cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generation of wide-band data from the method of moments by interpolating the impedance matrix (EM problems)

The method of moments (MM) requires computation of the impedance matrix at each frequency. Since the computation can be a very time-consuming process, its performance over a wide frequency range can require a prohibitive amount of CPU time. A method is described whereby the impedance matrix is computed at relatively large frequency intervals and then interpolated to approximate its values at intermediate frequencies. Basically, the method trades reduced computer CPU time for increased storage. >
Energy expenditure of heavy to severe exercise and recovery.

A method of indirect calorimetry is proposed that attempts to better quantify the energy expenditure associated with heavy/severe exercise and the recovery from that exertion. To accomplish this objective, the energy expenditure associated with rapid anaerobic glycolysis is separated from that of mitochondrial respiration both during and after heavy/severe exercise. This model contrasts with those hypotheses that employ oxygen uptake as the sole measure of energy expenditure (e.g. the oxygen debt) or that utilizing a measure of anaerobic energy expenditure while ignoring the recovery energy expenditure. Anaerobic metabolism and its energy promoting effect on oxidative recovery must be independently acknowledged regardless of the eventual fate of lactate.
Increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factorβ (TGFβ) in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis: upregulation of VEGF without neovascularization

Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) was induced in Lewis rats and B10.A mice by immunization with S-antigen (S-Ag) to study the potential roles of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the beta1 and beta2 isoforms of transforming growth factor (TGFbeta1 and TGFbeta2) during the progression of the disease. VEGF has been implicated as an angiogenic factor in ischemic retinopathies; however, Lewis rats developing EAU have high levels of VEGF in the retina, but no neovascularization. In the present study, immunohistochemical staining for VEGF, TGFbeta1 and TGFbeta2 was performed on the retinas of Lewis rats developing EAU or with oxygen-induced ischemic retinopathy. In rats immunized with S-antigen, a marked upregulation of VEGF was immunohistochemically visualized from the inner nuclear layer to the inner limiting membrane prior to blood-retinal barrier (BRB) failure and lymphocytic infiltration. VEGF is normally induced by hypoxia and its induction leads to neovascularization. Coincident with the increase in VEGF, there was increased immunoreactivity for TGFbeta1 and TGFbeta2 within the same layers of the retina. In contrast, rats with ischemic retinopathy and retinal neovascularization showed only a modest increase in VEGF immunoreactivity, which is largely confined to retinal ganglion cells and inner retinal vessels, and little or no increase in TGFbeta1 or TGFbeta2. In addition, in mice developing EAU, which does not have an abrupt onset as it does in rats and may involve neovascularization, a comparable upregulation of VEGF in the inner retina to that seen in rats developing EAU occurs with no increase in TGFbeta1 or TGFbeta2. Since TGFbeta can inhibit endothelial cell proliferation, it is likely that an increase in TGFbeta may prevent VEGF from exerting its endothelial growth activity in the rat EAU model, but VEGF may be operative in inducing BRB failure. These data suggest that there is a complex interaction among growth factors in the retina and that retinal neovascularization may require an imbalance between stimulatory and inhibitory factors.
Sexuality and the Transformation of Culture: The Longue Durée

In the USA today, the election of gay bishops threatens to bring about a schism in the Episcopalian Church. This article asks questions about the extraordinary importance attached to matters sexual, both historically and in the present. Laqueur's anthropological answer to this broad question is that it is connected with a long and divergent tradition of thinking about the origins of culture. Sex and death, he says, organize the work of making culture. The thematic occasion for the history presented here is the notion of 'orgasm', and Laqueur offers four or five dates which can be regarded as turning points in the long history of 'allegories of orgasm'.
Basic mechanisms in heart failure: The cytokine hypothesis

Although the development and progression of heart failure have traditionally been viewed as hemodynamic disorders, there is now an increasing awareness that the syndrome of heart failure cannot be simply and/or precisely defined solely in hemodynamic terms. The inability of the so-called hemodynamic hypothesis to explain the progression of heart failure has given rise to the notion that heart failure may progress as a result of the overexpression of an ensemble of biologically active molecules referred to generically as neurohormones. More recently, it has become apparent that in addition to neurohormones, another portfolio of biologically active molecules, termed cytokines, are also expressed in the setting of heart failure. This article reviews recent clinical and experimental material that suggests that the cytokines, much like the neurohormones, may represent another class of biologically active molecules that are responsible for the development and progression of heart failure.
Rapid microfluidic thermal cycler for polymerase chain reaction nucleic acid amplification

