cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MR evaluation of frontal sinus osteoplastic flaps with autogenous fat grafts

PURPOSE To investigate the MR findings in patients who have had osteoplastic frontal sinus flaps placed for inflammatory sinonasal disease. METHODS The MR images of 13 patients who had improvement of symptoms after osteoplastic frontal sinus flap placement with fat autograft were prospectively evaluated for the presence of high intensity on T2-weighted scans, contrast enhancement, and replacement of frontal sinus fat by lower-signal soft tissue. All studies were performed on a 1.5-T unit using a 5-in round surface coil placed over the nasion. Sagittal T1-weighted, axial and coronal fast spin-echo T2-weighted, and precontrast and postcontrast axial and coronal T1-weighted images were obtained through the operative bed. The T2-weighted and postgadolinium sequences were done with a fat-suppression technique. RESULTS Hyperintensity within the frontal sinuses on T2-weighted images and enhancement (peripherally and/or centrally where fat was replaced with soft tissue) were found to some degree in all patients. The degree of replacement of frontal sinus fat with soft tissue ranged from 4% to 85% (mean, 43%). Five patients with persistent symptoms had no distinguishing MR features when compared with asymptomatic patients. CONCLUSIONS Although increased T2-weighted intensity, fat replacement, and enhancement are findings compatible with inflammation, these changes may be seen in patients who are asymptomatic after placement of osteoplastic frontal sinus flaps; they may represent the normal granulation process. MR findings after flap placement are nonspecific and have limited utility in distinguishing symptomatic patients with recurrent inflammatory disease from asymptomatic patients whose imaging findings are related to postoperative scar tissue.
Management of Metastatic Melanoma

Since the original approval of dacarbazine for the treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma, considerable effort has been expended in attempts to improve survival. This end point is the most unequivocal and ultimately meaningful for patients with cancer but has been one upon which clinical trials conducted to date have failed to demonstrate a meaningful impact. Little data regarding quality of life are currently available, but outside the setting of a clinical trial, a convenient single-agent dose regimen of dacarbazine is probably the best approach, currently. Targeted agents that are designed to abrogate various pathways implicated in signal transduction, cell cycle checkpoints, immunomodulation, and DNA repair offer promising novel approaches for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. However, cytotoxics may be essential backbones for combinations with these molecules. Phase II designs with targeted agents may require new and innovative end points to identify activity. The rational use of agents capable of abrogating drug resistance offers other opportunities for systemic chemotherapy that may then give rise to more rationally developed combinations.
Measuring rural homeowners' willingness to pay for land conservation easements

Rapid growth of rural communities in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Macon County, North Carolina has been giving rise to concerns over declining environmental quality and increasing need for land-use policy. This paper examines willingness to pay (WTP) for hypothetical conservation easements as an alternative land-use policy for the county. Despite the fact that Macon County has struggled to adopt any land-use policy, the stated WTP for conservation easements of our study shows that homeowners potentially value the use of conservation easements. Estimated household’s WTP to participate in an easement program ranges from $10.97 to $21.79 per year per household depending on modeling assumptions. Aggregate county WTP ranges from $360,772 to $109,825 depending on aggregation stance. This suggests a range of 53–175 acres entering the program per year, and a consequent decline in the rate of land conversion, compared to the 1987–1997 period, of 14–46%. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Synthesis and Field Emission Characteristics of Ga2O3 Nanorods with Ultra-Sharp Tips

We successfully synthesized beta-Ga2O3 nanorods with ultra-sharp tips without use of a catalyst. The nanorods were produced by heating a GaAs wafer in a CVD chamber. The morphology and structure of the nanorods were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and Raman-Scattering Spectroscopy. The field emission characteristics demonstrated a turn-on field of about 2.1 V mum-1 and the threshold electric field of 5.6 V mum-1.
Effectiveness of Various Automated Readability Measures for the Competitive Evaluation of User Documentation

I examined samples from a number of companys’ user publications using several automated reading measures and a graphics/text ratio. The goal was to answer two questions: Were there reliable differences in writing style among the competitors? If so, were these differences related to their rank position in published surveys of user satisfaction with documentation? Of the measures included in the study, only the Cloudiness Count had any significant relationship to rank position in the surveys. A second evaluation, focused on the components of the Cloudiness Count, indicated that both of its components (passive voice and ‘empty’ words – a type of infrequent word) contributed equally to its effectiveness. This is consistent with psycholinguistic research that indicates that it is harder for people to extract the meaning from a passive sentence relative to its active counterpart, and that word frequency is the variable with the most influence on the speed of lexical access.
Computed tomography of the adrenal gland

