cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ingestion by a Freshwater Turtle Alters Germination of Bottomland Hardwood Seeds

Seed dispersal by animals is well documented in many habitats; however, this knowledge is depauperate in bottomland hardwood forests. The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a large freshwater turtle of the southeastern United States that consumes primarily fish but also eats vegetation, including seeds of trees. To evaluate the role this species may play as a seed disperser in bottomland hardwood systems, we investigated the effect of ingestion by M. temminckii on germination of seeds of the following trees: common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica), and willow oak (Quercus phellos). Captive turtles were presented seeds of these three species in a series of feeding trials. Ingestion reduced the proportion of seeds that germinated compared to uneaten controls for D. virginiana and N. aquatica but had the opposite effect on Q. phellos. Ingested D. virginiana and N. aquatica seeds also germinated more slowly than uneaten controls; however, ingested Q. phellos seeds germinated faster than uneaten controls. This study suggests M. temminckii may have a role as a disperser of Q. phellos, N. aquatica, and D. virginiana; however, information on post-dispersal seed fate is needed to completely assess this species and other freshwater turtles as dispersers of wetland vegetation.
David Hume's legal theory: the significance of general laws

Hume is normally—and in my view, correctly—taken to be a legal conventionalist. However, the nature of Hume's conventionalism has not been well understood. Scholars have often interpreted David Hume as being largely indifferent to the specifics of the laws, so long as they accomplish their basic task of protecting people's property. I argue that this is not correct. Hume thinks certain systems of law will accomplish their purpose, of coordinating people's behaviour for the benefit of all, better than others. He introduces two concepts, which I call generality and convenience, to designate those features of the law that allow it to best accomplish its purpose. Of the two, generality is the more important. The ability to implement a system of what Hume calls “general laws” is a feature common to those governments he considers “civilized” rather than “barbarous.” A set of more specific criteria may be extracted from Hume's texts, which laws must meet if they are to be considered general. Many of the criteria...
American Cancer Society: the world's wealthiest "nonprofit" institution.

The American Cancer Society is fixated on damage control–diagnosis and treatment–and basic molecular biology, with indifference or even hostility to cancer prevention. This myopic mindset is compou...
Consistent features of TEC changes during ionospheric storms

Abstract Global position system (GPS) data from the continuously operating reference stations (CORS) network have been used to obtain the ionospheric vertical total electron content (VTEC) values over the continental USA (CONUS), corresponding to a series of 10-day storm periods with good seasonal coverage. The VTEC values have been extracted using the data assimilation algorithm for ionospheric imaging (MAGIC) package, a Kalman filter based code. The storm response of the VTEC was extracted from the data as a ratio to the quiet periods preceding the storms, and sorted as a function of latitude and a storm index defined as the integral, or filtered, ap over the previous 33 h. When studying the 10-day periods, consistent features from storm to storm were found, and these features became more apparent when separating the data between the “driven” phase of the storm, when the integral of ap is rising, and the “recovery” to the storm, when the integral of ap is declining. In this paper the results for three storms are highlighted. The “driven” phase shows, for these storms, a positive phase for the mid latitude region, while the “recovery” shows a negative phase. The existence of the positive phase over CONUS at the beginning of the storm period appears to be related to the timing of the peak of the perturbation; a positive phase will be observed when the peak of the perturbation occurs near midnight UT.
The monocular eye movements of the pigeon

Abstract The monocular eye movements of both restrained and partially restrained pigeons have been measured by means of a mirror attached to the edge of the cornea. The principal observations may be summarized under the following categories. Flicks, or eye movements which bring about a rapid change of fixation, are found to occur only in response to sudden and unexpected motion of a visual stimulus and are rarely observed under the quiescent conditions of a darkened room. Drifts, which are slower movements of the eye between fixation points, occur at velocities of about 1–5 deg per sec and are stimulated by object motion. Tremor motion is of extremely low amplitude and is unlikely to serve any visual function. Oscillations occur in short bursts at frequencies of about 30 Hz and amplitudes of several degrees. The evidence indicates that this eye movement is normally executed during a blink and it is probable that it performs a polishing action on the cornea in conjunction with the nictitating membrane. The observations lead to the conclusion that although the range of rotational motion available to the pigeon is less than in man, it nevertheless possesses a well developed and precisely controlled oculomotor system which appears in some respects to out-perform our own.
Reaction of SO2 and NO2 with polymers

A number of polymers have been exposed to SO2 and NO2 gas under various conditions. Chain scission, crosslinking reactions, and changes in infrared spectra have been noted. All polymers suffer some deterioration, which may be considerable with exposure over long periods of time. Elastomers form a separate group, being appreciably more susceptible to these gases than saturated polymers; however, they are still more sensitive to ozone.
Cytodifferentiation of the acinar cells of the rat submandibular gland

Abstract The present study examines the cytodifferentiation of the acinar exocrine cells of the rat submandibular gland (SMG) at the ultrastructural level. Submandibular glands from rats at 14 days of gestation through 12 weeks postpartum were examined. The acinar cells of the SMG begin to develop at 15–16 days of gestation and are not fully differentiated until 3–4 weeks after birth. The earliest cells show multiple Golgi zones and a few strands of widely dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum (rer). Subsequently, the cells show an orderly sequence of organelle changes and rearrangement which leads to fully differentiated exocrine cells. A series of five morphologically distinct secretory granules is observed during differentiation and these granules serve as markers of the functional maturity of the cells. Attention is given in this study to the development of the apical-basal polarity of functional organelles typically seen in exocrine cells and its relationship to secretory granule production. The findings of the current study are compared with similar reports in the literature on the developing pancreas and parotid gland of the rat. It is concluded that different developmental pathways are followed to attain a similar functional capacity in the three organs.
Benzodiazepine-like discriminative stimulus effects of toluene vapor.

