cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Targeted Agents and Immunotherapy

This review discussed the role of targeted and immunotherapy in the management of brain metastases. Until recently there was limited role of medical therapies in the brain metastases. This chapter will focus on recently discovered driver mutations in lung cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma, therapies that target such mutations and the outcomes with such approach. We discuss the unique genetic alterations in brain metastases as compared to the primary tumor. We highlight the importance of individualizing systemic treatments. In addition, there is a section on the immunotherapy agents and the results of initial trials in brain metastases with these agents.
Adults’ Identities, Attitudes, and Orientations Concerning Consensual Non-Monogamy

This study considered the connection among aspects of emerging adults’ identities and their relational and sociosexual orientations as well as their attitudes toward consensual non-monogamy (CNM). Results indicate significant relationships among individuals’ collective and social identity aspects, as dictated in the AIQ-IV, and how emerging adults label their relational orientations (e.g., strictly monogamous, monogamish, open, and polyamorous). Additionally, findings demonstrate that the salience/importance of social categories, roles, and reputations in one’s identity is associated with how individuals choose to label their relational orientation, their attitudes toward non-monogamy, and their orientation toward uncommitted sex (sociosexual orientation). Discussion, implications, and future directions follow.
Who Gets Cancer and Why? What Are the Consequences for Human Life and Longevity? How Can We Intervene? How Can We Track Progress?

Cancer is initiated by and undergoes further progression from mutation. It is further abetted by factors that may not cause mutation but promote the expansion of mutated clones through cell division. Factors that cause mutation or promote proliferation may come either from innate biological events or exposure to external agents in the environment. Since the process of cancer development is stochastic and probabilistic, reducing exposure to agents that mutate cells or promote excessive cell division will reduce the chances of getting cancer during the span of a human lifetime. Only by knowing what agents and factors contribute to the causation of cancer can exposures be avoided, however. Identifying carcinogenic agents and factors is, therefore, of paramount importance to altering cancer risk. Increasing exposure to proven carcinogenic agents should increase the risk, and decreased exposure should reduce the risk of getting cancer. Unfortunately, proving that a given agent or factor is carcinogenic in humans is extremely challenging. It is unethical to intentionally expose humans to putative carcinogens through direct experimentation, so all information about carcinogenic factors comes from empirical evidence and epidemiological studies. In this chapter, known risk factors for cancer are discussed and classified by alterability. Risk factors that can be altered by behavior are emphasized as the key to cancer prevention. More than half of all cancer in the world could be prevented by altering the behaviors that most strongly increase cancer risk.
A 3D Parameter Can Guide Concave Rod Contour for the Correction of Hypokyphosis in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of preoperative rod shape on 3D spinal deformity correction. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Differential rod contouring is a surgeon-dependent process based on an estimate of 3D deformity correction sought and the flexibility of the spine. An objective measure to this otherwise subjective scoliosis correction technique is lacking. METHODS A series of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients with right, thoracic major curves, preoperative rod contour tracings, and EOS imaging was evaluated. All patients underwent posterior spinal fusion with 5.5 mm steel rods contoured prior to insertion. 3D reconstructions were generated pre- and postoperatively using sterEOS software (EOS Imaging) and imported into MATLAB (Mathworks) for analysis. A new measurement of the maximum perpendicular distance from the preinsertion concave rod contour to the preoperative 3D sagittal spinal reconstruction was defined as rod to 3D spine distance (RSD). Linear regressions were used to identify relationships between pre and postoperative parameters, including RSD and 3D thoracic kyphosis. RESULTS Ninety-nine patients were included. Average preoperative concave rod angle decreased from (48 ± 10°) preoperatively to 26 ± 6° postoperatively (P < 0.001) for an average flattening of ∼20°. Average convex rod angle increased from 30 ± 6° to 34 ± 5° (P < 0.001). Average preoperative thoracic curve magnitude and apical vertebral rotation were 57 ± 8° and 16 ± 5° and decreased to 11 ± 6° and 5 ± 6° (P < 0.001). Average 2D and 3D thoracic kyphosis increased from 19 ± 14° and 2 ± 12° to 27 ± 6° and 22 ± 5° (P < 0.001). Preoperative RSD strongly correlated with 3D thoracic kyphosis change (P < 0.001, r = 0.796, R = 0.633). CONCLUSION On average, the concave rod flattened ∼20° after connection to the spine. Similarly, kyphosis increased ∼20° following rod insertion. A strong correlation was identified between RSD and 3D thoracic kyphosis restoration. This novel 3D parameter can guide the degree of concave rod bend necessary to achieve a desired increase in thoracic kyphosis in AIS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 2.
Particle Formation Mechanisms in the Nanoprecipitation of Polystyrene

Numerous precipitation methods for creating nanoparticle dispersions that are based on mixing a solution with a miscible nonsolvent have been developed. Here, we show that for polymer particles, the formation is highly dependent on the rate of mixing. We also demonstrate the importance of the glass transition of the polymers on particle formation. A simple model of droplet formation during mixing provides a satisfactory description of the observed dependence of particle size on polymer molecular weight, concentration, solvent ratio, and mixing conditions.
What Are the Long-Term Aesthetic Issues in Prepectoral Breast Reconstruction?

