cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Defining the role of the pediatric critical care nurse practitioner in a tertiary care center.

Objective To describe the development and implementation of a pediatric critical care nurse practitioner role in a tertiary academic pediatric intensive care unit. Data Sources Selected relevant articles from the literature. Data Extraction/Synthesis Over the past two decades, the role of critical care nurse practitioners in neonatal and adult settings has developed. More recently, the role has emerged in the setting of pediatric critical care. Literature to date focuses on implementation of the nurse practitioner role in neonatal and adult critical care units, with limited publications on the role in the pediatric critical care arena. In addition, information on the practice of critical care nurse practitioners in tertiary care centers is lacking. We therefore, sought to describe the design, implementation, scope of practice, and outcomes to date of a pediatric nurse practitioner program in our pediatric critical care unit. Conclusions A pediatric critical care nurse practitioner role can be implemented successfully in a tertiary center’s pediatric intensive care unit. However, before integration of the pediatric critical care nurse practitioner into the health care team, definition of entry level requirements and the overall role with respect to scope of practice, daily operations, and professional practice is essential. Future endeavors should include evaluation of the impact of the pediatric critical care nurse practitioner on patient outcomes in the tertiary care center.
Growth and Activity of Mesophilic Lactic Acid Streptococci in Ultrafiltered Skim Milk and in Reconstituted Nonfat Dry Milk of Differing Total Solids Contents

Abstract The activity of mesophilic starter cultures Streptococcus lactis C 2 , Streptococcus cremoris SK 11 , and Streptococcus diacetylactis DRC 3 in 8.3 and 15% total solids reconstituted skim milk was compared with growth of these organisms in 8.9% total solids skim milk (unconcentrated control) and in UF concentrated skim milk of 12 and 13% total solids. The starter cultures were inoculated into the different milk samples and incubated at 30°C for 15 to 16h. Samples were taken periodically for determination of pH, percentage titratable acidity, and cell populations. Cultures grown in UF concentrated milk consistently exhibited higher cell numbers and developed greater acidity than when grown in reconstituted skim milk of similar solids content. Streptococcus cremoris SK 11 was the most active culture in acid development in the various media. Growth was not related to solids level or milk type, that is, retentate or reconstituted skim milk. A model for predicting developed acidity from solids content and from type of milk was determined by multiple regression analysis. The results suggest that UF concentrated skim milk is superior to reconstituted skim milk as a substrate for lactic acid bacteria and that skim milk retentates have potential for use as media for starter cultures.
Tensions of network security and collaborative work practice: Understanding a single sign-on deployment in a regional hospital

Abstract Background Healthcare providers and their IT staff, working in an effort to balance appropriate accessibility with stricter security mandates, are considering the use of a single network sign-on approach for authentication and password management. Single sign-on (SSO) promises to improve usability of authentication for multiple-system users, increase compliance, and help curb system maintenance costs. However, complexities are introduced when SSO is placed within a collaborative environment. These complexities include unanticipated workflow implications that introduce greater security vulnerability for the individual user. Objectives and methodology In this work, we examine the challenges of implementing a single sign-on authentication technology in a hospital environment. The aim of the study was to document the factors that affected SSO adoption within the context of use. The ultimate goal is to better inform the design of usable authentication systems within collaborative healthcare work sites. The primary data collection techniques used are ethnographically informed – observation, contextual interviews, and document review. The study included a cross-section of individuals from various departments and varying rolls. These participants were a mix of both clinical and administrative staff, as well as the Information Technology group. Results The field work revealed fundamental mis-matches between the technology and routine work practices that will significantly impact its effective adoption. While single sign-on was effective in the administrative offices, SSO was not a good fit for collaborative areas. The collaborative needs of the clinical staff unearthed tensions in its implementation. An analysis of the findings revealed that the workflow, activities, and physical environment of the clinical areas create increased security vulnerabilities for the individual user. The clinical users were cognizant of these vulnerabilities and this created resistance to the implementation due to a concern for privacy. Conclusion From a preliminary analysis of our on-going field study at a community hospital, there appears to be a number of mismatches between the SSO vision and the realities of routine work. While we cannot conclusively say if a SSO adoption will be effective in meeting its goals in a hospital environment, we do know that it will affect the work practice and that will make the management of the SSO system problematic.
Multiwell chamber chemotaxis assays: improved experimental design and data analysis.

