cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integrated safety studies of the urate reabsorption inhibitor lesinurad in treatment of gout

Author(s): Terkeltaub, Robert; Saag, Kenneth G; Goldfarb, David S; Baumgartner, Scott; Schechter, Bruce M; Valiyil, Ritu; Jalal, Diana; Pillinger, Michael; White, William B | Abstract: ObjectiveLesinurad (LESU) is a selective urate reabsorption inhibitor approved at 200 mg daily for use with a xanthine oxidase inhibitor (XOI) to treat hyperuricaemia in gout patients failing to achieve target serum urate on XOI. The aim of the study was to investigate the long-term safety of LESU + XOI therapy.MethodsSafety data were pooled from three 12-month phase III (core) trials evaluating LESU 200 and 400 mg/day combined with an XOI (LESU200+XOI and LESU400+XOI), and two 12-month extension studies using descriptive statistics. To adjust for treatment duration, treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were expressed as exposure-adjusted incidence rates (patients with events per 100 person-years).ResultsIn the core studies, exposure-adjusted incidence rates for total and total renal-related TEAEs were comparable for XOI alone and LESU200+XOI but higher with LESU400+XOI. Exposure-adjusted incidence rates for serum creatinine (sCr) elevations ⩾1.5×baseline were 2.9, 7.3 and 18.7, respectively. Resolution (sCr ⩽1.2×baseline) occurred in 75-90% of all events, with 66-75% occurring without any study medication interruption. Major adverse cardiovascular events were 3, 4 and 9 with XOI, LESU200+XOI and LESU400+XOI, respectively. Longer exposure in core+extension studies did not increase rates for any safety signals.ConclusionAt the approved dose of 200 mg once-daily combined with an XOI, LESU did not increase renal, cardiovascular or other adverse events compared with XOI alone, except for sCr elevations. With extended exposure in the core+extension studies, the safety profile was consistent with that observed in the core studies, and no new safety concerns were identified.
Pollination on the Dark Side: Acoustic Monitoring Reveals Impacts of a Total Solar Eclipse on Flight Behavior and Activity Schedule of Foraging Bees

The total solar eclipse of 21 August 2017 traversed ~5000 km from coast to coast of North America. In its 90-min span, sunlight dropped by three orders of magnitude and temperature by 10–15°C. To investigate impacts of these changes on bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) pollinators, we monitored their flights acoustically in natural habitats of Pacific Coast, Rocky Mountain, and Midwest regions. Temperature changes during the eclipse had little impact on bee activity. Most of the explained variation (R2) in buzzing rate was attributable to changes in light intensity. Bees ceased flying during complete darkness at totality, but flight activity was unaffected by dim light in partial phases before and after totality. Flights of bees during partial phases of the eclipse lasted longer than flights made under full sun, showing that behavioral plasticity matched bee flight properties to changes in light intensity during the eclipse. Efforts of citizen scientists, including hundreds of school children, contributed to the scope and educational impact of this study.
Models of care for opioid dependent pregnant women

As the opioid crisis continues to exist in the United States, opioid use in pregnancy is becoming a more common occurrence. Left untreated, it may result in an increased risk for adverse outcomes for both the mother and her unborn child. Unfortunately, women with opioid use disorders often face numerous barriers when trying to access prenatal care services including limited availability or treatment options, stigma, legal consequences, co-morbid psychiatric disorders, and trauma exposure. A care model that integrates prenatal care, medication assisted treatment and behavioral health services delivered in a trauma-informed environment can improve prenatal care attendance and thus have far-reaching positive implications for both the woman and her newborn child.
The Senior Year Experience

Higher education needs to do a lot more for seniors than simply hand them a diploma. We have a moral obligation to define and improve the senior year experience to ensure student success after grad...
Exploring the Relationship between Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) and Mineral Nutrition with a Special Focus on Nitrogen