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is widely used in biochemical analysis to amplify DNA and RNA in vitro. The PCR process is highly temperature sensitive, and thermal management has an important role in PCR operation in reaching the required temperature set points at each step of the process. The goal of this research is to achieve a thermal technique to rapidly increase the heating/cooling thermal cycling speed while maintaining a uniform temperature distribution throughout the substrate containing the aqueous nucleic acid sample. In this work, an innovative microfluidic PCR thermal cycler, which utilizes a properly arranged configuration filled with a porous medium, is investigated. Various effective parameters that are relevant in optimizing this flexible heat exchanger are investigated such as heat exchanger geometry, flow rate, conductive plate, the porous matrix material, and utilization of thermal grease. An optimized case is established based on the effects of the cited parameters on the temperature distribution and the required power for circulating the fluid in the heat exchanger. The results indicate that the heating/cooling temperature ramp of the proposed PCR heat exchanger is considerably higher (150.82 °C/s) than those in the literature. In addition, the proposed PCR offers a very uniform temperature in the substrate while utilizing a low power.
Activation of Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) [alpha]-Amylase Inhibitor Requires Proteolytic Processing of the Proprotein

Seeds of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) contain a plant defense protein that inhibits the alpha-amylases of mammals and insects. This alpha-amylase inhibitor (alpha AI) is synthesized as a proprotein on the endoplasmic reticulum and is proteolytically processed after arrival in the protein storage vacuoles to polypeptides of relative molecular weight (M(r)) 15,000 to 18,000. We report two types of evidence that proteolytic processing is linked to activation of the inhibitory activity. First, by surveying seed extracts of wild accessions of P. vulgaris and other species in the genus Phaseolus, we found that antibodies to alpha AI recognize large (M(r) 30,000-35,000) polypeptides as well as typical alpha AI processing products (M(r) 15,000-18,000). Alpha AI activity was found in all extracts that had the typical alpha AI processed polypeptides, but was absent from seed extracts that lacked such polypeptides. Second, we made a mutant alpha AI in which asparagine-77 is changed to aspartic acid-77. This mutation slows down the proteolytic processing of pro-alpha AI when the gene is expressed in tobacco. When pro-alpha AI was separated from mature alpha AI by gel filtration, pro-alpha AI was found not to have alpha-amylase inhibitory activity. We interpret these results to mean that formation of the active inhibitor is causally related to proteolytic processing of the proprotein. We suggest that the polypeptide cleavage removes a conformational constraint on the precursor to produce the biochemically active molecule.
Identification of Viral Protein Genotypic Determinants Using Combinatorial Filtering and Active Learning

RNA viruses such as HIV, Influenza, impose very significant disease burden throughout the world. Identifying key protein residue determinants that affect a given viral phenotype is an important step in learning the genotype-phenotype mapping and making clinic decisions. This identification is currently done through a laborious experimental process which is arguably inefficient, incomplete, and unreliable. We describe a supervised combinatorial filtering algorithm that systematically and efficiently infers the correct set of key residue positions from all available labeled data. We demonstrate its consistency, validate it on a variety of datasets, show the superior power to conventional identification methods, and describe its use under incremental relaxation of constraints. For cases where more data is needed to fully converge to an answer, we introduce an active learning algorithm to help choose the most informative experiment from a set of unlabeled candidate strains or mutagenesis experiments, so as to minimize the expected total laboratory time or financial cost. As an example, we demonstrate the savings afforded by this algorithm in identifying the molecular determinants of fusogenicity from a previously published dataset of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Envelope proteins.
A Wide Angle Camera For Photographic Search Of The Ocean Bottom

A study of operations in the THRESHER area indicated that an angular coverage of about 120 degrees is required for an opti-mum photographic search of the ocean floor. While this coverage has been obtained using a three-camera array, the time and water needed to process and view the film make it desirable to develop a single camera capable of covering the required angle. In order to obtain this sort of coverage with a single lens, it is necessary to replace the usual plane glass window with a hemispherical shell. The design criterion for mating a wide angle lens to a hemisphere were determined and a model 204 EG&G camera was modified to provide a 114-degree angular coverage. This camera was used successfully in search operations off Palomares, Spain. In the weeks that followed the loss of the submarine, THRESHER, it became apparent that though man had made considerable progress in his studies of the deep ocean, he still lacked the ability to search even a relatively small area of the ocean floor. Optic, acoustic, magnetic, and other sensors, which could be used at great depths, were in existence but it was still necessary to learn how to use them as search tools. In the early days of the search, there was a feeling that the short ranges inherent in underwater optical devices made them ineffective tools for ocean floor search. Later came the realization, that while other longer-ranged sensors were useful in locating bottom anomalies, only optical techniques had sufficient resolution to identify theseanomalies. With this realization, came the necessity of making the best use of the optical range available. At the time of the loss of the THRESHER, multiple exposure camera systems, useable at great depths, were available from a number of commercial sources. These systems had been developed to aid marine scientists in their study of the deep ocean. They were generally used either singly or as stereo pairs, a practice which continued throughout most of the first year of the THRESHER search. On the final trip to the THRESHER area in 1963, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory personnel used two cameras, one tilted to each side in order to obtain wider coverage.
Searching for Self: A Theoretical Model for Applying Family Systems to Adolescent Group Work.