Abstract In vitro studies show that the abused inhalant toluene affects a number of ligand-gated ion channels. The two most consistently implicated of these are γ -aminobutyric acid type A (GABA A ) receptors which are positively modulated by toluene and N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptors which are negatively modulated by toluene. Behavioral studies also suggest an interaction of toluene with GABA A and/or NMDA receptors but it is unclear if these receptors underlie the abuse-related intoxicating effects of toluene. Seventeen B6SJLF1/J mice were trained using a two-choice operant drug discrimination procedure to discriminate 10 min of exposure to 2000 ppm toluene vapor from 10 min of exposure to air. The discrimination was acquired in a mean of 65 training sessions. The stimulus effects of 2000 ppm toluene vapor were exposure concentration-dependent but rapidly diminished following the cessation of vapor exposure. The stimulus effects of toluene generalized to the chlorinated hydrocarbon vapor perchloroethylene but not 1,1,2-trichloroethane nor the volatile anesthetic isoflurane. The competitive NMDA antagonist CGS-19755, the uncompetitive antagonist dizocilpine and the glycine-site antagonist L701,324 all failed to substitute for toluene. The classical nonselective benzodiazepines midazolam and chlordiazepoxide produced toluene-like stimulus effects but the alpha 1 subunit preferring positive GABA A modulator zaleplon failed to substitute for toluene. The barbiturates pentobarbital and methohexital and the GABA A -positive modulator neurosteroid allopregnanolone did not substitute for toluene. These data suggest that the stimulus effects of toluene may be at least partially mediated by benzodiazepine-like positive allosteric modulation of GABA A receptors containing alpha 2, 3 or 5 subunits.
Abstract B134: PIK3CA mutations in patients with advanced cancers treated in phase I clinical trials

Background: Phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) is thought to play an important role in tumorigenesis. Activating mutations of the p110 subunit of PI3K (PIK3CA) have been identified in a broad spectrum of tumors. Methods: A mutational analysis (a PCR‐based DNA sequencing) of exon 9 (helical domain) and exon 20 (kinase domain) of the PIK3CA was performed using DNA obtained from tumors of patients referred for clinical trials using targeted therapy. Patients with PIK3CA were preferably treated whenever possible with regimens containing PI3K‐AKT‐mTOR signaling pathway inhibitors. Results: To date 146 samples from patients with various advanced cancers have been collected. At the time of submission 117 results from mutational analysis were available (ovarian cancer, n=23; colon cancer, n=13; cervical cancer, n=10; endometrial cancer, n=7; breast cancer, n=11; melanoma, n=7; head and neck cancer, n=10; soft tissue sarcoma [not including GIST] n=6; renal cancer, n=4; and other tumor types, n=26). PIK3CA mutations were detected in 14 (12%) patients (3 in exon 9‐helical domain, 11 in exon 20‐kinase domain). In tumor types with more than 5 patients tested, PIK3CA mutations were most frequent in endometrial cancer (43%, 3 out of 7 patients), ovarian cancer (22%, 5 out of 23 patients), squamous head and neck cancer (14%, 1 out of 7 patients), breast cancer 18% (2 out of 11 patients), and colon cancer (15%, 2 out of 13 patients). No mutations were identified in patients with melanoma or cervical cancer. The small number of patients at this point precludes statistical comparisons. Of the 14 patients with PIK3CA mutations, 10 were treated on a protocol that included a drug targeting the PI3K‐AKT‐mTOR pathway, and 4 (40%) responded (partial responses). Although numbers are small, in individual disease there were 2 (67%) responses in 3 endometrial cancers, 1 (25%) in 4 ovarian cancers, 1 (100%) in 1 breast cancer, and no response in 1 colorectal cancer patient. Conclusion:PIK3CA mutations were detected in 12% of patients with various solid tumors. Although numbers are small, response rate appears high (40%) in tumors with PIK3CA mutations treated with PI3K‐AKT‐mTOR pathway inhibitors. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12 Suppl):B134.
Making decisions on enterprise‐wide strategic alignment in multinational alliances

