cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hand-Held Stereovision System for Image Updating in Open Spine Surgery.

BACKGROUND Image guidance in open spinal surgery is compromised by changes in spinal alignment between preoperative images and surgical positioning. We evaluated registration of stereo-views of the surgical field to compensate for vertebral alignment changes. OBJECTIVE To assess accuracy and efficiency of an optically tracked hand-held stereovision (HHS) system to acquire images of the exposed spine during surgery. METHODS Standard midline posterior approach exposed L1 to L6 in 6 cadaver porcine spines. Fiducial markers were placed on each vertebra as "ground truth" locations. Spines were positioned supine with accentuated lordosis, and preoperative computed tomography (pCT) was acquired. Spines were re-positioned in a neutral prone posture, and locations of fiducials were acquired with a tracked stylus. Intraoperative stereovision (iSV) images were acquired and 3-dimensional (3D) surfaces of the exposed spine were reconstructed. HHS accuracy was assessed in terms of distances between reconstructed fiducial marker locations and their tracked counterparts. Level-wise registrations aligned pCT with iSV to account for changes in spine posture. Accuracy of updated computed tomography (uCT) was assessed using fiducial markers and other landmarks. RESULTS Acquisition time for each image pair was <1 s. Mean reconstruction time was <1 s for each image pair using batch processing, and mean accuracy was 1.2 ± 0.6 mm across 6 cases. Mean errors of uCT were 3.1 ± 0.7 and 2.0 ± 0.5 mm on the dorsal and ventral sides, respectively. CONCLUSION Results suggest that a portable HHS system offers potential to acquire accurate image data from the surgical field to facilitate surgical navigation during open spine surgery.
High sensitivity dedicated dual-breast PET/MR imaging: Concept and preliminary simulations

This paper presents a new high-sensitivity PET geometry for high fidelity MRI-compatible PET breast imaging which can scan both breasts simultaneously and have: high sensitivity and resolution; compatibility with MR-breast imaged volume; complete visualization of both breasts, mediastinum and axilla; and a modular design. Whereas contemporary dedicated x-ray and molecular breast imaging devices only scan one breast at a time, this approach relies on an unconventional PET geometry, and is able to provide a PET field of view (FOV) larger than that from dedicated breast MRI. The system geometry is evaluated with GATE Monte Carlo simulations of intrinsic system parameters. Various sized lesions (4-6mm) having [6:1 to 4:1] lesion:background radioactivity ratios mimicking different biological uptake are simulated, strategically located throughout a volumetric anthropomorphic torso. Dedicated breast PET (dbPET) imaging is compared with contemporary clinical PET. The dbPET system sensitivity is >6X greater than for contemporary whole-body PET. The novel, non-conventional system geometry allows for simultaneous dual-breast imaging, along with full medial and axillary imaging. Iteratively reconstructed full-volumetric images illustrate sharper visualization of 4mm lower uptake [4:1] lesions throughout the FOV compared with clinical PET. Image overlap between dedicated breast PET and MRI FOVs is excellent. Simulation results indicate clear superiority over conventional, high-sensitivity whole-body PET systems, as well as improved sensitivity over single-breast dbPET systems. This proposed system potentially facilitates both early detection and diagnosis, especially by increasing specificity of MRI, as well as visualizing tissue heterogeneity, monitoring therapeutic efficacy, and detecting breast cancer recurrence throughout the entire mediastinum.
ITP: Inverse Trajectory Planning for Human Pose Prediction

Tracking and predicting humans in three dimensional space in order to know the location and heading of the human in the environment is a difficult task. Though if solved it will allow a robotic agent to know where it can safely be and navigate the environment without imposing any danger to the human that it is interacting with. We propose a novel probabilistic framework for robotic systems in which multiple models can be fused into a circular probabilitymap to forecast human poses. We developed and implemented the framework and tested it on Toyota’s HSR robot and Waymo Open Dataset. Our experiments show promising results.
High Variability in Infection Mechanisms and Host Responses: A Review of Functional Genomic Studies of Amphibian Chytridiomycosis

The emergence of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal), two fungal pathogens responsible for amphibian declines and extinctions worldwide, led to 20 years of intensive research focused on revealing mechanisms underlying infection, disease progression, and host outcome. Genetic and genomic studies in this system have contributed to our understanding of the origin and genetic diversity within these pathogens, their genetic architecture, and mechanisms used for host exploitation and host immune response. Functional genomic studies, specifically differential gene expression studies, have been used to characterize both pathogen and host mechanisms of exploitation and defense as well as host–pathogen interactions and the influence of biotic and abiotic environmental factors on disease outcomes. Here, we summarize the results of functional genomic studies in the amphibian–chytrid host–pathogen system, with a focus on identifying common patterns, and also examine the factors that contribute to the high variability in disease outcomes observed in nature. We found substantial variation in differential gene expression among lineages of Bd and between Bd and Bsal, pointing to some potential virulence factors for these pathogens. On the host side, we found variation in immune response among species with different levels of resistance to chytrid infections. Finally, we found significant effects of temperature and coinfection on host responses, underscoring the important role that abiotic and biotic factors play in modulating immune response.
Generalization of motor module recruitment across standing reactive balance and walking is associated with beam walking performance in young adults.

