cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Postnatal cerebellar cells from staggerer mutant mice express embryonic cell surface characteristic

MORE than 100 mutations affecting neurological function have been described in mice1. In one of these, staggerer2,3, the development of normal synaptic relationships between cerebellar granule cells and Purkinje cells is disturbed4–6. In a search for abnormalities in the cell surface of staggerer cerebellar cells, we have measured cell agglutination in the presence of the plant lectins concanavalin A (Con A) and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA). We report here that cell surface properties necessary for WGA-induced agglutination are abnormal in the mutant cerebellar cell population whereas those necessary for Con A-induced agglutination are not. These results are consistent with the persistence of a characteristic of the embryonic cerebellar cell surface.
Examining the Sustainability of an Evidence-Based Preschool Curriculum: The REDI Program.

Abstract This study examined the extent to which an evidence-based preschool curriculum (Head Start REDI) was sustained by 20 teachers during the year following a randomized controlled efficacy trial, when teachers were no longer required by the research project to implement the curriculum. Two quantitative measures of sustainability (teacher ratings, REDI coach ratings) and a qualitative measure (teacher interview) were collected and compared. Sustainability varied by the specific curriculum component, with higher rates of sustainability for the social–emotional component (Preschool PATHS) than for the language and literacy components. Estimates of sustainability were affected by the method of measurement, with REDI coach ratings and qualitative teacher interviews more closely aligned than teacher ratings. Responses from qualitative interviews identified the main factors that teachers thought affected sustainability. Teacher responses suggest that efforts to promote sustainability are best targeted at reducing barriers, such as competing demands, rather than simply highlighting the benefits of the new curriculum.
Pilot Implementation of Computerized Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in a University Health Setting

This study evaluated the implementation of computerized cognitive-behavioral therapy (cCBT) for depression and anxiety in a university health center. Students reporting symptoms of depression and/or anxiety were offered cCBT and randomized to a session email reminder or no-reminder condition. Participants reported significant symptom and functional improvement after receiving treatment, comparable to outcomes achieved in controlled efficacy trials. However, rates of session completion were low, and reminders did not enhance retention. Results suggest that cCBT is a promising intervention in this population, with little attenuation of gains relative to efficacy trials but low levels of treatment completion.
On the capacity of human placental enzymes to catalyze the formation of diols from benzo[a]pyrene

Studies were performed on the oxidative biotransformation of benzo[a]pyrene in fortified preparations of human placental microsomes by analysis with high-pressure liquid chromatography. These investigations revealed that the utilization of substrate concentrations (1–2 × 10−4 m) sufficiently high to assure zero-order reaction kinetics (in terms of the generation of phenolic metabolites) produced a marked inhibitory effect on the formation of dihydrodiols in the same reaction mixtures. Relative quantities of dihydrodiols generated increased with decreasing substrate concentrations between 200 and 2.7 μm. Additions of manganese or ferric ions to reaction mixtures altered the ratios of generated phenols to dihydrodiols but did not provide an explanation for the differences observed in the literature. Identical results were obtained with either 14C- or 3H-labeled benzo[a]pyrene as substrates. The data suggested the possibility that considerable quantities of 7,8-dihydroxy-7,8-dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene, a proximate mutagen/carcinogen, may be generated in vivo by placental tissues of women who smoke.
Removal of Hydrogen Peroxide by Thiol-specific Antioxidant Enzyme (TSA) Is Involved with Its Antioxidant Properties TSA POSSESSES THIOL PEROXIDASE ACTIVITY

The thiol-specific antioxidant protein (TSA) protects glutamine synthetase from inactivation by a metal-catalyzed oxidation (MCO) system comprised of dithiothreitol (DTT)/Fe3+/O2 but not by the ascorbate/Fe3+/O2 MCO system. The removal of sulfur-centered radicals or H2O2 has been proposed as the protective mechanism of TSA. Like catalase, TSA prevents the initiation of the rapid O2 uptake phase during MCO of DTT but causes only partial inhibition when added after the reaction is well into the propagation phase. Stoichiometric studies showed that the antioxidant property of TSA is, at least in part, due to its ability to catalyze the destruction of H2O2 by the overall reaction 2 RSH + H2O2→ RSSR + H2O. Results of kinetic studies demonstrate that the removal of H2O2 by TSA correlates with its ability to protect glutamine synthetase from inactivation. In the presence of thioredoxin, TSA is more active, whereas C170S (an active mutant of TSA in which cysteine 170 was replaced by a serine) and open reading frame 6 (a human antioxidant protein homologous to TSA with only one conserved cysteine residue) are only slightly affected. The thiol specificity of the protective activity of TSA derives from the fact that the oxidized form of TSA can be converted back to its sulfhydryl form by treatment with thiols but not by ascorbate.
Carbonyl reduction of bupropion in human liver.

