cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A reassessment of a classic neuroprotective combination therapy for spinal cord injured rats: LPS/pregnenolone/indomethacin.

These experiments were completed as part of an NIH-NINDS contract entitled “Facilities of Research Excellence-Spinal Cord Injury (FORE-SCI)—Replication”. Our goal was to replicate data from a paper published by Dr. Lloyd Guth and colleagues in which combined injections of lipopolysaccharide, indomethacin and pregnenolone (referred to herein as LIP therapy) conferred marked neuroprotection in a pre-clinical model of spinal cord injury (SCI). Specifically, post-injury injection of the combination LIP therapy was found to significantly reduce tissue damage at/nearby the site of injury and significantly improve recovery of locomotor function. In this report, we confirm the primary observations made by Guth et al., however, the effects of LIP treatment were modest. Specifically, LIP treatment improved myelin and axon sparing, axonal sprouting while reducing lesion cavitation. However, spontaneous recovery of locomotion, as assessed using historical (Tarlov scoring) and more current rating scales (i.e., BBB scoring), was not affected by LIP treatment. Instead, more refined parameters of functional recovery (paw placement accuracy during grid walk) revealed a significant effect of treatment. Possible explanations for the neuroprotective effects of LIP therapy are described along with reasons why the magnitude of neuroprotection may have differed between this study and that of Guth and colleagues.
Microcanonical Simulation of Fermionic Systems

A new method is suggested to bosonize the path integral of lattice field theories with fermion fields. The procedure is illustrated in the case of the Schwinger model.
Regional Association of Biological and Hemodynamic Parameters in Distal End-to-Side Vascular Anastomoses Perfused Ex Vivo

Vascular bypass graft failure is a significant clinical problem and is frequently due to the formation of intimal hyperplasia (IH) [1–3]. IH is characterized by the accumulation of smooth muscle cells (SMC) and extracellular matrix in the intima of the vessel, which occurs when the normal balance between vascular cell proliferation and apoptosis (regulated cell death) is altered [4]. The disturbed flow present at the anastomosis has been implicated in the formation of IH and the link between hemodynamics and graft failure is via a complex cascade of events whereby biomechanical forces cause biological responses [5, 6]. For example, immediate early genes (IEG) such as c-fos, c-jun and egr-1 are involved in the signaling pathways for proliferation and apoptosis. When extracellular biomechanical stimuli (e.g. shear stress) cause the expression of IEG, their protein products translocate to the nucleus. These proteins regulate the expression of a number of genes implicated in cardiovascular disease including growth factors, adhesion molecules, proapoptotic substrates and coagulation factors [7–9]. Because IEG are involved in both proliferation and apoptosis, their expression may upset the normal balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis and could play a vital role in the IH formation in vascular bypass grafts.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
The reading readiness room

(1967). The reading readiness room. Peabody Journal of Education: Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 42-46.
Improving the therapeutic ratio of radiation in locally advanced prostate cancer: Mixed neutron/photon vs. hyperfractionated photon irradiation

In an attempt to improve the probability of complication-free local control, a series of dose finding studies have been conducted at Wayne State University using either conformal neutron or hyperfractionated photon irradiation. In total, 96 patients with locally advanced prostate cancer (Stage T3/T4, N0/N1, M0, and/or Gleason score ≥8) were treated on two prospective dose-finding studies. Forty-seven patients received conformal neutron/photon irradiation (15NeutronGray + 18Gy). Forty-nine patients were treated on a dose escalation study using hyperfractionated conformal photon irradiation. Twenty-five patients received 78Gy and 24 patients received 83Gy. The median follow-up for both studies was 27 months (range 14–46). There was no significant difference in the rate of chronic gastrointestinal or genitourinary morbidity between the two groups. However, the neutron treated patients had a significantly higher rate of moderate (30%) and severe (12%) pelvic muscle fibrosis. The biochemical complete response rate and 12 month negative biopsy were comparable between the two groups. An estimated RBE for rectal and bladder injury of 3.3 was calculated. The RBE for tumor control was 3.9. Therefore, the therapeutic gain of neutron irradiation was estimated to be 1.2. In conclusion, a 2GY/fraction equivalent dose of 78Gy in conjunction with neoadjuvant hormones appears comparable to the mixed neutron-photon dose of 15NGy + 18Gy. Further efforts at comparing these regimens and assessing the potential benefits of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy should be undertaken. Radiat Oncol Invest 1996;4:129–134. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Alemtuzumab as a bridge to allogeneic SCT in atypical hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis

This Case Study describes a patient with multiple relapses of atypical HLH that became refractory to treatment with numerous immunosuppressive agents. As HLH is driven by CD52+ T cells and histiocytes, alemtuzumab was used as targeted therapy to induce stable remission and enable allogeneic stem-cell transplantation to be successfully performed.
Introducing behavior therapy into a disease-model dual-diagnosis treatment program *