Abstract Adolescence is viewed as the key transition period between childhood and adulthood. During this time, adolescents experience intense internal conflict as they search for a balance between the need for independence and the continued need for dependence on significant others. This article presents a model for using family systems theory within the context of adolescent small-group counseling. It is designed to assist young people in becoming more self-differentiated, thus enabling them to move successfully through this developmental stage. Included is a six-session series of exercises for facilitating this process.
Acoustic-phonon scattering in a rectangular quantum wire.

The rates of electron scattering by acoustic phonons in a rectangular quantum wire embedded into another material are calculated in the framework of the Fermi golden rule. Both intrasubband and intersubband electron scattering by acoustic phonons are considered. It has been shown that due to uncertainty of momentum conservation in quasi-one-dimensional systems the acoustic-phonon scattering becomes essentially inelastic in contrast to that in bulk materials. The acoustic-phonon scattering rate in quantum wires increases with the decrease of cross section of the wire and is much greater than that in bulk materials. It is shown that the correct treatment of inelasticity leads to a nonmonotonic dependence of the emission rate on electron energy and to the disappearance of the divergency of the acoustic-phonon scattering rate at the bottom of each subband. Therefore, the scattering time averaged over the distribution function exceeds considerably that calculated using elastic and quasielastic approaches where the scattering rate is divergent. We demonstrate that electron mobility at temperatures less than 100 K calculated within elastic or quasielastic approximations is greatly underestimated.
Conduction Disease with Aortic Stenosis

Excerpt To the editor: The recent article by Dhingra and associates (1) postulates that the cause for syncope and sudden death in patients with aortic stenosis could be related to conduction diseas...
Approaches to the study of media and religion: Notes from the Editors of the Journal of Media and Religion with recommendations for future research

Abstract As the Journal of Media and Religion (JMR) begins its seventh year, the editors pause to reflect on research directions and make recommendations for future research. Based on studies in JMR and other sources, three research approaches are identified: (1) The Proliferation of Mediated Religion, or the idea that media are creating multiple places of worship beyond the physical walls of traditional congregations, (2) Religious Audiences as Interpretive Communities, where shared interpretations of popular media content are increasingly important in understanding religious groups, and (3) Media Criticism drawing on the cultural aspects of religion in critiquing media genres and texts. A dominant theme across the three approaches is that individuals are increasingly willing to have religious experiences through media of popular culture. The numinous is recommended as an integrative concept to facilitate research of new forms of mediated religion.
Characterization of expansion tube flows for hypervelocity combustion studies

An expansion tube with an 89 mm inner diameter and a 12 m length was characterized for basic studies of the near-e eld mixing and e ame-holding characteristics of gaseous fuels injected in high-stagnation-enthalpy supersonic e ows. The expansion tube provides a wide range of freestream conditions with little perturbation of test gas chemical composition. The latter is critical for supersonic-combustion studies in the high-stagnationenthalpy e ows associated with hypersonic airbreathing propulsion systems. Efforts focused on achieving three operatingpoints,simulatinge ightMach8,10,and12stagnation-enthalpyconditionsattheentranceofasupersonic combustor. The ability of the expansion tube to provide a steady-e ow test time of adequate duration and a core e ow of sufe cient size for 2-mm jet-in-crosse ow studies was verie ed. A core-e ow size of 25 mm could be achieved in 6.2 MJ/kg stagnation-enthalpy e ows with 400 πs of steady test time (e ight Mach 12 simulation ). The primary effects of the boundary layer on the expansion tube e ow were to extend the useful test time (in contrast with conventional shock-tube performance ) and to decrease the core-e ow size.
Pancreatic head resection and Roux-en-Y pancreaticojejunostomy for the treatment of the focal form of congenital hyperinsulinism

Purpose To determine the outcome of patients who underwent pancreatic head resection and Roux-en-Y pancreaticojejunostomy to the remaining normal pancreatic body and tail for the treatment of a focal lesion in the pancreatic head causing congenital hyperinsulinism (HI).
A night to remember: a harm-reduction birthday card intervention reduces high-risk drinking during 21st birthday celebrations.

Objective: In collaboration with Residence Life, the Heads UP research team developed a 21st birthday card program to help reduce the risky drinking often associated with these celebrations. Participants: 81 students (28 males, 53 females) completed a post-21st birthday survey. Of these, 74 reported drinking during their 21st birthday and were included in the analyses. Methods: During the 2005-2006 school year, the authors assigned students celebrating 21st birthdays to either receive an alcohol risk-reduction birthday card or to a no-card condition. The students completed a survey after their birthday. Results: Students who received the card consumed fewer drinks and reached lower blood alcohol content (BAC) levels on their birthday than did students who did not receive it. Female students who received the card consumed 40% fewer drinks and reached nearly 50% lower BAC levels than women who did not receive it. Conclusion: This program is easily replicated, inexpensive, and may be used by universities to ...
Better Preparation of Educational Leaders