A VARIETY of imaging modalities have been employed over the past decade for detection of adrenal tumors. In our institution, these modalities have included excretory urography with tomography, bolus nephrotomography, arteriography, venography, scintigraphy, ultrasonography, and CT. Since 1976, CT scanning of the adrenals has gradually replaced all of the other modalities as the primary method of imaging the adrenal glands. Angiography is employed occasionally to evalute the vascularity of a large mass whose organ of origin remains obscure after CT scanning. Venous sampling is used rarely in selected patients with suspected primary aldosteronism or pheochromocytoma. Ultrasound is used to confirm the fluid nature of an adrenal cyst. lodocholesterol scintigraphy also may be employed in complicated diagnostic problems in some patients with aldosteronism and Cushing syndrome following adrenalectomy. Through January 1980, approximately 15,000 body CT scans were performed in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology with an evolving CT technology. The majority of scans were done with an 18-set scanner. Since December 1979, many of the adrenal scans were performed on a 3-set high resolution CT unit. Approximately 3% of the 15,000 patients referred for CT body scans over a period of 5 yr had suspected adrenal pathology. Of these, slightly more than half had a positive CT scan and showed a spectrum of adrenal pathology (Table I). In 45% of the patients, the adrenal glands were normal on CT, and in a third of
Scale dependence in quantification of land-cover and biomass change over Siberian boreal forest landscapes

We investigated the influence of remote sensing spatial resolution on estimates of characteristic land-cover change (LCC) and LCC-related above-ground biomass change (Δbiomass) in three study sites representative of the East Siberian boreal forest. Data included LCC estimated using an existing Landsat-derived land-cover dataset for 1990 and 2000, and above-ground standing biomass stocks simulated by the FAREAST forest succession model and applied on a pixel basis. At the base 60 m resolution, several landscape pattern metrics were derived to describe the characteristic LCC types. LCC data were progressively degraded to 240, 480, and 960 m. LCC proportions and Δbiomass were derived at each of the coarser resolutions and scale dependences of LCC and Δbiomass were analyzed. Compared to the base 60 m resolution, the Logged LCC type was highly scale dependent and was consistently underestimated at coarser resolutions. The Burned type was under- or over-estimated depending strongly on its patch size. Estimated at the base 60 m resolution, modeled biomass increased in two sites (i.e., 3.0 and 6.4 Mg C ha−1 for the Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk sites, respectively) and declined slightly in one site (i.e., −0.5 Mg C ha−1 for the Irkutsk site) between the two dates. At the degraded resolutions, the estimated Δbiomass increased to 3.3 and 7.0 Mg C ha−1 for the Tomsk and Krasnoyarsk sites, while it declined to −0.8 Mg C ha−1 for the Irkutsk site. Results indicate that LCC and Δbiomass values may be progressively amplified in either direction as resolution is degraded, depending on the mean patch size (MPS) of disturbances, and that the error of LCC and Δbiomass estimates also increases at coarser resolutions.
Educating for Wellness: A Wellness Education Group Intervention for Adults with Chronic Severe Mental Illness Living in the Community

Chronic severe mental illness (CSMI) is a common disorder in the United States associated with numerous adverse health effects. Health promotion educational interventions can be beneficial. The purpose of this project was to implement and evaluate a community-based educational program for adults with CSMI. Analyses of quantitative and qualitative data showed overall satisfaction with the program and achievement of some specific consumer health modifications. Three primary areas of interest and benefit included socialization and support, education and information, and motivation to change. The Wellness Education Group Intervention (WEGI) can serve as a model for wellness education with adults in similar communities.
Bayesian nonlinear model selection for gene regulatory networks

Gene regulatory networks represent the regulatory relationships between genes and their products and are important for exploring and defining the underlying biological processes of cellular systems. We develop a novel framework to recover the structure of nonlinear gene regulatory networks using semiparametric spline-based directed acyclic graphical models. Our use of splines allows the model to have both flexibility in capturing nonlinear dependencies as well as control of overfitting via shrinkage, using mixed model representations of penalized splines. We propose a novel discrete mixture prior on the smoothing parameter of the splines that allows for simultaneous selection of both linear and nonlinear functional relationships as well as inducing sparsity in the edge selection. Using simulation studies, we demonstrate the superior performance of our methods in comparison with several existing approaches in terms of network reconstruction and functional selection. We apply our methods to a gene expression dataset in glioblastoma multiforme, which reveals several interesting and biologically relevant nonlinear relationships.
Doxycycline ameliorates ischemic and border-zone remodeling and endothelial dysfunction after myocardial infarction in rats.

Abstract Background Although matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity increases, endothelial function decreases after myocardial infarction (MI). The antibiotic doxycycline inhibits MMP activity in vitro. The role of doxycycline-mediated MMP inhibition in endothelial function is unclear. Hypothesis Doxycycline ameliorates endothelial dysfunction, in part, by inhibiting MMP activity. Methods We subjected Sprague-Dawley male rats to MI by ligating the left anterior descending arteries. We subjected another group of rats to sham surgery. We administered doxycycline in drinking water (0.67 mg/ml) to both groups 2 days before surgery: the sham group underwent sham surgery and received doxycycline therapy, and the MI group underwent MI and received doxycycline therapy ( n = 6 in each group). After 4 weeks, we anesthetized rats and prepared left ventricular rings from infarcted-ischemic (I), non-infarcted near-infarcted (NI), and sham surgery hearts with and without doxycycline treatment. Results The MMP-2 activity increased significantly in I and NI hearts, and we observed a selective increase in MMP-9 activity only in I hearts, when compared with other groups ( p p Conclusion Results suggest a protective action of doxycycline in the ischemic heart, possibly because of additional pharmacologic actions such as metalloproteinase inhibition.
Dietary Supplements in Older Adults