The article concerns the decision‐making process involved in determining the strategic need and use of multinational alliances for a specific company. In theory the process is a linear one moving from the situation analysis (company and competitive market) through evaluation of the impact of external and internal situation factors on the alliance entry choice. In practice, however, the process is an emerging one, as is shown in the company experiences described in this paper. In this sense, this study concerns the application of planning decision theory to actual company decision‐making practices.
Foxp3-expressing T regulatory cells and mast cells in acute graft-versus-host disease of the skin.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) limits the effectiveness of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Foxp3 is required for the development and function of CD4(+)/CD25(+) regulatory T cells (T-regs). Foxp3-expressing T-regs are thought to protect against GVHD. Mast cells are thought to be essential in CD4(+)/CD25(+) regulatory T cell-dependent peripheral tolerance. Twenty biopsies of skin with grades I-III aGVHD were stained for Foxp3 and CD117. Inflammation was quantified by a 4 point scale, 0 = no inflammation, 1 = 50%. T-regs and mast cells were quantified by a 4 point scale, 0 = no cells per 20x field, 1 = 10 cells. T-regs were positively correlated with both inflammation and aGVHD grade. Twelve cases with low T-regs had mild inflammation and lower grades of aGVHD and 6 cases with high T-regs had dense inflammatory infiltrate and higher grades of aGVHD. The number of T-regs, mast cells and density of the inflammatory infiltrate were positively correlated only in cases with mild inflammation. In aGVHD of the skin, T-regs increased with the degree of inflammation and GVHD grade. Mast cells were present at the same density whether aGVHD was of lower or higher grade.
TU-D-303A-03: Inorganic Nanoparticles for Molecular Imaging

Nanotechnology, an interdisciplinary research field involving chemistry, engineering, biology, medicine, and more, has great potential for early detection, accurate diagnosis, and personalized treatment of diseases. Molecular imaging refers to the characterization and measurement of biological processes at the cellular and/or molecular level. It can give whole‐body readout in an intact system, dramatically decrease the workload and reduce the cost of biomedical research and drug development, provide more statistically relevant results since longitudinal studies can be performed in the same animals, aid in early lesion detection in patients and patient stratification, and help in individualized treatment monitoring and dose optimization. This talk will exemplify the use of various inorganic nanoparticles for optical imaging,magnetic resonance imaging,computed tomography, and radionuclide imaging. The advantages of nanoplatform‐based molecular imaging over conventional approaches will be elaborated. However, several issues, such as biocompatibility, pharmacokinetics, in vivo targeting efficacy, cost‐effectiveness, and acute/chronic toxicity, that limit the clinical translation and wide spread use will also be discussed. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the basics of nanotechnology and molecular imaging 2. Understand the chemistry required for nanoparticle surface modification 3. Understand the pros and cons of inorganic nanoparticles for in vivo imaging.
Parental illness encouragement behavior among children with functional gastrointestinal disorders: a factor analysis with implications for research and clinical practice.

The objective of the current study was to assess the factor structure of the Illness Behavior Encouragement Scale (IBES) by Walker and Zeman (1992) among children with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs). Two hundred seventy nine children (63 % female), and 135 primary caregivers (90.8 % mothers), recruited from a large Midwestern children’s hospital completed the IBES, a 12-item measure of parental behavior in response to abdominal pain episodes. Findings suggested the IBES possesses two conceptually distinct scales that are invariant across parent self- and child-report, and are consistent with previous factor analysis in a Dutch sample of children with headaches. Different types of parental behaviors exist that naturally cluster and diverge in reliable ways. Future research is warranted to determine if these different types of parental behavior may differentially influence illness outcomes among children with FGIDs.
Effects of intranasal cocaine on sympathetic nerve discharge in humans

Cocaine-induced cardiovascular emergencies are mediated by excessive adrenergic stimulation. Animal studies suggest that cocaine not only blocks norepinephrine reuptake peripherally but also inhibits the baroreceptors, thereby reflexively increasing sympathetic nerve discharge. However, the effect of cocaine on sympathetic nerve discharge in humans is unknown. In 12 healthy volunteers, we recorded blood pressure and sympathetic nerve discharge to the skeletal muscle vasculature using intraneural microelectrodes (peroneal nerve) during intranasal cocaine (2 mg/kg, n = 8) or lidocaine (2%, n = 4), an internal local anesthetic control, or intravenous phenylephrine (0.5-2.0 microg/kg, n = 4), an internal sympathomimetic control. Experiments were repeated while minimizing the cocaine-induced rise in blood pressure with intravenous nitroprusside to negate sinoaortic baroreceptor stimulation. After lidocaine, blood pressure and sympathetic nerve discharge were unchanged. After cocaine, blood pressure increased abruptly and remained elevated for 60 min while sympathetic nerve discharge initially was unchanged and then decreased progressively over 60 min to a nadir that was only 2+/-1% of baseline (P < 0.05); however, plasma venous norepinephrine concentrations (n = 5) were unchanged up to 60 min after cocaine. Sympathetic nerve discharge fell more rapidly but to the same nadir when blood pressure was increased similarly with phenylephrine. When the cocaine-induced increase in blood pressure was minimized (nitroprusside), sympathetic nerve discharge did not decrease but rather increased by 2.9 times over baseline (P < 0.05). Baroreflex gain was comparable before and after cocaine. We conclude that in conscious humans the primary effect of intranasal cocaine is to increase sympathetic nerve discharge to the skeletal muscle bed. Furthermore, sinoaortic baroreflexes play a pivotal role in modulating the cocaine-induced sympathetic excitation. The interplay between these excitatory and inhibitory neural influences determines the net effect of cocaine on sympathetic discharge targeted to the human skeletal muscle circulation.
Effect of ecdysterone on ethyl trimethyl dodecadienoate juvenile hormone action in Oncopeltus fasciatus