Abstract Background Recent studies provide compelling evidence that recruiting a common pool of motor modules across behaviors (i.e., motor module generalization) may facilitate motor performance. In particular, motor module generalization across standing reactive balance and walking is associated with both walking speed and endurance in neurologically impaired populations (e.g., stroke survivors and individual’s with Parkinson’s disease). To test whether this phenomenon is a general neuromuscular strategy associated with well-coordinated walking and not limited to motor impairment, this relationship must be confirmed in neurologically intact adults. Research Question Is motor module generalization across standing reactive balance and walking related to walking performance in neurologically intact young adults? Methods Two populations of young adults were recruited to capture a wide range of walking performance: professionally-trained ballet dancers (i.e., experts, n = 12) and novices (n = 8). Motor modules (a.k.a. muscle synergies) were extracted from muscles spanning the trunk, hip, knee and ankle during walking and multidirectional perturbations to standing. Motor module generalization was calculated as the number of modules common to these behaviors. Walking performance was assessed using self-selected walking speed and beam-walking proficiency (i.e., distance walked on a narrow beam). Motor module generalization between experts and novices was compared using rank-sum tests and the association between generalization and walking performance was assessed using correlation analyses. Results Experts generalized more motor modules across standing reactive balance and walking than novices (p = 0.009). Across all subjects, motor module generalization was moderately associated with increased beam walking proficiency (r = 0.456, p = 0.022) but not walking speed (r = 0.092, p = 0.349). Significance Similar relationships between walking performance and motor module generalization exist in neurologically intact and impaired populations, suggesting that motor module generalization across standing reactive balance and walking may be a general neuromuscular mechanism contributing to the successful control of walking.
Toxoplasma gondii GRA28 is required for specific induction of the regulatory chemokine CCL22 in human and mouse cells.

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular protozoan pathogen of humans that causes severe disease in immunocompromised patients and in the developing fetus. T. gondii specifically alters production of the immunomodulatory chemokine CCL22 in human placental cells during infection. Using a combination of bioinformatics and molecular genetics, we have now identified T. gondii GRA28 as the gene product required for CCL22 induction. GRA28 is strongly co-regulated at the transcriptional level along with other known secreted effectors and their chaperones. GRA28 is secreted into the host cell where it localizes to the nucleus, and deletion of this gene results in reduced CCL22 secretion from human monocytes and second trimester placental explants. The impact of GRA28 on CCL22 is also conserved in mouse immune and placental cells and the deletion of GRA28 results in increased inflammatory responses and reduced CNS burden during mouse infections
Gender Disparity in Radiology Society Committees and Leadership in North America and Comparison With Other Continents.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate gender distribution in radiology professional society leadership positions. Our study intends to assess and compare the gender distribution among leadership roles and professional society committee memberships of the radiology societies and seek an understanding of potential associations between gender, academic research metrics, institutional academic rank, and leadership roles. Methods We identified radiology professional society committee members to assess relative gender composition in 28 radiology societies in North America, Europe, and Australia/New Zealand. The research metrics were obtained from the SCOPUS database and demographics and institutional affiliation through institutional websites' internet searches. Gender distribution by academic ranks and other discontinuous variables were analyzed using the Chi-Square test. Wallis tests. Results Of the 3011 members of society committees, 67.9% were male, and 32.1% female. Among all the society members, the data showed that the proportion of committee members holding leadership positions was comparable between males (25.7%) and females (22.5%). However, when we did a subgroup analysis and disaggregated the data by leadership positions, we noted that among those who held the leadership positions, the proportion of males was more significant (n = 526, 70.7%) compared to females (n = 218, 29.3%). Overall, males had higher median publications, citations, H-indices, and active years of research (P Conclusion There was male predominance amongst committee members in radiology societies. Our study found no significant differences between those in leadership positions, suggesting that once a member of a committee, females are equally likely as males to attain leadership positions. Analysis of committee members' academic rank and committee leaders demonstrated underrepresentation of females at higher academic ranks, and males overall had higher research metrics than females.
O-Mg! Lactate Drives Mg2+ Mobilization.

