cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Echo Doppler Flow Classification and Goodness Assessment with Convolutional Neural Networks

Doppler Echocardiography is critical for measuring abnormal cardiac function and diagnosing valvular stenosis and regurgitation. The current practice for assessing and interpreting Doppler echo images is time-consuming and depends highly on the experience of the operator. The limitations of this practice can be mitigated using fully automated intelligent systems. Essential first steps toward comprehensive computer-assisted Doppler echocardiographic interpretation include automatic classification into view/flow categories and goodness assessment of these flows. In this paper, we propose a deep learning-based method for Doppler flow classification and goodness assessment. The method has been trained on labeled images representing a wide range of real-world clinical variation. Our method, when evaluated on unseen data, achieved overall accuracies of 91.6% and 88.9% for flow classification and goodness assessment, respectively. While further research is needed, these results are encouraging and prove the feasibility of using fully automated intelligent systems for analyzing and interpreting Doppler echo images.
Joint Attention Estimator

Joint attention has been identified as a critical component of successful human machine teams. Teaching robots to develop awareness of human cues is an important first step towards attaining and maintaining joint attention. We present a joint attention estimator that creates many possible candidates for joint attention and chooses the most likely object based on a human teammate's hand cues. Our system works within natural human interaction time (
Stigma, Opioids, and Public Health Messaging: The Need to Disentangle Behavior From Identity

Stigma plays an important role in understanding successful interventions to control the opioid epidemic in the United States. Stigma has been described both as an agent to incentivize positive health behavior and as an agent of marginalization contributing to poorer health. Past scholarship has argued that stigma has positively motivated public health changes, for example, among tobacco users; it has also been associated with discrimination against vulnerable individuals, resulting in increasingly poorer health behaviors, for example in relation to HIV-prevention messaging.The discourse on stigma may conflate the denormalization of unhealthy behaviors with wholesale rejection of individual identities. More effective interventions would counter stigma against people who use opioids in general and specifically denormalize opioid misuse. These interventions might alter the effect of public health messaging and ultimately improve outcomes.We argue that public health educators and communication campaigns can contribute to positive social norm change and motivate healthy behaviors by incorporating strategies that attempt to disentangle unhealthy behaviors from identity.
Companion to public space: Companion to public space, edited by Vikas Metha and Danilo Palazzo, Abingdon, UK, Routledge, 2020, 564 pp., £190 (hardback), £35.99 (eBook), ISBN 9781138549722

In the final footnote of this thick, marvellous book, editors Vikas Metha and Danilo Palazzo of the University of Cincinnati School of Planning acknowledge the dramatic impact of the COVID-19 pande...
Structured Silence: Mental Illness Disability and Disclosure in the Workplace

Evasive, silenced, and contested, mental illness is an invisible form of disease that can create disability and is impacted by sanism in social institutions. Ascribed and prescribed, mental illness diagnoses and experiences vary based on medicalized norms. Medicalization of mental illness occurs via three main authoritative professions: psychiatry, psychology, and clinical social work. The institution of medicine holds absolute authority over what is considered “natural” and “normal” in mental health and creates stigma. Disclosure has historically been discussed as a remedy but is limited according to social identities as well as determinants of health. Disclosure of mental illness as a disability can be problematic in workplaces. Experiences of sanism, or discrimination based on perceived level of sanity, are common. Madness experiences deserve attention, in the workplace and beyond.
COVID-19 regulatory responses and FDI in the United States: trends and implications for capital flows

Investment regulations implemented by the US government as part of the response to COVID-19 have implications for capital flows. The objective of this paper is to analyse how these regulations affe...
Update on Nodopathies of the Peripheral Nerve

The purpose of this paper is to provide an up-to-date review of the current knowledge on immune-mediated neuropathies secondary to antibodies against nodal and paranodal proteins. Antibodies against neurofascins and contactin have recently been linked to characteristic neuropathy presentations including a more acute/subacute presentation, involvement of cranial nerves, presence of tremor, and refractory to typical first-line treatments for immune-mediated neuropathies. Nodopathies are a group of disorders associated with humoral autoimmunity to antigens of the node, paranode, and juxtaparanode. The clinical syndromes most commonly associated with these antibodies include acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and combined central and peripheral demyelination. Treatment response is variable, and though most data reported is on NF155, there appears to be a better response to plasma exchange and rituximab followed by prednisone and then IVIG.
Exploring the Role of Social Robot Behaviors in a Creative Activity

Robots are increasingly being introduced into domains where they assist or collaborate with human counterparts. There is a growing body of literature on how robots might serve as collaborators in creative activities, but little is known about the factors that shape human perceptions of robots as creative collaborators. This paper investigates the effects of a robot’s social behaviors on people’s creative thinking and their perceptions of the robot. We developed an interactive system to facilitate collaboration between a human and a robot in a creative activity. We conducted a user study (n = 12), in which the robot and adult participants took turns to create compositions using tangram pieces projected on a shared workspace. We observed four human behavioral traits related to creativity in the interaction: accepting robot inputs as inspiration, delegating the creative lead to the robot, communicating creative intents, and being playful in the creation. Our findings suggest designs for co-creation in social robots that consider the adversarial effect of giving the robot too much control in creation, as well as the role playfulness plays in the creative process.
Limits and boundaries: Integrative Governance and Radical Democracy