Rates of alcohol and drug abuse among individuals seeking psychiatric treatment exceed those of the general population, and there has been increasing attention to meeting the treatment needs of such dually diagnosed persons. Social-skills training shows promise as one aspect of integrated treatment for dually diagnosed inpatients, but poses practical questions of implementing behavior therapy in settings where a disease model of addictive behavior and psychopathology dominates. A case is made for integration of behavior therapy within the prevailing medical model and supported by the author's experience providing skills training groups for inpatients. Clinical techniques for providing social skills training to patients with severe, heterogeneous presenting problems in the context of everbriefer hospitalizations are described, as are means for increasing the value of the behavioral approach in a medical-model setting.
Designing Pre-College Engineering Curricula and Technology: Lessons Learned From the Infinity Project

The importance of mathematics and science education in today's modern, technology-driven society cannot be understated. This paper describes the history of and ongoing efforts in curricular and educational technology development for the infinity project, a joint effort between educators, administrators, and industry leaders to establish an engineering curriculum at the high school level. Several issues are considered, including the choice and design of the technology platform used in the curriculum, the curricular and technology development timeline, and the design examples chosen to illuminate important engineering concepts within the curriculum. We also provide a list of key best practices and challenges in developing novel pre-college engineering curricula for future engineers.
Effects of acute administration of nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic agonists and antagonists on performance in different cost–benefit decision making tasks in rats

Rationale Alterations in cost–benefit decision making accompany numerous neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and addiction. Central cholinergic systems have been linked to the etiology and/or treatment of many of these conditions, but little is known about the role of cholinergic signaling in cost–benefit decision making.
Observation of plasmon excitations in X-ray production following heavy ion bombardment

Abstract Four equidistant peaks are observed below the Kα 1,2 line in the X-ray spectra of Na, Al, Si, SiO 2 , Ca, Sc and Ti, produced by oxygen bombardment. With much weaker intensity, these lines are also seen in proton excitation. The lines are interpreted to be due to the excitation of one or more volume plasmons in the target material by the Kα 1,2 X-ray decay.
Global smooth solutions of the equations of motion of a nonlinear fluid with fading memory

The initial value problem associated with the equation of motion of an incompressible simple fluid with exponentially fading memory is studied. Suitable function spaces are constructed and a local existence theorem is established by the method pf artificial viscosity. Several energy integrals are obtained in order to estimate the size of solutions in suitable function spaces. It is shown that the solution are globally defined when the intial data are small and that they decay to equilibrium are time tends to infinity.
Neurotoxicity of halogenated O-phenyl O-alkyl alkylphosphonothioates.

Abstract Twenty‐seven halogenated organophosphorus esters were tested for neurotoxicity in adult hens. Fourteen compounds were overtly neurotoxic, including eight of eleven methylphosphonothioates, three of seven ethylphosphonothioates, and three of six phosphorami‐dates, one of which was the commercial herbicide DMPA. Neurotoxic activity varied both with the number of halogen substituents on the phenyl group, and with the identity of the 4‐phenyl halogen. Neurotoxic activity also varied with the alkyl group involved in the P‐C or P‐N bond, and with the identity of the 0‐alkyl group.
Correlates of the co-occurrence of wife abuse and child abuse among a representative sample

The co-occurrence of domestic violence and child abuse is well documented (Appel, A. E., & Holden, G. W. (1998). J. Fam. Psychol. 12: 578–599; Edleson, J. L. (1999). Violence Against Women 5: 134–154). However, little is known about the correlates of co-occurring wife and child abuse. Analyzing data from the 1985 National Family Violence Survey (subsample N = 2733), this study identified risk factors associated with the co-occurrence of wife and child abuse. One-way ANOVA and chi-square analyses were conducted to compare characteristics of parents, children, and households among subgroups of families reporting some form of abuse. Key differences emerged between the three types of homes compared (i.e., those with child abuse alone, wife abuse alone, or wife and child abuse), indicating possibly distinct etiologies and processes. In particular, the co-occurrence of wife and child abuse was marked by less education, worse health, increased reports of depression, and increased husband drug use. Findings may be useful to practitioners and researchers interested in risk factors for different forms of family violence.
Preschool Children Require Fewer Instructional Prompts to Perform a Memory Task in the Presence of a Dog

ABSTRACTThis paper presents two experiments that examined memory performance and adherence to instructions for a group of preschool children (n = 12) in the presence of a well-behaved real dog, a stuffed dog, and a human confederate. The children were shown 10 objects in each condition. At test, the children were shown each original object along with a distracter and asked to select the one they had seen before. As we expected, object recognition performance was at ceiling and no effects were significant. Instructional prompts were recorded in two ways: General prompts included general instructions like “Face this way,” whereas Task Specific prompts directed the child to perform specific aspects of the task like “Pick one of these objects.” The first experiment involved the use of three-dimensional objects and we found that for both types of prompts, fewer prompts were needed in the Real Dog condition, followed by the Stuffed Dog condition, and the greatest number of prompts was needed in the Human condit...
Molecular mediators of hypoxic-ischemic injury and implications for epilepsy in the developing brain