The chapter reviews dietary supplements in older adults. A brief introduction covering the dietary supplement marketplace, types of dietary supplements, motivations for their use by older Americans, and market trends is followed by a brief discussion of the regulation of these products. The safety and effectiveness of nutrient supplements including multi-vitamin mineral products, calcium and vitamin D containing supplements, combinations of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for specific conditions, vitamins (B complex, and E), minerals (potassium, selenium, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids) commonly used by the elderly are discussed. The effectiveness and safety of certain non-nutrient supplements used by older Americans is also reviewed for herbals and botanicals (soy, black cohosh, saw palmetto, gingko biloba) and non-nutrient non-botanicals (glucosamine/chondroitin, coQ10). Guidelines for the safe use of supplements by the elderly are summarized, and continuing concerns enumerated.
Childhood Sexual and Physical Abuse Histories, PTSD, Depression, and HIV Risk Outcomes in Women Injection Drug Users: A Potential Mediating Pathway

We explored links between childhood sexual abuse (CSA), childhood physical abuse (CPA), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)/depression, and women injection drug users' (IDUs') risk in 113 women recruited from two syringe exchange sites. More than half (56%) reported CSA, 68% CPA, 23% likely were depressed-only, and 53% likely had PTSD/depression. CSA was associated with sexual (p = 0.003) and drug risk (p = 0.05); CPA was not. CSA was associated with PTSD/depression (p = 0.03); PTSD/depression was associated with sexual (p < 0.01) and drug (p < 0.03) risk. After PTSD/depression adjustment, CSA was no longer associated with sexual or drug risk. These results suggest that women IDUs' CSA-to-risk path is mediated by PTSD/depression.
Morphological changes in the oviductal endometrium during the reproductive cycle of the tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus.

The oviducts of 24 tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) were examined using histological techniques and scanning electron microscopy to determine endometrial morphology. Measurements of endometrial characteristics (epithelial cell height, cilia length, thickness of endometrial glandular layer, and glandular diameter) in the uterus and tube (tuba uterina) were obtained to determine changes during the reproductive cycle. Epithelial cell height increases in both the uterus and the tube during vitellogenesis and remains hypertrophied during gravidity. Cilia length increases in the uterus during late vitellogenesis and gravidity, but the length of tubal cilia does not change during the reproductive cycle. The ratio of secretory to ciliated epithelial cells in the oviduct increases from quiescence to gravidity. The thickness of the glandular endometrial layer increases in both the uterus and tube during vitellogenesis. In the uterus, the glandular layer decreases in thickness during gravidity. The diameter of the uterine glands increases throughout vitellogenesis and gravidity; however, following ovulation glandular cells become depleted of secretory granules and cell height diminishes. The diameter of the tubal glands is unchanged during the reproductive cycle. Oviductal hypertrophy during vitellogenesis coincides with elevated circulating estradiol, whereas during gravidity progesterone concentrations peak (Taylor, '82, PhD Dissertation, University of Florida, Gainesville) and may induce secretion of albumen and eggshell components.
Inhibiting Proteasomal Proteolysis Sustains Estrogen Receptor-α Activation

Estrogen receptor-alpha (ER alpha) is a ligand-dependent transcription factor that mediates physiological responses to 17 beta-estradiol (E2). Ligand binding rapidly down-regulates ER alpha levels through proteasomal proteolysis, but the functional impact of receptor degradation on cellular responses to E2 has not been fully established. In this study, we investigated the effect of blocking the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway on ER alpha-mediated transcriptional responses. In HeLa cells transfected with ER alpha, blocking either ubiquitination or proteasomal degradation markedly increased E2-induced expression of an ER-responsive reporter. Time course studies further demonstrated that blocking ligand-induced degradation of ER alpha resulted in prolonged stimulation of ER-responsive gene transcription. In breast cancer MCF7 cells containing endogenous ER alpha, proteasome inhibition enhanced E2-induced expression of endogenous pS2 and cathepsin D. However, inhibiting the proteasome decreased expression of progesterone receptor (PR), presumably due to the heterogeneity of the PR promoter, which contains multiple regulatory elements. In addition, in endometrial cancer Ishikawa cells overexpressing steroid receptor coactivator 1, 4-hydroxytamoxifen displayed full agonist activity and stimulated ER alpha-mediated transcription without inducing receptor degradation. Collectively, these results demonstrate that proteasomal degradation is not essential for ER alpha transcriptional activity and functions to limit E2-induced transcriptional output. The results further indicate that promoter context must be considered when evaluating the relationship between ER alpha transcription and proteasome inhibition. We suggest that the transcription of a gene driven predominantly by an estrogen-responsive element, such as pS2, is a more reliable indicator of ER alpha transcription activity than a gene like PR, which contains a complex promoter requiring cooperation between ER alpha and other transcription factors.
Controlled deposition of wedge-shaped profiles for thin (~10Å) layers by pulsed laser deposition