Abstract The chemotaxis assay using the Boyden transfilter technique has become widely used in recent years for assessing migratory responses of a wide variety of cell types. In the study reported here we examined the migratory responses of mouse peritoneal macrophages using a multiwell chamber experiments were designed to analyze the components of variance in the assay method, to optimize the experimental design, and to develop objective statistical criteria for choosing among experiments with disparate results. Cell counts were obtained with the aid of an image analyzer coupled to a light microscope. Microcomputer software was developed to drive the image analyzer, collect data and conduct statistical analyses. Nested analysis of variance (ANOVA, either 2- or 3-level) was employed to partition the components of variance and F -tests were used to determine their significance. Significant sources of experimental error were identified both within and among wells and were attributed mostly to variability in the chamber/filter assembly and counting procedure. Statistical analyses demonstrated that there was significant variation among assays conducted in different multiwell chambers on the same day, among assays where the same agent was tested on different days in the same chamber, and among replicate counts of the same assay. The following recommendations were made: (1) use ANOVA to distinguisgh differences due to biological effects from those due to experimental error, (2) design experiments so that all relevant comparisons are included in the same chamber and the same assay, (3) avoid pooling data from diferent assays unless ANOVA treatment variances are comparable, and (4) when replicate assays yield disparate results choose the assay with the lowest percentage of variation due to experimental error.
Two approaches to the love of God in medieval Jewish thought: The concept of devequt in the works of Ibn Ezra and Judah Halevi

Abraham Ibn Ezra et Judah Halevi pretendent que la relation ideale entre l'individu et Dieu est fondee sur l'amour et s'acheve dans l'attachement ('devequt') individuel a Dieu. Bien que tous les deux utilisent la meme expression pour decrire ce 'telos', ils proposent des moyens differents pour l'accomplir. Une analyse plus serree de cette expression revele que cette difference s'enracine dans leurs idees respectives concernant le role de la philosophie dans le judaisme. Ibn Ezra, un rationaliste, pretend que l'individu aime Dieu par l'observation des phenomenes naturels, tandis que Halevi affirme que l'amour de Dieu se base sur l'experience historique du peuple juif.
IMPAIRED RESPONSES OF GROWTH HORMONE AND BLOOD EOSINOPHILS TO L-DOPA IN ATOPY

In order to assess whether response to the natural precursor of catecholamines in the nervous system is impaired in atopy, 500 mg L-dopa was administered to 13 atopic patients with bronchial asthma or hay fever and 13 sex-and-age-matched control subjects. The blood eosinophil count and growth hormone (GH) levels were then determined periodically over a 4-h period. The eosinophil count rose significantly 30 and 60 min after L-dopa in healthy subjects, but not in the atopic patients. The mean rise in GH 30 and 60 min after L-dopa was significantly lower in atopic patients as compared with controls. Injection of apomorphine 0.75 mg elicited increase in GH in nine of the 10 control subjects, but only in six of the 11 atopic patients. These results indicate that central dopaminergic stimulation is often impaired in patients with atopy. In testing GH release, atopy should be considered among the causes of failure to respond.
Outlook for detection of GW inspirals by GRB-triggered searches in the advanced detector era

Short, hard gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are believed to originate from the coalescence of two neutron stars (NSs) or a NS and a black hole (BH). If this scenario is correct, then short GRBs will be accompanied by the emission of strong gravitational waves (GWs), detectable by GW observatories such as LIGO, Virgo, KAGRA, and LIGO-India. As compared with blind, all-sky, all-time GW searches, externally triggered searches for GW counterparts to short GRBs have the advantages of both significantly reduced detection threshold due to known time and sky location and enhanced GW amplitude because of face-on orientation. Based on the distribution of signal-to-noise ratios in candidate compact binary coalescence events in the most recent joint LIGO-Virgo data, our analytic estimates, and our Monte Carlo simulations, we find an effective sensitive volume for GRB-triggered searches that is ≈2 times greater than for an all-sky, all-time search. For NS-NS systems, a jet angle θ_j=20°, a gamma-ray satellite field of view of 10% of the sky, and priors with generally precessing spin, this doubles the number of NS-NS short-GRB and NS-BH short-GRB associations, to ∼3–4% of all detections of NS-NSs and NS-BHs. We also investigate the power of tests for statistical excesses in lists of subthreshold events, and show that these are unlikely to reveal a subthreshold population until finding GW associations to short GRBs is already routine. Finally, we provide useful formulas for calculating the prior distribution of GW amplitudes from a compact binary coalescence, for a given GW detector network and given sky location.
The fool wonders, the wise (women) ask...about tropical diseases in their practice.

Lockwood and colleagues have shared their seven year experience of integrating evidence based medicine into their practice at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London.1 Consultants, assigned as “chairs” in rotation, identify emerging clinical questions, search the literature for clinical research studies, assign articles to participants, and distribute materials in advance of a bimonthly “EBM meeting.” During these two hour meetings, the group appraises the evidence and strives to reach a consensus about its implications for their practice. Reviewing their experience, the group classified the outcome of each meeting, citing examples that resulted in a change in practice, confirmed or clarified existing practice, …
Interventions with Disorganized Parents of Disturbed Children

This article discusses the important clinical issue of working therapeutically with severely disorganized, extremely dependent parents of seriously disturbed young children.The rationale presented identifies the parental disorganization and distorted relationship with their own child as a residue of early developmental conflicts for the parent. Parenthood reactivates these unmastered issues which then hinders the parent from responding to their child in ways other than in terms of their own unmet needs.Many of the parents indicated lack of mastery of the task of separation-individuation from their own parents. Additionally, play as a mode of mastery and exploration had not been a reward for them as children. These issues contributed to disturbance of nurturance and attachment which fostered feelings of poor self-esteem and being uncared for by others.A number of clinical vignettes of types of disorganizing family life patterns are presented. The types of interventions found to be most successful are also ...
Characterization of the rat prodynorphin gene.