Abstract Perinatal hypoxia–ischemia (HI) is the most common cause of cerebral palsy, and an important consequence of perinatal HI is epilepsy. Epilepsy is a disorder in which the balance between cerebral excitability and inhibition is tipped toward uncontrolled excitability. Selected neuronal circuits as well as certain populations of glial cells die from the excitotoxicity triggered by HI. Excitotoxicity, a term referring to cell death caused by overstimulation of the excitatory glutamate neurotransmitter receptors, plays a critical role in brain injury caused by perinatal HI. Ample evidence suggests distinct differences between the immature and mature brain with respect to the pathology and consequences of hypoxic–ischemic brain injury. Thus, the intrinsic vulnerability of specific cell types and systems in the developing brain is particularly important in determining the final pattern of damage and functional disability caused by perinatal HI. These patterns of neuronal vulnerability are associated with clinical syndromes of neurologic disorders such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and seizures. Recent studies have uncovered important molecular and cellular aspects of hypoxic–ischemic brain injury. The cascade of biochemical and histopathological events initiated by HI can extend for days to weeks after the insult is triggered, which may provide a “therapeutic window” for intervening in the pathogenesis in the developing brain. Activation of apoptotic programs accounts for the majority of HI-induced pathophysiology in neonatal brain disorders. New experimental approaches to protecting brain tissue from the effects of neonatal HI include administration of neuronal growth factors and effective inhibition of the death effector pathways, such as caspase cascade, and their downstream targets, which execute apoptosis and/or induction of their regulatory cellular proteins. Our recent findings that a novel neuronal protein, neuronal pentraxin 1 (NP1), is induced following HI in neonatal brain and that NP1 gene silencing is neuroprotective suggest that NP1 could be a new molecular target in the central neurons for preventing HI injury in developing brain. Most importantly, the specific interactions between NP1 and the excitatory glutamate receptors and their colocalization further implicate a role for this novel neuronal protein in the excitotoxic cascade. Recent experimental work suggests that these approaches may be effective during a longer therapeutic window after the insult, as they are acting on events that are relatively delayed, creating the potential for therapeutic interventions for these lifelong neurological disabilities.
p53 accumulation in benign breast biopsy specimens

Several studies of benign breast lesions using methacran-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues and cytological preparations have suggested that p53 accumulation in these lesions as detected by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining is rare to absent. As a result, several different investigators have suggested that p53 immunoreactivity in breast specimens infers a diagnosis of malignancy or may identify premalignant lesions. We immunostained 271 breast biopsy specimens from 271 patients with the monoclonal anti-p53 antibody BP-53-12 and found positive nuclear staining in seven of 23 malignant lesions (30%) and 39 of 248 benign biopsy specimens (16%). Of the benign lesions, 30% of fibroadenomas, nonpremalignant breast lesions, were positive. Long-term follow-up information was available on 48 patients with benign biopsy specimens and showed that 12% of those positive and 7% of those negative for p53 developed breast carcinoma. This difference was not significant (P > .2). We conclude that (1) p53 immunoreactivity in breast lesions should not be used as exclusive evidence of malignancy and (2) p53 immunoreactivity in benign breast lesions may not identify a subset of patients at increased risk for breast carcinoma.
DIFFERENCE IN POLYGALACTURONASE COMPOSITION OF CLINGSTONE AND FREESTONE PEACHES

The composition of polygalacturonase activity and the solubility of pectin were compared in clingstone and freestone peaches. At the unripe stage, all varieties of both types of peaches had low levels of water-soluble pectin and virtually no polygalacturonase activity. Ripe clingstone peaches had exopolygalacturonase activity and essentially insoluble pectin. Ripe freestone peaches had exopolygalacturonase and endopolygalacturonase activity and high levels of water-soluble pectin. These differences in composition of polygalacturonases may account for the markedly different textural characteristics of the two types of peaches.
Enhancement of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus biosynthesis and in vivo infectivity by 2-thiouracil

Abstract The infectivity of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) in sap extracted from systemically infected cowpea plants treated with toxic levels of 2-thiouracil was markedly enhanced when treatment began at any time during the first 40 days after inoculation. When treatment began immediately after inoculation by spraying daily with 0.005 M 2-thiouracil, the infectivity of extracted sap was 3 times that of controls after 14 days of treatment. The virus nucleoprotein increased 5–20% while the specific infectivity did not change measurably. When treatment began 30 days after inoculation by maintaining plants in 0.001 M 2-thiouracil, infectivity of extracted sap and specific infectivity increased 10-fold by 14 days of treatment, while the virus nucleoprotein concentration decreased. Incorporation of 32P into the virus fraction demonstrated that thiouracil induced a 4- to 5-fold increase in the synthesis rate of CCMV in a 30–45-day-old infection. Thiouracil enhanced the infectivity of CCMV in tobacco, while under the same conditions tobacco mosaic virus was inhibited. Uracil counteracted the effect of thiouracil, but not at equal molarities.
A dermatologist's view of polymyositis/ dermatomyositis

Abstract In this chapter, I shall concentrate on all of the cutaneous manifestations of dermatomyositis (DM), including approaches to treatment. By definition, polymyositis (PM) does not have a skin rash. Most patients with the typical skin findings of DM also have evidence of myopathy, but there are some patients who present with the characteristic eruption but without evidence of muscle disease (dermatomyositis sine myositis).
Human tissue trace-element detection by neutron activation without chemical separation.