A method yielding precisely controlled thickness profiles in thin-film growth is necessary for continuous compositional spread techniques. While multiple approaches have been introduced and successfully tested, some specific applications require the use of very thin “wedge”type profiles (~10 A at the thickest point), while at the same time yielding lateral sample sizes of several centimeters. Here we introduce the basic principles of a pulsed-laser deposition based approach utilizing the translation of the substrate behind a slit-shaped aperture and demonstrate by simple calculations that this method can satisfy these requirements.
Earth Surface Processes, Landforms and Sediment Deposits

Part I. Introduction: 1. Definitions, rationale and scope of the book 2. Overview of the Earth Part II. Production of Sediment at the Earth's Surface: 3. Weathering of rocks, production of terrigenous sediment, and soils 4. Biogenic and chemogenic sediment production Part III. Fundamentals of Fluid Flow, Sediment Transport, Erosion and Deposition: 5. Unidirectional turbulent water flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition 6. Air flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition 7. Multidirectional water flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition 8. Movement of sediment by gravity 9. Generation and movement of volcaniclastic sediment 10. Ice flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition 11. Biogenic and chemogenic depositional structures 12. Post-depositional deformation of soft sediment Part IV. Environments of Erosion and Deposition: 13. Rivers, alluvial plains and fans 14. Lakes 15. Coasts and shallow seas 16. Arid environments 17. Glacial and periglacial environments 18. Deep seas and oceans Part V. Sediment into Rock: Diagenesis: 19. Diagenesis Part VI. Long-term, Large-Scale Processes: Mountains and Sedimentary Basins: 20. Tectonic, climatic and eustatic controls on long-term, large-scale erosion and deposition References Index.
Physical And Medical Attributes Of Six Contemporary Noninvasive Imaging Techniques

Digital subtraction angiography(DSA)is compared to five other noninvasive imaging methods with respect to physical attributes and medical applications. 1) Digital subtraction angiography measures flow channel (vessel) anatomy and vascular leaks in regions where signals from under and overlying vascular pools do not conflict in strength with the vessel or tissue of interest. 2) X-ray computed tomography, in principle, can separate the under and overlying signals, yet presently it is limited in speed, axial coverage, and computational burden for tasks DSA can efficiently perform. Possible exceptions are the dynamic spatial reconstructor (DSR) of Mayo Clinic and the system under construction at the University of California, San Francisco. 3) Heavy ion imaging measures electron density and is less sensitive to injected contrast than x-ray imaging which has the advantage of the photoelectric effect. A unique attribute of heavy ion imaging is its potential for treatment planning and the fact that beam hardening is not a physical problem. 4) Ultrasound detects surfaces, bulk tissue characteristics, and blood velocity. Doppler ultrasound competes with DSA in some regions of the body and generally involves less equipment and patient procedures. Ultrasound vessel imaging and range-gated Doppler have limitations due to sound absorption by atheromatous tissue and available imaging windows. 5) Emission tomography measures receptor site distribution, metabolism, permeability, and tissue perfusion. Resolution is limited to 7mm full width half maximum (FWHM) in the near future, and extraction of metabolic and perfusion information usually requires kinetic analyses with statistically poor data. The ability of positron tomography to measure metabolism (sugar, fatty acid, and oxygen utilization) and the ability to measure tissue perfusion with single photon tomography (17 mm FWHM) or PET (7 mm FWHM) using non-cyclotron produced radionuclides are the major unique features of emission tomography. 6) Nuclear magnetic resonance procedures measure the concentration of some nuclei (e.g., 1H, 23Na, 32P) as well as their chemical state and the local physical-chemical environment of the resolution volume. Velocity and diffusion are also potential measurements. Two unique capabilities of contemporary interest are the ability to image the spatial distribu-tion of relaxation parameters which give information about the local tissue characteristics, and the ability of NMR spectroscopy to sample (not image) the energy state of phosphorous in selected regions of the body. A third attribute of importance is that possible tissue heating seems to be the only hazard and this can be controlled.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A MIMO channel perturbation analysis for robust bit loading

In narrowband multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication systems, when the channel state information (CSI) is known perfectly at the transmitter and the receiver, techniques such as waterfilling may use the singular value decomposition to separate the MIMO channel into independent single-input single-output subchannels. The signal-to-noise ratios of these subchannels are easily found, and, therefore, so are the subchannel bit allocations. In practice, perfect CSI is difficult to obtain. Imperfect CSI results in subchannel coupling and co-channel interference. In this paper, simple first-order expressions are presented for the signal and interference/noise powers for each subchannel for the imperfect CSI case. These expressions may be used to obtain more realistic subchannel bit allocations, allowing for fewer channel outages. Numerical simulations demonstrate the applicability and usefulness of the derived expressions.
The measurement of the morphology of closed cell foams which control the overall thermal conductivity