The structure of full-length rat prodynorphin cDNA and the corresponding gene has been determined. The 2400 base rat prodynorphin mRNA is encoded by four exons. Exons 1 and 2 encode the majority of the 5′-untranslated sequence, while exons 3 and 4 contain the translated region; the entire 3′- untranslated region is contained on exon 4 as wel. RNase protection studies, in which a genomic DNA fragment was used to generate a cRNA hybridization probe, have determined the major transcriptional initiation site for both brain and testicular prodynorphin mRNA. Transient expression of transfected fusion genes containing the 5′-flanking DNA of the rat prodynorphin gene linked to the structural sequence of a reporter gene has been used to identify specific genomic DNA fragments from the prodynorphin gene locus which are capable of acting as transcriptional promoters. Multiple regions of genomic DNA appear to have transcriptional promoter activity when introduced into various eukaryotic cell lines.
The effects of the specific uptake inhibitor Lu 10–171 (Citalopram) upon brain indoleamine stores in the maturing mouse

1. The specific 5-HT uptake inhibitor Lu 10-171 (Citalopram) was used to test uptake inhibition and reduced turnover in maturing mouse brain. 2. All ages showed 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) elevation indicative of inhibition and reduced turnover. Enzymatic blockade in conjunction with Lu 10-171 supported the evidence for reduced turnover. 3. The significance of early serotonergic maturation is discussed.
School‐university partnerships for closing the achievement gap: ethical concerns

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is three‐fold. First, the historical phases of the school‐university partnership movement and its potential for closing the achievement gap is described. Second, is to have schools and universities recognize their ethical obligation to act as partners in meeting this challenge, and subsequently to develop partnership relationships from a stronger ethical base and with a clearer sense of the ramifications that can occur if there is failure to close the achievement gap. Third, is to promote a more holistic, ethical and comprehensive approach to partnerships that includes teacher education as a key player.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on information gleaned from existing literature and the author's own experience.Findings – The ethical ramifications of schools and universities (included here is teacher education) failing to join forces as partners to respond to the need to close the achievement gap and ensure a quality education for all forecast a rather di...
Optical studies of interface roughness in GaAs/AlAs quantum-well structures (Invited Paper)

We review our photoluminescence results concerning the structural disorder of the interfaces in GaAs/AlAs quantum well structures. In the highest quality samples structural disorder exists as monolayer—high islands. We show the types of possible luminescence spectra which can occur in quantum wells in which the bottom and top interfaces have differently-sized islands. It is shown how luminescence spectra are sensitive to both large and small island structures —whether they occur on the same interface or occur separately on the top and bottom interfaces.
Configural conditioning in the CER: A possible artifact

Gray and Lethbridge (1976) have reported a demonstration of configural conditioning in the CER in rats. With repeated reinforcement of a compound CS, suppression to the elements diminished considerably, while suppression to the compound remained substantially intact. The basic form of the Gray and Lethbridge findings has been replicated in the present study. We observed, however, that suppression to the compound itself diminished with repeated reinforcement of the compound. Further, we also tested the compound after deliberate extinction of the elements. This test of the excitatory effect of the “configurai cue” indicated that it also had diminished with repeated reinforcement of the compound. The observed greater suppression to the compound than to the elements can be parsimoniously interpreted as a simple summation effect, and the attenuation of suppression with repeated reinforcement is common in CER studies. Thus, the data require no appeal to configural conditioning.
Role of the tissue renin-angiotensin system in vascular remodeling and smooth muscle cell growth

In recent years numerous data have given evidence that the tissue renin-angiotensin system may play an equal or perhaps an even more important role than the circulating renin-angiotensin system in numerous physiologic processes. This was first suggested by the observation that the blood pressure lowering effect of angiotension-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors correlates better with tissue ACE activity than with plasma ACE activity. In response to hypertension and arterial injury, vascular smooth muscle cells undergo three responses: hypertrophy, hyperplasia, and remodeling. The end result is a decrease in lumen diameter and an increase in peripheral vascular resistance. Blockade of angiotensin II formation inhibits these smooth muscle responses in a number of animal models. This review discusses the evidence supporting the existence of local tissue renin-angiotensin system in the vasculature and its physiologic effects. Inhibition of the vascular renin-angiotensin system may have important implications in the treatment of patients with hypertension, atherosclerosis, and restenosis following balloon coronary angioplasty.
Effect of Exercise on Response of Liver Lipogenic Enzymes to a High Fructose Diet