Zusammenfassung A method for analysis of 40 trace elements in human tissues without chemical separation involves 8 hr activation at 10 13 neutrons cm −2 sec −1 and 10–20 day's decay before counting on Ge(Li) detectors. Five human tissues were examined to determine the feasibility of analysis of necropsy and biopsy tissues on a routine basis. The technique has many advantages if tissues are lyophilized and pressed into tablets before activation. SPURENELEMENTNACHWEIS IN MENSCHLICHEM GEWEBE DURCH NEUTRONENAKTIVIERUNG OHNE CHEMISCHE TRENNUNG Ein verfahren zur Analyse von 40 Spurenelementen in menschlichen Geweben ohne chemische Trennung erfordert eine acht Stunden lange Aktivierung mit 10 13 Neutronen cm −2 s −1 und einen 10 bis 20 Tage langen Zerfall vor der Zahlung in Ge(Li) Detektoren. Funf menschliche Gewebe wurden gepruft, um eine mogliche Verwendbarkeit zur laufenden Analyse von Nekropsie- und Biopsie-Geweben zu ermitteln. Diese Arbeitsweise hat viele Vorzuge, wenn Gewebe lyophilisiert und vor Aktivierung zu Tabletten geppresst werden.
The Value of a “Functional Test” in Selecting Material for a Genetic Study of Mammary Tumors in Mice and Rats

It has been pointed out by Little, Strong, and others that one of the basic weaknesses of the early work in the experimental study of the genetics of neoplasms occurring in mice was that the animal strains used were not of sufficient purity. This objection was met by the long and tedious process of close inbreeding of various stocks coupled with careful tabulation of all tendency to the spontaneous development of neoplasms. As a result lines were produced, on the one hand, which gave as high as 80 to 90 per cent of tumors of the mammary gland, and on the other, such a line as C57, which apparently failed to develop a mammary tumor in ten years of inbreeding. The work of the present writers has been largely with the so-called “non-tumor” or “low-tumor” strains, and their results lead them to conclude that the process of inbreeding alone does not insure a strain free from a tendency to produce spontaneous cancer. Unless some way is devised to make it possible to distinguish those individuals whose constitution is favorable to the spontaneous formation of neoplasms they may remain undetected from one generation to another. Recently we have applied a method to this problem which has successfully located female mice with spontaneous, fully developed mammary carcinoma even in such a “low-tumor” strain as C57 (1, 2). We refer to the so-called “functional test” in which female mice are bred rapidly, starting at an early age, and are not allowed to nurse their young. This procedure subjects the females to a prolonged, vigorous hormonal stimulation of the mammary gland, mainly ovarian, coupled with irritation of the epithelium of the gland due to retained secretions within the ducts. This procedure results apparently in an early “aging” effect upon the breeding females, so that mammary gland tumors may arise in animals only four to six months of age. This method has made it possible to locate female mice with cancer when they are still fertile, so that offspring may be obtained either from them or from their close relations. Conversely the same procedure has resulted in making it possible to detect, at a relatively early age, females whose constitution is apparently resistant to the formation of mammary neoplasms under the conditions of our experiment.
Metallacycles of iron, zinc, and cadmium assembled by polytopic bis(pyrazolyl)methane ligands and fluoride abstraction from BF4-.

Reactions of the arene-linked bis(pyrazolyl)methane ligands m-bis[bis(1-pyrazolyl)methyl]benzene (m-[CH(pz)2]2C6H4, Lm) and 1,3,5-tris[bis(1-pyrazolyl)methyl]benzene (1,3,5-[CH(pz)2]3C6H3, L3) with BF4- salts of divalent iron, zinc, and cadmium result in fluoride abstraction from BF4- and formation of fluoride-bridged metallacyclic complexes. Treatment of Fe(BF4)2·6H2O and Zn(BF4)2·5H2O with Lm leads to the complexes [Fe2(μ-F)(μ-Lm)2](BF4)3 (1) and [Zn2(μ-F)(μ-Lm)2](BF4)3 (2), in which a single fluoride ligand and two Lm molecules bridge the two metal centers. The reaction of [Cd2(thf)5](BF4)4 with Lm results in the complex [Cd2(μ-F)2(μ-Lm)2](BF4)2 (3), which contains dimeric cations in which two fluoride and two Lm ligands bridge the cadmium centers. Equimolar amounts of the tritopic ligand L3 and Zn(BF4)2·5H2O react to give the related monofluoride-bridged complex [Zn2(μ-F)(μ-L3)2](BF4)3 (4), in which one bis(pyrazolyl)methane unit on each ligand remains unbound. NMR spectroscopic studies show that in a...
The excess of patients with advanced breast cancer in young women screened with mammography in the Canadian National Breast Screening Study