BACKGROUND Prepectoral placement of prosthetic devices is rapidly becoming the preferred method of breast reconstruction. OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to review long-term surgical and aesthetic outcomes following prepectoral prosthetic breast reconstruction. METHODS The study included 90 patients (139 breasts). Follow-up for all patients ranged from at least 1 year up to a maximum of 4.3 years. Parameters analyzed included preoperative and postoperative breast symmetry, rippling, edge visibility, and capsular contracture, as well as secondary procedures such as fat grafting, implant exchange, contralateral procedures, and autologous flap conversion. RESULTS The incidence of breast symmetry, which was noted preoperatively in 84.4% of patients, gradually declined to 68.9% after 1 to 2 years and to 56.7% after 2 to 5 years. Rippling and edge visibility were noted in 19.4% and 12.9% of patients, respectively. Explantation without replacement of the device was performed in 12 breasts (8.6%). Secondary procedures included autologous fat grafting (23.7%), implant replacement (7.2%), conversion to an autologous flap (12.2%), and a contralateral breast procedure in 15 of 41 patients (36.6%). Capsular contracture (grade 3-4) was demonstrated in 14 of 139 breasts (10.1%). CONCLUSIONS Prepectoral breast reconstruction can provide good to excellent short-term (1-2 years) and longer-term (2-4.3 years) benefits; however, over time, the quality of prepectoral breast reconstruction as well as breast symmetry can change due to various factors. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4
Magnetic critical behavior and anomalous Hall effect in 2H − Co 0.22 TaS 2 single crystals

The authors observe a ferromagnetic ground state with strong uniaxial anisotropy in Co-intercalated 2H-Co0${}_{0.22}$TaS${}_{2}$ van der Waals single crystals below T${}_{c}$ \ensuremath{\sim} 28 K.
Abstract 3115: Adora2a inhibition via caffeine as a novel therapeutic target for cisplatin-induced chemobrain

Cisplatin chemotherapy, although efficacious in resolution of cancer, potentiates cognitive impairments (known as chemobrain) affecting approximately 14 million cancer survivors in the United States. Cisplatin is a frontline chemotherapy used to treat ovarian, testicular, breast and brain cancers. Despite the high prevalence of clinical reports of cognitive impairments during and following chemotherapy, there is little information on how learning/memory are detrimentally affected and no known cure. To elucidate the mechanisms by which chemobrain impairs cognition, we implemented a mouse model resembling intermittent cisplatin chemotherapy in humans. Our preliminary studies revealed that repeated intermittent cisplatin treatment detrimentally affects the structure of neuronal brain cells in the hippocampus, a brain region known for its ability to control learning/memory, emotional behaviors and motor function. Although the molecular pathways vulnerable to cisplatin in the brain remain elusive, gene sequencing from the hippocampus of mice administered cisplatin identified the adenosine A2A receptor (Adora2a) protein was concentrated in elevated quantities in this brain region. Importantly, the Adora2a receptor protein is known for its critical role in learning/memory and has been found to play a role in neurodegenerative conditions. To investigate Adora2a functionality in cisplatin-induced chemobrain, we assessed the efficacy of the non-selective Adora2a antagonist caffeine, in preventing cisplatin-induced cognitive dysfunction. Caffeine was selected as a therapeutic due to its safe pharmacological profile, its universal availability, and low cost. Our translational approach employing the non-selective Adora2a antagonist caffeine, protected against cisplatin-induced body weight deficits and motor dysfunction, both of which are common clinical symptoms of chemotherapy. Interestingly, relative to cisplatin alone, mice treated with caffeine in combination with cisplatin exhibited improved dendritic spine densities in the hippocampus, suggesting improved neuronal morphology by caffeine. Given that Adora2a antagonists are known to enhance anti-tumor activity while also showing neuroprotective promise in neurodegenerative conditions, inhibiting Adora2a during cancer treatment may have far-reaching synergistic effects on quality of life improvement for cancer survivors. Citation Format: Alfredo Oliveros, Ana M. Corujo-Ramirez, Ki-Hyun Yoo, Jason Tang, Danielle Brogren, Mohammad A. Rashid, Yuanhang Liu, Mi-Hyeon Jang. Adora2a inhibition via caffeine as a novel therapeutic target for cisplatin-induced chemobrain [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 3115.
Urinary Incontinence Secondary to Fecal Impaction in a Patient With Likely Undiagnosed Hirschsprung's Disease.