Bupropion is metabolized extensively in humans by oxidative and reductive processes. CYP2B6 mediates oxidation of bupropion to hydroxybupropion, but the enzyme(s) catalyzing carbonyl reduction of bupropion to erythro- and threohydrobupropion in human liver is unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the enzyme kinetics of bupropion reduction in human liver.In human liver cytosol, the reduction of bupropion to erythro-and threohydrobupropion was NADPH dependent with Clint values of 0.08 and 0.60 µL·min−1mg−1 protein, respectively. Bupropion reduction in liver microsomes was also NADPH dependent with Clint values of 10.4 and 280 µL·min−1mg−1 protein, respectively. Formation of erythro-and threohydrobupropion in microsomes exceeded that in cytosol by 70 and 170 fold, respectively.Menadione, an inhibitor of cytosolic carbonyl reducing enzymes (e.g. CBRs), inhibited erythro-and threohydrobupropion formation in cytosol with IC50 of 30 and 54 µM, respectively. In microsomes 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid, an...
Analysis of Recombinant H7N9 Wild-Type and Mutant Viruses in Pigs Shows that the Q226L Mutation in HA Is Important for Transmission

The fact that there have been more than 300 human infections with a novel avian H7N9 virus in China indicates that this emerging strain has pandemic potential. Furthermore, many of the H7N9 viruses circulating in animal reservoirs contain putative mammalian signatures in the HA and PB2 genes that are believed to be important in the adaptation of other avian strains to humans. To date, the definitive roles of these mammalian-signature substitutions in transmission and pathogenesis of H7N9 viruses remain unclear. To address this we analyzed the biological characteristics, pathogenicity, and transmissibility of A/Anhui/1/2013 (H7N9) virus and variants in vitro and in vivo using a synthetically created wild-type virus (rAnhui-WT) and two mutants (rAnhui-HA-226Q and rAnhui-PB2-627E). All three viruses replicated in lungs of intratracheally inoculated pigs, yet nasal shedding was limited. The rAnhui-WT and rAnhui-PB2-627E viruses were transmitted to contact animals. In contrast, the rAnhui-HA-226Q virus was not transmitted to sentinel pigs. Deep sequencing of viruses from the lungs of infected pigs identified substitutions arising in the viral population (e.g., PB2-T271A, PB2-D701N, HA-V195I, and PB2-E627K reversion) that may enhance viral replication in pigs. Collectively, the results demonstrate that critical mutations (i.e., HA-Q226L) enable the H7N9 viruses to be transmitted in a mammalian host and suggest that the myriad H7N9 genotypes circulating in avian species in China and closely related strains (e.g., H7N7) have the potential for further adaptation to human or other mammalian hosts (e.g., pigs), leading to strains capable of sustained human-to-human transmission. IMPORTANCE The genomes of the zoonotic avian H7N9 viruses emerging in China have mutations in critical genes (PB2-E627K and HA-Q226L) that may be important in their pandemic potential. This study shows that (i) HA-226L of zoonotic H7N9 strains is critical for binding the α-2,6-linked receptor and enables transmission in pigs; (ii) wild-type A/Anhui/1/2013 (H7N9) shows modest replication, virulence, and transmissibility in pigs, suggesting that it is not well adapted to the mammalian host; and (iii) both wild-type and variant H7N9 viruses rapidly develop additional mammalian-signature mutations in pigs, indicating that they represent an important potential intermediate host. This is the first study analyzing the phenotypic effects of specific mutations within the HA and PB2 genes of the novel H7N9 viruses created by reverse genetics in an important mammalian host model. Finally, this study illustrates that loss-of-function mutations can be used to effectively identify residues critical to zoonosis/transmission.
Nausea, vomiting, and retching: the management of the symptom experience.

Objectives: To examine the physiology of nausea, vomiting, and retching (NVR); the impact of NVR on the patient; current measures to control NVR; and selfcare interventions. Data sources: Research studies, abstracts, and review articles relating to NVR associated with cancer treatment as well as pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions. Conclusions: Management of the individual symptoms of NVR require expert, ongoing assessment of the patient's symptom experience that extends beyond the clinic or hospital visit. Although a number of pharmacological antiemetic agents are currently available and additional antiemetic drugs are in phase II or II trials, nonpharmacological interventions are essential to achieve effective management. Implications for nursing practice: Continual assessment of the individual's symptom experience is imperative. Effective management of the symptom experience depends on the oncology nurses's ability to implement current knowledge of antiemetic, and other drugs; non-pharmacological interventions; and cost-effective and clinically useful patient outcomes.
Chemical Defense in Taeniopoda eques (Orthoptera: Acrididae): Role of the Metathoracic Secretion

The defensive capabilities of the aposematic, secretion-producing grasshopper Taeniopoda eques (Burmeister) against the sympatric insectivorous grasshopper mouse Onychomys torridus (Coues) were examined. During three consecutive days of testing, 23 O. torridus consumed 4.1-fold more of the palatable lubber grasshopper, Brachystola magna (Girard), than of T. eques. When B. magna were coated with T. eques secretion however, they were rejected by O. torridus. The conclusions that T. eques is unpalatable to O. torridus and that its secretion serves a defensive role are especially relevant considering the close natural sympatry of these organisms.
Evolution of Velovations: A Bicycle Design Enterprise in Lieu of Capstone Design