Background. An unexpected excess of patients with breast cancer with four or more positive lymph nodes was observed in mammographically screened women who were younger than the age of 50 years at enrollment into the Canadian National Breast Screening Study (NBSS). It has been suggested that this excess is consistent with prior screening trials evaluating mammography. Methods. A quantitative evaluation of the distribution of patients with breast cancer with four or more positive lymph nodes in the NBSS was undertaken, and the percentages of patients with breast cancer who were at an advanced state at diagnosis in the NBSS and in previous randomized screening trials were compared. The validity of mortality analyses after eliminating advanced cases detected by physical examination at the initial screening visit is examined. Results. The excess of patients with cancer with four or more positive lymph nodes in the 40-49-year mammography age group of the NBSS was statistically significant, even when expressed as a percentage of all invasive cancers diagnosed. Such an excess is inconsistent with published data on extent of disease at diagnosis from previous studies. Analysis of NBSS mortality data after eliminating advanced cases detected by physical examination at the initial visit should result in minimal, if any, bias. Conclusions. Mortality analyses eliminating advanced cases detected by physical examination at the initial screening visit may be less susceptible to bias caused by possible nonrandom allocation of study participants and should be considered in future evaluations of the NBSS cohort after longer follow-up periods and in meta-analyses that may include the NBSS in assessments of the efficacy of mammography. Cancer 1995;75:997-1003.
Optical controller for adaptive phased-array antennas using neural network architecture

An analog optical signal processor has been developed to implement the function of antenna sidelobe interference cancellation. The architecture, which includes optical correlators with Bragg cell input, an optical time modulator, and an optical spatial integrator, performs an operation which is equivalent to the multiple-loop Howells-Applebaum Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm. This implementation offers the potential for cancelling multiple correlated interference signals (i.e. direct path and multipath interference signals) with an appropriate number of auxiliary antennas. A previous report described single frequency CW tests of such a processor. Preliminary tests with wide-band waveforms and the special test instrumentation developed to perform these tests are described in this paper.
Improvements in the Management of Structured and Unstructured Data

We describe business practices and IT tools that we deployed to reduce the time that Engineers and Geoscientists spend looking for, gaining access to, and manipulating data and information. Various sources have estimated that technical professionals spend up to 30% of their time searching for data and information. Less well measured, but estimated to be just as large, is the time spent gaining access to data, moving it into and between technical applications and dealing with data quality problems. We share our analyses and classification of how this time is being spent.
Charge Exchange Injection at the AGS

The AGS has been brought into operation in October 1982 with multi-turn H- charge exchange injection. The injection area of the AGS has been modified to bring the H- beam from the 200 MeV linac through the main magnet fringe field to a stripping foil located within the magnet aperture. The injection system is described in detail and initial performance of the accelerator is reported.
Plants with Histories: The Changing Ethnobotany of Iquito Speakers of the Peruvian Amazon

Plants with Histories: The Changing Ethnobotany of Iquito Speakers of the Peruvian Amazon. This paper describes the first ethnobotanical study carried out with speakers of Iquito, a critically endangered language of northeastern Peru. The work examines significant changes the pharmacopoeia has undergone, developing a new measure, the Index of Plant Novelty (IPN) that combines oral history, linguistic, comparative ethnobotanical, and botanical data. Research was carried out in 2009 and 2010, with structured interviews and collection of 87 botanical voucher specimens in 39 botanical families. The study results suggest that no one single factor can fully explain the patterns of borrowing in the pharmacopoeia of San Antonio, although data show some support for previously proposed hypotheses that such borrowing fills gaps in the pharmacopoeia or that edible and ornamental plants are often adopted for medicinal use. However, this process must also be understood within the context of colonization by mestizo settlers, which has given higher prestige to uses and species from outside. A comparison between oral history data and the linguistic and comparative data suggests that the Iquito informants interviewed have underestimated the extent to which their current pharmacopoeia has been borrowed.
Validation of limited sampling strategy for estimation of mycophenolic acid exposure during the first year after heart transplantation

Abstract Background Individualization of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) dosing based on mycophenolic acid (MPA) therapeutic drug monitoring may minimize the risk of organ transplant rejection. The MPA area under the 12-hour concentration–time curve (MPA-AUC0–12h) is a more powerful predictor of rejection than are MPA trough levels. Measurement of MPA-AUC0–12h, however, is difficult and clinically impractical. The limited sampling strategy (LLS) has been proposed to overcome this problem. Objective To validate the predictive performance of MPA LSS algorithms previously published for heart transplant (HTx) recipients (initial group) when applied to a new independent group of 29 HTx recipients (validation group) during the first year after transplantation. Patients and Methods In a previous study, we established 2 algorithms using a LSS in HTx recipients: (1) 5.568 + 0.902 × C1.25 + 2.022 × C2 + 4.594 × C6 and (2) 3.8 + 1.025 · C1.25 + 1.819 × C2 + 1.566 × C4 + 3.479 × C6. Agreement between abbreviated AUC and the full AUC0–12h was tested using the Bland-Altman method. The validation group was used to test and assess bias and precision. Results The 2 LSS algorithms used predicted the corresponding MPA-AUC0–12h with a mean bias of −4.85% and −3.6% and mean precision of 15.9% and 14%, respectively. Conclusions The MPA-AUC0–12h obtained using the LSS may be useful to guide clinical management and dosing. This study prospectively validates 2 algorithms for calculation of MPA-AUC0–12h using an LSS calculated in HTx recipients. Bias and precision values suggest that our algorithms could be used for MPA therapeutic drug monitoring predictions in HTx recipients who share the same characteristics.
Competitive inhibition of LDL binding and uptake by HDL in aortic endothelial cells

