination therapy reduces immune suppression and modulates T cell populations in pancreatic cancer

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a leading cause of cancer mortality with a dismal 2-5% 5-year survival rate. Monotherapy with Gemcitabine has limited success, highlighting the need for additional therapies that enhance the efficacy of current treatments. We evaluated the combination of Gemcitabine and Rosiglitazone Maleate, an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of type II diabetes, in an immunocompetent transplantable mouse model of pancreatic cancer. Tumor progression, survival and metastases were evaluated in mice with subcutaneous or orthotopic pancreatic tumors treated with Pioglitazone, Rosiglitazone, Gemcitabine or combinations of these. We characterized the impact of high dose Rosiglitazone and Gemcitabine therapy on immune suppressive mediators, including MDSC and T regulatory cells, and on modulation of peripheral and intra-tumoral T cell populations. Combinations of Rosiglitazone and Gemcitabine significantly reduced tumor progression and metastases, enhanced apoptosis, and significantly extended overall survival compared to Gemcitabine alone. Rosiglitazone altered tumor-associated immune suppressive mediators by limiting early MDSC accumulation and intra-tumoral T regulatory cells. Combination therapy with Rosiglitazone and Gemcitabine modulated T cell populations by enhancing circulating CD8+ T cells and intra-tumoral CD4+ and CD8+ T cells while limiting T regulatory cells. The results suggest that Rosiglitazone, in combination with Gemcitabine, decreases immune suppressive mechanisms in immunocompetent animals and provide pre-clinical data in support of combining Rosiglitazone and Gemcitabine as a clinical therapy for pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1554. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1554
Cardiopulmonary Performance at Rest and Exercise After Repair of Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Connection

Although long-term evaluations of patients after repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection have generally shown them to be clinically asymptomatic, assessment of their cardiovascular and pulmonary systems have been limited. Residual cardiopulmonary abnormalities undetected at rest may result in impaired function during exercise. To evaluate this hypothesis 9 patients underwent exercise testing after repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. Pulmonary function testing was performed before exercise. Patients exercised using a 1-minute incremental bicycle or treadmill protocol monitoring heart rate, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production and minute ventilation. Compared with healthy children, the study patients had reduced maximal oxygen consumption and reduced oxygen consumption at ventilatory anaerobic threshold. Chronotropic response was impaired in 5 patients. Resting pulmonary functions showed evidence of mild restrictive lung disease. Breathing reserve was within normal limits. It is concluded that (1) aerobic capacity is mildly reduced after repair of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection, (2) chronotropic impairment is a common occurrence, and (3) pulmonary testing suggests mild restrictive lung disease that does not compromise exercise performance.
Regulation of the human hsp70 promoter by p53

The tumor suppressor p53 is a nuclear phosphoprotein with characteristics of a transcription factor. It displays sequence-specific DNA binding, contains a potent transactivation domain, and has been implicated as both a transcriptional activator and a repressor. Transcription of the human hsp70 gene is stimulated by adenovirus E1a protein. This E1a transactivation of the hsp70 promoter is mediated by CCAAT binding factor (CBF). It is demonstrated here that p53 both represses transcription from the human hsp70 promoter and also interacts with CBF. Thus, the repression of the hsp70 promoter by p53 may be mediated by direct protein-protein interaction with CBF. These results suggest that protein-protein interaction between p53 and specific transcription factors may be an additional mechanism by which p53 regulates gene expression.
The induction of cytokinin habituation in primary pith explants of tobacco.

Pith parenchyma tissue ofNicotiana tabacum L. cv. “Havana 425” becomes cytokinin habituated when incubated at 35°C on an auxin-containing medium. Under these conditions, habituated, hyperplastic nodules appear on the tissues. We used these nodules to estimate the incidence of habituation by a statistical method. The rate of habituation varied with the season. Tissue isolated from plants in the spring habituated approx. 7 times faster than did tissue isolated from plants in winter. The fact that the average rate, >4×10−3 per cell generation, was 100–1,000 times faster than the rate of somatic mutation inNicotiana species and depended on the physiological state of the tissue provides further evidence that habituation involves epigenetic changes rather than rare, random genetic mutations. We also found that kinetin (6-furfurylaminopurine) induced habituation and that the concentration required depended on the duration of cytokinin treatment. For long incubation times, approx. 6×10−10 M kinetin, which is about 1,000-fold lower than the concentration optimal for growth of cytokinin-requiring pith tissue, was sufficient to induce habituation. These results support the hypothesis that the habituated state is maintained by a positive feedback loop in which cytokinins either induce their own synthesis or inhibit their own degradation.
Life cycle of the moss,Physcomitrella patens, in culture