f we are to believe the growing body of research that supports principals' leadership as one of the crucial elements necessary for school success (Anderson, 1989), it is difficult to understand why the issue of and need for better preparation for educational leaders was virtually ignored by the members of the 1996 Education Summit. Ignoring contemporary leadership practices identified in both business (Burns, 1978; Bennis & Nanus, 1985; Kanter, 1989; Rost, 1991) and education (Hill & Ragland, 1995; Leithwood & Jantzi, 1990; Louis & Murphy, 1994; Sergiovanni, 1990), this exclusive group of white males from the power elite of corporate America along with 40 governors (Applebome, 1996; Lewis, 1996) developed a policy statement based on incomplete information and with virtually no input from researchers. The failure of the members of the Education Summit to recognize the importance of assisting current and future leaders in the development of the skills and characteristics necessary in bringing about change and sustaining reform continues a trend by politicians and policymakers at the state and national levels to concentrate most of their efforts
Spatial Variations and Chronologies of Aliphatic Hydrocarbons in Lake Michigan Sediments

Four sediment cores were collected in fine-grained depositional areas of the southern basin of Lake Michigan. Spatial variations of aliphatic hydrocarbons in surficial sediments were consistent with a lakeward movement of riverine sediments in a series of resuspension−settling cycles in which an unresolved complex mixture (UCM) of hydrocarbons associated with dense sediments is deposited in nearshore areas, fine-grained sediments of terrestrial origin accumulate in the deep basin, and planktonic hydrocarbons are depleted by microbial degradation during transport to the deep basin. The rate of accumulation of the UCM (a marker of petroleum residues) in deep basin sediments has increased by more than an order of magnitude since 1880, from 60 μg m-2·a-1 to approximately 960 μg m-2·a-1 in 1980. Crude estimates of the atmospheric loading of the UCM (1100 μg m-2·a-1) indicate that accumulations in deep-basin sediments might be supported by atmospheric deposition. Agreement was poor between the atmospheric flux ...
Books and Computer Response Activities That Support Literacy Development

Computer activities related to literature can enhance young children's literacy development. Internet sites, multimedia games, and talking books all add to story experiences. Indeed, when shared readings of picture storybooks include Internet “field trips” about book themes or topics, children have unique occasions to build background knowledge that supports story comprehension. The books described here include annotations for age-appropriate computer resources and activities.
Improved Estimates of Correlation Coefficients and their Impact on Optimum Portfolios

To implement mean variance analysis one needs a technique for forecasting correlation coefficients. In this article we investigate the ability of several techniques to forecast correlation coefficients between securities. We find that separately forecasting the average level of pair-wise correlations and individual pair-wise differences from the average improves forecasting accuracy. Furthermore, forming homogenous groups of firms on the basis of industry membership or firm attributes (e.g. size) improves forecast accuracy. Accuracy is evaluated in two ways: First, in terms of the error in estimating future correlation coefficients. Second, in the characteristics of portfolios formed on the basis of each forecasting technique. The ranking of forecasting techniques is robust across both methods of evaluation and the better techniques outperform prior suggestions in the literature of financial economics.
Ethics and skeptics: what lies behind ethical codes in occupational health.

Objectives: Ethical codes, or systems, are conditioned and their enforcement is permitted by social processes and attitudes. In occupational health, our efforts to adhere to our own ethical frameworks often are undermined by forces and interests outside the field. Failure to acknowledge the profoundly social nature of ethical codes impedes our ability to anticipate consequences, to legitimate decisions based on utility and benefit, and to find social structures that support, rather than invalidate, our view of ethical behavior. We examine three sets of social philosophies. Methods: Jane Jacobs, the visionary urban planner, has written Systems of Survival: A Dialogue on the Moral Foundations of Commerce and Politics, which is a restatement in modem, terms of a critical passage in Plato's most important dialogue the Republic. She (and Plato) postulate two major ethical systems, renamed here the guardian system, which is characterized by loyalty, cohesiveness, and confidentiality, and the marketplace system, which is characterized by trade, decentralization, and shared information. Occupational health, in this formulation, often runs afoul of the guardian mentality and also may be subject to inappropriate negotiation and compromise in the marketplace system. George Lakoff, a semiotician, has written Moral Politics: What Conservatives Know That Liberals Don't, which argues that there are two fundamental social paradigms based on concepts of the family. One, which he calls the Strict Father, emphasizes discipline, the positive aspects of taking risks, and the freed to individuals to be self-sufficient. The other, which he calls the Nurturing Parent, emphasizes empowerment, the positive aspects of security, and the need for community and relationships. Occupational health practice violates aspects of both and therefore is supported by neither. Classical Chinese, thought involved, many schools of thought, including Confucianism and Legalism. It has been suggested that Confucianism provides little support for government regulation or occupational health, however this is questioned. Conclusions: Occupational health may improve its standing as a social priority by recognizing and maneuvering within social frameworks that accomodate it, rejecting social frameworks that invalidate it, and reinforcing positive cultural trends within society that support it.
Manufacturing systems with machine vacations, arbitrary topology and finite buffers

We consider a manufacturing system with finite buffer and arbitrary topology where a machine takes a vacation (i.e. is unavailable for processing due to the processing of secondary jobs or maintenance of machines) of random duration every time the machine becomes idle. To this end, we develop an approximation (analytical) methodology to calculate the throughput of the system using queueing networks together with decomposition, isolation and expansion methodologies. The methodology was tested rigorously covering a large experimental region. We used orthogonal arrays to design the experiments in order to keep the number of experiments manageable. The results obtained using the approximation methodology were compared to simulation results. The t-tests carried out to investigate the differences between the two results showed that the proposed methodology is very accurate as well as robust.
A new role for an old cofactor.