SummaryMeal-fed Long-Evans rats fed a high fructose diet and exercised for 2-hr daily on a treadmill for three days had lower levels of several hepatic lipogenic enzymes (acetyl CoA carboxylase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 6-phosphoglu-conate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme and citrate cleavage enzyme) than did sedentary rats pair-fed the diet. Accumulation of triglycerides in plasma following ingestion of a fat-free, high fructose meal and injection of Triton WR-1339, an inhibitor of plasma triglyceride clearance, was not significantly different in the two groups of animals.All of the hepatic lipogenic enzymes measured, with the exception of citrate cleavage enzyme, attained similar levels in the runners as in the controls after 5 days on the high fructose diet. Thus the exercise appeared to affect the time course of the increase in the levels of activity of most of the lipogenic enzymes but not the final steady state levels attained.
Optimizing access in the treatment of acute portal vein thrombosis: a pictorial review of different methods of obtaining access to the portal venous system for the purpose of lytic therapy with emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of each technique

Learning Objectives To describe the indications for thrombolytic therapy in the setting of acute, symptomatic portal vein thrombosis. To depict the different approaches to gaining access in the setting of acute portal vein thrombosis, as well as describe the pros and cons of each method. To provide useful hints in order to prevent common pitfalls. Background Portal vein thrombosis is a cause of significant morbidity amongst patients with endstage liver disease/hepatocellular carcinoma. Treatment in the acute, symptomatic setting may help to prevent life-threatening complications resulting from portal hypertension including variceal bleeding and mesenteric ischemia. Treatment may also help to prevent cavernous transformation of the portal vein, which can hinder transplant eligibility. Clinical Findings/Procedure Details The exhibit will include a pictorial review of cases describing different methods of obtaining access in the setting of acute portal vein thrombosis. Methods of access will include percutaneous routes as well as access via TIPS and DIPS placement. Cases will be followed by a description of the advantages and disadvantages of each method as well as a few helpful hints for troubleshooting based on the experience of multiple IRs at our academic institution. Conclusion and/or Teaching Points The use of thrombolytic therapy for the treatment of acute portal vein thrombosis can be associated with a high complication rate given the morbidity associated with endstage liver disease. This makes choosing the optimal access strategy for each individual patient extremely important in order to minimize complications and increase the likelihood of successful treatment. By familiarizing oneself with the pros and cons of each method, the IR can correctly choose the optimum route for access and hopefully avoid serious complications. Reference 1. Hollingshead M et al. Transcatheter Thrombolytic Therapy for Acute Mesenteric and Portal Vein Thrombosis. JVIR 2005: 16: 651-661.
Cascade system for rapid on-line dilutions in flow-injection analysis.

Abstract A system for on-line dilutions in flow-injection analysis (FIA) is described. The system requires two flow-through pumps (peristaltic) and a conventional rotary injection valve. No precision timing or computer-controlled valves are required. The “cascade” dilution technique is demonstrated by the determination of 0–1.7 M chloride. Viscosity effects are studied for samples with viscosities of 1–150 relative to water. Sample-zone volume reduction by splitting streams is combined with dilution by merging streams to achieve effective dilution factors of nearly 500. The reciprocal mole fraction is proposed as a variable for the characterization of open flow-injection systems and compared with the dispersion coefficient. An equation is included to predict this factor as a function only of the flow-rates used in the system. The cascade dilution system yields reproducible dilution factors with relative standard deviations of less than 3%, with sampling rates up to 100/hr.
Applied optics in the automotive industry.

A general discussion of the interrelated subjects of vision, illumination, marking systems, signaling devices, materials, and components as found in the automotive industry is included in this article. Optics as applied in supporting industries, such as the lighting, metal, glass, paint, plastics, and fabrics industries are also discussed. A few examples of optics in these industries as applied to product development and production control are presented and illustrated.
Nous Sommes Tous des Bacteries: Implications for medicine, pharmacology and public health

As a species we humans are outnumbered by bacteria in both cell and gene count. This somewhat humbling observation is key to the increasing recognition that the long-standing symbiotic and commensal relations between Homo sapiens and bacteria are of great significance to basic human physiology and health. Knowledge of our human bacterial environment is contributing to an understanding of a variety of disorders including obesity and metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, immunity, and neuronal development and behavior. The Human Microbiome Project is providing a genetic and ecological analysis and will serve as a parallel to the Human Genome Project. Exploration of the chemical space utilized by bacteria will contribute to the development of new small molecule therapeutic agents, including new antibiotics. And genetically re-engineered bacteria are proving to be of potential value as actual therapeutic entities. Our understanding of our bacterial world has the capability to transform radically our current approach to human health diverting it from an emphasis on acute treatments to living in healthy harmony with both our internal and external environments.
Microbubble tunneling in gel phantoms