Hirschsprung’s disease is caused by the failure of migration of neural crest cells to the hindgut, causing a lack of development of ganglion cells in the submucosal and myenteric plexuses of the colonic wall. Hirschsprung’s disease most often presents in infants with failure to pass meconium in the first two days of life. We present the case of an eight-year-old male with chronic constipation since birth who presented to the emergency department with signs concerning spinal cord compression. To our knowledge, this is the first of such a case presenting with urinary incontinence.
A Monte Carlo method with negative particles for Coulomb collisions

In this work we propose a novel negative particle method for the general bilinear collision operators in the spatial homogeneous case and apply it to Coulomb collisions. This new method successfully reduces the growth of particle numbers from the numerical time scale to the physical time scale for Coulomb collisions. We also propose a particle resampling method which reduces the particle number to further improve the efficiency. Various numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the method.
Signaling Pathways in Cancer: Twenty-First Century Approaches to Cancer Therapy

Starting in the 1940s, the discovery that fairly toxic drugs could, on occasion, cure patients of cancer brought new hope to patients and their families around the world. Through basic and clinical research, new drugs were developed, and new treatment regimens were introduced. However, the great strides in treating patients with these cytotoxic drugs—which still make up the core of modern chemotherapy—had reached a plateau by the 1990s. However, at the same time, the explosive growth in our molecular understanding of the biology of a cancer cell heralded a new age of targeted rational therapy for cancer. At this exciting moment in the battle against cancer, it is particularly opportune to review many of the key pathways controlling the malignant behavior of a cancer cell, and to consider how these may be exploited to usher in a new generation of therapies that can be individualized or “personalized” for cancer patients based on the molecular characteristics of their tumors. As it was for those scientific pioneers in the 1940s, the goal remains to change cancer from being the most feared of diseases to something much more pedestrian.
The Psychopathology of American Shyness: A Hermeneutic Reading

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has recently pathologized shyness as a mental disorder. This paper argues that the medicalization of shyness tells us more about who we are in late modernity than it does about any internal dysfunction. Drawing on the insights of hermeneutic philosophy, the paper challenges the configuration of the self offered by medical models and recent editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and argues that diagnostic psychiatry and contemporary American identity in general is already being shaped by a background of socio-historical meanings that are producing a more assertive, competitive, and gregarious self. By failing to acknowledge this hermeneutic background-one that determines why certain kinds of dispositions matter to us in the first place-I suggest that American psychiatry may be unwittingly constructing the very behaviors it is seeking to treat.
Osaahe Promotes Professional Involvement

(1978). Osaahe Promotes Professional Involvement. Health Education: Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 36-37.
DEPRESSION, LISTLESSNESS, AND MORAL MOTIVATION

Motivational internalism (MI) holds that, necessarily, if an agent judges that she is morally obligated to o, then, that agent is, to at least some minimal extent, motivated to o. Opponents of MI sometimes invoke depression as a counterexample on the grounds that depressed individuals appear to sincerely affirm moral judgments but are ‘listless’ and unmotivated by such judgments. Such listlessness is a credible counterexample to MI, I argue, only if the actual clinical disorder of depression, rather than a merely hypothetical example of such listlessness, is the source of this listlessness. However, empirical evidence concerning depression shows that, to the extent that the depressed are motivationally listless at all, they are abnormally listless only with respect to an important class of non-moral judgments, namely, their prudential normative judgments (i.e., those concerning their own happiness and well-being), not their moral judgments. Hence, depressed individuals do not constitute a counterexample to MI. This conclusion has important methodological implications concerning how supporters and opponents of MI can best defend their respective theses.
Uncertainty analysis of system identification results obtained for a seven‐story building slice tested on the UCSD‐NEES shake table

A full-scale seven-story reinforced concrete building section/slice was tested on the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) shake table at the University of California San Diego during the period of October 2005 to January 2006. Three output-only system identification methods were used to extract the modal parameters (natural frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes) of the test structure at different damage states. In this study, the performance of these system identification methods is investigated in two cases: (Case I) when these methods are applied to the measured dynamic response of the structure and (Case II) when these methods are applied to the dynamic response of the structure simulated using a three-dimensional nonlinear finite element model thereof. In both cases, the uncertainty/variability of the identified modal parameters due to the variability of several input factors is quantified through analysis of variance (ANOVA). In addition to ANOVA, meta-models are used for effect screening in Case II (based on the simulated data), which also capture the effects of linear interactions of the input factors. The four input factors considered in Case I are amplitude of input excitation, spatial density of measurements, length of response data used for system identification, and model order used in the parametric system identification methods. In the second case of uncertainty analysis, in addition to these four input factors, measurement noise is also considered. The results show that for all three methods considered, the amplitude of excitation is the most significant factor explaining the variability of the identified modal parameters, especially the natural frequencies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Music and the Teaching of Music History as Praxis: A Reply to James Maiello