Trapping of a covalent adduct between galactose and the FAD cofactor during the reaction of UDP-galactopyranose mutase supports a novel role for the reduced flavin cofactor as a nucleophile in the catalytic reaction.
Alterations in mast cell frequency and relationship to angiogenesis in the rat mammary gland during windows of physiologic tissue remodeling

Background: The mammary epithelium undergoes proliferation and regression accompanied by remodeling of the fibrocellular and vascular stroma. Mast cells are abundant in these compartments and have been implicated in remodeling during wound healing and cancer progression. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that mast cell abundance correlates with physiologic mammary tissue remodeling during estrous cycling, lactogenesis (pregnancy and lactation) and involution. Results: Mast cell and capillary frequency were quantified in the stroma surrounding ducts and lobules from mammary glands of rats. During estrous cycling, periductal mast cell numbers were unchanged, but lobule-associated mast cells significantly increased in the regressive phase of diestrus II. During lactogenesis, lobular stroma mast cells peaked early in pregnancy, at D2, followed by a significant decrease throughout lactation. Involution was associated with a rapid return in mast cell numbers, similar to diestrus II. Lobular vascularization peaked during the state of metestrus, when limited secretory differentiation occurs. Lobular angiogenesis peaked at D7 of pregnancy, regressed, and then returned to high levels during lactation and early involution, when secretory differentiation is high. Conclusions: These results suggest mast cells are predominantly associated with regressive lobular remodeling during cycling and involution, whereas angiogenesis is predominantly associated with secretory differentiation. Developmental Dynamics 241:890–900, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Pentoxifylline Reduces Leukocyte Retention in the Coronary Microcirculation Early in Reperfusion following Ischemia

Using direct visualization techniques, we recently confirmed earlier histologic studies that leukocytes accumulate primarily in the coronary capillaries of ischemic hearts during early reperfusion. Th
Preliminary data on efficacy of Mycoplasma gallisepticum vaccines containing different adjuvants in laying hens.

Abstract Chickens were vaccinated subcutaneously twice, at 13 and 17 weeks of age. The vaccines used were the whole organisms of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) adjuvanted with multilamellar positively charged (MPC) liposomes or oil-emulsion. Other chickens received the same bacterins but supplemented with Salmonella typhimurium cell wall protein mitogen (STP) (50 μg/dose). At 21 weeks of age, each bird was challenged in the right and left caudal thoracic air sacs. The challenge dose/chicken was 1.3 × 105 CFU of MG (R-strain). A significant immunoglobulin (Ig) response specific to MG was observed in sera of chickens collected 3 weeks after the first and second vaccination with MG adjuvanted with MPC liposomes or oil-emulsion. The same two treatments had highly significant MG-titers in eggs collected during the first and second month post challenge. Both groups had highly significant protection (P Vaccination with MG organisms adjuvanted to MPC liposomes or oil-emulsion resulted in higher egg production, during the first month following challenge, in comparison to the unvaccinated-challenged birds; the same two groups had higher egg production in the second month following challenge compared to unvaccinated-challenged birds, but not significantly different (P > 0.05). The addition of STP to bacterins containing MG organisms adjuvanted to MPC liposomes or oil-emulsion, resulted in a significant reduction (P
Initial versus subsequent postoperative motor alignment in intermittent exotropia.

Abstract Background: Although initial overcorrection is believed to be important after bilateral lateral rectus muscle recessions for intermittent exotropia, not all patients with desirable amounts of initial overcorrection have good final outcomes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the relationship between initial postoperative and subsequent postoperative motor outcomes in a group of patients operated on for intermittent exotropia. Methods: All patients on whom I performed bilateral lateral rectus muscle recessions as the initial surgical procedure for intermittent exotropia and who had at least 6 months of postoperative follow-up were included in this study. Results: Of the 60 patients in this study, 38 (63%) had good outcomes ( 10 PD exodeviation), and seven (12%) had overcorrection (>5 PD esodeviation). The chance of a good outcome was highest with initial postoperative alignment between orthotropia and 9 PD of esotropia, but 22% of patients with alignment in this range after the operation ended up overcorrected or undercorrected. Most patients had an exotropic drift after the operation, but seven patients had a drift in an esotropic direction. Conclusions: Although an initial alignment within the range of orthotropia to 9 PD of esotropia during the first few days after the operation is desirable for patients with intermittent exotropia, alignment within this range does not guarantee a good final outcome, nor does alignment outside this range guarantee a bad outcome. Little predictability exists with respect to the amount and occasionally even the direction of postoperative drift. This unpredictability may in part reflect the artifactual nature of the initial postoperative measurement.
The effect of vitamin D3 on resistance to stress-related infection in an experimental model of turkey osteomyelitis complex