Insonified microbubbles were observed in vessels within a gel with a Young’s modulus similar to that of tissue, demonstrating shape instabilities, liquid jets, and the formation of small tunnels. In this study, tunnel formulation occurred in the direction of the propagating ultrasound wave, where radiation pressure directed the contact of the bubble and gel, facilitating the activity of the liquid jets. Combinations of ultrasonic parameters and microbubble concentrations that are relevant for diagnostic imaging and drug delivery and that lead to tunnel formation were applied and the resulting tunnel formation was quantified.
A Hartree self-consistent field calculation on the helium atom

The paper presents a simple numerical Hartree self-consistent field calculation for the helium atom. It is intended for use with undergraduate students in introductory courses on quantum mechanics.
Evidence for Exciton Localization by Alloy Fluctuations in Indirect-Gap Ga As 1 − x P x

This paper reports a new photoluminescence (PL) band in indirect $\mathrm{Ga}{\mathrm{As}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{P}}_{x}$ that lies between donor-bound and free exciton PL peaks. It has relatively strong $X$-point phonon sidebands and an asymmetric shape with an abrupt high-energy cutoff. The lifetime varies rapidly over the PL linewidth. Properties of excitons in fluctuating random-alloy potentials are discussed. It is suggested that this line is due to excitons trapped by such potentials.
Immunological and biological cross-reactivity of chicken and mammalian gonadotrophins.

Rabbit anti-LH-S5 plasma was tested in the ovarian ascorbic acid-depletion (OAAD) assay against NIH-LH-B1, sheep anterior pituitary powder (SAP), chicken anterior pituitary powder (CAP) and chicken plasma. The anti-ovine LH destroyed the OAAD activity of LH-B1 and SAP but did not significantly affect CAP or chicken plasma. Agar immunodiffusion showed precipitin bands between theanti-ovine LH and LH-S5, LH-B1, porcine LH and SAP but not normal rabbit serum or CAP. When guinea pig anti-CAP plasma was allowed to diffuse on agar, bands formed with CAP and chicken plasma but not with LH-Bl or SAP. These results confirm and extend previous indications of a species difference between chicken and mammalian gonadotrophin. (Endocrinology 80: 1182, 1967)
With these hands : the hidden world of migrant farmworkers today

With These Hands documents the farm labor system through the presentation of a collection of voices--workers who labor in the fields, growers who manage the multi-billion dollar agricultural industry, contractors who link workers with growers, coyotes who smuggle people across the border, union organizers, lobbyists, physicians, workers' families in Mexico, farmworker children and others. The diversity of stories presents the world of migrant farmworkers as a complex social and economic system, a network of intertwined lives, showing how all Americans are bound to the struggles and contributions of our nation's farm laborers.
The Miller's Tale, Lines 3466-3499: Narrative Inconsistency and the First Fragment of The Canterbury Tales

(2008). The Miller's Tale, Lines 3466-3499: Narrative Inconsistency and the First Fragment of The Canterbury Tales. ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Notes and Reviews: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 2-6.
Relationship between the in-situ activity of ornithine decarboxylase and contractile function of the rabbit papillary muscle

The relationship between isometric contraction and myocardial ornithine decarboxylase (ODC; EC. 4.1.1.17) activity was studied in right ventricular papillary muscles isolated from rabbits. ODC specific activity and polyamine content were significantly increased in papillary muscles contracting isometrically 90 times per minute at the apex of the length-tension, relationship for 4 to 5 hours when compared with paired non-contracting muscles or isometrically contracting muscles stimulated at 30 times per min. The increase in ODC activity appeared to be due to new protein synthesis since cycloheximide blocked the increase in ODC activity without affecting isometric function. Thus, the present results suggest that increased contractile demands of the heart may stimulate the synthesis of myocardial ODC, increase ODC activity and polyamine content.
Cocarcinogenic and tumor-promoting capabilities of anthralin.

Numerous chemicals to which humans are exposed either therapeutically or as a result of living in an industrial environment constitute a potential threat as carcinogens, mutagens, and/or tumor promoters and cocarcinogens. Anthralin, and antipsoriatic agent, acts as a tumor promoter for Balb/c-3T3 mouse embryo cell cultures that were previously exposed to a low dose of either benzo-a-pyrene (BaP), an indirect-acting carcinogen needing metabolic conversion for its carcinogenic action, or β-propiolactone (BPL), a direct-acting carcinogen which needs no metabolic conversion. As a cocarcinogen, i.e., when exposure of cells to anthralin was simultaneous with exposure to the carcinogen, anthralin enhanced neoplastic transformation only when the carcinogen was BaP. Several explanations are explored. The possibility that cocarcinogens and tumor promotion occur by separate mechanisms is suggested.
Growth and survival of mammalian cells under continuous thermal stress.