Abstract Ethyl trimethyl dodecadienoate exhibited a strong juvenile hormone action in large milkweed bug larvae ( Oncopeltus fasciatus ) whereas ecdysterone caused minimal juvenilizing effects. Topically applied ethyl trimethyl dodecadienoate was not synergized by simultaneously injected ecdysterone.
Philosophy of religion and the mirror of nature: Rorty's challenge to analytic philosophy of religion

G.E. Michalson, Jr. has recently argued that theologians and historians of religion need to take seriously contemporary philosophical debates about such issues as the analytic/synthetic distinction and that between necessary and contingent truths.1 He has persuasively shown that attending to the work of philosophers like Quine, Sellars and Rorty may lead us to question one of our most fundamental assumptions about the relationship between faith and historical knowledge, namely, that the necessary (or absolute) truths of faith cannot rest on the contingent truths of historical research. In this paper, I want to extend Michalson' s analysis and to argue that taking these philosophers seriously leads, not merely to a reassessment of the relationship between faith and history, but to review of a whole philosophical discipline, analytic philosophy of religion. What I wish to argue is that the recent work of Richard Rorty in particular has significant consequences for this discipline, and that analytic philosophers of religion neglect Rorty at their peril. For his own part, Rorty believes that accepting the work of Quine and Sellars leads one to question the very notion of "analytic" philosophy and he attempts to show how their arguments undermine much contemporary work in the field. He does not, however, discuss analytic philosophy of religion in his work, and that is what I would like to do here. What I am going to do in this paper then, is to examine the work of one contemporary philosopher of religion, Richard Swinburne, in the light of Rorty's critique of contemporary analytic philosophy. What I hope to show is that Swinburne's programme is wholly incompatible with the epistemological behaviorism that Rorty endorses in Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature,2 and in the Consequences of Pragmatism.3 The matter is, I think, as straightforward as this: if Rorty is right, if we ought to be pragmatists in our thinking about truth and knowledge, then Swinburne's approach to religious belief and knowledge, and by extension the approach of most analytic philosophers of religion, is radically misguided. To see why this is the case will be the objective of this paper.
Escherichia coli Hfq has distinct interaction surfaces for DsrA, rpoS and poly(A) RNAs

The bacterial Sm-like protein Hfq facilitates RNA-RNA interactions involved in post-transcriptional regulation of the stress response. Specifically, Hfq helps pair noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) with complementary regions of target mRNAs. To probe the mechanism of this pairing, we generated a series of Hfq mutants and measured their affinity for RNAs like those with which Hfq must associate in vivo. We tested the mutants' DsrA-dependent activation of rpoS, and their ability to stabilize DsrA ncRNA against degradation in vivo. Our results suggest that Hfq has two independent RNA-binding surfaces. In addition to a well-known site around the core of the Hfq hexamer, we observe interactions with the distal face of Hfq, a new locus with which mRNAs and poly(A) sequences associate. Our model explains how Hfq can simultaneously bind a ncRNA and its mRNA target to facilitate the strand displacement reaction required for Hfq-dependent translational regulation.
Prevention of Battering During Pregnancy: Focus on Behavioral Change

To establish the prevalence of battering during pregnancy, 290 black, white, and hispanic women attending public and private prenatal clinics were randomly selected and interviewed. In all, 36 percent had been battered or were at risk for battering. Injuries included slaps, kicks, punches, broken bones, choking, and sexual assault. None of the pregnant women reported being assessed for abuse by their health care provider. To prevent the battering of pregnant women, an educational program was initiated based on a model of behavior change. Behavioral change expected was increased knowledge and routine abuse assessment by health professionals. This program was applied to 841 health providers working with pregnant women. After completing the program, 75 percent of the participants were assessing pregnant women for physical abuse or in the process of developing an assessment protocol.
A comprehensive power analysis and a highly efficient, mode-hopping DC-DC converter

A comprehensive power analysis, keeping integrated circuits in mind, is presented while highlighting all conduction, switching, and dynamic power losses in a DC-DC converter. Synchronous rectification, zero-voltage switching, mode-hopping, and variable frequency operation are evaluated. The efficiency for constant frequency CCM, constant frequency DCM, and constant on-time, variable frequency DCM techniques is analyzed and the optimum technique is derived. It is concluded that a mode-hopping converter employing an asynchronous, constant on-time, variable frequency DCM operation for low output currents and a synchronous, constant frequency CCM operation for high load currents yields the best efficiency performance.
On Approximate Geodesic-Distance Queries amid Deforming Point Clouds

We propose data structures for answering a geodesic-distance query between two query points in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional dynamic environment, in which obstacles are deforming continuously. Each obstacle in the environment is modeled as the convex hull of a continuously deforming point cloud. The key to our approach is to avoid maintaining the convex hull of each point cloud explicitly but still able to retain sufficient geometric information to estimate geodesic distances in the free space.
Using Behavioral Skills Training to Promote Safe and Correct Staff Guarding and Ambulation Distance of Students with Multiple Physical Disabilities.