Public administration is fuzzy—it’s not clear where the boundaries of our field are. We reach outward to related professions and disciplines: nonprofit management overlaps with a substantial amount...
Drones and the Future of Aerial Surveillance

On February 15, 2015 the FAA announced historic regulations that for the first time in American history will allow small aircraft without onboard pilots --- drones --- to fly in the national airspace. Legal and technological developments have thus made it all but certain that drones will be a catalyst for new ways of thinking about privacy and surveillance. This is especially the case because the drones that the FAA has approved for operation in the national airspace (small aircraft under 55 pounds) are the exact type of drones that local law enforcement will be most likely to acquire and use. Thus, the battle over privacy and aerial surveillance will be fought in statehouses throughout the country. This article seeks to frame future discussions about how states will handle the privacy issues associated with aerial surveillance. The article takes the counterintuitive position that technology may make unmanned aerial surveillance more protective of privacy than manned surveillance. It further argues that scholars and legislators should move beyond a warrant-based, technology centric approach to protecting privacy from aerial surveillance. Such an approach is unworkable, counterproductive, and may stifle efforts to enact more privacy protective legislative regimes. Instead, this article proposes that legal reforms should focus on excluding low altitude flights and surveillance coupled with imposing limits on persistent surveillance, requiring enhanced accountability procedures for data retention and access, and creating new transparency, accountability and oversight measures.
The immune response in the CNS in Theiler’s virus induced demyelinating disease switches from an early adaptive response to a chronic innate-like response

Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus-induced demyelinating disease (TMEV-IDD) is an important model of the progressive disability caused by irreversible CNS tissue injury, and provides an example of how a CNS pathogen can cause inflammation, demyelination, and neuronal damage. We were interested in which molecules, especially inflammatory mediators, might be upregulated in the CNS throughout TMEV-IDD. We quantitated by a real-time RT-PCR multi-gene system the expression of a pathway-focused panel of genes at 30 and 165 days post infection, characterizing both the early inflammatory and the late neurodegenerative stages of TMEV-IDD. Also, we measured 32 cytokines/chemokines by multiplex Luminex analysis in CSF specimens from early and late TMEV-IDD as well as sham-treated mice. Results indicate that, in the later stage of TMEV-IDD, activation of the innate immune response is most prominent: TLRs, type I IFN response genes, and innate immunity-associated cytokines were highly expressed in late TMEV-IDD compared to sham (p ≤ 0.0001) and early TMEV-IDD (p < 0.05). Conversely, several molecular mediators of adaptive immune response were highly expressed in early TMEV-IDD (all p ≤ 0.001). Protein detection in the CSF was broadly concordant with mRNA abundance of the corresponding gene measured by real-time RT-PCR in the spinal cord, since several cytokines/chemokines were increased in the CSF of TMEV-IDD mice. Results show a clear shift from adaptive to innate immunity from early to late TMEV-IDD, indicating that adaptive and innate immune pathways are likely involved in the development and progression of the disease to different extents. CSF provides an optimal source of biomarkers of CNS neuroinflammation.
Fatigue studies of high-palladium dental casting alloys: Part II. Transmission electron microscopic observations†

The microstructures of two representative high-palladium dental alloys, a Pd-Cu-Ga alloy and a Pd-Ga alloy, which had been subjected to cyclic fatigue in uniaxial tension were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two different mechanisms were found to dominate microplastic deformation during fatigue: twinning in the Pd-Cu-Ga alloy, and planar slip of dislocations in the Pd-Ga alloy. In addition, stress-induced precipitation occurred in the Pd-Ga alloy during cyclic loading. Heat treatment simulating the firing cycles for dental porcelain resulted in the formation of a previously unreported bcc phase in the Pd-Cu-Ga alloy, and in the elimination of the characteristic tweed structure found in the Pd-Ga alloy for the as-cast condition.
Abstract 71: Knockdown of MTDH increases drug sensitivity to HDAC inhibitor and TRAIL combination treatment in endometrial cancer cells