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) may inhibit the binding and cellular uptake of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) as one means of regulating the delivery of exogenous cholesterol to nonhepatic tissues. This may play an important role in atherogenesis, by altering lipid metabolism in cells of the arterial wall. To verify and better characterize this effect, endothelial cells were harvested from bovine aorta and maintained in tissue culture. Following initial preincubation in lipid-deficient culture media, these cells were incubated for 2 hr at 4 degrees C in media containing 125I-LDL (10 micrograms protein/ml) and varying concentrations of either HDL (0-400 micrograms protein/ml) or comparable amounts of Apoprotein A (Apo A), the major protein component of HDL. Intracellular and trypsin-released counts were assayed separately, as a measurement of cellular uptake and membrane bound LDL, respectively. Results of this study indicated an inhibition of LDL binding and uptake by HDL (P less than 0.005, ANOVA). A similar inhibition was found with Apo A alone (P less than 0.005). When identical studies were performed using 125I-Apoprotein B, the protein component of LDL, and Apo A, the latter was found to inhibit the binding of Apo B to the same extent (P less than 0.0006). These results indicatemore » that HDL does inhibit LDL binding and uptake by bovine aortic endothelial cells and that, because this effect is seen equally with only the protein component of these lipoprotein particles, it is most likely due to competitive binding at the receptor level rather than to stearic hindrance or an alteration of the cell membrane.« less
The cultivated capsicum peppers

Chilis in Latin American cooking, pimento in stuffed olives, paprika, cayenne pepper, bland bull-nosed peppers stuffed with meat, and the very pungent African chilies are all varieties of Capsicum peppers.
Independent and interactive effects of nutrients and grazers on benthic algal community structure

Algal responses to nutrients, grazing by Helicopsyche borealis, and concurrent grazing by Helicopsyche and Baetis tricaudatus were examined in recirculating stream chambers. Alagl communities, dominated by Achnanthes minutissima, Cocconeis placentula, and Synedra ulna, were primarily phosphorus-limited. Algal populations responded after only 6 days of nutrient enrichment. Initially, both the adnate diatom Cocconeis and erect diatom Synedra showed positive response to nutrient enrichment. Accumulation of algal biomass between day 3 and 6 in the P enriched treatment was resulted primarily from the growth of Synedra, an overstory rosette-like diatom colony. Such a shift in dominant growth from adnate to erect diatoms is a general phenomenon in periphyton succession in the absence of disturbance. Algal species showed differential responses to an increase of Helicopsyche densities. The accrual rate of Achnanthes continuously decreased with increasing grazer densities. The accrual rates of both Cocconeis and Synedra declined but reached plateaus between medium and high grazing densities. Baetis effectively and exclusively depressed Synedra and had no significant impact on Cocconeis. After concurrent grazing, algal communities were mainly dominated by Cocconeis (approximately 80% of total algal biovolume). The grazer' s mouth structures, grazing efficiencies, and mobility may account for the differential effects of concurrent grazing on algal communities.
Characterized of glow-discharge deposited a-Si:H

Abstract The study of hydrogenated amorphous silicon, a-Si:H has become an active and large subfield of growing interest in noncrystalline semiconductors. This paper reviews recent successes as well as difficulties encountered in interpreting some fundamental physical properties of a-Si:H prepared by glow-discharge deposition. This material appears to contain structural and compositional heterogeneities which depend on the preparation conditions and affect its mechanical and electronic properties. These are related to the concentration and bonding configurations of hydrogen. Determinations of the density and distribution of localized gap states by means of field effect and capacitance measurements are discussed as well as evidence for and against the presence of surface states. Optical absorption near the absorption edge is described as are conductivity measurements. The latter reveal many interesting puzzles. Staebler and Wronski discovered that the dark conductivity and the photoconductivity can be changed significantly by strong exposure to light. Moreover, space charge layers adjacent to the substrate interface and near the free surface can strongly influence the electronic properties of a-Si:H films, especially those having low densities of gap states. The pre-exponential factor of the conductivity increases with its activation energy in accordance with the Meyer-Neldel rule regardless of whether the changes in dark conductivity are produced by doping, light exposure or space charge layers. Attempts are made to identify causes for the scatter of data on some film properties reported by various laboratories. Our present understanding of the recombination processes involved in photoluminescence and photoconductivity is presented. We conclude that a-Si:H films of superior quality can be expected when the preparation conditions become more fully understood.
System survival of nontransvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillators compared to transvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in pediatric and congenital heart disease patients

