cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Altered cell cycle responses to insulin-like growth factor I, but not platelet-derived growth factor and epidermal growth factor, in senescing human fibroblasts.

Human diploid fibroblasts (HDF) were used to study aging-related changes in the proliferative response to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I, somatomedin-C) in serum-free, chemically defined culture medium. Cell cycle kinetic parameters were determined by using 5-bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and flow cytometric analysis with the DNA stain Hoechst 33258. This allowed analysis of the growth factor response tobe focussed exclusively upon of the cycling faction of cells within the culture, even in senescent cell cultures which contained predominantly nondividing cells. PDGF and EGF exert their primary effect upon regulation of the proportion of cycling cells in the culture. The doses of PDGF and EGF that produced a half-maximal cycling fraction, analogous to Km, showed no large or consistent difference between young- and old-passage cells. In contrast, IGF-I primarily affects the rate of transition of cells from G1, into S phase, and the dose of IGF-I which produced a half-maximal rate of G1 exit increased up to 130-fold in older-passage cells. Unexpectedly, supraPhysiologic concentrations of IGF-I were found to increase the G1, exit rate of the dividing subpopulation of cells in older-passage cultures to rates higher than those seen in young cultures. In summary, among cells capable of cycling in aging cultures, there were few changes in the regulation of the growth fraction by PDGF and EGF, but there was a greatly increased dependence on IGF-I for regulation of the rate of entry into S phase. The slower growth of the dividing population of cells in aging cultures may be related to a requirement for IGF-I at levels which are greatly above those usually supplied.
Cross-talk between ON and OFF channels in the salamander retina: indirect bipolar cell inputs to ON-OFF ganglion cells.

It has been widely accepted that ON and OFF channels in the visual system are segregated with little cross-communication, except for the mammalian rod bipolar cell-AII amacrine cell-ganglion cell pathway. Here, we show that in the tiger salamander retina the light responses of a subpopulation of ON–OFF ganglion cells are mediated by crossing the ON and OFF bipolar cell pathways. Although the majority of ON–OFF ganglion cells (type I cells) receive direct excitatory inputs from depolarizing and hyperpolarizing bipolar cells (DBCs and HBCs), about 5% (type II cells) receive indirect excitatory inputs from DBCs and 20% (type III cells) receive indirect excitatory inputs from HBCs. These indirect bipolar cell inputs are likely to be mediated by a subpopulation of amacrine cells that exhibit transient hyperpolarizing light responses (ACHs) and make GABAergic/glycinergic synapses on DBC or HBC axon terminals. GABA and glycine receptor antagonists enhanced the ON and OFF excitatory cation current (IC) in type I ganglion cells, but completely suppressed the ON IC mediated by DBCs in type II cells and the OFF IC mediated by HBCs in types III cells. Dendrites of type I cells ramify in both sublamina A and B, type II cells exclusively in sublamina A, and type III cells exclusively in sublamina B of the inner plexiform layer. These results demonstrate that indirect, amacrine cell-mediated bipolar cell-ganglion cell synaptic pathways exist in a non-mammalian retina, and that bidirectional cross-talk between ON and OFF channels is present in the vertebrate retina.
Host-microbe interactions: Shaping the evolution of the plant immune response

The evolution of the plant immune response has culminated in a highly effective defense system that is able to resist potential attack by microbial pathogens. The primary immune response is referred to as PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) and has evolved to recognize common features of microbial pathogens. In the coevolution of host-microbe interactions, pathogens acquired the ability to deliver effector proteins to the plant cell to suppress PTI, allowing pathogen growth and disease. In response to the delivery of pathogen effector proteins, plants acquired surveillance proteins (R proteins) to either directly or indirectly monitor the presence of the pathogen effector proteins. In this review, taking an evolutionary perspective, we highlight important discoveries over the last decade about the plant immune response.
Improving the Preventive Care of Asplenic Patients

the previous 3 years. Among these patients, we identified those who might be asplenic or hyposplenic by creating a subset of patients with electronic medical records problem list entries related to asplenia, sickle cell disease, and Hodgkin lymphoma. We distributed lists of patients to physicians for review and obtained information directly from patients. On the basis of their feedback, we revised our registry.
β-Adrenergic Catecholamine Regulation of Lymphocyte Sensitivity: Heterologous Desensitization to Prostaglandin E2 by Isoproterenol*

Human lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood increased cAMP production up to 2.5-fold in a dosedependent manner in the presence of the β-adrenergic catecholamine agonist isoproterenol and up to 5-fold in the presence of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Cells maximally stimulated by PGE2 failed to show further increases in cAMP production when isoproterenol was also added, suggesting that the same cells were sensitive to both agonists. When incubated with isoproterenol for up to 30 min and then washed free of the agonist before restimulation with fresh isoproterenol or PGE2, cells showed a time-dependent loss of sensitivity to both agonists. Isoproterenol- dependent desensitization to PGE2 was both less extensive and more slowly developing than desensitization to isoproterenol, and proceeded in the presence of indomethacin and in indomethacin-pretreated cells. Both desensitization to PGE2 and cAMP production demonstrated similar isoproterenol dose dependency with a half-maximal concentration of 0.1 µM, but nei...
DIAGNOSIS AND CONTROL OF NOSOCOMIAL RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV) INFECTIONS IN A PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL