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of chemoresistance is vital to design therapies to restore chemosensitivity. In particular, metadherin (MTDH) has been demonstrated to have a critical role in chemoresistance. Over-expression of MTDH has recently been correlated with poor clinical outcomes in breast cancer, neuroblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma and prostate cancer. In endometrial cancer patients, lymph node metastasis and increase of mortality were significantly associated with chromosome 8q22-q23copy number gains, which is where MTDH is localized. However, it is unclear how MTDH overexpression mechanistically contributes to endometrial cancer development, progression, or response to therapy. In this present study, we detected overexpression of MTDH in endometrial cancer tissues compared to normal endometrium. Studies in endometrial cancer cell lines indicate that MTDH depletion enhanced sensitivity to chemotherapy agents as well as cell death induced by a combinatorial treatment of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor and tumor necrosis factor-alpha-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). TRAIL promotes death of cancerous cells of the human reproductive tract, and HDAC inhibitors, such as LBH 589 used in this study, have been shown to increase sensitivity of cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Inhibition of PI3K/AKT survival pathway such as PDK1 and AKT phosphorylation, increased degradation of anti-apoptosis protein XIAP, and increased expression of pro-apoptosis protein Bim and cleaved active isoforms of caspase 8 and caspase 3 were all observed during cell death induced by TRAIL and LBH 589 combination treatment in MTDH depleted endometrial cancer cells. However, in cells with normal MTDH expression, TRAIL/LBH 589 treatment had no effect on these pro-survival factors. Interestingly, MTDH was also found to be involved in G2/M checkpoint regulation. Treatment of MTDH-depleted cells with TRAIL and LBH589 resulted in an increased number of cells arrested in G2/M compared to cells with expressing MTDH. Using microarray technology, 57 genes with greater than two-fold gene expression alteration were identified after MTDH depletion, including Calbindin 1 and Galectin 1, which may contribute to MTDH-mediated drug resistance. Therefore, MTDH mediates drug resistance by regulating expression of genes required for the control of apoptosis and cell cycle. These findings indicate that sensitivity to chemotherapy agents and combination treatment with HDAC inhibitor and TRAIL can be restored or enhanced by manipulating MTDH, and hence depletion of MTDH is a potentially novel avenue for effective cancer therapy. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 71. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-71
Generation and Utilization of Phosphorylation State–Specific Antibodies to Investigate Signaling Pathways

Phosphorylation state-specific antibodies can be of great use, for example, in studying individual steps within a given signal transduction pathway. This unit presents a general approach to the generation and purification of phosphorylation state-specific antibodies. In addition to their ability to detect phosphorylation at a particular key site, these antibodies are often more sensitive for biochemical studies. Besides their application in immunoblotting procedures, activation state-specific antibodies can be used as immunohistochemical reagents. Thus, critical changes in phosphorylation can be monitored as described on an individual cell basis or in fixed tissue sections. Such antibodies can be used to address fundamental questions about signal transduction pathways during physiologic events that cannot be resolved by more conventional methodologies.
A clinical evaluation of an oxygenating agent; preliminary report.

D URING the past several months, a new proprietary osygcnating agent” has been distributed to many of the dentists along with certain claims regarding its efficacy as an aid in the management of pyorrhea, necrotizing (ulcerative) gingivitis, stomatitis, gingivitis, etc. This preliminary study was undertaken to determine the validity of t.hese claims and to evaluate the product on its own merits.
Red Cell Membrane and Transport Systems: Hereditary Disorders

The structure and function of the red cell membrane and associated ion transporters play an important role in the pathology of red cell genetic defects. Keywords: red cell membrane; ion transporters; hereditary disorders; genetic defects
High-dose intravenous methotrexate for patients with nonleukemic leptomeningeal cancer: is intrathecal chemotherapy necessary?

PURPOSEStandard treatments for neoplastic meningitis are only modestly effective and are associated with significant morbidity. Isolated reports suggest that concurrent systemic and intrathecal (i.t.) therapy may be more effective than i.t. therapy alone. We present our experience, which includes CSF and serum pharmacokinetic data, on the use of high-dose (HD) intravenous (i.v.) methotrexate (MTX) as the sole treatment for neoplastic meningitis.PATIENTS AND METHODSSixteen patients with solid-tumor neoplastic meningitis received one to four courses (mean, 2.3 courses) of HD (8 g/m2 over 4 hours) i.v. MTX and leucovorin rescue. Serum and CSF MTX concentrations were measured daily. Toxicity, response, and survival were retrospectively compared with a reference group of 15 patients treated with standard i.t. MTX during the same time interval.RESULTSPeak methotrexate concentrations ranged from 3.7 to 55 micromol/L (mean, 17.1 micromol/L) in CSF and 178 to 1,700 micromol/L (mean, 779 micromol/L) in serum. Cytot...
Weedy Adaptation in Setaria spp.: VI. S. faberi Seed hull shape as soil germination signal antenna

Ecological selection forces for weedy and domesticated traits have influenced the evolution of seed shape in Setaria resulting in similarity in seed shape that reflects similarity in ecological function rather than reflecting phylogenetic relatedness. Seeds from two diploid subspecies of Setaria viridis, consisting of one weedy subspecies and two races of the domesticated subspecies, and four other polyploidy weedy species of Setaria. We quantified seed shape from the silhouettes of the seeds in two separate views. Differences in shape were compared to ecological role (weed vs. crop) and the evolutionary trajectory of shape change by phylogenetic grouping from a single reference species was calculated. Idealized three-dimensional models were created to examine the differences in shape relative to surface area and volume. All populations were significantly different in shape, with crops easily distinguished from weeds, regardless of relatedness between the taxa. Trajectory of shape change varied by view, but separated crops from weeds and phylogenetic groupings. Three-dimensional models gave further evidence of differences in shape reflecting adaptation for environmental exploitation. The selective forces for weedy and domesticated traits have exceeded phylogenetic constraints, resulting in seed shape similarity due to ecological role rather than phylogenetic relatedness. Seed shape and surface-to-volume ratio likely reflect the importance of the water film that accumulates on the seed surface when in contact with soil particles. Seed shape may also be a mechanism of niche separation between taxa.
Arylene‐modified siloxanes