Abstract Pig kidney cells were cultivated for extended periods at supranormal temperatures to isolate variants with altered response to thermal stress. Sublines of cells were eventually obtained which showed increased survival at 42.5 °C. The variant property was stable in cells subcultivated at 37 °C, but could not be enhanced by further heat treatments. This strain was compared with three heat-resistant lines obtained previously by acute heat shock at 47 °C. In growth experiments at 42.5 °C, the latter were no more resistant than cells previously not exposed to supranormal temperatures. Correspondingly, the variant subline with increased survival at 42.5 °C proved to be as sensitive as control cells when exposed for short intervals at 47 °C. These results suggest that heat resistance is mediated by separate mechanisms in acute heat shock and prolonged thermal stress respectively.
Effects of lithium on platelet membrane phosphoinositides in bipolar disorder patients: a pilot study.

Rationale: In vitro and in vivo animal studies suggest that the intracellular phosphatidylinositol (PI) pathway is an important target for the effects of lithium. Objectives: We conducted a preliminary study to examine the in vivo effects of lithium treatment on platelet membrane phosphoinositides in bipolar disorder subjects, in an attempt to examine further the hypothesis that lithium has significant in vivo effects on the PI pathway in these patients. Methods: We quantitated PI, phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PIP), and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) in platelet membranes of seven subjects (five male, two female; mean age= 27.9±5.7 years), initially while they were unmedicated, and a second time after at least 21 days of lithium treatment (mean±SD=28.7±7.1 days). Results: The mean±SD values for PI were 5.63±2.25% and 5.21±1.06%; for PIP 0.68±0.20% and 0.55±0.11%; and for PIP2 0.60±0.21% and 0.38±0.15%, before and after lithium treatment, respectively. The decrease in PIP2 values after lithium treatment was statistically significant (Wilcoxon signed ranks test, Z=–2.37, P=0.02). Conclusion: This longitudinal study suggests that therapeutic doses of lithium significantly decrease platelet membrane PIP2 levels in vivo in bipolar disorder subjects, which may be related to lithium’s mechanism of action in bipolar disorder.
Effects of HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy with ritonavir on induction of osteoclast-like cells in postmenopausal women

Summary Ritonavir (RTV) is a commonly used antiretroviral associated with bone loss. We show that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive women on RTV are more likely to differentiate into osteoclast-like cells when cultured with their own sera than PBMCs and sera from HIV− women or HIV+ on other antiretrovirals.
Increased adhesion on carbon nanofiber/polymer composite materials

Previous studies have shown that nanometer dimension materials (such as carbon nanofibers) increase the adhesion of osteoblasts (bone matrix-producing cells) compared to their micron dimension counterparts. It was the purpose of the present study to observe the effect of variable weight percents of carbon nanofibers in a PLGA (poly(dl-lactide/glycolide) 50:50 wt. %) polymer composite on osteoblast adhesion. Specifically, 0.5, 1.0, and 5.0 wt % of carbon nanofibers were chosen as the variable weight percents and pure PLGA, pure carbon nanofiber, and etched glass substrates were used as controls. Results have provided evidence that osteoblast adhesion increases as the percent of carbon nanofibers increases in PLGA composites.
Variability of action potential duration in pharmacologically induced long QT syndrome type 1

Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is a congenital disorder associated with life-threatening arrhythmias. LQT1, a type of LQTS affecting the slow delayed rectifier potassium current, shows a higher incidence of arrhythmia associated with sympathetic stimulation than other types of LQTS. LQT1 patients show increased variability of repolarization with epinephrine infusion, as measured from the 12-lead ECG. We investigate the variability of repolarization measured as action potential duration (APD) in the rabbit left ventricle: how APD variability is affected by pacing rate, transmural location, LQT1 induced by chromanol 293b, and epinephrine infusion. Chromanol preferentially changes APD variability in the midwall. Infusing epinephrine returns the variability to near-control levels. These results differ substantially from clinical studies and show the need for further study.
unconScIouS thought theory and ItS dIScontentS: a crItIque of the crItIqueS

A review of Unconscious Thought Theory, its original empirical support, and the several methodological and empirical critiques that followed leads to the following conclusions: (1) the basic tenants of Unconscious Thought Theory are in harmony with recent research and theory on unconscious processes if not with the dated, “straw-man” version of the unconscious presented by its critics; (2) the several published “failures to replicate” are actually, on closer inspection, found to be a series of consistent replications of at least the equivalent quality of unconsciously made versus consciously made decisions; (3) the most recent research is showing superiority of unconsciously made decisions in more ecologically valid “real-life” judgmental situations (e.g., fairness assessments and cheater detection) for which natural selection has likely equipped us with unconsciously operating expertise, compared to the artificial situations studied by the decision theorists (which often involve numerical computations); ...
Practical surface acoustic wave devices

A tutorial discussion is presented on selected surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices for the use of engineers and electronic systems designers. Currently practical components for use in radar systems, communications systems, and as frequency domain filters are described. Emphasis is placed on nondispersive and dispersive delay lines, devices for generating and detecting various radar waveforms, devices for generating and detecting fixed and programmable biphase and multiphase codes, and broad-band and narrow-band filters. The device possibilities of several new approaches are described, including multistrip couplers, nonlinear convolvers, reflective structures, and overlay films. It is concluded that, while SAW devices have found many applications in large radar systems because of their size, cost effectiveness, and reliability, wide-scale applications, for example as frequency domain filters, will be needed to justify continued research in this field. Wide-scale applications will come as systems engineers realize the potential of these devices and confidently design them into their systems.
A low-noise demultiplexing system for active multichannel microelectrode arrays