DIAGNOSIS AND CONTROL OF NOSOCOMIAL RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV) INFECTIONS IN A PEDIATRIC HOSPITAL
Molecular analysis of a complex chromosomal rearrangement and a review of familial cases

A complex chromosome rearrangement (CCR) involving chromosomes 7, 8, and 13 was detected in a phenotypically normal woman ascertained through her mentally retarded son with abnormal phenotype. He had a karyotype with 47 chromosomes including an extra der(13). In initial banding studies the CCR in the mother was interpreted as a three-way translocation. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with whole chromosome libraries and a telomere-specific probe was used to better characterize the rearrangement. Combined data allowed us to reinterpret the CCR as a translocation and an insertion. A review of 35 familial CCRs involving at least three chromosomes led to the following observations: 1) familial CCRs tend to have fewer chromosomes involved and fewer break-points than do de novo CCRs; 2) familial transmission is mainly observed through female carriers although the origin of de novo cases is paternal; 3) an apparent excess of balanced female carriers among the offspring of index carriers was noted; and 4) meiotic segregation resulting in malformed liveborn infants is most frequently due to adjacent-1 segregation, followed by 4:2 segregation; no adjacent-2 segregation was observed.
Thermal-electric performance analysis for actively cooled, concentrating photovoltaic systems

Abstract The photovoltaic cell within a composite stack of the receiver for a concentrating photovoltaic electrical power system is modelled as a combination electricity and waste heat generator. The waste heat generator concept leads to analytical solutions describing temperature and power production profiles for the photovoltaic receiver. The analytical solutions considered the cases where convective losses to the surroundings may either be neglected or included. Examples of operating modes using the model are given.
A close relationship between cytotoxic T lymphocytes generated in the mixed lymphocyte culture and insulin receptor-bearing lymphocytes: enrichment by density gradient centrifugation.

Abstract In contrast to liver, fat, muscle, the fibroblast, and the monocyte, the lymphocyte does not bear insulin receptors unless it is activated by antigen or mitogen. Antigen stimulation by skin graft or in the mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) generates a population of T lymphocytes, the effector function of which can be augmented by insulin. In the same pool of cells are found T lymphocytes with newly emergent insulin receptors capable of supporting this augmentation. This study demonstrates the close relationship between the augmentable effector T cell and the insulin receptor-bearing cell and strongly suggests that these cells are identical. Splenic lymphocytes from unidirectional murine MLCs were separated into light and heavy fractions by discrete density gradient eentrifugation daily and assayed for cellular-mediated cytotoxicity and for insulin receptors. Receptor-bearing and cytotoxic lymphocytes waxed and waned together primarily in the light fraction. Receptor-positive cells preceded effectors by 24 hr and the two characteristics were highly correlated over time (r ≥ 0.95). T-Cell depletion by specific antisera or by immunoabsorbent column chromatography demonstrated that most, but not all, receptor-bearing cells were T cells and that virtually all effectors were also receptor positive. When the insulin receptor was functionally removed from the lymphocyte membrane by trypsin proteolysis, effector function ceased. The return of cytotoxicity was accompanied by return of the lymphocyte insulin receptor. Receptor-bearing cells were predominantly of the Ly 2+3+ pedigree but Ly 1+ cells were also induced to bear the insulin receptor along with a few non-T cells. These data show that the emergence of a lymphocyte insulin receptor is not just a fortuitous marker event of cellular activation but provides a structure capable of supporting lymphocyte effector function. The appearance of Ly 1+ receptor-bearing cells suggests the alloactivation of T helpers and their participation in a T-T cooperative event.
A HIGH-DENSITY ELECTRON BEAM AND QUAD-SCAN MEASUREMENTS AT PLEIADES THOMSON X-RAY SOURCE

A recent development of the photo-cathode injector technology has greatly enhanced the beam quality necessary for the creation of high density/high brightness electron beam sources. In the Thomson backscattering x-ray experiment, there is an immense need for under 20 micron electron beam spot at the interaction point with a high-intensity laser in order to produce a large x-ray flux. This has been demonstrated successfully at PLEIADES in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. For this Thomson backscattering experiment, we employed an asymmetric triplet, high remanence permanent-magnet quads to produce smaller electron beams. Utilizing highly efficient optical transition radiation (OTR) beam spot imaging technique and varying electron focal spot sizes enabled a quadrupole scan at the interaction zone. Comparisons between Twiss parameters obtained upstream to those parameter values deduced from PMQ scan will be presented in this report.
Multicenter trial of automated nitroprusside infusion for postoperative hypertension