Summary Lactate initiates Mg2+ release from the ER and subsequent uptake by the mitochondria.
The Geometry of Colors in Van Gogh’s Sunflowers

“Paintings fade like flowers”: van Gogh’s prediction on the impact of age on paintings came true for most of his paintings. We have studied the consequences of this aging on the Sunflowers in a vase with a yellow background series, namely its original, F454, currently in London, and two replicates, F457, in Tokyo, and F458, in Amsterdam, which van Gogh painted using the original as a model. The background and flower renditions in those paintings have faded and turned brown, making them less vibrant that van Gogh had most likely intended. We have attempted to restore van Gogh’s intent using a computational approach based on data science. After identifications of regions of interest (ROI) within the three paintings F454, F457, and F458 that capture the flowers, stems of the flowers, and background, respectively, we studied the geometry of the color space (in RGB representation) occupied by those ROIs. By comparing those color spaces with those occupied by similar ROIs in photographs of real sunflowers, we identified shifts in all three color coordinates, R, G, and B, with the positive shift in the blue coordinate being the more salient. We have proposed two algorithms, PCR-1 and PCR-2, for correcting that shift in blue and generate representations of the paintings that aim to restore their original conditions. The reduction of the blue component in the yellow hues has lead to more vibrant and less brownish digital rendition of the three Sunflowers in a vase with a yellow background.
“Your Eyes Open and so do Your Ears”: Centering Knowledge of Families with Refugee Backgrounds during a Follow-up Interview

In an exploratory case study of partnerships between educators and refugee families recently resettled in the U.S, we conducted follow-up interviews with each of the ten participating families during year one. In this paper, we report on themes from these interviews highlighted in three family case studies. We used methodological approaches that enabled us to reenvision and interrogate the power structure inherent in research relationships between ‘researcher’ and ‘researched.” The purposes of the additional interview were to conduct a member check on the data we had gathered, understand what had changed since our initial interview with the family, and gather families’ feedback about our comportment and methods. The two-part question was, How might decolonizing methods from a postcolonial lens serve as guideposts for disrupting research methods with families with refugee backgrounds?, and How did partnering with transnational student researchers inform ways of representing the family narratives? The follow-up narratives suggest a complex understanding of building knowledge within the limitations of a conventional research paradigm.
The Strange Case of William Mumler, Spirit Photographer: Louis Kaplan

(2010). The Strange Case of William Mumler, Spirit Photographer: Louis Kaplan. Photography and Culture: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 359-361.
Verification of a Depletion Method in SCALE for the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor

This study describes a new approach employing the Dancoff correction method to model the TRISO-based fuel form used by the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor (AHTR) reactor design concept. The Dancoff correction method is used to perform isotope depletion analysis using the TRITON sequence of SCALE and is verified by code-to-code comparisons. The current AHTR fuel design has TRISO particles concentrated along the edges of a slab fuel element. This geometry prevented the use of the DOUBLEHET treatment, previously developed in SCALE to model spherical and cylindrical fuel. The new method permits fuel depletion on complicated geometries that traditionally can be handled only by continuous energy based depletion code systems. The method was initially tested on a fuel configuration typical of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), where DOUBLEHET treatment is possible. A confirmatory study was performed on the AHTR reference core geometry using the VESTA code, which uses the continuous energy MCNP5 code as a transport solver and ORIGEN2.2 code for depletion calculations. Comparisons of the results indicate good agreement of whole core characteristics, such as the multiplication factor and the isotopics, including their spatial distribution. Key isotopes analyzed included 235U, 239Pu, 240Pu, and 241Pu. The results from this study indicatemore » that the Dancoff factor method can generate estimates of core characteristics with reasonable precision for scoping studies of configurations where DOUBLEHET treatment cannot be performed.« less
DG-SRAM: a low leakage memory circuit

The gate oxide thickness in sub-70nm process technologies approaches the limit where direct gate tunneling current starts to play a significant role in both off-state and on-state transistors. This gate leakage current coupled with the subthreshold leakage, results in a dramatic increase in total leakage power. Hence, efficient power reduction strategies that directly address the gate leakage component are necessary. In this paper, we present a diode-gated SRAM (DG-SRAM) that uses two additional NMOS (or PMOS) transistors to decrease the gate leakage in very deep sub-micron (VDSM) cache and embedded memories. Our simulation results on 65nm process (Berkeley Predictive Technology Model) for an oxide thickness of 1.5nm indicate a reduction of about 69% of the gate leakage and 65% of total leakage for NMOS-connected DG-SRAM as compared to the conventional SRAM, with minimal area overhead and no significant loss in performance or stability.
Identification of network topology via quadratic optimization

Identification of network topology is to estimate the topology of a controllable and observable network with given number of nodes such that the identified network will satisfy the response between specified input and observed output. This paper examines the network topology identification (NTI) problems to find the original graph Laplacian from input-output data. A ‘similar’ set of state-space matrices satisfying the input-output response is firstly constructed through system identification procedure. Based on the similarity relationship, we reformulate the NTI problems as general Quadratically Constrained Quadratic Programming (QCQP) problems. The QCQP problem is then transformed into semidefinite programming (SDP) problem with a rank one constraint. An iterative rank minimization method is proposed to gradually approach the optimal solution. Examples are presented to verify the convergence of the proposed method.
Radix-2 multi-dimensional transposition-free FFT algorithm for Modern Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) architectures