The study analyzed the effects of self-recording and behavioral skills training on guarding responses of 3 staff members while they assisted 3 students with multiple disabilities to ambulate. The intervention increased the percentage of correct posture and guarding responses and the distance that students ambulated. These effects generalized when staff taught new students.
Exploiting motion priors in visual odometry for vehicle-mounted cameras with non-holonomic constraints

This paper presents a new method to estimate the relative motion of a vehicle from images of a single camera. The biggest problem in visual motion estimation is data association; matched points contain many outliers that must be detected and removed so that the motion can be estimated accurately. A very established method for robust motion estimation in the presence of outliers is the five-point RANSAC algorithm. Five-point RANSAC operates by generating motion hypotheses from randomly-sampled minimal sets of five-point correspondences. These hypotheses are then tested against all data points and the motion hypothesis that after a given number of iterations returns the largest number of inliers is taken as the solution to the problem. A typical drawback of RANSAC is that the number of iterations required to find a suitable solution grows exponentially with the number of outliers, often requiring thousands of iterations for typical data from urban environments. Another problem is that - due to its random nature - sometimes the found solution is not the “best” solution to the motion estimation problem. In this paper, we describe an algorithm for relative motion estimation in the presence of outliers, which does not rely on RANSAC. Contrary to RANSAC, motion hypotheses are not generated from randomly-sampled point correspondences, but from a “proposal distribution” that is built by exploiting the vehicle non-holonomic constraints. We show that not only is the proposed algorithm significantly faster than RANSAC, but that the returned solution may also be better in that it favors the underlying motion model of the vehicle, thus overcoming the typical limitations of RANSAC. Additionally, the proposed algorithm provides the likelihood of the motion estimate, which can be very useful in all those applications where a probability distribution of the position of the vehicle is required (e.g., SLAM). Finally, the performance of the proposed method is compared to that of the standard five-point RANSAC on real images collected from a vehicle moving in a cluttered, urban environment.
Initial On-Orbit Performance of NICMOS

On 1997 February 13, Space Shuttle astronauts placed the Near-Infrared Camera and Multiobject Spectrometer (NICMOS) into the Hubble Space Telescope. Following installation, the servicing mission orbital verification program (SMOV) performed extensive testing of the instrument to verify that it can be operated and calibrated effectively. This program is essentially completed, and routine science observations have begun in most of the NICMOS modes of operation. This Letter describes the performance levels of NICMOS at this time.
Effectiveness of Problem-Solving Therapy for Older, Primary Care Patients With Depression: Results From the IMPACT Project

Purpose: We compared a primary-care-based psychotherapy, that is, problem-solving therapy for primary care (PST-PC), to community-based psychotherapy in treating late-life major depression and dysthymia. Design and Methods: The data here are from the IMPACT study, which compared collaborative care within a primary care clinic to care as usual in the treatment of 1,801 primary care patients, 60 years of age or older, with major depression or dysthymia. This study is a secondary data analysis (n = 433) of participants who received either PST-PC (by means of collaborative care) or community-based psychotherapy (by means of usual care). Results: Older adults who received PST-PC had more depression-free days at both 12 and between 12 and 24 months (b = 47.5, p , .001; b = 47.0, p , .001), and they had fewer depressive symptoms and better functioning at 12 months (bdep = � 0.36, p , .001; bfunc = � 0.94, p , .001), than those who received community-based psychotherapy. We found no differences at 24 months. Implications: Results suggest that PST-PC as delivered in primary care settings is an effective method for treating late-life depression.
Patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura commonly develop metabolic alkalosis during therapeutic plasma exchange.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and myasthenia gravis (MG) are category I indications for therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). This study was based on the hypothesis that the development of metabolic alkalosis during TPE is more common in TTP than in MG, based on our previous observations. In order to test it, we compared the levels of bicarbonate and potassium in both groups of patients undergoing plasmapheresis. Fifteen patients with TTP (190 procedures) and ten MG patients seen concurrently were studied. While baseline bicarbonate levels were similar among all patients, the post-procedure bicarbonate levels in TTP patients were mostly elevated with a mean +/- SD of 29.4 +/- 3.5 mEq/L, as opposed to decreased or unchanged in MG patients 26.3 +/- 3.1 mEq/L (mean +/- SD) (P = 1.4 x 10(-8)). Furthermore, alkalosis in the TTP group persisted throughout subsequent daily treatments. There was also a significant decrease between pre- and post-TPE potassium levels in TTP patients (P = 3 x 10(-21)) by paired Student's t test. Additionally, samples with levels <3.3 mEq/L were alkalotic 75% of the time. In the MG group, however, potassium was normal in 85% and 83% of the pre- and post-TPE samples, respectively. Consequently, the hypokalemia was significantly more marked in the TTP group (P = 0.0008). These data confirm that plasmapheresis commonly induces metabolic alkalosis in TTP patients, probably due to high citrate in fresh frozen plasma, the frequency of treatments, and perhaps decreased renal clearance due to disease involvement of the kidneys.
The Transcription Factor CCAAT/Enhancer-binding Protein α Is Required for the Intracellular Retention of GLUT4