Hypertension is common after a cardiac operation and may result in postoperative hemorrhagic and other complications. Most often this problem has been treated using manually controlled doses of intravenous sodium nitroprusside. To evaluate the clinical impact of an automated closed-loop administration system on patients after cardiotomy, a prospective trial was conducted at nine clinical centers. Patients with hypertension were managed by either manual nitroprusside titration (n = 532) or a closed-loop automated titration system (n = 557). Patient groups were not significantly different in age, weight, or height. Moreover, the types of surgical procedures were comparable: primary coronary artery bypass grafting, 59.2% and 58.9%, manual group versus automated group; repeat coronary artery bypass grafting, 10.5% and 8.6%, respectively; valve procedures, 11.3% and 15.1%, respectively; and other cardiac procedures, 19.0% and 17.4%, respectively (all p = not significant). The automated group showed a significant reduction in the number of hypertensive episodes per patient (1.8 +/- 0.2 versus 0.6 +/- 0.07; p = 0.0001. At the same time, the number of hypotensive episodes per patient was reduced with automated closed-loop titration (0.40 +/- 0.05 versus 0.30 +/- 0.03; p = 0.02). Chest tube drainage (866 +/- 37 mL versus 693 +/- 23 mL [mean +/- standard error of the mean]; p = 0.0001), percentage of patients receiving transfusion (40.0% versus 33.0%; p = 0.02), and total amount transfused (2.4 +/- 0.12 units versus 2.0 +/- 0.10 units; p = 0.0003) were all reduced significantly by the use of an automated titration system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Metastable peak shapes induced by internal energy release in electrostatic mirror time-of-flight mass spectrometers

Abstract The arrival times and apparent masses of daughter ions formed along the ion path of an electrostatic mirror time-of-flight mass spectrometer were calculated. A distinct metastable peak results from fragmentation in the first field-free region. Peak shapes were calculated, accounting for released energy, daughter-to-parent ion mass ratio, ion packet length, and mass spectrometer geometry. Numerical examples illustrate the effect of these parameters on the peak appearance. Simplified peak shape expressions result when no point in the field-free space enjoys energy focusing in time for the daughter ion peak considered.
Effects of random field interactions in amorphous rare earth alloys

Recent neutron small angle scattering studies have shown that amorphous alloys of non S-state rare earth elements with Fe are not ferrimagnetic as inferred from magnetization data, but rather exhibit a spin-glass type of order. The data show no divergence in the spin correlation length below T c , and the gradual evolution of the scattering lineshape from Lorentzian to a Lorentzian plus Lorentzian squared form appropriate for a system in which random fields destroy the long range order. SANS data taken in applied fields indicate the formation of an infinite cluster in low fields which is responsible for the ferrimagnetic magnetization response and which co-exists with increasingly smaller residual clusters.
Toxicity profiles of vinyl and polyolefinic plastics and their additives

This paper reports on three investigations into the toxic potential of plastics, resins and addivtives, with emphasis on those having medical, dental, or pharmaceutical application. The following points were noted: (1) two different lots of PVC resin contained toxic material which was leachable into a biological system and an extreme eosinophilic response was noted; (2) a large group of chemical agents currently being used or having potential for use in various plastics formulations were investigated for toxic potential. As a group, the stabilizers showed the greatest degree of toxicity and if these are used in conjunction with a plasticizer in a plastic formulation, the toxic potential is greatly increased due to an increased opportunity to migrate from the plastic. It may be concluded from this work that safe plastics for medical, dental, and pharmaceutical applications can technically be manufactured. In order to protect the patient who ultimately comes in contact with the plastic device in one way or another, it behooves the concerned manufacturer to be certain his product is not responsible for injury to the user. This certianty can only be gained by an adequate and diverse evaluation program.
Parameter identification of biological networks using extended Kalman filtering and χ 2 criteria

Parameter estimation is a central issue in systems biology, as it represents the key step in obtaining information from computational models of biological systems. The extended Kalman filter (EKF) in its various implementations has been proposed as a parameter estimator by several authors. However, in many cases, and in particular when the estimation problem involves a large number of unknown parameters, the EKF can perform poorly. In this paper we show how the knowledge of the statistics of the measurement noise can be used to validate or invalidate the estimates provided by the filter, and to refine them in case they turn out not to be satisfactory. We demonstrate these ideas on a simple gene expression model, and we show how the proposed method offer advantages over classical techniques such as least-squares estimation.
The Impact of Item Price Removal in Scanner Supermarkets: A Survey Study of Los Angeles Shoppers

The practice of removing item prices in scanner-equipped grocery stores has raised an important public policy issue relating to the ability of individual consumers to engage in effective shopping with less available price information at the point of purchase. This study investigated the likely impact of item price removal in scanner-equipped grocery stores as a function of consumers' use of price information, general consumer predispositions, and consumers' experience with scanner technology. Particular emphasis was placed on the likely effects of item price removal on disadvantaged consumers. The implications of the study for public policy are discussed.
Mechanism of a dinuclear copper complex catalyzed autoxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol

Abstract The autoxidation of 3,5-di- tert -butylcatechol (H 2 DTBC) was catalyzed by the dicopper (II) complex, Cu 2 (dppn)(OH)Cl 3 ·H 2 O (Cu 2 (dppn)(OH) 3+ ). Kinetic studies determined that the reactants were first order in the concentrations of the catalytic dinuclear copper species, molecular oxygen, and H 2 DTBC and inverse first order in the proton concentration. An experimental rate law, consistent with the kinetic data, was proposed and suggested that both O 2 and HDTBC − were associated with the dinuclear copper complex in the transition state. The second order rate constant was calculated to be 189 ± 19 M −1 s −1 . Furthermore, the stoichiometry of the catalyzed reaction was the same as tyrosinase-catalyzed oxidations and O 2 was reduced to water in a four electron process. The 3,6-bis(2′-pyridyl)pyridazine (dppn) chelate served as the binucleating ligand and provided a rigid and sterically unencumbered platform for catalytic interaction of the dicopper core with O 2 and HDTBC − . The dppn chelate also afforded the dicopper core the necessary coordination flexibility required for each copper ion to simultaneously cycle between square pyramidal cupric and tetrahedral cuprous ligand field geometries.
Optimization and evaluation of packed capillary columns for high-performance liquid chromatography

Abstract Packed capillary columns were systematically optimized for adsorption high-performance liquid chromatography, and their performance was evaluated using conventional plate height vs . linear velocity curves and the Knox separation impedance. Column performance was improved by decreasing the inner diameter, nominal particle size, and mean pore size of the silica adsorbent. Irregularly shaped silica particles gave consistently higher efficiencies than spherical materials. The performance of packed capillary columns, as measured by the Knox separation impedance, is currently equal to or exceeds that of conventional or microbore packed columns.
Trigonally quantized ligand field potentials, d-orbitals and d-orbital energies

Abstract The most generalized ligand field potentials for all possible geometries of coordination numbers one to twelve containing a trigonal axis have been derived in trigonal quantization. These potentials have been specialized for idealized geometries and the corresponding trigonally quantized d-orbitals and their energies have been derived. The applicability of the potentials and the d-orbitals in the study of the systems of idealized as well as slightly deviated trigonal geometries has been described. The ligand field potentials for a number of geometries containing a three-fold axis of symmetry have been evaluated along the trigonal axis and are categorized into three kinds, cylindrical potentials (no spherical harmonics of non-zero order), cubic potentials (related to each other by a constant factor) and non-cubic potentials (not related to cubic potentials by a constant factor). The energies of the d-orbitals defined along the trigonal axis have been calculated. The original spherical harmonics of the d-orbitals are pure wave functions for geometries of cylindrical potentials. The trigonally quantized d-orbitals which are the eigenfunctions of cubic geometries have been derived. The d-orbital wave functions for regular cubic based and for some trigonally distorted cubic and non-cubic geometries have also been obtained. The original spherical harmonics are the appropriate zero order functions for geometries of cylindrical potentials with small trigonal distortions. Similarly the cubic d-orbitals can be used as the appropriate zero order functions for regular cubic based geometries of non-cubic potentials and for trigonally distorted cubic and cubic-based geometries with slight deviations of the trigonal angles.
Psychotherapy Competencies: Development and Implementation

New requirements by the Psychiatry Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education maintain that residents must be competent in five specified psychotherapies. This shift toward evidence-based education and assessment high-lights psychotherapy as an integral part of a psychiatrist’s training and identity, while introducing accountability of training programs, faculty, and individual residents. Training directors must now find the resources in faculty, patients, and residency teaching time to teach, supervise and assess residents so they graduate with competency. The American Association of Directors of Residency Training (AADPRT) appointed a Task Force on Competency to assist training directors with the new requirements. The Task Force, through the establishment of five workgroups, has written sample competencies for each required psychotherapy: brief, cognitive behavioral, psychodynamic, supportive and combined psychotherapy and psychopharmacology. In this article, the authors describe the historical context of the new requirements, and the goals, process and issues that arose in the development of the sample competencies.
DEPRESSION OF DRUG METABOLISM IN THE MOUSE BY A COMBINATION OF Mycobacterium butyricum AND ANAESTHETICS

Abstract 1 Subcutaneous injection of Mycobacterium butyricum suspended in mineral oil into the mouse hind paw caused an oedematous local inflammation. Hind paw swelling was maximum 5 days after injection and was still apparent at day 30. 2 Drug metabolism in vivo (as monitored by ketamine- or pentobarbitone-induced sleeping times) was not affected by the inflammatory disease. However, administration of ketamine or pentobarbitone at day 1 led to significantly elevated sleeping times when the mice showing local inflammation were retested at day 5 with the anaesthetics. 3 Indomethacin inhibited hind paw oedema in the mouse but did not affect ketamine-Mycobacterium butyricum-induced depression of drug metabolism. 4 Prolongation of ketamine-induced anaesthesia by combination with Mycobacterium butyricum at day 5 correlated with the degree of hind paw inflammation at this time. 5 The data suggest that anaesthetics (i.e., ketamine and pentobarbitone) may sensitize hepatic membranes to the effect of Mycobacterium butyricum or some toxic compound elaborated during the active phase of inflammation.
Dose-dependent toxic effects of high-dose estrogen on renal and cardiac injury in surgically postmenopausal mice