In fewer than three years, Velovations, Michigan Tech’s Bicycle Design Enterprise, has already tallied over twenty industry supported research and development projects. Our students (undergraduate and graduate) and faculty have worked with SRAM, Pearl Izumi, Saris, Cane Creek, Rolf Prima, RockyMounts, World Bicycle Relief, and others in the bicycle industry. We have worked closely with engineers, designers, and executives at these companies to co-create products that are actually coming to the market. Students have become well versed in innovating products from need understanding all the way through to tooling, including invention disclosures, costing, and industrial design. Students have used their backgrounds in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical and Electrical Technology, Exercise Science, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Social Sciences in combination with a structured innovation process that borrows heavily from our undergraduate course in capstone design and our graduate course in design thinking to add value to the bicycle industry.These three years have led us to a very new model for a design experience; one that is both rewarding for students and faculty and challenging to the status quo of research and student projects at universities. The purpose of this paper is to share lessons learned in our program and look towards replication in other industries.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Evanescent Field Spectroscopy With Optical Fibers For Chemical Sensing

A simple fiber optic chemical sensor is reported which may be used to detect in situ and in real time concentrations of gases and liquids. The sensor, comprised of a single LED source and a cladding-free multimode fiber, operates on the principle of evanescent field and differential spectroscopy. Exhibiting a linear response to relative humidity, this sensor selectively detects water vapor while remaining insensitive to source power fluctuations.
Paper-Based ZnO Nanogenerator Using Contact Electrification and Piezoelectric Effects

In this letter, we present a ZnO nanogenerator built on a paper substrate producing electricity using both contact electrification and piezoelectric effects. Paper is an environmentally friendly material and can help to improve the performance of the ZnO nanogenerator due to its natural roughness. The nanogenerator produced a maximum peak voltag of 38.4 V and a maximum peak current density of 3.2 $\mu \text{A}$ /cm $^{2}$ from both the inherent piezoelectric property of ZnO and contact electrification between poly(methyl methacrylate) and ZnO nanostructures. [2014-0388]
Plasma levels of free amino acids in normal subjects compared with patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

SummaryMicrobiological determinations of plasma values for arginine, glycine, histidine, lysine, phenylalanine, serine, and threonine have been determined in a group of normal individuals and compared with the values obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis.1. The values obtained for arginine, histidine, and threonine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis were lower than those obtained from the normal group. These differences were highly significant 11. 2. The values for glycine, lysine, phenylalanine and serine were not significantly different in the group with rheumatoid arthritis from those found in the group of normal individuals.
Cocaine activates the renin-angiotensin system in pregnant rabbits and alters the response to ischemia.

The purpose of this study was to determine (1) if the acute in vivo administration of cocaine and the cocaine metabolite ecgonine methyl ester (EME) activates the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and alters cardiovascular function during pregnancy and (2) whether heart function is decreased in rabbits chronically exposed to cocaine or EME in vivo. The acute in vivo effects on plasma renin activity (PRA) were examined when cocaine (2 mg/kg) or EME (2 mg/kg) was administered intravenously. Arterial blood samples were withdrawn for hormonal analysis. Arterial pressure was measured using a COBE CDX III transducer and a Micro-Med 100 blood pressure analyzer. Hematocrit was measured using a microcapillary technique and serum protein was analyzed using refractometry. In chronic cocaine and EME studies, cardiovascular function was monitored in rabbits that were chronically exposed to cocaine or EME via Alzet osmotic pumps (1.66 μg/h for 14 d) implanted subcutaneously. On d 14, the animal was euthanized, and the heart was removed and exposed to 15 min of global ischemia using the Langendorff method. Coronary flow and leftventricular pressure (LVP) were assessed. The acute administration of cocaine or EME increased PRA and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in pregnant rabbits within 5 min. Coronary flow and LVP were significantly lower in the cocaine- and EME-treated rabbits than in vehicle female rabbits.
Effects of a transdiagnostic group treatment for anxiety on secondary depression

Researchers have recently explored transdiagnostic anxiety treatments based on models of anxiety emphasizing a single common pathway across diagnostic categories. Results from a previous study [Norton and Hope, in press] indicated that a transdiagnostic approach was effective for both targeted and untargeted anxiety disorders. Consistent with the tripartite model, the transdiagnostic treatment should also influence symptoms of a broader pathology such as negative affectivity. This follow-up to Norton and Hope found significant decreases in depressed mood for clients undergoing transdiagnostic treatment for anxiety when compared to wait-list control participants. Although not statistically established, severity of depressive diagnoses seemed to generally decrease across treatment, whereas no change in severity occurred for those not receiving treatment.
Developmental changes in conditional reasoning: Linguistic or logical?