The authors report a low-noise demultiplexing system capable of reconstructing multichannel single-unit neural signals derived from multiplexed microelectrode arrays. The overall multiplexing-demultiplexing system realizes ten channels, a per-channel gain of 68 dB, a bandwidth from 100 Hz to 6 kHz, and an equivalent noise level (referred to the probe input) of 13 mu V RMS. It provides for signaling over the power supply to allow the control of on-chip probe functions such as self-testing. The interchannel crosstalk is less than 3%, and switching noise is suppressed by blanking the transition intervals. The 200-kHz probe sample clock is tracked automatically over a range of 150 to 250 kHz. Neural signals as low as 20 mu V (typically 640 mu V at the demultiplexing system input) can be reconstructed. The overall system organization is compatible with the demultiplexing of as many as 40 time-multiplexed electrode channels from a single probe data line. >
In Setting Doctors’ Medicare Fees, CMS Almost Always Accepts The Relative Value Update Panel’s Advice On Work Values

To calculate physicians’ fees under Medicare—which in turn influence the physician fee schedules of other public and private payers—one of the essential decisions the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) must make is how much physician time and effort, or work, is associated with various physician services. To make this determination, CMS relies on the recommendations of an advisory committee representing national physician organizations. Some experts on primary care who are concerned about the income gap between primary and specialty care providers have blamed the committee for increasing that gap. Our analysis of CMS’s decisions on updating work values between 1994 and 2010 found that CMS agreed with 87.4 percent of the committee’s recommendations, although CMS reduced recommended work values for a limited number of radiology and medical specialty services. If policy makers or physicians want to change the update process but keep the Medicare fee schedule in its current form, CMS’s capacity ...
Real time video QoE analysis of RTMP streams

We aim to develop self-healing networks that can detect degradation of streaming video quality of experience (QoE), react, and correct the pathology on the network. We present an architecture to assess real time video QoE of RTMP streams. Results from a small set of preliminary experiments demonstrate that we can predict video QoE with 70–80% accuracy based on stream state measurements and previous users' ratings, using at little as 20 seconds of stream state information. 1
Alteration of Tissue and Serum Sphinganine to Sphingosine Ratio: An Early Biomarker of Exposure to Fumonisin-Containing Feeds in Pigs

Fumonisins are a group of naturally occurring compounds produced by the fungus Fusarium moniliforme. They are believed to be the etiologic agent of several animal diseases associated with consumption of corn-based feeds including porcine pulmonary edema. Recently it was shown in vitro that fumonisins are specific inhibitors of sphingosine and sphinganine N-acyltransferases. Inhibition of these enzymes in cultured cells results in the accumulation of free long chain sphingoid bases, specifically sphingosine and sphinganine, and the depletion of complex sphingolipids. In this study, tissues and serum from male SPF pigs fed a nutritionally balanced diet containing corn or corn screenings naturally contaminated with fumonisins for up to 14 days were analyzed for free sphingoid bases and complex sphingolipids. Total fumonisins (B1 and B2) in the diets were analyzed at 0 ( or = 23 ppm, and serum liver enzymes were significantly elevated at > or = 101 ppm. The results of this study show that free sphinganine is elevated in liver, lung, and kidney, from pigs consuming feeds containing fumonisins at total fumonisin concentrations of 23 ppm or greater. Sphingosine is also elevated in a dose-dependent manner, but to a lesser extent than sphinganine. The consequence of this differential inhibition is that the ratio of sphinganine to sphingosine increases, suggesting that sphinganine N-acyltransferase is the preferred target for fumonisins. Elevation of free sphinganine and free sphingosine in serum paralleled the increases in tissues. Statistically significant increases in the ratio were observed at feed concentrations as low as 5 ppm total fumonisins and in pigs (at higher concentrations) in which other serum biochemistry parameters and tissue morphology were not altered. Elevated ratios were also observed in serum from pigs fed pure fumonisin B1. The sensitivity of the ratio indicates that it could serve as an effective biomarker for consumption of fumonisin-containing feeds. In addition, the data supports the hypothesis that inhibition of sphingosine and sphinganine N-acyltransferase plays an important role in the pathogenesis of animal diseases associated with consumption of feed containing fumonisins.
Association between intrapartum fetal heart rate patterns and neonatal abstinence syndrome in methadone exposed neonates.