A general radix-2 FFT algorithm was recently developed and implemented for Modern Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) architectures. This algorithm (SIMD-FFT) was found to be faster than any scalar FFT implementation, and as well, than other FFT implementations that uses the SIMD architecture for complex 1D and 2D input data [1]. In this paper, the SIMD-FFT algorithm is extended to handle Multi-Dimensional input data; this new approach does not make use of matrix transposition. The results are compared against the FFTW for the 2D and 3D case. Overall, the SIMD-FFT was found to be faster for complex 2D input data (ranging from 82% up to 343%), and as well, for complex 3D input data (ranging from 59.5% up to 198%)
Government Support for the Terrorism Insurance Industry: Where do We go from Here?

Federal government support for the terrorism insurance industry has a very brief history. Prior to 9/11, insurers did not take terrorist-related losses into account when underwriting risks. The industry did not even conceive of an attack that could generate such significant losses. The dramatic shift in perception since then has caused many to suggest that terrorism risks are uninsurable. The notion that terrorism risk was uninsurable was part of the rationale advanced for government intervention. When the initial efforts at legislation failed, the industry began to withdraw from the market by adding exclusions for terrorism-related losses to their policies. Reinsurers were the first to adopt such exclusions and their withdrawal left the primary insurers at risk of insolvency in the event of a major terrorism loss. The fundamental problem of terrorism insurance is the impossibility of adequate capital following a large loss. When Congress decided that reduced availability of terrorism insurance was causing a drag on the U.S. economy, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) was adopted. TRIA provides liquidity through government support to pay terrorism claims. This paper examines the essential features of the TRIA while asking how terrorism insurance could optimally be regulated. It concludes with the suggestion to extend to insurers of terrorism-related loss the same access to public capital as the Federal Reserve provides to banks in times of liquidity crises.
Smoking and pregnancy.

Excerpt Almost 20 years have passed since the publication of the first epidemiologic reports that implicated cigarette smoking as an etiologic factor in lung cancer and other diseases. During these...
Keeping Your Contacts in Order

In this chapter, I’ll show you how to use Outlook to keep your contacts in order. I’ll start by going through how to create contacts either from scratch or by importing your existing contacts from sources such as address books or spreadsheets. After that, I’ll show you how to work with contacts: viewing and arranging your contacts to reveal the ones you need, editing contact information when necessary, and quickly starting communications to your contacts.
Smoking Cessation in Relation to Cardiac Procedures

In order to compare smoking cessation associated with coronary artery bypass graft surgery (surgery) with that associated with other cardiac procedures (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (angioplasty) or angiography alone), the authors contacted, in 1985-1988, 135 patients (smokers at baseline) at Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, one year or more following one or the other of these procedures and obtained a follow-up smoking history. One year after the procedure, 55% of surgery patients, 25% of angioplasty patients, and 14% of angiography patients reported that they were nonsmokers (p less than 0.025 and p less than 0.001 for surgery vs. angioplasty or angiography, respectively). These results persisted after control for the number of vessels with stenosis of greater than or equal to 50%. These data provide rationale for continued monitoring of behavior change throughout the course of clinical trials in which surgical and non-surgical interventions are compared with one another, and support the importance of evaluating effects of exposure to various cardiac procedures in studies of smoking behavior in coronary heart disease patients.
Search for Pulsed High Energy Gamma Radiation from NP 0532

During winter 1969 the 10 m optical reflector at Mt. Hopkins, Arizona, was used to search for periodic gamma ray emission above 1011 eV from NP 0532. Based on predicted optical period and phase, approximately 57 h of data were summed together. No evidence of pulsed radiation was found.
Modeling microbunching from shot noise using Vlasov solvers

Unlike macroparticle simulations, which are sensitive to unphysical statistical fluctuations when the number of macroparticles is smaller than the bunch population, direct methods for solving the Vlasov equation are free from sampling noise and are ideally suited for studying microbunching instabilities evolving from shot noise. We review a 2D (longitudinal dynamics) Vlasov solver we have recently developed to study the microbunching instability in the beam delivery systems for x-ray FELs and present an application to FERMI{at}Elettra. We discuss, in particular, the impact of the spreader design on microbunching.
Seasonal variations in coitus and other risk factors, and the outcome of pregnancy.