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is characterized by nocturnal CO2 uptake and concentration, reduced photorespiration, and increased water-use efficiency (WUE) when compared to C3 and C4 plants. Plants can perform different types of CAM and the magnitude and duration of CAM expression can change based upon several abiotic conditions, including nutrient availability. Here, we summarize the abiotic factors that are associated with an increase in CAM expression with an emphasis on the relationship between CAM photosynthesis and nutrient availability, with particular focus on nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium. Additionally, we examine nitrogen uptake and assimilation as this macronutrient has received the greatest amount of attention in studies using CAM species. We also discuss the preference of CAM species for different organic and inorganic sources of nitrogen, including nitrate, ammonium, glutamine, and urea. Lastly, we make recommendations for future research areas to better understand the relationship between macronutrients and CAM and how their interaction might improve nutrient and water-use efficiency in order to increase the growth and yield of CAM plants, especially CAM crops that may become increasingly important as global climate change continues.
Review: Materials Ecosystem for Additive Manufacturing Powder Bed Fusion Processes

Additive manufacturing technologies are revolutionizing modern component design across many industries, while leading to an evolution in materials science and engineering. Understanding and controlling the materials ecosystem in additive manufacturing is an essential factor for successful adoption. The relationships among materials chemistry, powder characteristics, processes and final part performance are key and crucial concepts in additive manufacturing technologies. Powder bed fusion (PBF) processes including laser and electron beam melting processes are fundamentally based on controlling the solid-to-liquid and liquid-to-solid phase transformations in each process layer. The powder characteristics, evolution of the microstructure through the additive manufacturing process and subsequent metallurgical post-processing are primarily responsible for material performance. A more comprehensive understanding of aspects such as powder characteristics, liquid- and solid-phase transformations, and the effects of repeated thermal cycling on metallurgical structure development will be required to effectively apply a design-for-additive approach. Numerical modeling and machine learning are among tools that can be used for developing such understanding. This article will provide a review and summary of the materials ecosystem for additive manufacturing powder bed fusion processes.
Imposter Syndrome, Women in Technical Services, and Minority Librarians: The Shared Experience of Two Librarians of Color

This article reviews and facilitates a better understanding of imposter syndrome, women in technical services, and minority librarians to fill gaps left by library programs. The Literature Review e...
Long-term effect of non-irrigation and irrigation on soil Pythium, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia communities and their relation with seed-rot, root-rot, and damping-off of soybean

Long-term non-irrigation (N-IRR) and irrigation (IRR) might affect pathogen communities causing seed-rot, root-rot, and damping-off of soybean. Characterization and quantification of Pythium, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia spp. are critical for understanding the ecology of these microorganisms and management of root diseases. The populations and communities of Pythium, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia were assessed in soils with long-term N-IRR and IRR using soil dilution plating, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), and DNA sequence analysis. Disease incidences of seed-rot, root-rot, and damping-off of soybean were also evaluated with the soils from N-IRR and IRR in a growth chamber. Results showed that the population densities of Pythium and Rhizoctonia based on dilution plating and richness based on DGGE were significantly lower in soils with N-IRR than IRR, whereas the population densities of Fusarium and richness of Fusarium were significantly higher in soils with N-IRR than IRR. Cluster analysis based on DGGE band patterns demonstrated that the communities of Pythium, Fusarium, and Rhizoctonia were separated based on N-IRR and IRR. Species diversities of some Pythium, Fusarium, or Rhizoctonia were impacted differently in soils with N-IRR and IRR. Moreover, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that the disease incidences were positively correlated with levels of soil moisture, pH, the populations of Pythium and Rhizoctonia, richness of Pythium and Rhizoctonia, and negatively correlated with soil porosity, humic matter, and potassium. Long-term N-IRR and IRR could impact pathogen populations and communities and disease incidences differently, and the disease complex might be caused by different species under different systems.
A survey on skill-based routing with applications to service operations management

Service systems often feature multiple classes of customers with different service needs and multiple pools of servers with different skillsets. How to efficiently match customers of different classes with servers of different skillsets is of great importance to the management of these systems. In this survey, we review works on skill-based routing in queues. We first summarize key insights on routing/scheduling policies developed in the literature. We then discuss complications brought by modern service operations management problems, particularly healthcare systems. These complications stimulate a growing body of literature on new modeling and analysis tools. Lastly, we provide additional numerical experiments to highlight the complex nature of a routing problem motivated from hospital patient-flow management, and provide some useful intuition to develop good skill-based routing policies in practice. Our goal is to provide a brief overview of the skill-based routing research landscape and to help generate interesting research ideas.
Neoplasms of the Sinonasal Cavity