Male turkeys immunosuppressed by injection with dexamethasone (DEX) were given supplemental vitamin D3 in their drinking water in two experiments. In Experiment 1, vitamin D3 was supplemented at a dosage of either 2,064 IU/kg (low level) or 4,128 IU/kg (high level) in drinking water provided ad libitum only from Days 1 through 5 after hatch. In Experiment 2, vitamin D3 was provided at the low dosage for the first 5 d after hatch, followed by treatment with the high dosage for 12 h before and 12 h after each stressful event, which included weekly weighings and two DEX treatments. In both experiments, at 5 wk of age half of the birds were given intramuscular injections of 2 mg/kg DEX on 3 alternating d. In Experiment 1, 100 cfu of Escherichia coli was inoculated into the left thoracic airsac at the time of the third DEX injection. All mortalities were examined, and 10 birds per pen were necropsied 2 wk after treatment and examined for lesions of airsacculitis and turkey osteomyelitis complex (TOC). Four birds per pen were bled before necropsy, and white blood cell total counts, differential white blood cell counts, and clinical chemistry values were determined. In Experiment 2, healthy surviving birds were grown for an additional 5-wk period, after which the DEX-treated birds were given a second series of DEX injections and were bled and necropsied 2 wk later. There were no significant effects of vitamin D3 treatment in combined general linear models analysis of Experiment 1; however, when birds not treated with DEX or E. coli were compared with those treated with both DEX and E. coli, supplementation with the low level of vitamin D3 significantly decreased TOC incidence. There were no significant effects of vitamin D3 treatment in birds treated with DEX at 5 wk of age in Experiment 2. However, when surviving birds were given a second DEX treatment at 12 wk, vitamin D3 treatment resulted in significantly lower incidence of mortality, TOC, green liver, isolation of bacteria from tissues, and lower airsacculitis scores and heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratios than controls. Vitamin D3 also improved BW, relative weights of the liver and heart, and serum levels of glucose and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of birds receiving two treatments with DEX. The ability of vitamin D3 supplementation to protect turkeys from the immunosuppressive effects of multiple DEX treatments emphasizes the role of vitamin D3 as a prohormone that affects health and disease resistance in turkeys.
Sex hormone binding globulin levels and free progesterone, testosterone and estradiol 17 beta during the annual cycle of the female turtle, Chrysemys picta.

Abstract Significant changes in % free serum E2, T and P were observed during the annual cycle of the turtle. In contrast no Significant changes in SHBG affinity constants (2.29–4.48 × 108M−7) were found and binding capacity for estradiol 17B was between 3.47 and 3.96 × 10−7M except in preovulatory animals (2.00 ± 0.25).
3-D Simulation of Electroosmotic Injection and Migration in Microchannels: Effects of Non-Rectangular Cross Section

A numerical study of the 3-D characteristics of electroosmotic injection and migration of sample species in microchip capillary electrophoresis systems is reported. In particular, the effect of a non-rectangular cross section commonly found in isotropically-etched microchannels is thoroughly investigated through 3-D numerical simulations. A non-rectangular cross section resulted in a vertically non-uniform sample plug during the loading stage. Conventional 2-D simulation approach can result in up to 40% errors in the calculation of injection qualities. It was also found that the 2-D simulation using a proper channel width has a good agreement with the 3-D simulation data.
Hydrogen metabolism during methanogenesis from acetate by Methanosarcina barkeri

A tritium exchange assay and a sensitive gas chromatographic technique were used to demonstrate that hydrogenase was active and that hydrogen was produced by Methanosarcina barkeri strain MS grown on acetate. Both methane and hydrogen production rates were dependent on the concentration of acetate in the medium. H2 was produced at 0.5–2% of the rate of CH4 formation. Chloroform and potassium cyanide, inhibitors of methanogenesis from acetate, inhibited H2 production but not hydrogenase activity. The addition of hydrogen gas to cell suspensions did not inhibit CH4 or carbon dioxide production from the methyl group of acetate. H2 production appears to be linked to several intracellular redox processes which follow the cleavage of acetate.
A 5′ distal palindrome within the mouse mammary tumor virus-long terminal repeat recruits a mammary gland-specific complex and is required for a synergistic response to progesterone plus prolactin