Abstract Data were analyzed from 36, 068 U.S. pregnancies to determine whether any of the more frequent maternal risk factors are associated with seasonal variations in perinatal mortality rates. These mortality rates decreased below the yearly mean in January and rose sharply above the mean during the spring. The perinatal mortality rate in May/June was 30% above the rate in January/February (P
Heating mechanisms in a near-field optical system

A finite-difference-time-domain and two finite-difference-thermal models are used to study various heating mechanisms in a near-field optical system. It is shown that the dominant mechanism of sample heating occurs from optical power that is transferred from the probe to a metallic thin-film sample. The optical power is absorbed in the sample and converted to heat. The effects of thermal radiation from the probe’s coating and thermal conduction between the probe and the sample are found to be negligible. In a two-dimensional waveguide with TE polarization, most of the optical power is transferred directly from the aperture to the sample. In a two-dimensional waveguide with TM polarization, there is significant optical power transfer between the probe’s aluminum coating and the sample. The power transfer results in a wider thermal distribution with TM polarization than with TE polarization. Using computed temperature distributions in a Co–Pt film, we predict the relative size of thermally written marks in a three-dimensional geometry. The predicted mark size shows a 30% asymmetry that is due to polarization effects.
Engineered T cells for cancer therapy

It is now well established that the immune system can control and eliminate cancer cells. Adoptive T cell transfer has the potential to overcome the significant limitations associated with vaccine-based strategies in patients who are often immune compromised. Application of the emerging discipline of synthetic biology to cancer, which combines elements of genetic engineering and molecular biology to create new biological structures with enhanced functionalities, is the subject of this focused research review.
INFLUENCE OF AGE, SEX, HEARING LOSS, AND BALANCE ON KICKING DEVELOPMENT BY DEAF CHILDREN

The ability to kick a stationary or moving ball successfully is requisite to several games and sports. A previous study (2) suggested that many deaf children may be delayed in their development of this important skill. The present smdy was designed to investigate the influence of age, sex, hearing loss, and balance on the development of mature kicking form among deaf children. Seventy-five boys and 57 girls bemeen the ages of 3 and 14 yr. participated in the study. Within this group, 125 (95%) had a hearing loss of at least 60 dB in the better ear. The remaining 7 children had hearing losses ranging from 30 dB to 55 dB. To determine level of kicking development, subjects were individually assessed on the Ohio State University Scale of Intra Gross Motor Assessment (OSU-SIGMA) (4). Sratic and dynamic balance were measured by Items 2 and 7 of Subtest 2 of the Short Form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (1). The basic design for this study was a cross-sectional correlation design whereby a set of predictor variables (age, sex, hearing loss, static balance, and dynamic balance) were correlated with kicking level (Lv 1, 2, 3, 4 of the OSU-SIGMA) the criterion variable. Data from the kicking and balance tests were subjected to linear discriminant analysis (3). From this analysis, structure coefficients were interpreted for the significant discriminant functions. A structural coefficient is an estimate of relationship between a variable and a function. Only structure coefficients with a value greater than .30 were used in the interpretation. The result for kicking was significant for the first function (Wilks's Lambda = .GI, p < .001). Suucrure coefficients for age (.82), hearing loss (.32), static balance (.45), and dynamic balance (.43) gave meaning to the function. These results imply that balance proficiency is predictive of mature form in kicking among deaf children. Children with the greatest hearing loss were also more likely to achieve mature kicking form; however, there is no present explanation to account for this finding. Sex (-.22) did not appear to influence development of kicking among the deaf children of this study.
New bifunctional initiator for use in anionic polymerizations

The synthesis is described of narrow distribution polystyrenes initiated by the 2,7-dimethyl-3,6-diphenyl-octane dianion (DDO 2- ). DDO 2 was synthesized via electron transfer from lithium or potassium metal to 3-methyl-2-phenyl-1-butene (MPB) in tetrahydrofuran at temperatures between -78 and -100 °C. In contrast to the analogous α-methyl styrene, there was no evidence of MPB polymerization. The structure of DDO 2 was demonstrated by 1 H and 13 C NMR, as well as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry characterization of the DDO 2 protonation and methylation products. In addition, kinetic studies were performed by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry for the determination of the stability of this anion in comparison with other similar species. The initiation of styrene by DDO 2- led to narrow molecular weight polymers, as shown by size exclusion chromatography.
A new symmetrized solution for phase retrieval using the transport of intensity equation

We propose a novel symmetrization method for solving the transport of intensity equation (TIE) using fast Fourier transforms for situations where the input images may or may not exhibit spatial periodicity. The method is derived from the analysis of intensity conservation law and the internal symmetry of the TIE, and is illustrated for both a computational and an experimental data set.
Foreign DNA sequences in crown gall teratomas and their fate during the loss of the tumorous traits.