Abstract Aims We previously found that in mice with experimental myocardial infarction (MI), 17β-estradiol (E2) increased mortality and worsened cardiac remodeling and these deleterious effects were associated with renal enlargement and hydronephrosis in a dose-dependent manner. In the present study we questioned whether E2-induced renal damage predisposes to rather than results from its adverse effects on the heart. Main methods Ovariectomized (ovx) mice received either placebo (P) or E2 at 0.02 (E2-L, low dose), 0.42 (E2-M, moderate dose) or 4.2 μg/d (E2-H, high dose) for 8 weeks. Key findings E2-L partially restored uterine weight and plasma estrogen levels without affecting heart, lung and liver weight, hemodynamic parameters, or heart and kidney morphology and function. E2-M restored normal uterine weight, but this was accompanied by a significant increase in kidney weight, albuminuria, glomerular matrix formation and markers for oxidative stress. E2-H increased uterine weight 4.5-fold and resulted in higher plasma creatinine levels, severe albuminuria, renal tubular dilatation, tubulointerstitial injury, hydronephrosis, glomerulosclerosis and oxidative stress. E2-H also caused ascites, hepatomegaly and fluid retention in the uterine horns but had no significant effect on blood pressure or heart function. Significance Our data demonstrated that an excessive dose of E2 that raises uterine weight beyond physiological levels adversely affects the kidney even before it damages the heart. We believe estrogen dosage should be taken into account when considering hormonal replacement therapy, since inappropriate doses of E2 may damage not only the heart but also the kidney.
Evaluation of combination thrombolytic therapy and timing of cardiac catheterization in acute myocardial infarction. Results of thrombolysis and angioplasty in myocardial infarction--phase 5 randomized trial. TAMI Study Group.

Recent trials of myocardial reperfusion using single-agent thrombolytic therapy and sequential cardiac catheterization have supported a conservative approach to the patient with acute myocardial infarction. To evaluate combination thrombolytic therapy and the role of a previously untested strategy for the aggressive use of cardiac catheterization, we performed a multicenter clinical trial with a 3 x 2 factorial design in which 575 patients were randomly allocated to one of three drug regimens--tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) (n = 191), urokinase (n = 190), or both (n = 194) - and one of two catheterization strategies--immediate catheterization with angioplasty for failed thrombolysis (n = 287) or deferred predischarge catheterization on days 5-10 (n = 288). Patients with contraindications to thrombolytic therapy, cardiogenic shock, or age of more than 75 years were excluded. Global left ventricular ejection fraction was well preserved and almost identical at predischarge catheterization (54%), regardless of the catheterization or thrombolytic strategy used (p = 0.98). Combination thrombolytic therapy was associated with a less complicated clinical course, most clearly documented by a lower rate of reocclusion (2%) compared with urokinase (7%) and t-PA (12%) (p = 0.04) and a lower rate of recurrent ischemia (25%) compared with urokinase (35%) and t-PA (31%). When a composite clinical end point (e.g., death, stroke, reinfarction, reocclusion, heart failure, or recurrent ischemia) was examined, combination thrombolytic therapy was associated with greater freedom from any adverse event (68%) compared with either single agent (urokinase, 55%; t-PA, 60%) (p = 0.04) and with a less complicated clinical course when the composite clinical end points were ranked according to clinical severity (p = 0.024). Early patency rates were greater with combination therapy, although predischarge patency rates after considering interventions to maintain patency were similar among drug regimens. No difference in bleeding complication rates was observed with any thrombolytic regimen. The aggressive catheterization strategy led to an overall early patency rate of 96% and a predischarge patency rate of 94% compared with a 90% predischarge patency in the conservative strategy (p = 0.065). The aggressive strategy improved regional wall motion in the infarct region (-2.16 SDs/chord) compared with deferred catheterization (-2.49 SDs/chord) (p = 0.004). More patients treated with the aggressive strategy were free from adverse outcomes (67% versus 55% in the conservative strategy, p = 0.004), and the clinical course was less complicated when the adverse outcomes were ranked according to severity (p = 0.016). No significant increase in use of blood products resulted from the aggressive strategy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Pituitary macroadenoma causing symptomatic internal carotid artery compression: Surgical treatment through transsphenoidal tumor resection

Pituitary macroadenomas can invade the cavernous sinus and rarely cause occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Most patients with symptomatic obstruction of the ICA by a pituitary tumor have been reported as a result of apoplexy. The authors review the literature about this condition and report a 48-year-old man who presented with transient ischemic attacks leading to a stroke. Imaging studies demonstrated complete occlusion of the left ICA and critical narrowing of the right ICA at the level of the clinoid processes, most likely due to macroadenoma mass effect. There was no radiologic evidence of apoplexy. Surgical resection of the tumor and ICA decompression via the transsphenoidal route resulted in prevention of further symptoms. Histopathologic analysis confirmed a nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma without evidence of hemorrhage or intratumoral infarction. This patient, to the authors' knowledge, is the first documented patient with symptomatic carotid compression by a pituitary adenoma without evidence of apoplexy.
Traumatic myositis ossificans of the levator scapulae muscle