Objective. Determine whether infants exposed to chronic maternal methadone with abnormal intrapartum fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns are more likely to require treatment for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).Study design. Intrapartum FHR tracings analyzed in 104 pregnancies at ≥34 weeks gestation for FHR variability, accelerations, and decelerations. FHR patterns compared between neonates based on treatment with methadone for NAS. Secondary analysis included relation between maternal methadone dose and intrapartum FHR patterns, initiation of methadone, age at methadone initiation, and total neonatal methadone dose. Study powered to detect 30% increase in NAS incidence in neonates with abnormal FHR tracings.Results. Seventy-six (73%) of 104 neonates required methadone treatment for NAS. Neonates who required methadone had higher average baseline FHR (131 vs. 126 bpm; p < 0.04) in active labor and less likely to have FHR tracings without accelerations (1.7% vs. 20.3%; p = 0.007) in latent labor. No signifi...
Why there still are no people

This paper argues that there are no people. If identity isn’t what matters in survival, psychological connectedness isn’t what matters either. Further, fissioning cases do not support the claim that connectedness is what matters. I consider Peter Unger’s view that what matters is a continuous physical realization of a core psychology. I conclude that if identity isn’t what matters in survival, nothing matters. This conclusion is deployed to argue that there are no people. Objections to EIiminativism are considered, especially that morality cannot survive the loss of persons.
Intrusions into the tropical upper troposphere: Three-dimensional structure and accompanying ozone and OLR distributions

Abstract The evolution and structure of stratospheric intrusions into the upper troposphere (UT) over the northern tropical Pacific is examined in terms of both potential vorticity (PV) and ozone (O3). Analysis of 20 years of NCEP–NCAR reanalysis PV shows that the intrusion events have remarkably similar evolution and structure at 350 K, with all events producing narrow tongues of high PV that have an almost north–south orientation and last around 3 days. Nearly all events extend up into the lower stratosphere, but only for a small percentage is there deep downward penetration. The intrusions explain a large amount of the observed variability in upper tropospheric O3 above Hilo, Hawaii, with large values occurring when a tongue of high PV passes over Hilo and low values when Hilo is just upstream of a high-PV tongue. There is also an increase in total column ozone within the PV tongues, but for most intrusions the increase is relatively small. The relationship between deep convection, as diagnosed by sate...
Driver Comprehension and Assessment of Traffic Control Devices at Signalized Intersections Interfacing with Light Rail Transit

Signalized intersections that interface with light rail transit (LRT) pose a unique challenge to traffic operations and safety. Although progress toward mitigating light rail vehicle-motor vehicle crashes has been made, many agencies still face safety issues at these intersections. Few empirical studies of the effectiveness of the safety measures currently being used have been conducted. Safety measures have not been tested with drivers; rather, the measures they have evolved over time through practice. The objectives of this research were to assess driver comprehension and to explore drivers' perceptions and opinions of a variety of traffic control devices (TCDs) that were or that might be used at signalized intersections that interface with LRT. The research approach was to present simulated scenes to drivers with a variety of intersection scenarios and TCDs in a focus group setting. The results showed that drivers had preferences for TCDs at these intersections. Although existing TCDs are understood an...
Role of CD28/CD80-86 and CD40/CD154 Costimulatory Interactions in Host Defense to Primary Herpes Simplex Virus Infection

Dependence of the primary antiviral immune response on costimulatory interactions between CD28/CD80-86 and between CD40/CD154 (CD40 ligand) has been correlated with the extent of viral replication in two models of systemic infection, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and vesicular stomatitis virus. To determine the role of these costimulatory interactions in the context of an acute cytolytic, but locally replicating viral infection, herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection was assessed in mice that had the CD28/CD80-86 or CD40/CD154 interactions disrupted either genetically or with blocking reagents (CTLA4Ig and MR1, respectively). CTLA4Ig treatment greatly reduced paralysis-free survival during primary acute HSV infection. This reflected an almost total ablation of the anti-HSV CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses due to anergy and reduced cell numbers, respectively. Disruption of CD40/CD154 interactions impaired survival, but the effect was less severe than that observed in CTLA4Ig-treated mice, with reductions observed in the CD4+ T-cell but not CD8+ T-cell responses. These two costimulatory pathways functioned in part independently, since disruption of both further impaired survival. The dependence on these costimulatory interactions for the control of primary HSV infection may represent a more widespread paradigm for nonsystemic viruses, which have restricted sites of replication and which employ immunoevasive measures.
Is there a seasonal variation in the diagnosis of oligohydramnios

Objective. We hypothesized that oligohydramnios would be diagnosed more frequently in the warm summer months when dehydration might be more common.Methods. The clinical diagnosis of oligohydramnios was extracted from the databases of four completed National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network protocols. These data were stratified by quarter of delivery and compared using Fisher's Exact Test.Results. The clinical diagnosis of oligohydramnios was made more frequently in deliveries occurring in the summer months of June, July and August as compared with the remainder of the calendar year (7.2% vs 5.9%, p = 0.0178).Conclusions. In these studies the diagnosis of oligohydramnios is made more frequently in those pregnancies delivered during the summer months. Although not proven by this association, maternal dehydration may contribute to this finding.