A cloned tobacco crown gall teratoma induced by A. tumefaciens strain T37 was found to contain part of the Ti plasmid (T-DNA) of the causative bacterium. The tumor line contained transcripts of the ends of the T-DNA; transcripts of the intervening T-DNA were not detected. When grafted to a healthy tobacco plant, the cloned tumor line produced a plant that flowered and set seed. Tissues from leaves and flower petals when placed in tissue culture resumed a malignant growth pattern and grew in the absence of phytohormones. Both leaf and flower petal tissues were found to contain T-DNA, but in smaller quantity than observed in the parental line. Haploid tissue derived from anther and tissue from F1 progeny plants, which morphologically appear to be completely normal and require phytohormones for growth in vitro, were found to be free from T-DNA. Thus, meiosis acts either to cause or select for loss of the foreign DNA. The correlation between the presence of foreign DNA and the tumor phenotype indicates that the continued presence of T-DNA is required for the maintenance of the tumorous state.
Reproductive mortality in Massachusetts in 1981.

REPRODUCTIVE MORTALITY IN MASSACHUSETTS IN 1981 B. P. Sachs, M.B., B.S., D.P.H., T. Masterson, B.A., J. F. Jewett, M.D., and B. Guyer, M.D., M.P.H. Maternal mortality has declined in the United Sta...
Insulin Signal Transduction by a Mutant Human Insulin Receptor Lacking the NPEY Sequence: EVIDENCE FOR AN ALTERNATE MITOGENIC SIGNALING PATHWAY THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF Shc PHOSPHORYLATION *

The cytoplasmic juxtamembrane domain of the human insulin receptor (hIR) contains a single copy of the tetrameric amino acid sequence Asn-Pro-Glu-Tyr (NPEY) (residues 969-972 in the exon 11-containing B-isoform), which exists in the context of NPXY. In this study, we examined the role of NPEY972 in mediating insulin signal transduction and cellular biological effects. Transfected Chinese hamster ovary cell lines expressing either the wild-type hIR-B isoform (hIR.WT) or a mutant receptor lacking the NPEY972 sequence (hIRDeltaNPEY) and control Chinese hamster ovary.Neo cells were used to comparatively analyze the following insulin effects: in vivo receptor tyrosine autophosphorylation and kinase activity, signal transduction to downstream signaling molecules, and stimulation of glycogen and DNA synthesis. The results showed that in comparison to hIR.WT, the hIRDeltaNPEY mutant demonstrated the following: (a) normal insulin-mediated receptor tyrosine phosphorylation, but approximately 50% reduction in phosphorylation of p185-(insulin receptor substrate-1) and binding of the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase), (b) an enhanced stimulation of PI 3-kinase enzymatic activity, (c) a complete inability to phosphorylate Shc, (d) minimal impairment of insulin sensitivity for glycogen synthesis, and (e) an augmented response to insulin-stimulated DNA synthesis via a high capacity, low sensitivity pathway. These results demonstrate the following: 1) the NPEY972 sequence is important but not absolutely essential for coupling of hIR kinase to insulin receptor substrate-1 and p85 or for mediating insulin's metabolic and mitogenic effects, 2) the NPEY972 sequence is necessary for Shc phosphorylation, and 3) the absence of Shc phosphorylation releases the constraints on maximal insulin-stimulated mitogenic response, thus indicating that alternate signaling pathway(s) exist for this insulin action. This alternate pathway appears to be associated with enhanced activation of PI 3-kinase and is of high capacity and low sensitivity.
Metastatic rat adenocarcinoma: histochemical evaluation of fibroblasts and extracellular matrix.

This study was based on the hypothesis that after tumour transplantation, fibroblast metabolism increases adjacent to a tumour and this increase correlates with an increase in certain components of the extracellular matrix. A serial histochemical study of the cellular metabolism and extracellular matrix in a fast-growing mammary rat carcinoma was designed. The model used was theN-nitrosomethylurea-induced adenocarcinoma. At 24, 48, 72 or 96 h after transplantation, tumours and surrounding tissues were excised and processed. Ribonucleic acid and succinate dehydrogenase stains were used to indicate cellular metabolism; the extracellular matrix was stained for collagen, elastin, acid mucopolysaccharides, mucoproteins, glycoproteins and glycolipids. The results of this histology were compared with the histology of nonneoplastic transplants.
Review: central sensitization and musculoskeletal pain

Abstract Musculoskeletal pain is a prominent feature of a variety of disorders, resulting in diffuse, difficult-to-localize, aching pain. The quality of pain associated with injury to muscle or joint is uniquely different from that of skin. Furthermore, chronic musculoskeletal pain is common, disabling, and difficult to treat. This review focuses on changes in the central nervous system relating to kaolin and carrageenan joint inflammation, carrageenan muscle inflammation, and noninflammatory repeated intramuscular acid injections. Behavioral, pharmacological, and electrophysiological data are reviewed in the context of central sensitization in these models. Sensitization of dorsal horn neurons and the consequent secondary hyperalgesia involve activation of glutamate receptors, peptidergic receptors, and second messengers in the spinal cord, which contributes to musculoskeletal pain. Understanding the role of central sensitization in musculoskeletal pain is essential for effective treatment of these disorders. Specifically, the knowledge gained from behavioral, pharmacological, and electrophysiological data will assist healthcare practitioners in choosing the most appropriate treatment.
Limitations and strengths of spontaneous reports data