Polyarylenepolysiloxanes with varied structure can be obtained in condensation reactions of arylenedisilanols and N-methylsiloxazanes. Molecular weights, viscometric properties, glass transition temperatures, and thermogravimetric analysis data are reported.
Relation of Cocaine Use to Seizures and Epilepsy

Summary: Purpose: Cocaine can provoke seizures, exacerbate a preexisting seizure disorder, or cause an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke that leads to seizures. To determine the importance of cocaine use in patients with and without epilepsy, we studied these relations and other risk factors for seizures and the mode of cocaine use. Methods: We reviewed all charts of emergency department visits and hospitalizations of patients with discharge diagnoses simultaneously listing seizures, epilepsy, and cocaine use during a 24-month period. Data collected included patient age, sex, route of cocaine use, seizure description and duration of epilepsy, provocative factors, results of electroencephalography and computed tomography, treatment, and outcome. Results: Of 67, 668 adult emergency department visits and 25, 768 adult admissions, 1, 900 were cocaine related, and 58 of these also had seizures or epilepsy. Seizure occurrences were approximately equally distributed among groups with idiopathic epilepsy, remote symptomatic localization-related epilepsy, cerebrovascular disease, and acute symptomatic seizures due to cocaine use alone. Less frequently, seizures were cryptogenic or symptomatic of metabolic abnormalities. Conclusions: Cocaine use can reduce seizure threshold in patients with underlying epilepsy as a direct toxic effect or indirectly by contributing to poor compliance with antiepileptic drug treatment, poor diet, or poor sleep habits. In 12 of the 58 patients, cocaine appeared to be the only provocative factor. This may be a less significant risk factor for epilepsy than either alcohol or head trauma.
Selective ring expansion of Δ5,10-octalin-1,6-diones via the Schmidt reaction

Abstract Two octalindiones, namely 9-methyl-Δ 5,10 -octalin-1,6-dione (VI) and 5,9-dimethyl-Δ 5,10 -octalin-1,6-dione (VII), each consisting of a Δ 1 -cyclohexenone ring (ring A) fused to a cyclohexanone ring (ring B), underwent selective expansion to lactams by the Schmidt reaction depending upon the acid medium employed. The cyclohexanone ring rearranged in concentrated sulfuric acid to a substituted caprolactam. An α,β-unsaturated lactam resulted from expansion of ring A in both conc hydrochloric and molten trichloroacetic acids. Unexpectedly, the reaction of VI in trichloroacetic acid produced an enamine lactam (XIII).
Harvey Warren Meirovich. A Vindication of Judaism: The Polemics of the Hertz Pentateuch. Foreword by Ismar Schorsch. New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1998, xvi, 304 pp.

Anyone who was personally privileged to meet the late J. H. Hertz, as was this reviewer from time to time in his student days, could not fail to be conscious of being in the presence of greatness. Short in natural height, he was a man of impressive stature. A commanding personality, he was easily the most outstanding individual ever to occupy the exalted position of chief rabbi of the British Empire (1913–46). He was courageous, energetic, eloquent, and determined, and he left an indelible impression on English-speaking Jewry. He bequeathed enduring, living monuments in the form of his Book of Jewish Thought (1917), his Commentary on the Torah and Haftorahs (1929–36), and his Commentary on the Prayer Book (1942–45), apart from numerous essays and addresses. As the Torah writes of Moses, “his hands were steady until the setting of the sun” (Exod. 17:12).
Age differences in care practices and outcomes for hospitalized patients with cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To identify age group differences in care practices and outcomes for seriously ill hospitalized patients with malignancy. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study (SUPPORT project). SETTING: Five United States teaching hospitals; data was gathered between 1989 and 1994. SUBJECTS: Nine hundred twenty five older (age ≥ 65 years), 983 middle aged (age = 45–64 years), and 274 younger (age = 18–44 years) hospitalized patients receiving care for non-small cell lung cancer, colon cancer metastasized to the liver, or multi-organ system failure associated with malignancy. MEASUREMENTS: Care practices and patient outcomes were determined from hospital records. Length of survival was identified using the National Death Index. After adjusting for important variables, including severity of illness (i.e., SUPPORT model estimate for 2-month survival, cancer condition), hospital site, selection to intervention and sociodemographic variables, age group differences in care practices and outcomes were identified using general linear models. RESULTS: Older patients with cancer had lower resource utilization during hospitalization (P < .04) and were less likely to receive cancer-related treatments (i.e., chemotherapy, platelet infusions, scheduled intravenous medications) than middle-aged and young-adult patients in the first week of hospitalization (P ≤ .01). More care topics were discussed with older patients and their families then with younger patients and their families (P < .001). Length of stay and total hospital costs were lower for older and middle-aged patients than for younger patients. Although more older patients had discussions about transfer to hospice (P < .001), older patients were no more likely to be discharged with supportive care (inpatient hospice or home with home/hospice care). Older patients died sooner than middle-aged patients (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Patient age influenced care decisions and outcomes. Older patients (age ≥ 65 years) received less aggressive care, had more discussions about care decisions, and died sooner than younger patients with cancer. Younger patients had longer stays, higher hospital costs, and greater probability of rehospitalization. Although well over half of patients died within 6 months of hospitalization, few patients in any age group were discharged with supportive care. Future studies should examine age differences in palliation, as well as acute care of cancer patients across inpatient and ambulatory care settings and should assess quality of care at the end of life.
Synthesis and characterization of volatile monomeric copper(II) fluoroalkoxides