Means to characterize and measure morphology which affects the solid and radiative contributions in closed cell foams have been developed. From measured two-dimensional intercept area distributions, the actual cell size distribution is calculated. For each of the small-celled polyurethane foams examined, the distribution is narrow, close to the mean cell diameter. From numerical analysis of extreme cell segregation, less than 13% error in the extinction coefficient and the radiative contribution calculated from the mean cell diameter is expected due to cell size distribution. A means to measure the fraction of solid in the strut from strut cross sectional areas is derived. For the small-celled foams analyzed, the fraction of solid in the strut decreases from 0.67 to 0.34 as mean cell diameter decreases from 0.363 mm to 0.109 mm. Smaller celled foams which show a redistribution of polymer from the struts to the cell walls as cell size decreases will exhibit a larger solid conductivity which may counterbalance the decrease in radiation which accompanies the small cell size.
Changes in expression pattern of the teosinte branched1-like genes in the Zingiberales provide a mechanism for evolutionary shifts in symmetry across the order

 Premise of the study: Floral symmetry is a trait of key importance when considering fl oral diversifi cation because it is thought to play a signifi cant role in plant – pollinator interactions. The CYCLOIDEA/TEOSINTE BRANCHED1 (CYC/TB1) -like genes have been implicated in the development and evolution of flsymmetry in numerous lineages. We thus chose to investigate a possible role for these genes in the evolution of flsymmetry within petaloid monocots, using the order Zingiberales as a model system. In the Zingiberales, evolutionary shifts in symmetry have occurred in all fl oral whorls, making the order ideal for studying the evolution of this ecologically signifi cant trait.  Methods: We analyzed TB1- like ( TBL ) genes from taxa spanning the order in a phylogenetic context. Using RNA in situ hybridization, we examined the expression of two TBL genes in Costus spicatus (Costaceae) and Heliconia stricta (Heliconiaceae), taxa with divergent fl oral symmetry patterns.  Key results: We identifi ed Zingiberales-specifi c gene duplications as well as a duplication in the TBL gene lineage that predates the diversifi cation of commelinid monocots. Shifts in TBL gene expression were associated with evolutionary shifts in fl symmetry and stamen abortion. ZinTBL1a expression was found in the posterior (adaxial) staminode of H. stricta and in the abaxial staminodial labellum of C. spicatus. ZinTBL2 expression was strongest in the anterior (abaxial) sepals of H. stricta and in the adaxial fertile stamen of C. spicatus .  Conclusions: This study adds to the growing body of evidence that CYC/TB1 -like genes have been repeatedly recruited throughout the course of evolution to generate bilateral fl oral symmetry (zygomorphy).
Compatible Stem Taper and Total Tree Volume Equations for Loblolly Pine Plantations in Southeastern Arkansas

A system of equations was used to produce compatible outside-bark stem taper and total tree volume equations for loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations in southeastern Arkansas. Paired heightdiameter stem measurements were obtained from trees located in one 45-year-old unthinned plantation. After fitting and integrating the stem taper equation to total tree height, an individual tree constant form factor volume equation was obtained. The stem taper equation can also be integrated to any merchantable height to obtain merchantable volume. To see how the constant form factor volume equation predicts outsidebark volume for trees vastly different than those used in model fitting, trees were harvested from a 17-yearold loblolly pine plantation in southeastern Arkansas. Predictions from the volume equation developed during this research were compared to three other commonly used volume equations. Validation results showed the current constant form factor equation produced the best predictions.
Time to X Out the Ex-Im Bank

The Export-Import Bank of the United States picks winners in the U.S. economy, redistributing resources from the productive sector to its chosen clients. While it has been self-financing for a number of years, taxpayers remain exposed to tens of billions of dollars of loans and guarantees. The Ex-Im Bank cannot, and does not, significantly affect the net number of jobs in the economy or the trade balance. Only a very small proportion of U.S. exports are supported through Ex-Im Bank activities.The Ex-Im Bank claims to correct market failure, but it introduces distortions into the economy and inserts politics into what should be purely commercial decisions. By diverting resources from the private sector, the bank's activities produce a less-efficient economy and lower general standard of living than would occur in a free market for export finance.The bank makes contradictory claims about the nature of its activities. While maintaining that it does not displace private-sector activity, the bank argues that it takes a conservative approach to lending and finance. But if the bank's transactions were "sure bets," then the private sector would — and should — be expected to step in. If, on the other hand, the private sector wouldn't finance a transaction, it is a signal that taxpayers should not be exposed to the risk, either.The claim that the bank supports U.S. exporters who face unfair competition from subsidized firms abroad is unverifiable, as the bank does not publish figures regarding the extent of this countervailing activity. The bank should be statutorily required to do so, and its activities should be limited only to that activity as an interim step to being wound down altogether.
Evaluation of hormonal and radiation therapy in 190 cases of functional sterility and secondary amenorrhea