A method employing tissue culture techniques for growth of mosses is described. This method allows for the completion of the sexual life cycle of the mossPhyscomitrella patens (Hedw.) BSG under controlled conditions in a two month period. The moss system is useful for class demonstration or for research in the areas of development, genetics and plant physiology.
Superspin Glass Behavior of Interacting Ferromagnetic Nanoparticles in Discontinuous Magnetic Multilayers

Discontinuous magnetic multilayers [Co 80 Fe 20 ( t )/Al 2 O 3 (3 nm)] 10 with t = 0.9 and 1.0 nm are studied by Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometry and ac susceptibility. Owing to dipolar interaction the superparamagnetic cluster systems undergo collective glass-like freezing upon cooling. While both samples exhibit very similar glass temperatures T g , 45 K and critical exponents z x , 10 and n , 1.4 as obtained from the temperature dependencies of the relaxation time,  , and the nonlinear susceptibility, h 3 , dynamical scaling reveals different critical exponents, g (0.9 nm) , 1.0 and g (1.0 nm) , 0.6, respectively.
Fine structure of the Wolffian duct and cytodifferentiation of the epididymis in fetal rats

The fine structure of the Wolffian duct and alterations that occur with the differentiation of the epididymis have been studied in fetal rats ranging in length from 5 to 22 mm (12 to 19 days gestation). Contents of the columnar Wolffian duct cells include basal and perinuclear granular endoplasmic reticulum, sparse apical agranular endoplasmic reticulum, elongate mitochondria, and a small Golgi complex. Large membrane-bounded dense bodies contain cellular organelles and may represent parts of degenerating cells ingested by phagocytosis. During the development of the epididymis from the Wolffian duct in older fetuses, “intracytoplasmic confronting cisternae” of the granular endoplasmic reticulum become numerous, and the agranular reticulum in the apical part of the cell increases moderately in abundance. Concomitantly, the apical cell surface is modified. Many microvilli are formed, indentations of the plasma membrane appear between the microvilli, and the number of coated vesicles in the apical cytoplasm increases. These changes closely follow the onset of androgen secretion by the fetal testis, and it is suggested that they may occur in response to androgen. The relation of these differentiations to known adult functions of the epididymis is discussed.
Convulsant potencies of tetrazoles are highly correlated with actions on GABA/benzodiazepine/picrotoxin receptor complexes in brain

A series of tetrazole convulsants were examined for their potencies in displacing [35S]-t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS) from the picrotoxin site on the benzodiazepine-GABA-chloride ionophore receptor complex. All of the tetrazole derivatives tested inhibited [35S]-TBPS binding from rat forebrain membranes, and except for one (undecamethylenetetrazole), had Hill coefficients near unity. Similar to other chemically unrelated convulsants the inhibition of [35S]-TBPS binding by the various tetrazole derivatives was unaffected by the addition of the bicucculine-like GABA antagonist, R 5135. To ascertain whether the inhibition of specific [35S]-TBPS binding by the tetrazole derivatives was related to their convulsant properties, we compared their in vitro potencies in displacing [35S]-TBPS binding with their minimum convulsant potencies in mice. A very good correlation was observed (r=0.96, p<0.001) between their relative affinities for the [35S]-TBPS binding site and their convulsant potencies, indicating that pentamethylenetetrazol and related tetrazoles may produced their convulsant and anxiogenic actions via the GABA-benzodiazepine-chloride ionophore receptor complex.
Bone lead as a biological marker in epidemiologic studies of chronic toxicity: conceptual paradigms.