Background Nontransvenous (NTV) implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) systems with pericardial and/or subcutaneous coils are used in select pediatric and congenital heart disease patients who are not candidates for transvenous ICD leads. Outcomes with these hybrid configurations are not well understood. Objective The purpose of this study was to compare survival of NTV ICD systems to standard transvenous (TV) ICD systems. Methods We conducted a retrospective single-center study in which the TV group was matched to the NTV group 2:1 by type of cardiac disease and implant date. Results There were 39 patients in the NTV group and 78 matched in the TV group. Compared to the TV group, the NTV group was younger (median 7 vs 20 years) with a smaller body surface area at implant (0.9 vs 1.8 m 2 ; both P P = .003). A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model including group, body surface area, and age at implant revealed the NTV group to be an independent predictor of system failure (hazard ratio 2.9, P = .04). Rate of total unanticipated interventions in the NTV group was 18 versus 6 per 1,000 person-months in the TV group. In patients with NTV systems, 23% received appropriate shocks and 18% received inappropriate shocks. Conclusion Survival of ICD systems using NTV defibrillation coils is significantly shorter than with TV ICD systems. Although NTV systems provide protection for this unique subset of patients, more durable options are needed.
Abstract ED08-01: How should we optimize technology to allow personalized medicine?

Abstracts: Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research 2008 ED08-01 TECHNOLOGY AND PREVENTION. What type of strategies should be followed to develop useful high technology in the service of preventing cancer in the individual? There are many useful recommendations that have been suggested : screening, early detection, chemoprevention, but usage is relatively low, expensive in many cases, not without risk and with significant false positive and false negatives . This talk will explore a futuristic paradign that may lead to better results for the individual. For those who want to be in the right mood for this presentation bring along a glass of red wine(preferably pinor noir) and beforehand read: Meyskens FL.Jr. Cancer Prevention in the Year 2025: an anticipation. European J Cancer 36:1737-1740,2000. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):ED08-01.
Dynamics of abducens nucleus neurons in the awake mouse

The mechanics of the eyeball and orbital tissues (the “ocular motor plant”) are a fundamental determinant of ocular motor signal processing. The mouse is used increasingly in ocular motor physiolog...
Effect of Second-Stage Ipm Practices on Parasitism of Apple Blotch Leafminer (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) Larvae in Massachusetts Apple Orchards

In 1989 and 1990, parasitism of the apple blotch leafminer, Phyllonorycter crataegella (Clemens), was assessed in 17 and 16 apple orchards, respectively, in Massachusetts to determine the effect of integrated pest management (IPM) practices that reduced pesticide use between early June and late August. In test blocks on each farm, broadcast pesticide applications for control of the apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), were replaced by use of either red spherical sticky traps on perimeter apple trees to intercept immigrating apple maggot flies or by applications of pesticides to perimeter apple trees. In either case, no insecticides or miticides were applied to the interior of test blocks after early June. Use of these methods was designed as second-stage IPM, and apple blotch leafminer parasitism under such management was compared with an adjacent block in each orchard using conventional pesticide tactics. Average parasitism of tissue-feeding apple blotch leafminer larvae across all orchards was slightly greater in the second and third host generations in blocks in which second-stage IPM practices were used than in conventionally managed blocks on the same farms. Most enhancement of apple blotch leafminer parasitism occurred in orchards in which traps were used to control apple maggot flies. Orchards in which perimeter-pesticide applications were made showed little or no difference in parasitism levels from those of full spray blocks. None of six orchard or insect variables examined (block size, ratio of interior trees to edge trees, nature of surrounding vegetation, number of pesticide applications per leafminer generation, density of tissue-feeding stage apple blotch leafminer mines, or percentage parasitism in the previous apple blotch leafminer generation) explained a significant proportion of the variation in parasitism seen among orchards and blocks in correlation analyses. Suppression of first generation apple blotch leafminer densities in 1990 was followed by lower average parasitism across orchards compared with 1989.
Dynamics of meiotic prophase I during spermatogenesis: from pairing to division.

This review focuses on recent developments in our understanding of meiotic chromosome behavior in mammalian spermatogenesis, with a special emphasis on prophase I events in the best characterized organism, the laboratory mouse. The dynamics of chromosome movement prior to pairing and synapsis of chromosomes are complex and implicate function for both centromeres and telomeres in getting homologous chromosomes together in intimate synapsis. Likely candidates for mediating pairing and recombination include a host of proteins implicated in DNA repair and recombination, which have been shown to localize to the synaptonemal complex during meiotic prophase I. Precocious induction of meiotic metaphase in cultured pachytene spermatocytes has led to new information about requirements for MPF and topoisomerase II activity during the transition from meiotic prophase to metaphase. Together, the studies reviewed here increase our understanding of how chromosomes get together with their homologous partners and how these partners subsequently come apart.
DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLASMA IN DISCHARGES THROUGH RARE GASES

The time variation of ion concentration in the plasma of flash discharges through neon and argon at low pressures has been determined from the Stark broadening of ${H}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ and ${H}_{\ensuremath{\beta}}$ lines. Hydrogen gas at about 1 percent of the total pressure was used for this purpose. A special method of oscilloscopic observation is employed. Analysis of the results explains differences in the time of appearance of various types of radiation in the discharge. A mechanism is proposed to account for the time variation of the intense continuum.
Serial CVC learning with varied m’ but equal a values

Two investigations were conducted on 140 Ss from widelyseparated college populations to test the hypothesis that speed of acquisition in the serial verbal learning of consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) material is a positive function of scaled meaningfulness (m’), even when the association values (a) of the lists are held constant. Appropriate norms for the relevant scale values were drawn independently from the two geographical regions. Contrary to popular belief that m’ and a are either identical or proportional measures, both experiments were consistent with the hypothesis as derived from Noble’s curvilinear principle. It is thus a replicable fact that the memorization of CVCs selected from the high ends of the two scales depends more upon m’ than upon a.
Stereotactic radiosurgery for recurrent ependymoma.