Abstract It has been estimated that involuntary sterility occurs in about 17 per cent of all marriages. 1 Most clinicians agree that the male is at fault in about 40 per cent, the female in about 50 per cent, and both partners in about 10 per cent of infertile marriages. In the female there are many conditions which contribute to sterility, especially, tubal and ovarian pathology, genital abnormalities, general systemic diseases, and nutritional deficiencies. The influence of nervous shock, anxiety, and mental diseases on infertility is also well known. During the first and second World Wars the effect of shock, strain, and anxiety on the physiology of the female pelvic organs has been thoroughly studied and its injurious effects demonstrated. 2 Among other causes which frequently play an important role in sterility are: thyroid dysfunctions, pancreatic disturbances, particularly diabetes, and metabolic and endocrine disturbances. This presentation, however, deals with endocrine disturbances of the pituitary-ovarian hypofunction type with clinical manifestations of sterility, secondary amenorrhea, and dysfunctional uterine bleeding, without any evidence of organic pathology. Such type of sterility is designated as "functional" or endocrine sterility. Since secondary amenorrhea is associated with functional sterility in 94 to 96 per cent of cases, 3 and since these conditions for the most part have a common etiological basis, it is wise to consider them simultaneously. It is the purpose of this paper to evaluate the relative merits of endocrine and radiation therapy in a series of 130 cases with functional sterility and 60 cases with secondary amenorrhea in women of a younger age group.
Single-cell analysis reveals differential regulation of the alveolar macrophage actin cytoskeleton by surfactant proteins A1 and A2: implications of sex and aging

Surfactant protein A (SP-A) contributes to lung immunity by regulating inflammation and responses to microorganisms invading the lung. The huge genetic variability of SP-A in humans implies that this protein is highly important in tightly regulating the lung immune response. Proteomic studies have demonstrated that there are differential responses of the macrophages to SP-A1 and SP-A2 and that there are sex differences implicated in these responses. Purified SP-A variants were used for administration to alveolar macrophages from SP-A knockout (KO) mice for in vitro studies, and alveolar macrophages from humanized SP-A transgenic mice were isolated for ex vivo studies. The actin cytoskeleton was examined by fluorescence and confocal microscopy, and the macrophages were categorized according to the distribution of polymerized actin. In accordance with previous data, we report that there are sex differences in the response of alveolar macrophages to SP-A1 and SP-A2. The cell size and F-actin content of the alveolar macrophages are sex- and age-dependent. Importantly, there are different subpopulations of cells with differential distribution of polymerized actin. In vitro, SP-A2 destabilizes actin in female, but not male, mice, and the same tendency is observed by SP-A1 in cells from male mice. Similarly, there are differences in the distribution of AM subpopulations isolated from SP-A transgenic mice depending on sex and age. There are marked sex- and age-related differences in the alveolar macrophage phenotype as illustrated by F-actin staining between SP-A1 and SP-A2. Importantly, the phenotypic switch caused by the different SP-A variants is subtle, and pertains to the frequency of the observed subpopulations, demonstrating the need for single-cell analysis approaches. The differential responses of alveolar macrophages to SP-A1 and SP-A2 highlight the importance of genotype in immune regulation and the susceptibility to lung disease and the need for development of individualized treatment options.
Transmission Electron Microscope Study of Interfacial Reactions in Gold-Germanium Contact to Gallium Arsenide *

The structure of 500 A Au/500 A Ge/500 A Au/GaAs (100) was studied by transmission electron microscopy after annealing at 350–500°C. Annealing at 350–450 °C caused the formation of AuGeAs with a (110) texture, but this phase disappeared after annealing at 500°C. The hexagonal a’-AuGa (or Au7Ga) was formed after annealing at 400°C, such that (111)Au // (0001)a, and % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+- % feaagKart1ev2aqatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn % hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr % 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9 % vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x % fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaai4waiqaig % dagaqeaiaaigdacaaIWaGaaiyxamaaBaaaleaacaqGbbGaaeyvaaqa % baaaaa!3BC7! ${[\bar 110]_{{\text{AU}}}}$ // % MathType!MTEF!2!1!+- % feaagKart1ev2aqatCvAUfeBSjuyZL2yd9gzLbvyNv2CaerbuLwBLn % hiov2DGi1BTfMBaeXatLxBI9gBaerbd9wDYLwzYbItLDharqqtubsr % 4rNCHbGeaGqiVu0Je9sqqrpepC0xbbL8F4rqqrFfpeea0xe9Lq-Jc9 % vqaqpepm0xbba9pwe9Q8fs0-yqaqpepae9pg0FirpepeKkFr0xfr-x % fr-xb9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaamaabaabaaGcbaGaai4waiaaig % dacaaIXaGabGOmayaaraGaaGimaiaac2fadaWgaaWcbaGaamyyaaqa % baaaaa!3BCD! ${[11\bar 20]_a}$ , and there was perfect lattice match between Au (i.e., Au-rich solid solution) and a’-AuGa. After annealing at 450°C or above, a phase tentatively identified as the hexagonal Au3Ga was formed and Ge (i.e., Ge-rich solid solution) became epitaxial to (100) GaAs. Annealing at 400°C caused Au to change from no texture to a (110) texture.
Postpartum Healthcare After Gestational Diabetes and Hypertension