Traumatic myositis ossificans (TMO) is a disorder characterized by benign heterotopic bone formation in skeletal muscles subject to direct major trauma or repeated minor injuries. TM0 typically occurs in young, physically active men who have sustained blunt trauma and, therefore, most often occurs in large muscles of the extremities. In 25% of patients, however, there is no history of trauma.’ Early radiographic studies do not usually show bone formation, and TM0 is often mistaken for a malignant tumor of the soft tissue or b0ne.Q TM0 is an uncommon complication of trauma or strain to the muscles of the head and neck. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of TM0 of the levator scapulae muscle. The main importance of early diagnosis of TM0 in the head and neck is to avoid the costly and sometimes morbid pursuit of the many different diagnoses possible for a neck mass.
Symplectic variable step size integration for N -body problems

Multiple time stepping can be applied to the leapfrog/Stormer/Verlet integrator so as to effect a variable step size algorithm. The strategy maintains the symplecticness, time-reversibility, and second-order accuracy of the leapfrog method. This method can be applied to 2-body central force interactions by partitioning them into distance classes and smoothly decomposing the potential energy into the sum of potential functions for the respective classes. The algorithm described here is much more efficient than leapfrog with very small step sizes and more accurate than leapfrog with larger step sizes.
Sphenoidal Electrode Insertion Using Topical Anesthesia

Summary: Sphenoidal electrodes are frequently used in epilepsy centers, but insertion can be painful. We used a topical anesthetic cream on patients (2.5% lidocaine, 2.5% prilocaine) before inserting electrodes and had patients rate their discomfort on an analogue pain scale. As a comparison, the same patients rated the pain caused by inserting a heparin lock. There was no significant difference between the pain of sphenoidal electrode insertion with use of topical anesthesia and that of heparin lock insertion. We suggest that when a topical anesthetic is used, the discomfort of inserting sphenoidal electrodes is minimal and comparable to that of inserting a heparin lock.
Brainstem origin of serotonin- and enkephalin-immunoreactive afferents to the opossum's cerebellum.

Previous studies have described the distribution of serotonin- and enkephalin-immunoreactive elements in the posterior lobe vermis of the oposum's cerebellum. In the present study we have used a double labeling paradigm which combines the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) with serotonin and enkephalin immunohistochemistry to determine the brainstem origin of serotoninergic and enkephalinergic neurons that project to the opossum's cerebellar cortex. Subsequent to HRP injections into the posterior lobe vermis, widespread areas of the medulla and pons were found to contain retrogradely labeled neurons. Serotonin-immunoreactive somata are present primarily in the raphe nuclei and the adjacent reticular formation. Enkephalinergic neurons were numerous in the raphe nuclei, medial accessory olive, gigantocellular reticular formation, locus coeruleus, and the nucleus of the trapezoid body. However, serotoninergic neurons that project to the cerebellum were located only in the medullary pyramids and the reticular formation adjacent to the raphe. Double-labeled enkephalinergic neurons were located 1) within the medullary pyramids, 2) throughout the extent of the caudal medial accessory olive, 3) in the rostral subnucleus a of the medial accessory olive, 4) in the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis pars ventralis, 5) in the nucleus reticularis lateralis, and 6) in the nucleus reticularis ventralis lateral to the inferior olivary complex. These results indicate that although neurons containing serotonin and enkephalin immunoreactivity may be present in some of the same pontine and medullary nuclei, those serotoninergic and enkephalinergic neurons that project to the cerebellum are present primarily in restricted and spatially separate regions of the caudal medulla.
Control of spatial orientation of the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex by the nodulus and uvula of the vestibulocerebellum