The reaction of [Cu(OMe),], with a fluorinated alcohol in the presence of an amine has afforded a series of new copper( 11) fluoroalkoxides: Cu(hfip) 2( tmed) (2), Cu(hfip) z(teed) (3), Cu( hfip)z(bipy) (41, Cu(hfip)z(py) 2 (S), Cu(hftb)2(tmed) (6), Cu(hftb)z(bipy) (7), and Cu(hftb)Z(py)z (8), where hfip = hexafluoroisopropoxo, hftb = hexafluoro-tert-butoxo, tmed = N,N,N'JV'-tetramethylethylenediamine, teed = N,N,N',N'-tetraethylethylenediamine, bipy = bipyridine, and py = pyridine. Compounds 5 and 8 have also been prepared by the reaction of CuBrz with Na(hfip) or Na(hftb) and pyridine. Crystallographic analyses of 2 and 6 reveal that both compounds are monomeric and assume tetrahedrally-distorted square-planar geometries. The dihedral angles between the CuN2 and CuOz planes are 16.1' for 2 and 40.6' for 6. The average Cu-0 distances are 1.903 (3) A in 2 and 1.884 (3) A in 6, and the average Cu-N distances are 2.035 (5) A in 2 and 2.064 (3) A in 6. EPR and UV-vis studies indicate that the degree of distortion increases in the order 4 < 2 < 3 < 7 < 5 < 6 < 8. The increase in the degree of distortion is attributed to the greater steric crowding in the latter molecules. Interestingly, these compounds are relatively resistant to hydrolysis: aqueous solutions of 2 are stable in air at room temperature and hydrolyze to copper(I1) oxide only when the solutions are refluxed. Compounds 2,3,4,6, and 7 are volatile, and thus are potential metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) precursors. Sublimation of 2 and passage of the resulting vapor over substrates heated to 300 OC result in the deposition of copper metal. These deposits are noncrystalline and consist of granules having diameters of 0.1-0.4 Nm. Crystal data: for Cu(hfip)z(tmed) (2), space group P21/c, monoclinic, a = 9.454 (1) A, b = 15.045 (2) A, c = 14.197 (6) A, 8 = 105.65 (2)O, V= 1944 (1) A3, Z = 4, RF = 0.040 and Rw~ = 0.052 for 334 variables and 2060 data; for Cu(hftb)z(tmed) (a), space group 12/u, monoclinic, u = 13.601 (3) A, b = 9.567 (2) A, c = 16.562 (5) A. B = 106.56 (2)O, V= 2066 (2) A3, Z = 4, RF = 0.043 and R,F = 0.037 for 190 variables and 1427 data.
Magnetic resonance imaging detects unsuspected disease in patients with invasive lobular cancer.

Background: Predicting the extent of disease in the breasts of patients with invasive lobular cancer (ILC) can be difficult because of the limits of physical examination and standard imaging. We determined the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in finding otherwise unsuspected cancer in the ipsilateral or contralateral breast of patients with ILC.
Adult-Weanling Recognition Among Captive Meadow Voles (Microtus Pennsylvanicus)

Dyadic encounters and odour preference tests were carried out to determine the behavioural mechanisms mediating weanling-adult interactions in meadow voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus. Encounters between weanlings and the adult(s) which they were reared contained few agonistic behaviours. Encounters between weanlings and an unfamiliar adult, independently of genetic relatedness, contained many agonistic acts. Encounters involving female weanlings were less agonistic than encounters involving male weanlings. Wcanlings often preferred the odour of adults with whom they would have an amicable encounter, whereas weanlings avoided the odour of adults with whom they would have an agonistic encounter. However, female weanlings preferred the odour of their RA father to the odour of other adult males. Adults could not recognize their own offspring if they were reared apart. Social recognition was based on familiarity by association rather than phenotype-matching. The data suggest that adult agonism toward weanlings may be a behavioural mechanism regulating sex-biased dispersal patterns.
A Role for Sulfation-Desulfation in the Uptake of Bisphenol A into Breast Tumor Cells

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used plasticizer whose estrogenic properties may impact hormone-responsive disorders and fetal development. In vivo, BPA appears to have greater activity than is suggested by its estrogen receptor (ER) binding affinity. This may be a result of BPA sulfation/desulfation providing a pathway for selective uptake into hormone-responsive cells. BPA is a substrate for estrogen sulfotransferase, and bisphenol A sulfate (BPAS) and disulfate are substrates for estrone sulfatase. Although the sulfated xenobiotics bind poorly to the ER, both stimulated the growth of receptor-positive breast tumor cells. Treatment of MCF-7 cells with BPAS leads to desulfation and uptake of BPA. No BPAS is found inside the cells. These findings suggest a mechanism for the selective uptake of BPA into cells expressing estrone sulfatase. Therefore, sulfation may increase the estrogenic potential of xenobiotics.
Marital alternatives and the regulation of sex