Abstract This study investigated reasoning with abstract conditional sentences as a function of age. Subjects from third-grade to eleventh-grade were required to evaluate the conclusion of several conditional arguments. The results confirmed the previously established finding that performance improves with age, particularly between 11 and 15 years. This finding could be interpreted to indicate that individuals become more logical as they get older. However, another possible interpretation is that the meaning of a conditional sentence like p then q for naive Ss may not always be given by the truth function pq true, p q false, p q true, and p q true. Further analysis suggested that at 9 years individuals treat the connective in the sentence, if p then q, as if it were either a conjunctive or a biconditional, that the conjunctive meaning disappears with increasing age and after 13 years is gradually superceded by the conditional.
Proteomic analysis of diaminochlorotriazine (DACT) adducts in three brain regions of Wistar Rats

Atrazine (ATRA) is the most commonly applied herbicide in the United States and is detected frequently in drinking water at significant levels. Following oral exposure, metabolism of ATRA generates diaminochlorotriazine (DACT), an electrophilic molecule capable of forming covalent protein adducts. At high doses, both ATRA and DACT can disrupt the preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge in rats, thereby altering normal reproductive function. This research was designed to identify DACT protein adducts formed in three distinct brain regions of ATRA-exposed rats, including the preoptic area (POA), medial basal hypothalamus (MBH), and cortex (CTX). Proteins with DACT adducts were identified following 2-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE), immunodetection, and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis. Western blots from exposed animals revealed over 30 DACT-modified spots that were absent in controls. Protein spots were matched to concurrently run 2-DE gels stained with Sypro Ruby, excised, and in-gel digested with trypsin.
Cytochemical localization of cations in the testis of the Syrian hamster, utilizing potassium-pyroantimonate.

Pyroantimonate has long been used as a cytochemical technique for the localization of cations. Although the technique was originally alleged to be specific for Na+, other cations, including Mg++, Ba++, Ca++, Zn++ and polycationic amines, form pyroantimonate precipitates. In seminiferous tubules treated with antimonate-osmium fixation, the nuclei of the Sertoli cells and germ cells contained precipitates. In regions of condensed chromatin the precipitates were dense while, in dispersed chromatin, precipitates were sparse or absent. It is postulated that the dense precipitates observed in the condensed chromatin may represent an accumulation of calcium that may facilitate chromatin condensation. The Sertoli cell nucleolar apparatus contained light precipitates in the pars amorpha, moderate precipitates in the nucleolonema, and heavy precipitates in the perinucleolar heterochromatin bodies. The nuclei of the maturation-phase spermatids lacked any precipitates. The perinuclear ring of the acrosome-phase spermatids contained pyroantimonate deposits. In the maturation-phase spermatids, staining occurred in the postacrosomal dense lamina, in the subacrosomal space between the perforatorium and the inner acrosomal membrane, and in the central mass of the residual bodies. Since the postacrosomal dense lamina is the portion of the spermatozoon that initially fuses with the ovum, it is postulated that its cationic properties in some way facilitate this fusion.
Dispersion and Superheterodyne EPR Using a Bimodal Resonator

Abstract Superheterodyne detection using a crossed-loop resonator permits observation of species with long electron-spin-relaxation times without passage effects and permits observation of dispersion spectra with higher signal-to-noise than absorption spectra. This was demonstrated with S-band (2.9 GHz) absorption and dispersion spectra for the defect centers in γ-irradiated fused SiO 2 and for the radicals in coal.
A multi threaded and resolution approach to simulated futures evaluation

As part of the DARPA Deep Green efforts, SAIC developed a multi-threaded and resolution approach to constructing and evaluating simulated futures to address the SimPath component. By making use of heuristically derived breakpoints in a provided plan, we can construct a series of possible futures that are grouped into what is referred to as the probabilistic fluent graph (PFG). Evaluation of the PFG is done through a multiple resolution and fidelity modeling system that applies computational resources to the areas of highest likelihood. In this paper, we will describe the architecture, processing, and data structures needed to bring this concept to fruition.
Hierarchical splatting: a progressive refinement algorithm for volume rendering

This paper presents a progressive refinement algorithm for volume rendering which uses a pyramidal volume representation. Besides storing average values, the pyramid stores estimated error, so an octtree can be fit to the pyramid given a user-supplied precision. This octtree is then drawn using a set of splats, or footprints, each scaled to match the size of the projection of a cell. The splats themselves are approximated with RGBA Gouraud-shaded polygons, so that they can be drawn efficiently on modern graphics workstations. The result is a real-time rendering algorithm suitable for interactive applications.
Fault-tolerant distributed system design

The problem of ensuring reliable communication in a computer network is becoming increasingly important. A number of network architectures that guarantee a path between any two good nodes in a network have been proposed. Here, an architecture is proposed with a suitable communication protocol. It is shown that, for a fault-free network, the communication delay between any two nodes in the network is m where the number of nodes in the network is r/sup m/. In the presence of up to r-2 faults, the delay is m+1. >
Clinical commentary: promoting meaning in the lives of cancer survivors

In clinical settings, nurses look for ways to encourage and to understand their patients' thoughts about the meaning of an illness in their lives. The meaning of illness is appreciated when thoughtful communication that respects the individual's needs and responses. By encouraging patients to describe their thoughts, hopes, and fears about their illness, clinicians will understand what is meaningful in life. Because creating meaning is an individual process, nurses must listen to the patient's personal story and look for the meaning of illness imbedded in it.
Downsize My Polity? The Impact of Size on Party Membership and Member Activism