The skeleton contains the majority of the body's lead burden in both children and adults. The half-life of lead in bone is in the range of years to decades, depending on bone type, metabolic state, and subject age, among other things. Measurement of skeletal lead has benefited greatly from the recent development of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instruments that can make rapid, safe, accurate, and relatively precise measurements of lead in bone. Two types of XRF technologies exist, LXRF and KXRF; this paper focuses on KXRF, which has been the most widely validated and used. KXRF is proving to be a powerful analytical methodology for evaluating bone lead levels as a measure of time-integrated (i.e., cumulative) lead dose in epidemiologic studies of the effects of chronic lead exposure. However, insufficient attention has been given to conceptualizing the paradigms by which bone lead levels reflect lead exposure and by which the skeleton serves as an endogenous source of lead. Consideration of these paradigms, which rely on bone lead kinetics, is necessary for the proper development of a priori hypotheses involving bone lead accumulation and release, the selection of bone sites for measurement by KXRF, and the design of epidemiologic studies involving bone lead dynamics. We discuss and present supporting evidence for a conceptual model that distinguishes two major paradigms of skeletal lead, including 1) bone lead as an indicator of cumulative lead exposure (bone lead as repository), and 2) bone lead as a source of body lead burden that is mobilizable into the circulation (bone lead as source). These two roles are not mutually exclusive. Instead, they are components of the processes controlling lead accumulation into and release from bone over time. Developing successful strategies for distinguishing these two processes in epidemiologic studies will require separate measurements of lead in cortical and trabecular bone and additional measurement of specific markers of bone mineral turnover and resorption. It may also involve developing accurate methods for evaluating lead in labile compartments of the circulation, such as plasma, as a potentially useful and responsive measure of bone lead release, of the partitioning of circulatory lead, and of the toxicological significance of lead released from bone to other target organs.
Biophysical regulation of stem cell differentiation.

Bone adaptation to its mechanical environment, from embryonic through adult life, is thought to be the product of increased osteoblastic differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells. In parallel with tissue-scale loading, these heterogeneous populations of multipotent stem cells are subject to a variety of biophysical cues within their native microenvironments. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells—the most broadly studied source of osteoblastic progenitors—undergo osteoblastic differentiation in vitro in response to biophysical signals, including hydrostatic pressure, fluid flow and accompanying shear stress, substrate strain and stiffness, substrate topography, and electromagnetic fields. Furthermore, stem cells may be subject to indirect regulation by mechano-sensing osteocytes positioned to more readily detect these same loading-induced signals within the bone matrix. Such paracrine and juxtacrine regulation of differentiation by osteocytes occurs in vitro. Further studies are needed to confirm both direct and indirect mechanisms of biophysical regulation within the in vivo stem cell niche.
Cuticular Hydrocarbon Variation in the Tabanidae (Diptera): Tabanus nigrovittatus Complex of the North American Atlantic Coast

The horsefly Tabanus nigrovittatus Macquart consists of a cryptic species complex involving at least 1 other sibling species, T. conterminus Walker. Multivariate analysis of cuticular hydrocarbon patterns of members of this complex from the Atlantic coast of North America clearly showed 3 statistically disjoint chromatotypes. Type I, which included the largest individuals, represented T. conterminus, whereas type II patterns represented a different chromatotype found in smaller flies identified as T. nigrovittatus. Surprisingly, some small specimens exhibited a 3rd chromatotype (type III) that contained di- and trimethylalkanes not identified in types I and II. We believe that this 3rd chromatotype represents an undescribed member of the T. nigrovittatus complex.
Individual decision making in an investment setting

Abstract This paper examines individual decision making in an experimental investment setting. When individuals make payments sequentially in order to complete an investment project their decision to continue investing should, according to standard theory, be based on a comparison of the expected marginal costs and gains. Past payments are sunk and should be ignored. Our experimental subjects usually did not make the correct decision at the margin when positive returns were threatened. There was an overwhelming tendency to over-commit resources.
A pilot study of glycosylated hemoglobin levels in periodontitis cases and healthy controls.

Background: Periodontitis is associated with glycemic control in patients with diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine if glycosylated hemoglobin is elevated in patients with periodontitis who have not been diagnosed with diabetes.Methods: Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was assessed using a chairside test in 59 adults without diabetes but with periodontitis (having at least five teeth with probing depth [PD] ≥5 mm, bleeding on probing [BOP], and clinical attachment or radiographic bone loss) and 53 healthy controls (PDs ≤4 mm and BOP ≤15%). Groups were compared using the t test and linear regression. Patients with HbA1c levels ≥6% were compared using the Fisher exact test and logistic regression.Results: Periodontitis cases were more likely than controls to be male (68% versus 38%; P = 0.002) and current or former smokers (P = 0.002). Cases had significantly higher body mass index (BMI) than controls (27.6 kg/m2 versus 25.5 kg/m2; P = 0.018) but were of similar age (51.3 years versus 50.9 ye...