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) monitoring of the continued safety of marketed medical products depends greatly on spontaneous reporting of serious adverse events by health professionals. Despite its inherent limitations, the national postmarketing surveillance system provides vital information of clinical importance.
Double-length regressions for linear and log-linear regressions with AR(1) disturbances

This paper derives Lagrange Multiplier tests based on double-length artificial regressions (DLR) for testing linear and log-linear regressions with AR(1) disturbances against Box-Cox alternatives These DLR tests are easier to compute than the corresponding likelihood ratio tests, and are easily generalized to test jointly for functional form and serial correlation. Two illustrative examples are given to show the importance of jointly testing for functional form and serial correlation.
Intercultural communication education and training goals, content, and methods

Abstract Over the past two decades the field of inter cultural communication (ICC) has had proliferation of theories, research methods, and concomitant training models. In fact, between the 1970s and mid-1980s, the growth in the field of crosscultural training led to several attempts to identify salient issues and theoretical perspectives (Brislin, Landis, & Brandt, 1983; Martin, 1986). One recurring issue was the distinction between education and training (Kohls, 1987; Martin, 1986). While scholars have attempted to clearly delineate this distinction, it is not known whether practitioners also do so in their training and education programs. This study used Krippendorff's (1980) content analysis procedures to systematically analyze nine categories of education and training programs. Specifically, a total of 260 college courses and professional training programs were selected from nine crosscultural education and training categories: intercultural communication, language and culture, international/global communication, human relations, intergroup, interracial, cultural diversity, multicultural education, cross-cultural psychology, and cross-cultural research. The courses and training programs were analyzed on the basis of goals, content, and methods. A majority (88%) of both types of programs were judged as integrating multidimensional goals (cognitive, affective, and behavioral), content (culture general and culture specific) and process (intellectual and experiential). The results of the analysis suggest that while some practitioners still maintain a unidimensional focus in their cross-cultural training and educationactivities, the majority of them prefer teaching and learning strategies that are multidimensional.
Landau-Zener approximations for resonant neutrino oscillations

A simple method for calculating the effects of resonant neutrino oscillations using Landau-Zener approximations is presented. For any given set of oscillation parameters, the method is to use the Landau-Zener approximation which works best in that region.
Introduction: Politics of faith in Asia: Local and global perspectives of Christianity in Asia

This collection of papers is the result of research presented at the 2010 meeting of the American Academy of Religion in Atlanta, Georgia, sponsored by the Comparative Studies of Religion section. The set of papers resulting from the panel, Politics of Faith in Asia: Local and Global Perspectives of Christianity in Asia, presents findings from a diverse array of cultural areas and historical contexts across the Asian continent. All of these are connected by a focus on the intersection of Christianity and the political organisation in Asian societies. Although each paper focuses primarily on the continued encounter of Protestant, Evangelical Christianity and local religions, the definition and scope of the political milieu differ considerably. Moving from local communities in a small Indian town, through the growing global connections of religious groups in the Philippines, to the global and national politics of South Korea, the set addresses a multitude of political levels, be they governmental or the pro...
Relationship of Copsystem Interest Inventory Scales to Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) Scales in a College Sample: Construct Validity of Scales Based on Professed Occupational Interest

The purposes of the present study were to (1) determine the relationship of scores on the COPSystem Interest Inventory and scores on similar constructs of the Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) and (2) ascertain how frequently the three areas of interest on the COPSystem Interest Inventory receiving the highest scores by respondents corresponded to the three like-named areas of the VPI exhibiting the highest scores by the same respondents. The sample included 213 female undergraduate college students. Scales on both inventories were matched according to the name of the constructs and the theoretical assumptions of the constructs.The results indicated high correlations between scales of the two instruments measuring similar constructs. Relative to the second purpose, for 50% of the sample, results were nearly identical for both instruments, and for all members of the sample at least one highest area of interest was the same.It was concluded that some support is provided for the COPSystem constructs. Rec...
A forced-oscillation method for dynamic- stability testing

Small-amplitude forced oscillation technique for determining damping and oscillatory stability in roll, pitch, and yaw in free flight
Shared understandings: environmental perspectives of Kenyan community members and teachers

Environmental issues are a shared human concern as communities in all nations and geographic regions are grappling with environmental degradation. Despite this concern, there are multiple different viewpoints on the current state of environmental issues and how to understand these problems. Understanding how different communities conceive of the environment and sustainability is paramount in efforts to increase the frequency of environmentally conscious choices. If an awareness of others’ perspectives of the environment is lacking, then the development of sustainable choices is placed at risk because of potentially competing views of what sustainability means in a particular context. As such, solutions to these environmental problems are frequently viewed as ‘wicked problems.’ This study investigates the shared and divergent environmental viewpoints of teachers and community members in Kenya. This study utilized photo-methodologies and qualitative in vivo analysis. The shared viewpoints were on positive a...
Radiation chopper for the submillimeter wavelength region