Abstract Insulin modulates glucose uptake into adipocytes by regulating the trafficking of the GLUT4 glucose transporter. GLUT4 is mostly excluded from the surface of unstimulated cells because it is much more slowly exocytosed than it is endocytosed. GLUT4 traffics through an adipocyte-specific, specialized endosomal recycling pathway that only partially overlaps with compartments of the general endosomal recycling pathway. Insulin stimulates GLUT4 exocytosis and partially inhibits its endocytosis, resulting in GLUT4 redistribution to the cell surface. Insulin does not stimulate glucose uptake into adipocytes lacking the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein α (C/EBPα) transcription factor. Here we show that these adipocytes do not properly traffic GLUT4. In these adipocytes, GLUT4 was rapidly exocytosed in basal conditions, resulting in an accumulation of GLUT4 on the plasma membrane. Although the kinetics of GLUT4 trafficking were altered, GLUT4 was still targeted to specialized intracellular compartments in adipocytes lacking C/EBPα, demonstrating an uncoupling of the targeting of GLUT4 to a specialized, adipocyte-specific insulin-regulated pathway from the regulation of the movement of GLUT4 through this pathway. Re-expression of C/EBPα in adipocytes lacking C/EBPα restored normal GLUT4 trafficking. We propose that C/EBPα controls the expression of the proteins that determine the basal, slow exocytosis of GLUT4, but not the proteins required to make the adipocyte-specific compartments through which GLUT4 traffics. Furthermore, these data support a model in which insulin stimulates GLUT4 exocytosis by releasing an inhibitor of GLUT4 movement to the cell surface, and it is this clamp on basal exocytosis that is missing in adipocytes lacking C/EBPα.
LAPTM4B is a PtdIns(4,5)P2 effector that regulates EGFR signaling, lysosomal sorting, and degradation

Lysosomal degradation is essential for the termination of EGF-stimulated EGF receptor (EGFR) signaling. This requires EGFR sorting to the intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) of multi-vesicular endosomes (MVEs). Cytosolic proteins including the ESCRT machineries are key regulators of EGFR intraluminal sorting, but roles for endosomal transmembrane proteins in receptor sorting are poorly defined. Here, we show that LAPTM4B, an endosomal transmembrane oncoprotein, inhibits EGF-induced EGFR intraluminal sorting and lysosomal degradation, leading to enhanced and prolonged EGFR signaling. LAPTM4B blocks EGFR sorting by promoting ubiquitination of Hrs (an ESCRT-0 subunit), which inhibits the Hrs association with ubiquitinated EGFR. This is counteracted by the endosomal PIP kinase, PIPKIγi5, which directly binds LAPTM4B and neutralizes the inhibitory function of LAPTM4B in EGFR sorting by generating PtdIns(4,5)P2 and recruiting SNX5. PtdIns(4,5)P2 and SNX5 function together to protect Hrs from ubiquitination, thereby promoting EGFR intraluminal sorting. These results reveal an essential layer of EGFR trafficking regulated by LAPTM4B, PtdIns(4,5)P2 signaling, and the ESCRT complex and define a mechanism by which the oncoprotein LAPTM4B can transform cells and promote tumor progression.
Univariate polynomials: nearly optimal algorithms for numerical factorization and root-finding

To approximate all roots (zeros) of a univariate polynomial, we develop two effective algorithms and combine them in a single recursive process. One algorithm computes a basic well isolated zero-free annulus on the complex plane, whereas another algorithm numerically splits the input polynomial of the nth degree into two factors balanced in the degrees and with the zero sets separated by the basic annulus, Recursive combination of the two algorithms leads to computation of the complete numerical factorization of a polynomial into the product of linear factors and further to the approximation of the roots. The new root-finder incorporates the earlier techniques of Schonhage, Neff/Reif, and Kirrinnis and our old and new techniques and yields nearly optimal (up to polylogarithmic factors) arithmetic and Boolean cost estimates for the computational complexity of both complete factorization and root-finding. The improvement over our previous record Boolean complexity estimates is by roughly the factor of n for complete factorization and also for the approximation of well-conditioned (well isolated) roots, whereas the same algorithm is also optimal (under both arithmetic and Boolean models of computing) for the worst case input polynomial, whose roots can be ill-conditioned, forming clusters. (The worst case complexity bounds for root-finding are supported by our previous algorithms as well.) All algorithms allow processor efficient acceleration to achieve solution in polylogarithmic parallel time.
Be The First To Arrive And The Last To Leave Your Class