This study examines a long-standing concern in democratic theory: the relationship between polity size and democratic participation. Size is thought to have a direct effect on the individual's proclivity to take part in collective action, as well as indirect effects through increased bureaucratic complexity and group heterogeneity – two factors often related to group size. The study operates at two levels. At the nation-state level, it examines the relationship between size and party membership rates in 27 representative democracies. It then extends the analysis to the party organization level, examining the effect of party size on members' activism in 29 parties across 5 advanced industrial democracies. The results show that increasing size strongly diminishes participation at both levels.
BRCA1/2-Associated and Sporadic Breast Cancers: Fellow Travelers or Not?

How useful are hereditary cancer susceptibility syndromes for modeling sporadic cancers? If the biology of cancers developing within hereditary syndromes follows the same pathways to malignancy as does a substantial proportion of sporadic cancers, then prevention trials focused on hereditary high-
Low latency via redundancy

Low latency is critical for interactive networked applications. But while we know how to scale systems to increase capacity, reducing latency --- especially the tail of the latency distribution --- can be much more difficult. In this paper, we argue that the use of redundancy is an effective way to convert extra capacity into reduced latency. By initiating redundant operations across diverse resources and using the first result which completes, redundancy improves a system's latency even under exceptional conditions. We study the tradeoff with added system utilization, characterizing the situations in which replicating all tasks reduces mean latency. We then demonstrate empirically that replicating all operations can result in significant mean and tail latency reduction in real-world systems including DNS queries, database servers, and packet forwarding within networks.
Same-Sex Marriage in the Courts of Law and Reason

This symposium contribution very succinctly summarizes the principal arguments for concluding that the Constitution does not require governments to recognize same-sex marriages.
Pregnancy increases myometrial artery myogenic tone via NOS- or COX-independent mechanisms

Myogenic tone (MT) is a primary modulator of blood flow in the resistance vasculature of the brain, kidney, skeletal muscle, and perhaps in other high-flow organs such as the pregnant uterus. MT is known to be regulated by endothelium-derived factors, including products of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and/or the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathways. We asked whether pregnancy influenced MT in myometrial arteries (MA), and if so, whether such an effect could be attributed to alterations in NOS and/or COX. MA (200-300 μm internal diameter, 2-3 mm length) were isolated from 10 nonpregnant and 12 pregnant women undergoing elective hysterectomy or cesarean section, respectively. In the absence of NOS and/or COX inhibition, pregnancy was associated with increased MT in endothelium-intact MA compared with MA from nonpregnant women (P < 0.01). The increase in MT was not due to increased Ca(2+) entry via voltage-dependent channels since both groups of MA exhibited similar levels of constriction when exposed to 50 mM KCl. NOS inhibition (N(ω)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, L-NAME) or combined NOS/COX inhibition (L-NAME/indomethacin) increased MT in MA from pregnant women (P = 0.001 and P = 0.042, respectively) but was without effect in arteries from nonpregnant women. Indomethacin alone was without effect on MT in MA from either nonpregnant or pregnant women. We concluded that MT increases in MA during human pregnancy and that this effect was partially opposed by enhanced NOS activity.
Bandwidth-efficient coded modulation with optimized linear partial-response signals

We study the design of optimal signals for bandwidth-efficient linear coded modulation. Previous results show that for linear channels with intersymbol interference (ISI), reduced-search decoding algorithms have near-maximum-likelihood error performance, but with much smaller complexity than the Viterbi decoder. Consequently, the controlled ISI introduced by a lowpass filter can be practically used for bandwidth reduction. Such spectrum shaping filters comprise an explicit coded modulation, for which we seek the optimal design. We simultaneously constrain the bandwidth and maximize the minimum Euclidean distance between signals. We show that under quite general assumptions the problem can be formulated as a linear program, and solved with well-known efficient optimization techniques. Numerical results are presented, and the performance of the optimal signals, measured by their combined bandwidth and noise immunity, is analyzed. The new codes are comparable to set-partition (TCM) trellis codes. Tests of an M-algorithm decoder confirm this and show that the performance occurs at small detection complexity.
Use of nicotine replacement after a smoking lapse.

INTRODUCTION Current labeling for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in the United States and many countries discourages continued use of NRT after a lapse; however, recent studies and consensus statements conclude that continuing NRT postlapse substantially increases long-term abstinence. What percent of clinicians recommend continuation of NRT upon a lapse and what percent of NRT users continue NRT postlapse are unclear. METHODS The author queried 24 treatment smoking cessation programs or providers, treatment protocols, directors of quitlines and state programs, published treatment texts, and self-help manuals, books, and Internet sites. The author also recruited 101 current smokers who had attempted to stop smoking in the last 3 months and lapsed while using NRT to complete a survey via an E-mail invitation to an Internet consumer database (www.zoomerang.com). RESULTS Most programs and providers (67%) did not discuss use of NRT postlapse, and only 8% recommended continuing NRT postlapse. Among recent quitters using NRT, about one fourth (27%) stopped NRT on the day of the lapse, and one fourth (25%) used NRT for only 1 or 2 days postlapse. Most (73%) reported that use of NRT postlapse was helpful. DISCUSSION In summary, advice to use NRT postlapse and actual use of NRT for several days postlapse are uncommon.
Scattering of Plane Sh‐Waves By A Semi‐Parabolic Cylindrical Canyon In an Elastic Half‐Space