Background: Gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy identify women with an elevated lifetime risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Methods: Prospective cohort of women recruited from the postpartum service of a large community-based academic obstetrical hospital after delivery of a pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes (GDM) or a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP). Interviews were conducted, and validated surveys completed, before hospital discharge and again 3 months postpartum. Results: The study sample included 249 women: 111 with GDM, 127 with HDP, and 11 with both. Most, 230 (92.4%) had a PCP prior to pregnancy and 97 (39.0%) reported an office visit with their PCP during the prenatal period. Of the 176 (70.7%) participants who attended the 3-month study visit, 169 (96.0%) women with either diagnosis reported they had attended their 6-week postpartum visit. By the 3-month study visit, 51 (57.9%) women with GDM had completed follow-up glucose testing; 93 (97.9%) with HDP had follow-up blood pressure testing; and 101 (57.4%) with either diagnosis recalled ever having completed lipid screening. Women least likely to complete screening tests were those who had no college education, less than a high school level of health literacy, and who were not privately insured. Conclusion: There are important opportunities to improve postpartum testing for diabetes and CVD risk factor assessment. Most women were connected to primary care suggesting a “hand-off” to a primary care physician after pregnancy is feasible. More robust strategies may be needed to improve follow-up care for women with less education, lower health literacy, and those without private health insurance.
Avuncular Wills: Debt and Generational Conflict in 1830s and 1840s France

In the literature of the 1830s in France, debt and youth went hand in hand; indeed the typical coming of age plot depicted fictional (male) students learning to manage debt. By the mid-nineteenth c...
A new Coalition

More than 300,000 imperial troops moved east through Prussia as part of Napoleon's massive 600,000-man army for the invasion of Russia. The orderly requisition of Prussian goods and provisions soon collapsed under the strain, prompting the French to loot indiscriminately. Words fail to describe the devastation of the Prussian provinces, especially East Prussia. Atrocities that accompanied the rape of the land by Prussia's “ally” rivaled the human disaster of the Thirty Years War. The Hanoverian minister Ludwig von Ompteda noted that the French had left the Prussian peasants with “nothing but eyes to weep with in their misery.” The French also carried off the 20,842 soldiers who formed the Prussian contingent of the Grande Armee of 1812. Commanded by General Julius August von Grawert, the Prussian corps consisted of the best units drawn from the six brigades of the Prussian army, with the East Prussian regiments providing the largest contribution because their depots stood closest to the staging areas of the imperial army. Napoleon forced Frederick William to demobilize the rest of the Prussian army in accordance with the 42,000-man limit of the 1808 treaty. Thus, approximately 22,000 troops remained in Prussia, backed by a trained reserve of 36,424. On the evening of 22 June 1812, the Grande Armee commenced the invasion of Russia. Poor health forced Grawert to turn over command to General Yorck. As the 27th Infantry Division of the Grande Armee, the Prussians served in Marshal Jacques-Etienne Macdonald's X Corps. While X Corps marched toward Riga, Napoleon led the main body of the Grande Armee in pursuit of the Russians, who implemented the defensive plans drafted by Phull and Barclay de Tolly. Although failing to destroy the Russian army at Borodino on 7 September, Napoleon reached an evacuated Moscow one week later. Not only did the tsar refuse to negotiate, but the Russians also had burned the city. Having to choose between remaining at Moscow – 1,200 miles from Paris – for the winter or withdrawing, the emperor chose the latter. On 19 October, a much smaller Grande Armee commenced the retreat.
Exploring Factors that Influence US Consumers’ International Online Outshopping (IOO) Intentions at E-Tailers in Developing Countries: Propositions

Outshopping, the physical movement of consumers from their local trade area to a neighboring region or oftentimes to a foreign country with the intention to shop for goods, has been well documented in literature (Herrmann and Beik 1968; Lee et al. 2009). An unprecedented access to consumer goods online has further impacted this phenomenon giving rise to International Online Outshopping (IOO), thereby enabling the virtual movement of consumers to distant global marketplaces with the click of a button. With online shopping increasing by the day among US consumers in search of better deals and products on the World Wide Web, online retailers (referred to as e-tailers from now on) in developing countries are successfully leveraging this opportunity to target these consumers effectively. The resulting IOO effect may leave domestic US retailers, both online and offline, with loss of sales from these outshoppers. Though studies addressing cross-border outshopping exist (Piron 2002), international outshopping through the Internet has been hardly examined. The purpose of this chapter is to identify and develop testable propositions of factors related to US consumers’ intention to engage in IOO at e-tailers in developing countries. This study focuses on exploring factors influencing US consumers’ IOO at developing countries’ e-tailers only, because factors pertaining to other countries’ e-tailers might be different (Lee et al. 2009).
PSMA expression in the neovasculature of colorectal cancers