The time before and after a large class can be very valuable in setting the atmosphere in the room, engaging students, holding impromptu office hours and organizing the material.
Gastric acid hypersecretion in refractory gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Abstract We prospectively evaluated gastric acid output (mEq/ h), gastric volume output (ml/h), ambulatory 24-h esophageal pH monitoring, and the endoscopic appearance of the esophagus in 23 patients undergoing treatment of chronic long-standing pyrosis. Twelve of these 23 individuals (52%) remained symptomatic after 3 mo of standard antisecretory treatment with ranitidine, 150 mg twice daily. When compared with initial responders, those patients who did not experience complete symptomatic relief on therapy had significantly higher basal acid output (p L10 mEq/h), and 10 of the 12 had Barrett's epithelium compared with only 1 patient in the initial-responder group (p 2 -receptor antagonists are hypersecretors of basal gastric acid and require increased acid-suppressive therapy. Many of these individuals also have underlying Barrett's epithelium.
The epidemiology of fatalities reported to the vaccine adverse event reporting system 1990-1997.

Purpose To examine the fatalities reported to the federally administered Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), a passive surveillance system, in its first 7 years. Methods The working data set included variables such as demographic information, dates of vaccination, adverse event onset and death, vaccines administered, and vaccination facility data. Frequencies for these data and state reporting rates were calculated. Results A total of 1266 fatalities were reported to VAERS during July 1990 through June 1997. The number of death reports peaked in 1992–1993 and then declined. The overall median age of cases was 0.4 years, with a range of 1 day to 104 years. Nearly half of the deaths were attributed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Conclusions The trend of decreasing numbers of deaths reported to VAERS since 1992–1993 follows that observed for SIDS overall for the US general population following implementation of the ‘Back to Sleep’ program. These data may support findings of past controlled studies showing that the association between infant vaccination and SIDS is coincidental and not causal. VAERS reports of death after vaccination may be stimulated by the temporal association, rather than by any causal relationship. Published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
In Vivo Imaging of Oral Neoplasia Using a Miniaturized Fiber Optic Confocal Reflectance Microscope

The purpose of this study was to determine whether in vivo images of oral mucosa obtained with a fiber optic confocal reflectance microscope could be used to differentiate normal and neoplastic tissues. We imaged 20 oral sites in eight patients undergoing surgery for squamous cell carcinoma. Normal and abnormal areas within the oral cavity were identified clinically, and real-time videos of each site were obtained in vivo using a fiber optic confocal reflectance microscope. Following imaging, each site was biopsied and submitted for histopathologic examination. We identified distinct features, such as nuclear irregularity and spacing, which can be used to qualitatively differentiate between normal and abnormal tissue. Representative confocal images of normal, pre-neoplastic, and neoplastic oral tissue are presented. Previous work using much larger microscopes has demonstrated the ability of confocal reflectance microscopy to image cellular and tissue architecture in situ. New advances in technology have enabled miniaturization of imaging systems for in vivo use.
AMPD1 polymorphism and response to regadenoson

Aims: AMPD1 c.34C > T (rs17602729) polymorphism results in AMPD1 deficiency. We examined the association of AMPD1 deficiency and variability of hemodynamic response to regadenoson. Subjects & methods: Genotyping for c.34C>T was performed in 267 patients undergoing regadenoson cardiac stress testing. Results: Carriers of c.34C >T variant exhibited higher relative changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP) compared with wild-type subjects ([%] SBP change to peak: 12 ± 25 vs 5 ± 13%; p = 0.01) ([%] SBP change to nadir: -3 ± 15 vs -7 ± 11%; p = 0.04). Change in heart rate was similar between groups, but side effects were more common in carriers of the variant (+LR = 4.2; p = 0.04). Conclusion: AMPD1 deficiency may be involved in the modulation of regadenoson’s systemic effects.
Automating knowledge acquisition for prototype reuse

This paper discusses the problem of automatically creating reusable software artifacts. A fundamental model for the structuring of reusable artifact libraries, the acquisition of reusable artifacts into libraries, and the location of reusable artifacts in libraries is described. A knowledge-based method for automatically generating reusable artifacts based on a domain knowledge base and consistent generalization is given. Tools based on this method and employed in the DProto system are described. >
Effects on breathing of carotid body denervation in neonatal piglets.

The purpose of these studies was to test the hypothesis that carotid chemoreceptor activity is necessary for postnatal maturation of the ventilatory control system. By using a lateral surgical acce...
Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for patients with single-ventricle anatomy: A registry report