Eye velocity produced by the angular vestibulo-ocular reflex (aVOR) tends to align with the summed vector of gravity and other linear accelerations [gravito-inertial acceleration (GIA)]. Defined as "spatial orientation of the aVOR," we propose that it is controlled by the nodulus and uvula of the vestibulocerebellum. Here, electrical stimulation, injections of the GABAA agonist, muscimol, and single-cell recordings were utilized to investigate this spatial orientation. Stimulation, injection, and recording sites in the nodulus were determined in vivo by MRI and verified in histological sections. MRI proved to be a sensitive, reliable way to localize electrode placements. Electrical stimulation at sites in the nodulus and sublobule d of the uvula produced nystagmus whose slow-phase eye-velocity vectors were either head centric or spatially invariant. When head centric, the eye velocity vector remained within +/- 45 degrees of the vector obtained with the animal upright, regardless of head position with respect to gravity. When spatially oriented, the vector remained relatively constant in space in one on-side position, with respect to the vector determined with the animal upright. A majority of induced movements from the nodulus were spatially oriented. Spatially oriented movements were generally followed by after-nystagmus, which had the characteristics of optokinetic after-nystagmus (OKAN), including orientation to the GIA. After muscimol injections, horizontal-to-vertical cross-coupling was lost or reduced during OKAN in tilted positions. This supports the hypothesis that the nodulus mediates yaw-to-vertical or roll cross-coupling. The injections also shortened the yaw-axis time constant and produced contralateral horizontal spontaneous nystagmus, whose velocity varied as a function of head position with regard to gravity. Nodulus units were tested with static head tilt, sinusoidal oscillation around a spatial horizontal axis with the head in different orientations relative to the pitching plane, and off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR). The direction of the response vectors of the otolith-recipient units in the nodulus, determined from static and/or dynamic head tilts, were confirmed by OVAR. These vector directions lay close to the planes of the vertical canals in 7/10 units; many units also had convergent input from the vertical canals. It is postulated that the orientation properties of the aVOR result from a transfer of otolith input regarding head tilt along canal planes to canal-related zones of the nodulus. In turn, Purkinje cells in these zones project to vestibular nuclei neurons to control eye velocity around axes normal to these same canal planes.
The Effect of Examiner's Race on the Performance of African American Children on the SCAN.

Purpose: With African American children, processingdependent central auditory nervous system (CANS) tests, such as the Screening Test for Auditory Processing Disorders (SCAN) (Keith, 1986), may be ...
Challenges and Opportunities Associated With Rural Mental Health Practice

This manuscript outlines the challenges and opportunities associated with rural mental health practice, and provides descriptive data on the scope of care, area of competence, and clinical training of a group of practitioners providing services in rural central Appalachia. Thematic content analysis reveals ethical challenges encountered, job satisfaction, and the pinnacles and pitfalls of mental health care practice in the region. Implications for training, recruiting, and retaining practitioners to work in underserved rural settings are described. The authors highlight a number of areas that need additional research attention in order to address remaining questions relevant to clinical practice in rural settings.
Status Seeking and Social Welfare: Is There Virtue in Vanity?*

Objectives. This article examines how social status rewards can affect social welfare outcomes in the presence of positive and negative externalities. Method. A rational choice approach is used to characterize how individuals respond to incentives to seek high status (and avoid stigma) given existing preferences, technology, and the sources of status defined within a given reference group. Results. In the presence of market failures, the analysis identifies several kinds of status-related interventions that encourage acts with positive externalities or discourage those with negative externalities, with results that contribute to social well-being generally. Conclusions. The analysis characterizes ways that formal and informal social mechanisms can make these incentives more effective, and finds abundant evidence that interventions of this kind are widely observed in society today.
The materials test station: A fast-spectrum irradiation facility

Abstract The United States Department of Energy is developing technologies needed to reduce the quantity of high-level nuclear waste bound for deep geologic disposal. Central to this mission is the development of high burn-up fuel with significant inclusion of plutonium and minor actinides. Different fuel forms (e.g., nitrides, oxides, and metal matrix) and composition are under study. The success of these cannot be judged until they have been irradiated and tested in a prototypic fast neutron spectrum environment. In 2005, the US Congress authorized funding for the design of the materials test station (MTS) to perform candidate fuels and materials irradiations in a neutron spectrum similar to a fast reactor spectrum. The MTS will use a 1-MW proton beam to generate neutrons through spallation reactions. The peak neutron flux in the irradiation region will exceed 1.2 × 1019 n m−2 s−1 and the fast neutron fluence will reach 2 × 1026 n m−2 per year of operation. Site preparation and test station fabrication are expected to take four years.
Ventricular Tachycardia with Narrow QRS Complexes (Left Posterior Fascicular Tachycardia)

Ectopic atrial, A-V junctional, and ventricular tachycardias in man have been associated with digitalis medication. Recently it has become possible to distinguish various locations of pacemakers within the specialized conduction system of the ventricles on the basis of the form of the QRS complexes in the standard electrocardiogram. Tachycardias originating in the left bundle branch and documented by right, left, and His bundle recordings have been produced in animals given excessive digitalis. We have noted a similar tachycardia in a patient with ischemic heart disease receiving digitalis during hypokalemia. The QRS complexes were 0.10 sec in duration and by contour suggested an ectopic focus located in the posterior fascicle of the left bundle; His bundle recordings were consistent with this diagnosis. As the ectopic rhythm became synchronized with a slightly irregular sinus rhythm, bidirectional depolarization of the His bundle with fusion His potentials could be demonstrated.
Power- and bandwidth-efficient communications using LDPC codes

We apply low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes to a bandwidth-efficient modulation scheme using multilevel coding, multistage decoding, and trellis-based signal shaping. Performance results based on density evolution and simulations are presented. Using irregular LDPC component codes of block length 10/sup 5/ and a 64-quadrature amplitude modulation signal constellation operating at 2 bits/dimension, a bit-error rate of 10/sup -5/ is achieved at an E/sub b//N/sub 0/ of 6.55 dB. At this value of E/sub b//N/sub 0/, the Shannon channel capacity, computed assuming equally likely signaling, is below 2 bits/dimension.
A Cross-Cultural Study of the Levels and Correlates of Life Satisfaction among Adolescents