A146 Background >Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA), a type II transmembrane metallo-peptidase highly overexpressed in prostate cancer cells has been studied as a targeting molecule in prostate cancer. Recently, it has been found to be also expressed in the neo-vasculature of multiple non-prostatic solid tumors. Because of its unique expression pattern limited to tumor-associated endothelial cells, PSMA may be an interesting molecule for vascular targeting. Here we investigated the protein expression and cellular distribution of PSMA in a large number of cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) and liver metastasis. >Methods >130 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections of patients with colorectal cancer and 18 samples of metastatic liver lesions of were immunostained with antibodies directed against PSMA and the pan-endothelial marker CD31. Immunoreactivity was scored semiquantitatively based on staining intensity and distribution. Using whole coding region spanning primers, mRNA expression of PSMA was further determined in colorectal cancer and normal mucosa biopsy material. To test the tumor-specificity of PSMA expression, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), psoriasis and granulation tissue, all know to be associated with neo-angiogenesis as well as normal colon mucosa were evaluated for PSMA expression. Confocal-immuno-fluorescence microscopy was used to determine the expression pattern of CD31 and PSMA in tumor associated vessels. >Results >High endothelial PSMA expression was observed in tumor-associated neo-vasculature of 94 of 130 CRC samples (72 %). 15 of 18 liver metastasis (83%) were positive for PSMA. Interestingly, tumor adjacent vasculature, normal colorectal mucosa as well as inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis showed no PSMA expression. Confocal-immuno-fluorescence microscopy revealed co-expression of CD31 and PSMA in the majority of tumor-associated endothelial cells. A subpopulation of PSMA positive vessel-lining-cells however, did not show CD31 staining. In addition, 15 (12%) colorectal cancer samples showed strong epithelial PSMA expression. >There was a trend for high grade tumors to higher PSMA expression (Spearman r = 0.18, P = 0.046) and men generally had higher PSMA level than women (Spearman r = 0.23, P = 0.009). No statistically significant association between PSMA expression and overall survival was observed (P = 0.375). >Conclusion >This study gives new insights in PSMA expression pattern in colorectal cancer. Because of its highly tumorspecific expression and its accessibility to antibody based therapies, PSMA represents an excellent target for anti-angiogenic therapy in colorectal cancers. The potential of an anti-PSMA directed therapy warrants testing in clinical trials.
Implication of Telomerase in Functions Besides Telomere Elongation in Human Cells

Abstract Abstract SCI-40 The ribonucleoprotein enzyme telomerase, which counteracts telomere shortening by adding telomeric DNA repeats to the 3' ends of chromosomes, contains a core protein reverse transcriptase (called hTERT in humans), the essential template-containing RNA (hTER) and associated factors. Thus, telomerase is capable of circumventing the limit on cell division imposed by telomere attrition. Telomerase enzymatic activity is readily detectable in stem and progenitor cell populations, but is largely downregulated in most adult somatic human cells. In contrast, telomerase is highly active in the large majority (∼80%–90%) of cancer cells. While telomerase is essential for telomere maintenance in cells in vitro and in vivo, several studies now also indicate that telomerase may have telomere-independent functions. We previously showed that lowering the level of the telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) enzyme complex causes rapid changes in cell cycle program in human and mouse cancer cells: partial reduction of telomerase induced by directly lowering telomerase RNP component levels causes altered transcriptional profiles and reduced glucose metabolism in human cancer cells, yet bulk telomere shortening or detectable telomere uncapping are not required for these effects. Work by others has shown that reduction of telomerase core protein component level reduced Wnt signaling and caused Wnt-mutant like developmental defects in Xenopus and mouse and aberrant hematopoiesis in zebrafish embryos. We acutely depleted telomerase RNA components in cultured T cells from healthy human adults using shRNAs targeting both the telomerase protein and the RNA component of telomerase (hTR), delivered immediately after in vitro stimulation. Cell proliferation and telomerase activity levels were quantified through the first and second stimulation cycles. Effects of such telomerase RNP reduction on cell proliferation were observed in time frames too short to be accounted for by bulk telomere attrition. Models to account for these findings will be discussed. Disclosures: Lin: Telome Health, Inc.: Consultancy, Equity Ownership. Blackburn: Telome Health, Inc: Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.
Abstract 231: Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Amputated Limbs of Patients with Critical Limb Ischemia Provide Stromal Support for Endothelial Cells

Critical limb ischemia (CLI) often results in amputation, but autologous cellular therapy using bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may be able to prevent this outcome. However, the quality of MSCs in the CLI population is not clear. Amputated CLI limbs contain reservoirs of MSCs that can be used to characterize their stromal capacity. We hypothesize that MSC stromal capacity is relatively preserved in ischemic limbs compared to ones from healthy donors. Methods Healthy donor MSCs (hdMSCs, n=2) and ischemic MSCs (iMSCs, n=3) from amputated limbs of non-diabetic CLI patients were cultured. Human microdermal ECs were commercially obtained. Co-culture pellets (1:1 ratio) of hdMSC:EC, iMSC:EC, and EC alone were formed and cultured in 3-D fibrin hydrogels in EC growth media. Images of the pellets and invasion areas were captured up to 5 days. The invasion area was quantified as the difference between the total and pellet area normalized to initial pellet area. Experiments were performed in quadruplicates and co-culture experiments were duplicated. Results iMSC:EC co-culture provided similar stromal support as the healthy donor cohort. Both MSC groups were significantly greater than the ECs alone following day 2 (see figure, *P 0.5). Conclusion This is the first study to demonstrate that iMSCs provide similar stromal support to ECs as healthy hdMSCs, thus iMSCs may be of sufficient quality for use in autologous therapy. We are currently quantifying secretome expressions of the iMSCs to provide insights into mechanisms of the stromal support.