SUMMARY The 2-D scattering and diffraction of plane SH-waves by a semi-parabolic cylindrical canyon in an elastic half-space is analysed for the cases of SH-waves coming from the side of the half-space towards the front of the canyon. the exact analytic series solution of the problem is presented. It shows that the surface topography can have significant effects on the incident waves, which become prominent at high frequencies, or when the wavelengths of the incident waves are short compared with the focal length of the canyon. Higher frequencies will also lead to greater complexity of the pattern of surface displacement amplitudes involving abrupt changes of amplification or deamplification from one point to another.
Multigland Disease and Slower Decline in Intraoperative PTH Characterize Mild Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Background Many patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) present with less severe biochemical parameters. The purpose of this study was to compare the presentation, operative findings, and outcomes of these patients with "mild" PHPT to patients with "overt" disease. Methods A retrospective review of a prospectively collected parathyroid database was performed to identify cases of PHPT undergoing an initial neck operation. Patients were classified as mild when either the preoperative calcium or PTH was within the normal limits. Comparisons were made with the Student's t test, Chi-squared test, or Wilcoxon rank-sum test where appropriate. Kaplan-Meier estimates were plotted for disease-free survival and compared by the log-rank test. Results Of the 1,429 patients who met inclusion criteria, 1,049 were classified as overt and 388 (27.1 %) were mild. Within the mild group, 122 (31.4 %) presented with normocalcemic PHPT and 266 (68.6 %) had a normal PTH. The two groups had similar demographics and renal function. Interestingly, the mild group had more than double the rate of kidney stones (3.1 vs. 1.3 %, p = 0.02). The mild group was less likely to localize on sestamibi scan (62.4 vs. 78.7 %, p Conclusions Patients with mild PHPT were more likely to have multigland disease and a slower decline in IoPTH, but these patients can be successfully treated with surgery.
Incidence of Cerebellar Tonsillar Ectopia in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: A Mimic of the Chiari I Malformation

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: IIH is a syndrome of elevated intracranial pressure without hydrocephalus, mass, or identifiable cause. Diagnosis is made by clinical presentation, intracranial pressure measurement, and supportive imaging findings. A subset of patients with IIH may have tonsillar ectopia, meeting the criteria for Chiari malformation type I but not responding to surgical decompression for Chiari I. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and morphology of cerebellar tonsillar ectopia in patients with IIH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-three patients with clinically confirmed IIH and 44 age-matched controls were included. Two neuroradiologists with CAQs reviewed sagittal T1-weighted MRI in a blinded fashion and measured cerebellar tonsil and obex positions relative to the foramen magnum and prepontine cistern width at the level of the midpons. RESULTS: Nine of 43 patients with IIH and 1/44 controls had cerebellar tonsillar ectopia of ≥5 mm. Five of 9 of patients with IIH with ectopia of ≥5 mm also had a “peglike” tonsil configuration. Patients with IIH had a significantly lower tonsillar position (2.1 ± 2.8 mm) than age-matched controls (0.7 ±1.9 mm, P P CONCLUSIONS: Cerebellar tonsil position in patients with IIH was significantly lower than that in age-matched controls, often times peglike, mimicking Chiari I. A significantly lower obex position suggests an inferiorly displaced brain stem and cerebellum. When tonsillar ectopia of >5 mm is identified, imaging and clinical consideration of IIH are warranted to avoid misdiagnosis as Chiari I.
Venous thromboembolism and membranous nephropathy: so what's new?

The association of venous thromboembolism (VTE) with the nephrotic syndrome, particularly deep vein and renal vein thrombosis (DVT and RVT, respectively) is firmly established ([1][1]–[3][2]). In a retrospective study of 298 nephrotic patients followed for a mean period of 10 years ([4][3]), the
On Some Geometric Properties of Rectilinear Representations of Graphs with Continuum Many Edges

We prove the existence of a set \({\mathcal{M}} \subset {\bf E}^3\) which has Lebesgue measure 0, is nowhere dense, and has the following property:
Thermal Contraction and Flexure of Mid-Continent and Atlantic Marginal Basins