The relationship between the occurrence of extramarital affairs (as an indicator of the reduction of normative constraints) and commuter marriage (as an indicator of the reduction of structural constraints) was examined. It was found that when couples set up two separate homes they were not more likely to have affairs than when they shared a single home (or that the reduction of structural constraints does not necessarily lead to the reduction of normative constraints). In contrast to other studies that stress opportunity as a key factor in the occurrence of extramarital affairs, this study suggests that attitudes toward affairs are neither enforced nor weakened by opportunity. Two underlying orientations to marriage, which exist simultaneously in different segments of the population, were uncovered: one involving an attachment to the “family as institution” and one involving an attachment to the “family as companionship.”
Bilateral Retinal Artery and Choriocapillaris Occlusion Following the Injection of Long-Acting Corticosteroid Suspensions in Combination with Other Drugs: I. Clinical Studies

Two well-documented cases of bilateral retinal artery and choriocapillaris occlusions with blindness following head and neck soft-tissue injection with methylprednisolone acetate in combination with lidocaine, epinephrine, or penicillin are reported. One case had only a unilateral injection. The acute observations included hazy sensorium, superior gaze palsy, pupillary abnormalities, and conjunctival hemorrhages with edema. Follow-up changes showed marked visual loss, constricted visual fields, optic nerve pallor, vascular attenuation, and chorioretinal atrophy. The literature is reviewed, and possible causes are discussed.
Functional characterization of a haplotype in the AKT1 gene associated with glucose homeostasis and metabolic syndrome

A small 12-kb haplotype upstream of the AKT1 gene has been found to be associated with insulin resistance phenotypes. We sought to define the functional consequences of the three component polymorphic loci (rs1130214, rs10141867, rs33925946) on AKT1 and the upstream ZBTB42 gene. 5′ RACE analysis of AKT1 transcripts in human skeletal muscle biopsies showed the predominant promoter to be 2.5 kb upstream of exon 2, and distinct from those promoters previously reported in rat. We then studied the effect of each of the three haplotype polymorphisms in transcriptional reporter assays in muscle, bone, and fat cell culture models, and found that each modulated enhancer and repressor activity are in a cell-specific and differentiation-specific manner. Our results in promoter assays are consistent with the human phenotype data; we found an anabolic effect on muscle and bone with increased mRNA expression of AKT1, and catabolic effect on fat with decreased expression. To test the hypothesis that rs10141867 affects transcription levels of the novel zinc finger protein ZBTB42 in vivo, we developed the allele-specific expression assay using Taqman technology to test for allelic differences within heterozygotes. The allele containing the derived polymorphism (haplotype H2) showed a 1.75-fold increase in expression in human skeletal muscle. Our data show a particularly complex effect of the component polymorphisms of a single haplotype on cells and tissues, suggesting that the coordination of different tissue-specific effects may have driven selection for the H2 haplotype. In light of the recent abundance of SNP association studies, our approach can serve as a method for exploring the biological function of polymorphisms that show significant genotype/phenotype associations.
Modeling electrical networks with Object Oriented data structures for smart control

The electrical networks are becoming more complex with the introduction of distributed generators; power electronics based control devices and various types of loads. The electrical networks are no longer passive meshed systems, as they were a couple decades ago. Rather the generation, transmission and consumption co-exist almost at all levels of the electrical networks. With the increasing number of control parameters the management, protection and control of these electrical networks become a real challenge for power engineers. Furthermore, several loads and/or distributed generators may connect/disconnect from/to the network at any time. Therefore, the shape of the network is not fixed but variable. Power flow, power quality calculations as well as protection parameters such as relay settings, fault current settings etc. require that the exact structure of an electrical network should be monitored. This can be achieved by making use of communication lines in a central management system. In this paper, the electrical nodes such as relays, generators and loads are represented with Object Oriented (OO) data structures to model microgrids with graph theory. Dijkstra’s algorithm is implemented to monitor the changes in the network and recognize new deployments. In this manner, the exact structure of the network can be monitored without central management and necessary adjustments can be made on the fly. The simulation of the proposed model shows the viability of such model and its effectiveness.
Microgravity Solidification of Immiscible Alloys

This paper covers findings obtained from the microgravity directional solidification of immiscible aluminum-indium alloys during the Life and Microgravity Spacelab Mission in 1996. Three alloys, one of monotectic composition and two alloys containing an excess of indium above the monotectic (i.e., hypermonotectic compositions) were solidified using the Advanced Gradient Heating Facility (AGHF). Samples were processed in specialized ampoule assemblies containing pistons and a high temperature spring in a partially successful attempt to prevent void formation due to thermal contraction of the melt and solidification shrinkage. A comparison of compositional variations between microgravity processed and ground processed samples revealed compositional variations along the length of ground processed samples which were representative of results anticipated due to convective mixing in the melt. Flight samples showed an initial compositional variation indicative of minimal mixing in the melt. However, a discontinuity in the microstructure was observed which coincided with the presence of a void in the flight sample.
Development of a dual joystick‐controlled laser trapping and cutting system for optical micromanipulation of chromosomes inside living cells