Abstract Objective Support with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiopulmonary failure is done so with venoarterial cannulation in the majority of children with single-ventricle anatomy. However, there is a growing experience for patients with pure oxygenation/ventilation impairment supported with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. We describe that experience. Methods Data were collected from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization registry for patients with single-ventricle anatomy supported with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation from 1990 to 2012. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses for associations with mortality were conducted. Results A total of 89 patients with single-ventricle anatomy had venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation performed at a median age of 66 days (8-221). Survival to discharge was 48%. Fifty-four patients (61%) had shunt physiology, 22 patients (25%) had cavopulmonary connections, and 13 patients (14%) had single-ventricle anatomy but with no previous cardiac surgery. Indication for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was respiratory failure in 59 patients (63%) and cardiac failure in 30 patients (32%). Double-lumen cannulas were used in 62 patients (70%). Bivariate analysis demonstrated that the duration of intubation before extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, mean airway pressure before cannulation, partial pressure carbon dioxide before cannulation, peak inspiratory pressure before cannulation, pump flow at 24 hours, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation run duration, and presence of renal injury were associated with mortality. Multivariate logistic analysis demonstrated that the duration of intubation (adjusted odds ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.003-1.016; P = .003), partial pressure carbon dioxide (adjusted odds ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.068; P = .007), mean airway pressure (adjusted odds ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-1.342; P = .05), and renal injury (adjusted odds ratio, 6.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.879-23.2; P = .003) were associated with mortality. Conclusions Patients with single-ventricle anatomy in respiratory failure may be treated successfully with venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, with survival comparable to those treated with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for cardiac failure. Future research on indications for venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation may aid clinicians in deciding the optimal approach for this challenging cohort.
Population dynamics and life history of a solitary coral, Balanophyllia elegans, from Central California

Size-specific mortality rates and growth rates for the solitary coral Balanophyllia elegans are determined from size—frequency distributions of live corals from natural and artificial substrates, and from skeletons of dead corals found in rubble channels. Marked quadrats were monitored to measure actual recruitment and mortality for juveniles and adults. First year rate of mortality for juveniles is high, 56%; and mortality rate for adults is about 10% annually. Estimates of annual larval survivorship (44%) are incorporated in a life table, and other demographic parameters are calculated. B. elegans has a high intrinsic rate of increase apparently because of high larval survivorship and early onset of reproduction. Population growth is checked partly by high juvenile and random adult mortality. I estimate a 6–11 year average life span for B. elegans at the Hopkins Marine Life Refuge in Pacific Grove, California.
Uma perspectiva sobre fãs ao longo da trajetória de vida

In this article we explore a life course perspective on fandom, with particular emphasis on fandom and adult development. While there is growing interest in issues of age and aging within fan studies and within media studies more broadly, there is a tendency in this literature to discuss aging and the life course atheoretically, ignoring a rich body of scholarship in fields that examines how lives unfold over time. Our goal in this manuscript is to make explicit what is typically rendered implicit in fan studies to enrich our understanding of long-term and later-life fandom, and to suggest ways that fan studies might more fully account for fandom over time
An Evaluating Methodology for Airbag Control Module Support based on Frequency Response Function

Inducing an evaluating methodology for airbag control module support based on frequency response function which can identify the resonant frequency of airbag control module support and determine if the control module support can meet the requirement.
Interaction among ET-1, endothelium-derived nitric oxide, and prostacyclin in pulmonary arteries and veins

Endothelin-1 causes vasodilation of the intact porcine pulmonary vascular bed. To determine the cause of this vasodilation, we investigated the interactions of endothelin-1 (ET-1), endothelium-deri...
Hydrodynamic Models of G-Quadruplex Structures

G-quadruplexes are noncannonical four-stranded DNA or RNA structures formed by guanine-rich repeating sequences. Guanine nucleotides can hydrogen bond to form a planar tetrad structure. Such tetrads can stack to form quadruplexes of various molecularities with a variety of types of single-stranded loops joining the tetrads. High-resolution structures may be obtained by X-ray crystallography or NMR spectroscopy for quadruplexes formed by short (≈25 nt) sequences but these methods have yet to succeed in characterizing higher order quadruplex structures formed by longer sequences. An integrated computational and experimental approach was implemented in our laboratory to obtain structural models for higher order quadruplexes that might form in longer telomeric or promoter sequences. In our approach, atomic-level models are built using folding principles gleaned from available high-resolution structures and then optimized by molecular dynamics. The program HYDROPRO is then used to construct bead models of these structures to predict experimentally testable hydrodynamic properties. Models are validated by comparison of these properties with measured experimental values obtained by analytical ultracentrifugation or other biophysical tools. This chapter describes our approach and practical procedures.
Heritable Nail Disorders

This article pre sents a discussion of some of the he ritable disorders that involve the nail unit as a major manifestation. The clinical findings and nail pathology of the following disorders are included: nail-patella syndrome, congenital onychodysplasia of the index finger, Coffin-Siris syndrome, hereditary clubbing, pachydermoperiostosis, leopard syndrome, oculode ntodigital dysplasia, and trichodento-osseous syndrome.
Atmospheric radical chemistry revisited

Sunlight is the largest energy source for Earth and therefore determines many aspects of our planet's chemistry and climate. For example, light-driven splitting (photolysis) of ozone at high altitude leads to the formation of hydroxyl radicals, which are involved in most oxidative processes in the environment. On page 699 of this issue, Rossignol et al. ( 1 ) report on an alternative process. They show that direct photolysis of a fatty acid at an air-water interface leads to the formation of oxidized products in the gas phase and of macromolecular products in water. This example, along with recently reported indirect photolysis of organic molecules ( 2 , 3 ), shows that radical reactions initiated by absorption of sunlight can follow mechanisms previously unknown in Earth's atmosphere.