The idea of music “praxis” has received considerable attention recently in philosophical circles. It has a long, distinguished heritage reaching all the way back to Aristotle, who distinguished it from “theoria” and “techne.” Regarded as praxis, music takes on a decidedly social value that distances it from the concept of ‘works’ that are savored only in special moments. Instead, as praxis, music is among the most important social forces in a culture. While the study by historians and theorists of ‘works’ reveals much of interest and value, music’s role in and contribution to the wider social context is stressed with praxial theory. Given the change of emphasis from the ‘in-itself’ character of autonomous ‘works’, praxial theory draws from philosophy, social theory, sociology and social psychology of music, and from ethnomusicology, and anthropology. The study of music, too, takes on an action dimension (“action” being the most typical translation for “praxis”). What is to be learned is learned through action with music as praxis and is related to typical in-life uses, whether of musicians, teachers, or the music - loving public. Music, then, is not simply a canon of ‘works’, and so the study of music history will include the ‘doings’ that are, first of all, most directly relevant to being musically informed; and, secondly, that are learned by engaging in the activities, the praxis, that informs history.
The Kringle Domains of Human Plasminogen

The mature form of the zymogen, human plasminogen (HPlg), contains 791 amino acids present in a single polypeptide chain. The fibrinolytic enzyme, human plasmin (HPlm), is formed from HPlg as a result of activator-catalysed cleavage of the Arg561-Val562 peptide bond in HPlg. The resulting HPlm contains a heavy chain of 561 amino acid residues, originating from the N-terminus of HPlg, doubly disulfide-linked to a light chain of 230 amino acid residues. This latter region, containing the C-terminus of HPlg, is homologous to serine proteases such as trypsin and elastase. The heavy chain of HPlm consists of five repeating triple-disulfide-linked peptide regions, c. 80 amino acid residues in length, termed kringles (K), that are responsible for interactions of HPlg and HPlm with substrates, inhibitors and regulators of HPlg activation. Important among the ligands of the kringles are positive activation effectors, typified by lysine and its analogues, and negative activation effectors, such as Cl-. The kringle domains of HPlg that participate in these binding interactions are K1, K4 and K5, and perhaps K2. These modules appear to function as independent domains. The amino acid residues important in these kringle/ligand binding interactions have been proposed by structural determinations, and their relative importance quantified by site-directed mutagenesis experimentation.
A Tableau-Like Representation Framework for Efficient Proof Reconstruction

We present a tableau-like framework, so-called β-proofs, for a uniform representation of analytic tableaux or matrix proofs. β-proofs suggest split structures for sequent proofs but still violate non-permutabilities of sequent rules. Two operations on β-proofs stepwisely solve these violations while removing all redundant inference steps from the β-proofs. This process provides a general basis for a search-free reconstruction of sequent proofs, independent from concrete proof calculi. Our framework is is uniformly applicable to classical logic and to all the non-classical logics that have a matrix characterization of validity.
Petrology of some oceanic island basalts: PRIMELT2.XLS software for primary magma calculation

PRIMELT2.XLS software is introduced for calculating primary magma composition and mantle potential temperature (TP) from an observed lava composition. It is an upgrade over a previous version in that it includes garnet peridotite melting and it detects complexities that can lead to overestimates in TP by >100°C. These are variations in source lithology, source volatile content, source oxidation state, and clinopyroxene fractionation. Nevertheless, application of PRIMELT2.XLS to lavas from a wide range of oceanic islands reveals no evidence that volatile-enrichment and source fertility are sufficient to produce them. All are associated with thermal anomalies, and this appears to be a prerequisite for their formation. For the ocean islands considered in this work, TP maxima are typically ~1450–1500°C in the Atlantic and 1500–1600°C in the Pacific, substantially greater than ~1350°C for ambient mantle. Lavas from the Galapagos Islands and Hawaii record in their geochemistry high TP maxima and large ranges in both TP and melt fraction over short horizontal distances, a result that is predicted by the mantle plume model.
Effects of Hydroxyproline and Vitamin B-6 on Oxalate Synthesis in Rats

Relationships among dietary hydroxyproline (HP), vitamin B-6 and endogenous oxalate formation have been studied. In the absence of HP, urinary oxalate excretion was greatest among rats fed vitamin B-6-deficient diets. Supplementation of rat diets with 5.2% HP markedly increased the oxalate excretion of rats fed 0, 0.2 or 10 mg of vitamin B-6 per 100 g of diet, the increases being 2-, 19- and 15-fold respectively. The metabolism of several 14C-labeled oxalate precursors was altered in vitamin B-6-deficient rats. The feeding of HP and different levels of vitamin B-6 also altered their metabolism. The feeding of HP to vitamin B-6-deficient rats resulted in a decrease in the amount of 14C-oxalate formed from injected 14C-labeled glycine, glycolate or glyoxylate. In contrast, HP feeding to rats given 0.2 mg of vitamin B-6 per 100 g, resulted in a marked increase in oxalate formation from injected 14C-glycolate, as well as a decrease in respiratory 14CO2 from injected 14C-labeled glycolate and glyoxylate. HP feedings did not significantly alter the metabolism of these two injected compounds to oxalate or CO2 among rats fed the higher level of vitamin B-6, although some elevation of oxalate formation from glycolate was noted. HP feeding reduced the growth rates of all the rats, but growth depression was greatest in the vitamin B-6-deficient group.
L-thiocitrulline. A stereospecific, heme-binding inhibitor of nitric-oxide synthases.

Nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) catalyzes the oxidation of L-arginine to citrulline and nitric oxide (NO). The enzyme is inhibited by a variety of N omega-monosubstituted L-arginine analogs, and some of these compounds are useful in reversing pathologies associated with the overproduction of NO (e.g. the hypotension of septic shock). We report here that L-thiocitrulline (gamma-thioureido-L-norvaline) is a potent, stereospecific inhibitor of the constitutive brain and endothelial isoforms of NOS as well as the isoform induced in vascular smooth muscle cells by lipopolysaccharide and interferon-gamma. Steady state kinetic studies show L-thiocitrulline inhibition is competitive with L-arginine (Ki approximately 4-20% of KArgm), indicating that initial binding is as a substrate/product analog. In contrast to L-arginine and N omega-methyl-L-arginine, the prototypic NOS inhibitor, L-thiocitrulline binding elicits a "Type II" difference spectrum, indicating a high spin to low spin transition of the iron in the heme cofactor. This finding suggests that L-thiocitrulline is contributing the sixth ligand to heme iron, probably through the thioureido sulfur. Such interaction with heme iron neither stimulates nor inhibits the direct flavin-mediated cytochrome c reduction activity of the enzyme, but it does inhibit heme-dependent superoxide formation. In vivo, L-thiocitrulline is a potent pressor agent in both normal and endotoxemic rats, the latter finding suggesting utility in treating the hypotension of septic shock.
Sucrose-promoted accumulation of growing glucosyltransferase variants of Streptococcus gordonii on hydroxyapatite surfaces.

Streptococcus gordonii exhibits a phase variation involving expression of high (Spp+) or low (Spp-) glucosyltransferase activity. The related bacterial accumulation on hydroxyapatite (HA) and saliva-coated HA surfaces was examined and found to be significant. Spp+ cells growing anaerobically in a defined medium utilize about 30% of the glucose available from sucrose to make insoluble glucans. These glucans formed cohesive masses on HA beads, which contained 80 to 90% of the total bacteria. The bacterial polymer mass had a volume of about 40 microns3 and contained more than 5 x 10(10) viable cells per cm3. In the absence of sucrose, the beads were saturated by 1 x 10(8) to 2 x 10(8) Spp+ cells. Spp- bacteria, which make 30-fold less glucan than do Spp+ bacteria, did not accumulate on surfaces in numbers significantly above the saturation level of 1 x 10(8) to 2 x 10(8) cells in the presence or absence of sucrose. Insoluble glucan synthesized by Spp+ cells from sucrose also enabled these bacteria to accumulate on saliva-coated HA seven times more effectively than the Spp- cells and 10 times more effectively than the Spp+ cells grown in medium without sucrose. Images
UNIFORM BOUNDS FOR EQUIVARIANT HOMOTOPIES

In this paper our previous joint work with Calder on the width of homotopies into compact Riemannian manifolds with finite fundamental groups is extended to the equivariant setting. We produce necessary conditions under which the widths of equivariant homotopies are bounded and characterize these equivariant bounds in terms of the fixed point submanifolds of the action. Finally, we apply these results to covering spaces to relate the (non-equivariant) bounds for a manifold with finite fundamental group to those of its universal covering space.
Freeze-drying specimens for electron microscopy

An improved table for freeze-drying specimens for electron microscopy has been developed. The construction of the table is described, the freeze-drying procedure employing it is outlined, and typical results of its application are presented.
Non-derivatized Glycan Analysis by Reverse Phase Liquid Chromatography and Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry

A simple method for the analysis of non-derivatized glycans using a reverse phase column on a liquid chromatography-ion mobility-mass spectrometry (LC-IM-MS) instrument. The methodology supports both glycomic and proteomic work flows without the necessity of switching columns.
Impact of benzyl butyl phthalate on shoaling behavior in Fundulus heteroclitus (mummichog) populations.

Abstract Fundulus heteroclitus preference for association with familiar conspecifics of similar body length was impacted by benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP); this was found to be a statically significant result with a p F. heteroclitus as a model for detecting sub-lethal BBP exposure.
The genomic structure of the rat corticotropin releasing factor receptor. A member of the class II G protein-coupled receptors.