Summary Thermal contraction of the lithosphere is a probable cause of the gradual subsidence indicated by sediments of mid-continent basins and Atlantic continental shelves. The subsidence is complicated by time dependent regional isostatic compensation since adjacent parts of the lithosphere are mechanically coupled, and since creep in the lithosphere may relieve accumulated stress. Thus, if more subsidence occurs at point A than nearby point B, point A would be buoyed up and point B dragged down. Relaxation of this coupling during a later period of more gradual subsidence would produce uplift at B and downwarp at A. The absence of younger beds over local minima of subsidence such as the Florida arch, the flanks of the Michigan basin, and the Atlantic coastal plain (USA) can thus be explained. Variations in the subsidence rate due to exponential decay of the thermal anomaly or to starved basin-evaporite depositional sequences can produce observable effects. Analytic models of the Michigan basin and the Atlantic coast (USA) are compatible with previously estimated parameters: thermal decay time of the lithosphere, 50 My; flexural parameter of the lithosphere beneath air, 200 km; and viscosity of the lithosphere, 1025 poise. The effects of flexure are not clearly evident in Silurian evaporite deposition in the Michigan basin and it is probable that an extended time was required for the evaporite sequence to accumulate. The cause of the thermal heating event which precedes subsidence is unclear for mid-continent basins although bulk replacement of the uppermost mantle is necessary. The heating events may be associated with periods of slow sea-floor spreading (when slabs exert a tensional force on the lithosphere) and hence low eustatic sea level. There is little direct evidence that an initial heating event actually occurred in the Michigan basin immediately before the start of subsidence.
Seismic Wave Propagation in a Self-Gravitating Anisotropic Earth

The mathematical theory is discussed of the propagation of acceleration waves in a spherical, elastic Earth, which has spherical symmetry and the material of which is transversely isotropic at each point with respect to the radial direction, both as a result of its intrinsic nature and as a result of the effect of self-gravitation. An arbitrary variation of density with radial distance from the Earth’s centre is assumed. The differential equation for the ray path is obtained and solved in the case of an SH-wave. It is seen that the usual Herglotz-Wiechert method for the determination of the dependence of wave speed on radial position breaks down.
Palau'amine and Its Congeners: A Family of Bioactive Bisguanidines from the Marine Sponge Stylotella aurantium1

The strongly cytotoxic, antibiotic, and immunosuppressive palau'amine was isolated from the Belau sponge Stylotella aurantium, along with less active 4-bromo and 4,5-dibromo derivatives. Three corresponding isomeric compounds, all less active, were also isolated, and full details of the isolation and all structure proofs are provided.
Transscleral suturing of the implantable miniature telescope

A technique is described for transscleral suturing of the implantable miniature telescope device for end-stage age-related macular degeneration. It provides stabilization and centration of the implantable miniature telescope device in the case of capsule rupture or severe zonular dialysis. Financial Disclosure The author has no financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Training locomotor networks

For a complete adult spinal rat to regain some weight-bearing stepping capability, it appears that a sequence of specific proprioceptive inputs that are similar, but not identical, from step to step must be generated over repetitive step cycles. Furthermore, these cycles must include the activation of specific neural circuits that are intrinsic to the lumbosacral spinal cord segments. For these sensorimotor pathways to be effective in generating stepping, the spinal circuitry must be modulated to an appropriate excitability level. This level of modulation is sustained from supraspinal input in intact, but not spinal, rats. In a series of experiments with complete spinal rats, we have shown that an appropriate level of excitability of the spinal circuitry can be achieved using widely different means. For example, this modulation level can be acquired pharmacologically, via epidural electrical stimulation over specific lumbosacral spinal cord segments, and/or by use-dependent mechanisms such as step or stand training. Evidence as to how each of these treatments can “tune” the spinal circuitry to a “physiological state” that enables it to respond appropriately to proprioceptive input will be presented. We have found that each of these interventions can enable the proprioceptive input to actually control extensive details that define the dynamics of stepping over a range of speeds, loads, and directions. A series of experiments will be described that illustrate sensory control of stepping and standing after a spinal cord injury and the necessity for the “physiological state” of the spinal circuitry to be modulated within a critical window of excitability for this control to be manifested. The present findings have important consequences not only for our understanding of how the motor pattern for stepping is formed, but also for the design of rehabilitation intervention to restore lumbosacral circuit function in humans following a spinal cord injury.
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia: Clinical Results with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia is a clinical entitycharacterized by fatty infiltration of the right ventricle and left bundlemorphology ventricular tachycardia occurring in young patients. The mostcommon cause of death is tachyarrhythmic. Pharmacological andnonpharmacological therapies, including implantable cardioverterdefibrillators, have been used to treat the arrhythmias. However, rightventricular endocardial leads in this population may be associated with anincreased risk of perforation and suboptimal sensing and defibrillationefficacy due to the diseased right ventricle. We report on 12 patients witharrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia who were treated with implantablecardioverter defibrillators. The mean age was 31± 9 years (range15-48). Patients presented with presyncope (5), syncope (4), or cardiacarrest (3). All patients had electrocardiographic abnormalitiescharacteristic of the condition. Follow-up averaged 22 ± 13months (range 1-45). There was one sudden death at 1 month of follow-up. Ofthe 12 patients, 8 have had appropriate therapy delivered by the implantabledefibrillator. Six patients are currently on sotalol to reduce the frequencyof implantable defibrillator discharges. In conclusion, implantablecardioverter defibrillators with nonthoracotomy leads are feasible and safein patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. The frequencyof appropriate therapy is high, supporting the use of implantablecardioverter defibrillators in this population. During programmedelectrical stimulation nine patients had sustained ventricular tachycardia,while three patients had no inducible arrhythmia. Transvenous leads wereplaced in nine patients. In these patients pacing thresholds weresignificantly higher, R-wave amplitudes were significantly lower, anddefibrillation thresholds were not significantly different than in a cohortof patients without right ventricular dysplasia. There were no acute orchronic complications of right ventricular lead placement.
Rate-Compatible Puncturing of Finite-Length Low-Density Parity-Check Codes