Progesterone (P) and prolactin (PRL) fulfill crucial roles during growth and differentiation of the mammary epithelium, and each has been implicated in the pathogenesis of mammary cancer. We previously identified that these hormones synergistically stimulate the proliferation of mouse mammary epithelial cells in vivo, although the mechanism(s) underlying their cooperative effect are unknown. We now report a novel pathway by which P and PRL synergize to activate transcription from the long terminal repeat (LTR) of the mouse mammary tumor virus-LTR (MMTV-LTR) in T47D breast cancer cells. Using serial 5' and 3' deletions of the MMTV-LTR, in addition to selective mutations, we identified that a previously uncharacterized inverted palindrome on the distal enhancer (-941/-930), in addition to a signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 site, was essential for the synergistic activation of transcription by P and PRL. Notably, hormone synergy occurred via a mechanism that was independent of the P receptor DNA-binding elements found in the proximal MMTV-LTR hormone-response element. The palindrome specifically recruited a protein complex (herein termed mammary gland-specific complex) that was almost exclusive to normal and cancerous mammary cells. The synergy between P and PRL occurred via a Janus kinase 2 and c-Src/Fyn-dependent signaling cascade downstream of P and PRL receptors. Combined, our data outline a novel pathway in T47D cells that may facilitate the action(s) of P and PRL during mammary development and breast cancer.
Statistical comprehension for graduate students in physical education: test and norms.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to construct for use by graduate students in physical education valid, reliable, and parallel forms of a test of statistical comprehension, and to develop norms to measure their level of understanding of the statistical techniques and methods that frequently appear in the RESEARCH QUARTERLY. Procedures utilized in constructing the final forms of the test were: (a) using members of the AAHPER Research Council to establish content specifications and to select specific concepts to be included in the test, (b) developing 180 experimental test items dealing with understanding of 60 statistical concepts, (c) administering three tryout test forms to 196 graduate students in physical education at 10 colleges or universities, (d) selecting, based on the tryout test data, and the table of specifications, 50 test items for each of two final test forms. Data used to evaluate the test forms and to establish norms were obtained from the administration of both forms of the test to ...
Diagnosis and management of acute sinusitis by pediatricians.

BACKGROUND. Acute sinusitis is frequently diagnosed in young children, yet little is known regarding pediatrician practices surrounding its diagnosis and management. OBJECTIVES. The purpose of this work was to describe how pediatricians diagnose and manage nonsevere acute sinusitis in otherwise healthy children ≤6 years of age. METHODS. We used a mail survey administered from June to August 2007 to a national random sample of 750 general pediatricians from the American Medical Association Master File. RESULTS. The response rate was 45% (N = 271). Pediatricians reported first considering acute sinusitis at the ages of 0 to 5 (6%), 6 to 11 (17%), 12 to 23 (36%), 24 to 35 (21%), and ≥36 (20%) months. Symptoms thought to be “very important” in the diagnosis of acute sinusitis included prolonged symptom duration (93%), purulent rhinorrhea (55%), and nasal congestion (43%); 60% reported that symptom duration is more important than symptom combination. Symptom durations expected before considering the diagnosis were 1 to 6 (3%), 7 to 9 (17%), 10 to 13 (37%), 14 to 16 (38%), and ≥17 (6%) days. Fifty-eight percent reported using sinus computed tomography scans “occasionally” or more often in the diagnosis of acute sinusitis. Ninety-six percent reported treating acute sinusitis with an antibiotic “frequently” or “always.” Fifty-three percent reported using contingency antibiotic prescriptions “occasionally” or more often for acute sinusitis. Adjuvants used “frequently” or “always” included saline washes (44%), systemic decongestants (28%), nasal corticosteroids (20%), and systemic antihistamines (13%). CONCLUSIONS. We found significant variation in the age at which pediatricians begin considering the diagnosis of nonsevere acute sinusitis in children. Most pediatricians consider symptom duration the most important diagnostic factor. The majority of pediatricians use sinus computed tomography imaging at least occasionally in young children with nonsevere symptoms despite its limitations in this clinical setting. Although poorly understood, the use of contingency antibiotic prescriptions is common. Lastly, the use of systemic decongestants and antihistamines in young children is reported, a practice that needs to be reexamined in light of recent Food and Drug Administration warnings regarding their safety.
Primary Synovial Sarcoma

Purpose To describe the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features and treatment of a rare case of primary synovial sarcoma of the orbit. Design Retrospective interventional case report. Participant A 14-year-old young man with histologically proven synovial sarcoma of the orbit. The diagnosis was confirmed by demonstration of a specific chromosomal translocation by polymerase chain reaction studies. Methods The patient was treated with orbital exenteration and followed up for 18 months at regular intervals. Results The tumor was excised completely, and the patient has done well during the initial 1-year follow-up with no sign of recurrence. Conclusions We report the fourth case of synovial sarcoma of the orbit and, at 14 years of age, the youngest patient reported.
P450 Mediated O-Demethylated Metabolite Is Responsible For Rat Hepatobiliary Toxicity Of Pyridyltriazine-Containing PI3K Inhibitors

The dysregulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent pathways is implicated in several human cancers making it an attractive target for small molecule PI3K inhibitors. A series of potent pyridyltriazine-containing inhibitors of class Ia PI3Ks were synthesized and a subset of compounds was evaluated in exploratory repeat-dose rat toxicology studies. Daily oral dosing of compound 1: in Sprague Dawley rats for four consecutive days was associated with hepatobiliary toxicity that included biliary epithelial hyperplasia and hypertrophy, periductular edema, biliary stasis, and acute peribiliary inflammatory infiltrates. These histological changes were associated with clinical pathology changes that included increased serum liver enzymes, total bile acids, and bilirubin. The predominant clearance pathway of 1: was shown in vitro and in a bile-duct cannulated rat (14)C-ADME study to be P450-mediated oxidative metabolism. An O-demethylated pyridine metabolite, M3: , was identified as a candidate proximal metabolite that caused the hepatotoxicity. Co-administration of the pan-P450 inhibitor 1-aminobenzotriazole with 1: to rats significantly reduced the formation of M3: and prevented liver toxicity, whereas direct administration of M3: reproduced the toxicity. Structural changes were introduced to 1: to make the methoxypyridine ring less susceptible to P450 oxidation (compound 2: ), and addition of a methyl group to the benzylic carbon (compound 3: ) improved the pharmacokinetic profile. These changes culminated in the successful design of a clinical candidate 3: (AMG 511) that was devoid of liver toxicity in a 14-day rat toxicity study. Herein, we describe how a metabolism-based structure-activity relationship analysis allowed for the successful identification of a PI3K inhibitor devoid of off-target toxicity.
Oligocene caldera complex and calc-alkaline tuffs and lavas of the Indian Peak volcanic field, Nevada and Utah

The Indian Peak volcanic field is representative of the more than 50,000 km 3 of ash-flow tuff and tens of calderas in the Great Basin that formed during the Oligocene-early Miocene "ignimbrite flareup" in southwestern North America. The field formed about 32 to 27 Ma in the southeastern Great Basin and consists of the centrally positioned Indian Peak caldera complex and a surrounding blanket of related ash-flow sheets distributed over an area of about 55,000 km 2 . The field has a volume on the order of 10,000 km 3 . A cluster of two obscure source areas and four calderas comprise the ∼80 x 120 km caldera complex. Only minor volumes of rhyolite and two pyroxene andesite lavas were extruded episodically throughout the lifetime of the magma system that formed the field, chiefly during its youth and old age. Six ash-flow sequences alternate between rhyolite and dacite in a volume ratio of about 1:8, and a culminating seventh is trachytic. The first, fourth, and sixth tuff units are of rhyolite that contains sparse to modest amounts of phenocrysts, chiefly plagioclase and biotite, and abundant lithic and pumice lapilli; these deposits are confined within the caldera complex and form multiple and compound cooling units that are normally zoned with respect to bulk chemical composition and crystal type, content, and size. The second, third, and fifth tuff sequences are of crystal-rich dacite that forms extensive simple cooling-unit outflow sheets and partial caldera fillings of compound cooling units. Each dacite unit contains similar amounts of plagioclase, biotite, hornblende, quartz, two pyroxenes, and Fe-Ti oxides; trace amounts of sanidine and titanite also occur in the youngest. Cognate inclusions in the dacites show only slight intra- and inter-unit differences in bulk chemical composition. The seventh eruptive sequence consists of several cooling units of trachydacite tuff containing small to modest amounts of plagioclase and two pyroxenes. These dominantly high-K calc-alkaline rocks are a record of the birth, maturation, and death of a large, open, continental magma system that was probably initiated and sustained by influx of mafic magma derived from a southward-migrating locus of magma production in the mantle. The small volumes of chemically diverse andesitic rocks were derived from separately evolving magma bodies but are modified representatives of the mantle power supply. Recurrent production of very large batches (some greater than 3,000 km 3 ) of quite uniform dacite magmas appears to have required combination of andesite magma and crustal silicic material in vigorously convecting chambers. Compositional data indicate that rhyolites are polygenetic. As the main locus of mantle magma production shifted southward, trachydacite magma could have been produced by fractionation of andesitic magma within the crust.
Values and Persuasion During the First Bush-Gore Presidential Debate

Appealing to values is an effective form of argumentation. In our analysis of the Bush-Gore debate, we found that values are fundamental in framing issues; their effectiveness is contingent on the issue context and the predisposition of the audience.­ Thus, merely constructing an appeal to values does not guarantee persuasiveness, as the appeal must be concrete in nature when attempting to move an audience to action. Such an appeal goes beyond creating a link between the value appeal and the issue, as the value appeal and the issue position must resonate with a defined audience. Our results indicate that most undecided voters who made up their minds as a result of the debate chose Gore, while a few chose Bush and some remained undecided. Those who chose Gore were clearly more egalitarian in their orientation than undecided voters who chose Bush or could not decide. Bush's use of individualism did not seem to persuade undecided voters, nor did it seem to have a detrimental impact on support for Gore. For t...