Cross-cultural differences in the perceived levels and correlates of life satisfaction were investigated with 472 Korean and 543 U.S. adolescents. Korean adolescents reported lower global life satisfaction than U.S. adolescents, as well as lower satisfaction with family, friends, school, self, and living environment. Although satisfaction with family, self, and living environment contributed significant and unique variance to the global life satisfaction of adolescents in both cultures, satisfaction with school contributed significantly to global life satisfaction only for Korean adolescents. Level of satisfaction with self was a stronger correlate of global life satisfaction for U.S. adolescents than it was for Korean adolescents. The findings are discussed in terms of individualistic versus collectivistic culture frameworks within the value as moderator model of subjective well-being. Implications for future research and culturally sensitive well-being interventions are also presented.
Actively controlled mobility systems

The author discusses the coordination problem which arises in vehicles with large numbers of independently actuated joints designed to operate in unknown terrain. Coordination requires a considerable amount of sensor data. Some of this may be available from sensors required by other machine systems. Other necessary data mandates installation of sensor systems which would not otherwise be required. Much of the technology discussed is based on the adaptive suspension vehicle legged vehicle. An important application area for this technology is in planetary rover vehicles. A number of the diverse designs under study are reviewed with regard to their coordination requirements. >
Organization of Care for Acute Myocardial Infarction in Rural and Urban Hospitals in Kansas

: Context: One in 4 Americans lives in a rural community and relies on rural hospitals and medical systems for emergent care of acute myocardial infarctions (AMI). The infrastructure and organization of AMI care in rural and urban Kansas hospitals was examined. Methods: Using a nominal group process, key elements within hospitals that might influence quality of AMI care were identified, including personnel, equipment, organizational systems, and quality improvement activities. These elements were included in a survey of 45 rural and 12 urban Kansas hospitals. Findings: Though emergency 911 systems were widely available in both urban and rural communities, paramedics and advanced cardiac life support were less likely to be available in rural communities. Few rural hospitals were capable of emergent catheterization, angioplasty, or coronary artery bypass surgery; cardiologists, though readily available by phone, were rarely available on-site. Nevertheless, most rural ambulances could not bypass local hospitals. Most rural hospitals transferred the vast majority of their patients to urban medical centers within an average distance of 78 miles. Standardized protocols were used for emergent AMI care in 67% of urban and 62% of rural hospitals. Hospitals included aspirin in 53% and beta-blockers in 28% of either protocols or standing orders. Conclusions: Although faced with more limited resources, some rural hospitals, like their urban counterparts, have implemented protocols to address emergent care of AMI patients. Nevertheless, many of these protocols omit crucial aspects of AMI care. Rural and urban hospitals should jointly develop systems that assure consistent, rapid delivery of AMI care.
Distributed state estimation in discrete event systems

Knowledge of the current system state is crucial to many discrete event systems (DESs) applications such as control, diagnosis and prognosis. Due to limited sensing capabilities, the current state information is generally not available and needs to be estimated. In this paper, we propose a novel distributed state estimation algorithm for discrete event plants. According to the proposed algorithm, local sites maintain and update local state estimates based on their local observations of the plant behavior and the observations of the plant behavior sent from the other sites over communication channels with delays. For efficiency of storage, redundant history information about the possible plant evolution is truncated each time a local state estimate is updated. At each local site, the truncation is performed independently requiring no synchronization among the sites. The state estimate maintained at each of the local sites is shown to remain finite regardless of whether the system can execute an unbounded sequence of unobservable events. It is also shown that the proposed algorithm is sound and complete, i.e., each local estimate always contains the true current states (soundness), and it only contains the reachable states of the traces which give rise to a same history of observations (as received from the plant and the other local sites) as does the one executed by the plant (completeness). Also the proposed algorithm can support an architecture in which there is no communication from a certain site to certain other sites. An illustrative example is provided to demonstrate the proposed distributed state estimation algorithm.
Reducing blocking artifacts in JPEG-compressed images using an adaptive neural network-based algorithm

It is well known that at low bit rates, a block-based discrete cosine transform compressed image or video can exhibit visually annoying blocking and ringing artifacts. Low-pass filters are very effective in reducing the blocking artifacts in smooth areas. However, it is difficult to achieve a satisfactory result for ringing artifact removal using only an adaptive filtering scheme. This paper presents a neural network-based deblocking method that is effective on various types of images. The first step of this scheme is block classification that identifies each 8 × 8 block as one of the three types: PLAIN, EDGE or TEXTURE, based on its statistical characteristics. The next step is the reduction in the blocking and ringing artifacts by applying three trained layered neural networks to three different types of image areas. Comparing this method with other algorithms, the simulation results clearly show that the proposed algorithm is very powerful in effectively reducing both blocking and ringing artifacts while preserving the true edge and textural information and thus significantly improving the visual quality of the blocking images or videos.