In this paper, we study rate-compatible puncturing of finite-length Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes. First, we derive simple and yet good bounds on the expected performance of punctured codes (constructed by random puncturing) over Binary Erasure Channel (BEC) as a function of the performance of their parent LDPC code. We then present a novel rate-compatible puncturing scheme that is very easy to implement. Our scheme uses the idea that a more uniform distribution of punctured bits across the Tanner graph results in punctured codes with better performance. Although the puncturing scheme tailored to regular codes is presented, it is also directly applicable to irregular parent ensembles. By simulations, the proposed rate-compatible puncturing scheme is shown to be superior to the existing puncturing methods for both regular and irregular LDPC codes over BEC and Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) Channel.
Rules for Making Exceptions to Rules

This paper examines the ethical aspects of administrative rule making with the specific purpose of explicating the “metarules” for rule construction and enforcement. It does this by reformulating classical and recent developments in ethical theory into somewhat less abstract guidelines for use in decision making.
Biliary tract surgery in the aged patient

Summary An analysis was made of a group of 77 patients, all over the age of 65, who were operated upon for some form of biliary tract disease. All but 2 of these patients had gallstones; 15.6 per cent had pathologically verified acute cholecystitis; 20.8 per cent had choledocholithiasis. The surgical mortality for the whole group was 7.7 per cent (6 cases). All but 1 of these deaths occurred in patients with advanced jaundice at the time of surgery. No deaths occurred in the group with acute cholecystitis. The remaining death and the only one that occurred in the patients who had undergone elective cholecystectomy was due to delayed hemorrhage and was attributed to poor surgical technique. Thus, in our experience jaundice was a grave complication of calculous cholecystitis and indicated a poor prognosis. The policy of regarding all calculous cholecystitis, whether symptomatic or not, as a potential hazard to life and an indication for elective cholecystectomy seems justified.
Basic and Advanced Combat Casualty Care: A Military Problem

Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) takes a standardized approach to casualty management. It is most appropriate for civilian trauma and medical providers who do not manage trauma patients on a regular basis. Data presented herein show that a different type of patient is seen in wartime, and that much additional teaching and information dispersal will be needed to prepare medical personnel for wartime. Language: en
Electron Decoherence at Zero Temperature

The problem of low temperature decoherence of an electron inside a disordered conductor [1] is extremely important in many areas of physics. For instance [2], to verify predictions of the quantum theory, measurements have to be made. However, one prevalent interpretation requires the explicit existence of a classical apparatus for measurement. The necessity of classical mechanics to interpret quantum theory of which it should be a limiting case creates the so-called quantum measurement problem in addition to the fact that the measurement process itself is not described by quantum mechanics. The idea of decoherence or loss of quantum coherence — signifying transition from the quantum to the classical realm by the coupling to an environment — within the quantum mechanical framework at zero temperature is thus extremely fundamental. Despite its glaring necessity, most studies of decoherence are done in the high temperature (classical) limit for the environment. Any phenomenology which depicts zero temperature decoherence is thus essential to foundational problems [2] of quantum theory.
A facile and scalable approach to fabricating free-standing polymer—Carbon nanotube composite electrodes

Abstract Nanoporous carbon materials are widely utilized in high-power supercapacitors due to their structural properties, chemical stability and conductivity, despite their limited energy density and charge storage capacity. Conducting polymers, on the other hand, possess high charge capacities; however, their application in commercial devices is hindered by degradation arising from their poor chemical and physical stability. Composites of carbon nanomaterials and conducting polymers have synergistic properties beneficial to supercapacitors, such as high capacitance and stability, but the limitations in scalable synthesis and polymer aggregation prevent widespread utilization. In this work, robust free-standing carbon nanotube (CNT)/electrically conducting polymer (ECP) electrodes are prepared using a simple dispersion filtration method, which can easily be scaled up. This process eliminates the use of binder, substrate or additional inactive weight. Composite CNT/ECP electrodes showed enhanced capacitance and charge capacity, achieving values up to 448 F/g and 84 mAh/g compared to 27 F/g and 10 mAh/g for pure CNT electrodes in aqueous electrolyte. Resulting symmetric cells exhibited energy and power densities of ∼5 Wh/kg and ∼283 W/kg, respectively, in aqueous electrolytes; and ∼12 Wh/kg and ∼744 W/kg, respectively, in organic electrolytes when using PEDOT/CNT electrodes. Given the process simplicity, relatively low cost and high throughput, the present composites have great potential for large-scale manufacturing of CP/CNTs supercapacitor electrodes.