BACKGROUND Patients with recurrent intracranial ependymomas were evaluated to assess local control, overall survival, and complications from stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). METHODS Twelve patients (with a total of 17 tumors) with recurrent ependymoma underwent SRS. Local failure was defined as tumor progression within the prescription isodose volume, and marginal failure was defined as tumor progression adjacent to the SRS prescription isodose volume. Tumor progression away from the prescription volume was considered distant failure. Eleven of the 12 patients had undergone previous resection and external beam radiation therapy (46–56 Grays [Gy]; median, 54 Gy) before radiosurgery, and 1 patient had failure after complete resection alone. Age at SRS ranged from 5–56 years (median, 29 years). Three patients were female. The marginal tumor dose was 12–24 Gy (median, 18 Gy). One to 14 isocenters (median, 4 isocenters) were utilized to irradiate volumes of 0.3–15.5 cm3 (median, 3.2 cm3). RESULTS The duration of follow-up ranged from 2.5–60 months (median, 22.5 months). The median overall survival after SRS was 3.4 years (range, 1.4–5 years). In-field local control was achieved in 14 of the 17 tumor sites and estimated 3-year local control was 68%. There were two in-field failures and one marginal failure. Distant failure occurred in two patients. Two patients developed treatment-related complications after SRS. CONCLUSIONS SRS provides good local tumor control for patients with recurrent intracranial ependymoma and may have a favorable impact on survival. SRS should be evaluated more extensively in the initial treatment of patients with ependymoma to minimize local failure after surgical management. Cancer 2000;88:870–5. © 2000 American Cancer Society.
Replacement of a fractured tooth on a removable partial denture by using two visible light-cured resin systems

A method has been described to repair or place a tooth on an RPD by veneering VLC resin with microfilled composite resin. The entire procedure is efficient, economical, and can be performed chairside. It minimizes the dentist's dependency on an outside laboratory and presents minimal inconvenience to the patient.
Human migration networks

Abstract In this paper we develop a new multiclass human migration network equilibrium model which explicitly incorporates the cost of movement between locations. The equilibrium conditions reflect that no individual in the system in any given class has any incentive to alter his location. The equilibrium conditions are then formulated as a variational inequality problem and qualitative properties discussed. A decomposition algorithm which takes advantage of the special network structure of the problem is then proposed and numerical results presented. This research brings and yet another application in operations research into the realm of network equilibrium problems.
On the exponential decay of stresses in circular elastic cylinders subject to axisymmetric self-equilibrated end loads☆

Methods involving energy-decay inequalities are applied to the axisymmetric end problem for a circular elastic cylinder. Explicit lower bounds in terms of Poisson's ratio are obtained for the rate of exponential decay of stresses, and these are compared with results of other authors.
Reisolation and characterization of Clostridium longisporum, a ruminal sporeforming cellulolytic anaerobe.

Two strictly anaerobic strains of ruminal cellulolytic bacteria were isolated which are very similar to the original description given for Clostridium longisporum. Vegetative cells were 1 μm wide by 5 to 15 μm long. Subterminal spores were observed only when an insoluble carbon source was provided for growth. Besides cellulose, the organisms fermented cellobiose, glucose, galactose, fructose, mannose, pectin, salicin and sucrose. Xylan and xylose were not fermented. Fermentation products from glucose or alfalfa cell walls included formate, acetate, butyrate, ethanol, H2 and CO2. The GC content was 23% for one strain and 33% for the other. These isolates hydrolyzed cell wall fractions of alfalfa, in particular, hemicellulose, more rapidly and extensively than other ruminal cellulolytic species examined.
The climatology of summertime O3 and SO2 (1977―1981)

Abstract The mean monthly distribution of the diurnal maximum O 3 and of the SO 2 in the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. was determined for the summer (July and August) of 1977–1981. Highest O 3 concentrations varied from 60 to 90 ppbv and covered an area of about 2 to 5 × 10 6 km 2 ; and that for SO 2 varied from values greater than 10 ppbv to values about 25 ppbv and covered an area of 0.3–1.3 × 10 6 km 2 . The geographical locations of the centers of high O 3 concentrations were related to the path of the anticyclones. The centers of high SO 2 concentration were affected by the path of anticyclones but to a lesser extent. The SO 2 distribution was controlled to a significant extent by the location of major SO 2 sources. The data suggested that highpressure systems that become stationary, weaken and dissipate in the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. have a profound effect on the O 3 and SO 2 distribution.