A multi-joystick robotic laser microscope system used to control two optical traps (tweezers) and one laser scissors has been developed for subcellular organelle manipulation. The use of joysticks has provided a “user-friendly” method for both trapping and cutting of organelles such as chromosomes in live cells. This innovative design has enabled the clean severing of chromosome arms using the laser scissors as well as the ability to easily hold and pull the severed arm using the laser tweezers. (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Bilateral epidermoid cysts of the testicle.

AbstractAn 11-year-old boy presented with bilateral testicular masses that consisted of hyperechoic centers with hypoechoic rims on ultrasound. Surgical exploration revealed bilateral epidermoid cysts. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of bilateral epidermoid cysts in a child. Recognition of this entity requires surgical confirmation but it may obviate removal of the testicle.
Effect of Precursor Molar Mass on the 2H NMR Line Shapes of End-Linked PDMS Elastomers

A series of end-linked PDMS networks synthesized with different molar mass precursor chains is examined using 2H NMR spectroscopy. The resulting line shapes for networks in the undeformed state show clear differences with precursor chain molar mass. Furthermore, samples uniaxially extended to high extension ratio show a clear shoulder in the line shape and two characteristic splittings (two doublets). Comparison with spectra for deuterated free chains dissolved in an unlabeled network confirms that the inner doublet results from excluded volume interactions between segments whereas the outer doublet is due to more highly aligned chain segments from chains with conformations trapped by the cross-linking reaction.
Costimulatory molecules CD80/CD86 and OX40L are upregulated in a murine model of allergic aspergillosis

Abstract Rationale T cell activation requires antigen-specific engagement of the T-cell-receptor and additional antigen-independent costimulatory interactions. We investigated the role of the costimulatory molecules CD80/CD86 and OX40L in the immunopathogenesis of experimental Allergic Aspergillosis. Methods 6-8 wk old female Balb/c mice were sensitized intraperitoneally and intranasally with Aspergillus fumigatus (Af) allergens. Animals were sensitized with Af along with recombinant interleukin-4 and sacrificed 24 hours after the last exposure to the antigen. Lung macrophages and B cells were collected and analyzed by flow cytometry for expression of the costimulatory molecules CD80, CD86 and OX40L. Peripheral blood eosinophils, total serum IgE, and allergen-specific IgG1 levels were also quantitated. Results CD86 and CD80 molecules were upregulated on lung B cells in Af sensitized mice (51.3% CD80+ and 15.3% CD86+) as compared to normal controls (12% and 6.4%, respectively). Lung macrophages from allergic mice only expressed low levels of these molecules (1.58% CD86+ and 2.33% CD80+), but increased expression was observed when mice were co-injected with Af and rIL-4 (6.54% and 5.41%, respectively). OX40L expression was also upregulated on lung B cells (9.08% vs. 1.24%) and lung macrophages (4.23% vs. 1.47%) from Af-sensitized mice as compared to normal controls. Animals injected with Af-rIL-4 and Af also showed a marked increase (p in peripheral blood eosinophils, total serum IgE, and allergen-specific IgG1 antibodies as compared to controls. Conclusions CD80, CD86 and OX40L costimulatory molecules are upregulated in response to Af allergens suggesting their involvement in the amplification of immunological and inflammatory responses during experimental Allergic Aspergillosis.
Possible spectral diagnostics for turbulent electric fields in solar flares

A high level of electrostatic turbulence can be generated by plasma instabilities in solar flares. The turbulence, in general, has both quasistatic (ionic) and dynamic (electronic) components. Hydrogenic line profiles develop distinct features under the simultaneous effect of the quasistatic and dynamic turbulent electric fields: these features are discussed and the possible inferences that can be drawn as to the nature of the turbulent electric fields through their observation are pointed out. Solar flare spectral diagnostics along these lines can provide an observational test of the existence of turbulent electric fields in the flare region. When a detailed determination of the characteristics of these fields is feasible, it would, in turn, help in identifying the underlying plasma instability mechanisms that give rise to these fields during the flare build-up and associated processes.
Optimal Approach to Circumferential Decompression and Reconstruction for Thoracic Spine Metastatic Disease

Circumferential decompression has been demonstrated to be the first-line therapy for patients with metastatic tumors in the thoracic spine requiring surgical intervention. However, there is significant debate regarding whether these tumors are best accessed anteriorly utilizing a thoracotomy or posteriorly. We used decision analysis to determine which approach yields greater health-related quality of life (QOL). We searched Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for relevant articles published between 1990 and 2011 on anterior and posterior approaches to metastatic disease in the thoracic spine. QOL values for major treatment outcomes were determined using the existing literature. Separate models were created for ambulatory and nonambulatory patients. A Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analyses were used to determine which treatment strategy resulted in the highest QOL. For ambulatory patients, an anterior approach resulted in a slightly higher QOL, and for nonambulatory patients, a posterior approach was favored, but these differences were not statistically significant. Using a decision-analytic model, we found no significant difference in QOL resulting from anterior versus posterior approaches to metastatic lesions in the thoracic spine. Decisions should instead be based on surgeon comfort, tumor characteristics, anatomy of the lesion, patient-related factors, and goals of the operation.
Rectification of microwave power