Abstract A woven wire mesh application is described for strong discrimination against short wavelength radiation while submillimeter radiation is efficiently utilized.
A perturbation analysis of spillover in closed-loop distributed-parameter systems

The design of controllers for distributed-parameter systems from truncated modal system descriptions is inherently conducted in ignorance of the actuator and sensor coupling to the unmodeled modes. The real presence of this coupling, referred to here as spillover, can cause significant changes in the expected closed-loop system behavior. To examine the effects of spillover, this coupling is treated as a perturbation to the truncated modal distributed system dynamic model with a scale parameter of smallness ?. Perturbation power series in ? are derived for the spillover-induced shift in each closed-loop pole location. Providing that ? = 1 is within the region of convergence of a particular series, that series is evaluated at ? = 1 to obtain a pole shift expression for the associated pole. The resulting expressions are simple and yield considerable insight into the nature of spillover.
Electrical and Neurotrophin Enhancement of Neurite Outgrowth Within a 3D Collagen Scaffold

Electrical and chemical stimulation have been studied as potent mechanisms of enhancing nerve regeneration and wound healing. However, it remains unclear how electrical stimuli affect nerve growth, particularly in the presence of neurotrophic factors. The objective of this study was to explore (1) the effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) supplementation to support neurite outgrowth in a 3D scaffold, and (2) the effect of brief, low voltage, electrical stimulation (ES) on neurite outgrowth prior to neurotrophin supplementation. Dissociated E11 chick dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were seeded within a 1.5 mg/mL type-I collagen scaffold. For neurotrophin treatments, scaffolds were incubated for 24 h in culture media containing NGF (10 ng/mL) or BDNF (200 ng/mL), or both. For ES groups, scaffolds containing neurons were stimulated for 10 min at 8–10 V/m DC, then incubated for 24 h with neurotrophin. Fixed and labeled neurons were imaged to measure neurite growth and directionality. BDNF supplementation was not as effective as NGF at supporting DRG neurite outgrowth. ES prior to NGF supplementation improved DRG neurite outgrowth compared to NGF alone. This combination of brief ES with NGF treatment was the most effective treatment compared to NGF or BDNF alone. Brief ES had no impact on neurite directionality in the 3D scaffolds. These results demonstrate that ES improves neurite outgrowth in the presence of neurotrophins, and could provide a potential therapeutic approach to improve nerve regeneration when coupled with neurotrophin treatment.
Tetralogy of Fallot, imperforate anus, and Müllerian, renal, and cervical spine (MURCS) anomalies in a 15-year-old girl.

Abstract Study Objective: To examine the etiology of MURCs anomalies and the management of a patient with these anomalies as well as cardiac and anorectal abnormalities causing primary amenorrhea and abdominal pain. Design: Case study. Result: Relief of pelvic pain following GnRH agonist therapy and continuous oral contraceptives. Conclusion: MURCS (Mullerian, Renal, Cervical Spine) is a well-described grouping of multi-organ, nonlethal abnormalities that are infrequently detected in women with menstrual abnormalities. The association of MURCS with cardiac and anorectal abnormalities may be one of coincidence or may indicate that the abnormalities share common genetic or environmental (cellular or microbiologic) etiologies.
Effects of X-irradiation on cell-cycle progression, induction of chromosomal aberrations and cell killing in ataxia telangiectasia (AT) fibroblasts

Abstract Survival, cumulative labeling indices, chromosomal aberrations and cell-cycle distribution by flow microfluorometry (FMF) were studied in fibroblasts from normal and three ataxia telangiectasia (AT) families after X-irradiation during density-inhibition of growth and immediate release by subculture to low density. Homozygotic AT (proband) fibroblasts were very hypersensitive to cell killing by X-irradiation (D0 = 40–45 rad). Fibroblasts from AT heterozygotes (parents) were minimally hypersensitive, with D0's (100–110 rad) slightly lower than those for normal fibroblasts (D0 = 120–140 rad). There were three different response groups for a G1 phase block induced by 400 rad of X-rays: (1) minimal or no G1 block was observed in AT homozygote cell strains; (2) 10–20% of the cells were blocked in G1 in normal cell strains; and (3) 50% or more of the cells were blocked in AT heterozygote strains. FMF profiles and cumulative labeling indices showed that homozygotic AT cells irradiated in plateau phase moved into the S-phase following subculture with no additional delay over non-irradiated controls. Homozygotic AT cells showed not only a 4–5 times higher frequency of X-ray-induced chromosomal aberrations than normal strains, but approximately 30% of these were of the chromatid-type. There were no differences in the frequency or type of X-ray-induced chromosomal aberrations between normal and heterozygotic AT cells.