Isolation and structural characterization of the rat corticotropin releasing factor receptor (CRFR) gene was performed to determine the exon/intron organization of the coding region and the potential for splice variants. The CRFR gene contains 13 exons and 12 introns, and the positions of the exon/intron junctions are similar to those of other Class II G protein-coupled receptor genes including the parathyroid hormone and glucagon receptors. The promoter resides within 593 base pairs of the initiation codon and the major transcriptional start site at nucleotide −238. This domain does not possess a TATA box but contains multiple Sp1 and AP-2 sites upstream and downstream of the major transcriptional start site. Intron junctions were identified in the extracellular, transmembrane (TM), and cytoplasmic (C) domains of the CRFR, giving the potential for differential signal transduction by splice variants. CRFR cDNAs derived from rat Leydig cell mRNA included the pituitary Form A, which spans exons 1–13, and two splice variants with deletion of exon 3 or exons 7, 11, and 12. An evolutionary link between the intronless TM/C module of the glycoprotein hormone receptors and the intron-containing TM/C module of the CRFR is suggested by the common position of the luteinizing hormone receptor Form D alternate acceptor splice site and the CRFR intron 12.
A calorimetric titration study of uni-and bivalent metal ion interaction with several thia derivatives of 9-crown-3, 12-crown-4, 15-crown-5, 18-crown-6, 24-crown-8, and with several oxathiapentadecanes in water or water-methanol solvents at 25 °C

Abstract The interaction of several sulfur derivatives of crown-3, crown-4, crown-5, crown-6, crown-8, and three oxathiapentadecanes with Ag + , Hg 2+ , Tl + , and Pb 2+ in water or water-methanol solvents has been studied by a calorimetric titration procedure. The partial substitution of sulfur for oxygen in the crown-5 and crown-6 ligands results in little change in the affinity of the ligand for Tl + and Pb 2+ , but greatly increased affinity for Ag + and Hg 2+ . Values of log K, ΔH, and TΔS are reported where their determination was possible. Cation-ligand stoichiometries of 1:2 were found for Ag + and Hg 2+ complexes of many of the cyclic thia ethers. Only 1:1 complexes were found for Tl + and Pb 2+ .
Prospective study of exogenous hormone use and breast cancer in Seventh-day Adventists.

Exogenous hormone use via oral contraceptives (OCs) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was evaluated for subsequent breast cancer risk. A cohort study of 20341 Seventh Day Adventist women residing in California completed a detailed lifestyle questionnaire in 1976 and were followed for 6 years. During the follow up period 215 histologically confirmed primary breast cancers were detected in the cohort. The mean age at diagnosis was 66 years indicating a primarily postmenopausal case series. After taking into account potentially confounding variables current use of HRT (in 1976) was associated in this cohort with a 69% increase in breast cancer risk which was statistically significant (RR=1.69; CI=1.12-2.55). However there was no strong increase in risk with increasing duration of use of HRT. Subgroups of women who did not experience HRT associated increases in breast cancer risk included those women who had ever used HRT (RR=1.39; CI-1.00-1.94) those with no history of maternal breast cancer (RR=1.45) those women with prior benign breast disease (RR=2.80) and those women who experienced menopause at 44 years of age of later (RR+1.56). There was no substantial increase in breast cancer risk associated with use of OCs in this population although among women with exposure to both OCs and HRT there was a suggested increase in risk (RR+1.42; CI=0.71-2.85). (authors)
Resolution of Organ-Specific Complications of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in Children with Use of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

Opportunistic infections are a major source of morbidity and mortality in children and adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In addition, organ-specific complications of HIV infection, such as cardiomyopathy, nephropathy, encephalopathy, and others, contribute substantially to the morbidity and mortality associated with HIV infection. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has produced a dramatic decline in the incidence of opportunistic infections among patients with HIV infection. Nevertheless, there is very little information concerning the value of HAART for organ-specific complications of HIV infection. In this report, we describe 3 children with HIV infection in whom the dominant clinical manifestations were cardiomyopathy, red cell aplasia, and nephropathy. HAART produced a decrease in the HIV ribonucleic acid level, an increase in the CD4 cell count, and resolution of the organ-specific complications in all patients. These cases add to our knowledge concerning the benefits of HAART for children with HIV infection.
Nasal steroids in snorers can decrease snoring frequency: a randomized placebo‐controlled crossover trial

Summary Although it is anecdotally known that nasal obstruction is associated with snoring, it remains unknown whether the application of nasal steroids could decrease oral/oro-nasal breathing and increase nasal breathing, and subsequently decrease snoring indices. This study evaluated the effect of nasal budesonide on breathing route pattern and snoring. Twenty-four snorers were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial of 1-week treatment with nasal budesonide compared with 1-week intervention with nasal placebo. At the start and end of each treatment period, patients underwent nasal resistance measurement and overnight polysomnography with concomitant measurement of breathing route pattern and snoring. Twelve patients were randomly assigned to a 1-week treatment with nasal budesonide, followed by 2-week washout period and a 1-week intervention with the nasal placebo; and 12 patients were randomly assigned to a 1-week intervention with nasal placebo, followed by 2-week washout period and a 1-week treatment with nasal budesonide. Nasal budesonide was associated with a decrease in oral/oro-nasal breathing epochs and concomitant increase in nasal breathing epochs, decrease of snoring frequency by [median (interquartile range)] 15.8% (11.2–18.8%), and an increase of rapid eye movement sleep; snoring intensity decreased only in patients with increased baseline nasal resistance by 10.6% (6.8–14.3%). The change in nasal breathing epochs was inversely related to the change in snoring frequency (Rs = 0.503; P < 0.001). Nasal budesonide in snorers can increase nasal breathing epochs, modestly decrease snoring frequency and increase rapid eye movement sleep.
Delusional thinking in psychotics: correlates of religious content.