Direct conversion of microwave energy into dc power is relatively new to research and development, probably because there was no need for a conversion device until its desirability was recognized in connection with power transfer by microwave beam. Lacking an efficient direct electric converter, early protagonists of microwave power transmission relied upon an approach that would first convert the microwave energy into heat, which then generated electric energy indirectly with the use of some type of heat engine. In addition to the complexity of this arrangement, the best expected overall efficiency from microwave power to dc power is well below 25 per cent.
Hindbrain leptin injections induce forebrain as well as hindbrain signaling.

Leptin injections into the lateral, third or fourth ventricles decrease 24 h food intake and body weight gain. When we injected leptin into either the fourth or lateral ventricles on three consecutive days, 24 h food intake and body weight were markedly reduced by comparable amounts in association with both routes of administration. As expected, reductions of food intake by lateral ventricle leptin were associated with decreased meal size. However, fourth ventricle leptin unexpectedly caused a reduction in meal number, but not meal size. We hypothesized that the two routes of administration might influence distinct but interconnected ingestive control circuits. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, we analyzed STAT3 phosphorylation in the dorsal hindbrain and in the hypothalamus after leptin injection into either fourth or lateral cerebral ventricle. Leptin increased phospho-STAT3 in hindbrain and hypothalamus, regardless of its site of injection. Because our ventricular injection volumes were relatively large (3 μl), we also injected low doses of leptin (200 ng) in relatively small volumes (200 nl) directly into the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). NTS leptin induced increased phosphorylated STAT3 in the hypothalamus as well as the hindbrain. These results suggest that local leptin administration evokes STAT3 phosphorylation both near the site of injection and at remote sites, such as the hypothalamus. The mechanisms by which NTS leptin evokes hypothalamic STAT3 phosphorylation are under investigation. Supported by NIH Grant NS20561 and Netherlands Organisation of Scientific Research (NWO Rubicon).
Equivalent Circuits and Characteristics of Inhomogeneous Nonsymmetrical Coupled-Iine Two-Port Circuits (Short Papers)

The equivalent circuits and the properties of nonsymmetrical coupled-line two-port prototype circuits in an inhomogeneous medium are presented. Potential applications include both symmetrical and non-symmetrical circuits for narrow- and wide-band applications as filters and impedance transformers.
Prosperity and upheaval: The world economy, 1945-1980

Professor Van der Wee surveys the international economy country by country and sector by sector (with detailed information on raw materials, manufacturing, agriculture, etc.). He shows how the framework of complex, interlocking institutions - the IMF and the EEC, the Bretton Woods Agreement, the Law of the Sea, dollar standards and non-tariff barriers among others - exert a shaping influence on world trade.
Renal actions of endothelin: Linking cellular signaling pathways to kidney disease

Endothelin (ET), a potent endothelium-derived vasoconstrictor peptide [1] contributes to the regulation of glomerular function both through changes in hemodynamics and through changes in glomerular configuration. Three structurally and pharmacologically distinct isoforms of the peptide have been identified with a molecular weight of 2.5 kDa, each consisting of 21 amino acids. These isopeptides share a common structure with a hydrophobic C-terminal end and two disulfide bonds, thus forming a hairpin loop at the amino terminus. ET-1 differs from ET-2 by only two amino acids, and from ET-3 by six amino acids. Each ET isopeptide is encoded by separate genes at distinct chromosomal loci [2]. All ETs are synthesized via proteolytical cleavage from specific prohormones (Fig. 1). Prepro ETs are long polypeptide chains consisting of ∼203 amino acids [1] which exhibit specific differences among the isopeptides. ET isopeptide precursors are proteolytically cleaved by processing endopeptidases that recognize paired basic amino acids (Arg-Arg or Lys-Arg) and thus form pro or big ET. Pro ET-1 is then converted to mature ET-1 by cleavage of the Trp 21 -Val 22 bond via a highly specific endothelin-1-converting enzyme, which is a Phosphoramidon-sensitive, membrane bound metalloprotease (Fig. 1) [3–5]. Pro ET-3 is less susceptible to this protease, so that the presence of other types of endothelin-converting enzyme are suspected [5]. ETs bind to two G-protein coupled receptors of ∼43 to ∼73 kD molecular weight [6–8], consisting of ∼415 to ∼427 amino acids and having seven transmembrane domains [6, 7]. The ET A receptor binds ET-1 with 2- to 10-fold higher affinity than ET-2 and > 100-fold higher affinity than ET-3 [6–9], whereas the ET B receptor has similar affinities to all three peptides [7, 8]. Little is known about the fate of ET. ETs are either inactivated by receptor internalization or by enzymatic cleavage of the peptide prior to receptor coupling [10–13].