Manic (n = 18) and schizophrenic (n = 23) patients were subdivided on the basis of delusional status, with special reference to religious delusions, and compared to a control sample of normal subjects. Assessments of religious attitudes and beliefs, as well as demographic factors, were conducted. No differences existed in the characteristics of manic and schizophrenic patients with delusions, and it was difficult to differentiate delusional patients with and without religious content in their symptoms, although these patients differed in several ways from nondelusional patients and normals. These data are discussed in terms of their implications for theories about the development of delusions.
The influence of working distance on laser deposited WC–Co

Abstract Nanostructured WC–10 wt.% Co powder was used to make thick wall samples by the Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS ® ) process. During this process, a Nd:YAG laser was applied to create a molten pool on a stainless steel substrate and to deposit WC–Co into bulk cermets, the shape of which was controlled by a pre-programmed computer-aided design (CAD) model. Microstructure characteristics were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was found that working distance and relative location of the focal plane of the laser beam play an important role in controlling sample microstructures, in addition to other common process parameters such as laser power, traverse speed and powder feed rate. Thermal behavior leading to the observed microstructures that result from the variations in working distance was also investigated in this work.
Photoacoustic Spectroscopy of a Chemically Modified Polymer: Plasma Oxidized Polystyrene(Divinylbenzene)

Surface modified polymers are found in a variety of industrial applications ranging from highpower transmission line insulators to chromatographic packaging materials. Infrared spectroscopy has routinely been used to characterize the surface of these materials but often requires sample preparation which may alter the form of the polymer. By using a photoacoustic detector, the infrared spectra of surface modified polymers can be obtained. The polymeric material examined in this study, polystyrene(divinylbenzene), is routinely used as a chromatographic packing material for high performance liquid chromatography. The surface of the polymer was modified to produce surface functionalities more amenable to bonding with a liquid phase than the native copolymer. This paper describes the use of photoacoustic infrared spectroscopy to determine the molecular structure of this modified polymer surface.
Multiscale Characterization of the Ultrastructure of Normal and Osteoporotic Human Trabecular Bone

In this paper we characterized hierarchical structure of healthy and osteoporotic human trabecular bone from microscale down to nanoscale. To characterize the hierarchical structure, trabecular bone was investigated at the microstructural level (i.e. trabecula, trabecular packets), sub-microstructural level (lamellar structure) and the nanostructural level (crystal-collagen collagen composite). There was an emphasis on evaluating the sub-microstructure and nanostructure of trabecular bone since detailed descriptions of the lamellar structure and of the crystal-collagen relationship in osteoporotic bone are relatively unknown. The ultrastructure of healthy and osteoporotic human trabecular bone was characterized experimentally by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experiments also involved studying trabecular bone from C57BL/6J and C3H/HeJ mice. These mice have nearly the same size and weight, but have very different bone density. Thus, they were good candidates for a comparative study of healthy and osteoporotic human trabecular bone. TEM and SEM were used to characterize the hierarchical microstructure of trabecular bone in the inbred mice. The understanding of the hierarchical nature of healthy and osteoporotic bone microstructure is needed for a deeper understanding of the state of bone health and its mechanical properties.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
An IT-based system for planning, designing and constructing tunnels in rocks

This paper describes the design and implementation of an Information Technology (IT)-based system called AMADEUS for real-time and adaptive geologic mapping, analysis, and design of underground space. Advances in IT, particularly in digital imaging, data management, visualization and computation can significantly improve analysis, design and construction of underground excavations. Using IT, real-time data on geology and excavation response is gathered during the construction using non-intrusive techniques which do not require expensive and time-consuming instrumentation. The real-time data are then be used to update the geological and computational models of the excavation, and to determine the optimal rate of excavation, excavation sequence and structural support. Virtual environment (VE) systems are employed to allow virtual walk-through inside an excavation, observe geologic conditions, perform virtual tunneling operations, and investigate stability of the excavation via computer simulation. (A) This paper was presented at Safety in the underground space - Proceedings of the ITA-AITES 2006 World Tunnel Congress and the 32nd ITA General Assembly, Seoul, Korea, 22-27 April 2006. For the covering abstract see ITRD E129148. "Reprinted with permission from Elsevier".
Remembering Kaiyuan and Tianbao: The Construction of Mosaic Memory in Medieval Historical Miscellanies

Medieval historical miscellanies have traditionally been seen as repositories of random historical information. This essay examines how the miscellany form makes possible a distinct mode of cultural memory construction, the piecing together of anecdotes gathered from oral and written sources to create a composite, multifaceted picture of the past, or "mosaic memory." Using as examples four monothematic post-An Lushan rebellion collections devoted to the memory of the Kaiyuan-Tianbao era (713-756), we may see how compilers created idiosyncratic versions of mosaic memory as a result of their personal motives and cultural positions. These individual versions also overlay and constitute a cumulative representation that reveals important features of mosaic memory as a communal discourse. The layered formation of mosaic memory helps to shed light on how the cultural memory of the Kaiyuan-Tianbao era took shape in the mid- and late-Tang periods and how medieval historical miscellanies functioned as an important site of cultural production.
Niche construction drives social dependence in hermit crabs

Summary Organisms can receive not only a genetic inheritance from their ancestors but also an ecological inheritance, involving modifications their ancestors made to the environment through niche construction [1]. Ecological inheritances may persist as a legacy, potentially generating selection pressures that favor sociality. Yet, most proposed cases of sociality being impacted by an ecological inheritance come from organisms that live among close kin and were highly social before their niche construction began [2]. Here, I show that in terrestrial hermit crabs ( Coenobita compressus ) — organisms that do not live with kin and reside alone, each in its own shell — niche-construction drives social dependence, such that individuals can only survive in remodeled shells handed down from conspecifics. These results suggest that niche construction can be an important initiator of evolutionary pressures to socialize, even among unrelated and otherwise asocial organisms.
Interatomic potentials in condensed matter via the maximum-entropy principle.

A general method is described for the calculation of interatomic potentials in condensed-matter systems by use of a maximum-entropy Ansatz for the interatomic correlation functions. The interatomic potentials are given explicitly in terms of statistical correlation functions involving the potential energy and the structure factor of a ``reference medium.'' Illustrations are given for Al-Cu alloys and a model transition metal.
Perceived buyer satisfaction and selling pressure versus pricing policy: A comparative study of retailers in ten developing countries

Abstract Observation of retail practices in ten developing countries in Asia, Africa, and South America explored the relationship between perceived buyer satisfaction and selling pressure as they relate to pricing policy. The study found that price bargaining appears more prevalent in Asia than in South America, and buyer satisfaction was lower for retailers that bargain than for retailers using a fixed-price policy. Selling pressure was higher among retailers that bargain than retailers using a one-price-for-all policy. There were, however, several interesting intercountry differences.
Making Sense of Sensory Ethnography: The Sensual and the Multisensory

ABSTRACT Sensory ethnography is an emerging trend within visual anthropology, with practitioners focusing on at least two different aspects: the aesthetic-sensual and the multisensory-experiential. The former has found expression in some of the observational films of Robert Gardner and his intellectual progeny at the Harvard Sensory Ethnography Lab. The latter can be seen in the work of Sarah Pink, Paul Stoller, and David MacDougall.
The γ-decay of two-particle states in 210Bi

Abstract The γ-decay of excited states in 210 Bi up to 3330 keV excitation energy has been studied using the 209 Bi(d, pγ) 210 Bi reaction. From the observed decay scheme, tentative J π values are made for 25 states. The excitation energies, (d, p) strengths and decay branching ratios of these states are compared with those calculated using the two-particle shell-model wave functions of Kim and Rasmussen and Kuo and Herling.
Local dental anesthesia with epinephrine. Minimal effects on the sympathetic nervous system or on hemodynamic variables.

• To define the hemodynamic effects of local dental anesthesia, we measured the mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate, and plasma catecholamine responses for 60 minutes following an inferior alveolar nerve block with epinephrineand nonepinephrine-containing lidocaine hydrochloride anesthesia in 14 men using a randomized double-blind crossover trial. Lidocaine alone caused no significant change in MAP or heart rate and only slight, transient changes in plasma catecholamine concentrations when compared with baseline values. Lidocaine with epinephrine caused significant, sustained (60 minutes) increases in plasma epinephrine concentrations (mean±SEM, 27±4 to 94±13 pg/mL) and a slight, but transient (two-minute) increase in heart rate from 68±3 to 70±3 beats per minute. Lidocaine with epinephrine caused no significant change in MAP. There is no significant hemodynamic response to lidocaine dental anesthesia (with or without epinephrine) in healthy young men. ( Arch Intern Med 1983;143:2141-2143)
Toward a theory of honesty and trust among communicating autonomous agents

This article outlines, through a number of examples, a method that can be used by autonomous agents to decide among potential messages to send to other agents, without having to assume that a message must be truthful and that it must be believed by the hearer. The main idea is that communicative behavior of autonomous agents is guided by the principle of economic rationality, whereby agents transmit messages to increase the effectiveness of interaction measured by their expected utilities. We are using a recursive, decision-theoretic formalism that allows agents to model each other and to infer the impact of a message on its recipient. The recursion can be continued into deeper levels, and agents can model the recipient modeling the sender in an effort to assess the truthfulness of the received message. We show how our method often allows the agents to decide to communicate in spite of the possibility that the messages will not be believed. In certain situations, on the other hand, our method shows that the possibility of the hearer not believing what it hears makes communication useless. Our method thus provides the rudiments of a theory of how honesty and trust could emerge through rational, selfish behavior.