Benign and malignant sinonasal neoplasms are a rare pathologic entity, but have varying presentations and histology when encountered. The aim of this chapter is to outline the etiology; physical exam, including nasal endoscopy; relevant imaging, including computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); and the management of commonly encountered sinonasal masses.
Phosphatidylserine binding regulates TIM-3 effects on T cell receptor signaling

SUMMARY Co-signaling receptors for the T cell receptor are important therapeutic targets, with blocking co-inhibitory receptors such as PD-1 now central in immuno-oncology. Advancing additional therapeutic immune modulation approaches requires understanding ligand regulation of other co-signaling receptors. One poorly understood therapeutic target is TIM-3 (T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain containing-3). Which ligands are relevant for TIM-3 signaling is unclear, and different studies have reported it as co-inhibitory or co-stimulatory. Here, we show that TIM-3 promotes NF-κB signaling and IL-2 secretion following T cell receptor stimulation in Jurkat cells, and is regulated by phosphatidylserine (PS) binding. TIM-3 signaling is stimulated by PS exposed constitutively in cultured Jurkat cells, and can be blocked by mutating the PS-binding site or by occluding this site with an antibody. We also find that TIM-3 signaling alters CD28 phosphorylation. Our findings help clarify conflicting literature results with TIM-3, and inform its exploitation as a therapeutic target.
Spending Floors in Gifted Education Services

For nearly two decades, the state of Texas mandated gifted education services and provided funding to public school districts. One policy that was unique to the state is the mandatory minimum spending. This research examines how these mandatory minimum spending floors influence spending in public school districts within the state and how that influence varies across locales. Our findings provide evidence that rural public school districts in Texas were more likely to operate near to the mandatory state minimum spending for gifted education than non-rural public school districts. In particular, rural public school districts allocated 50% of the funds towards gifted education programming as suburban public school districts when the minimum spending floors was accounted for. The results should provide caution to policy makers on the possible ramifications of removing spending floors on gifted education programming in rural public school districts.
Entanglement-Enhanced Interferometry in Optical Fiber

Fiber-based interferometry with entangled photons can provide sub-shot-noise resolution, which is ideal for photon-starved applications. Simulations demonstrate that measurements with realistic losses and other imperfections show quantum-enhanced phase resolution for practical applications.
Endothelial dysfunction is present only in the microvasculature and microcirculation of early diffuse systemic sclerosis patients.

Objective—To evaluate endothelial function and vascular stiffness in large, medium, small and microcirculatory blood vessels in very early diffuse systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods—We studied consecutive early diffuse SSc patients, defined as < 2 years from first SSc symptom who did not have a prior cardiovascular event. Age, gender and race-matched controls were recruited. All underwent assessment of aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV), carotid intimamedia thickness (IMT) brachial flow-mediated dilation (FMD), digital peripheral artery tonometer (EndoPAT) assessment and laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI). Results—15 early diffuse SSc and controls were evaluated. The average age was 49 years, 63% were female and 93% were Caucasian. There were no differences in body mass index, hypertension, diabetes or hyperlipidemia between controls and SSc patients. Mean SSc disease duration was 1.3 years. In the large central vessels, there was no difference in aortic PWV (p=0.71) or carotid IMT (p=0.92) between SSc patients and controls. Similarly, there was no difference in endothelial dysfunction with brachial artery FMD after ischemia (p=0.55) and nitroglycerin administration (p=0.74). There were significantly lower values for digital EndoPAT
Chemistry of the genus Sequoia—IV. : The Structures of the C17 Phenols from Sequoia sempervirens

Abstract Further structural investigation was carried out on the recently isolated C 17 polyphenolic materials from California redwood ( Sequoia sempervirens ) heartwood extract. Structures for these compounds are proposed on the basis of chemical and spectral evidence.
The use and potency of synthetic estrogens

Abstract Three synthetic estrogens, diethylstilbestrol, hexestrol, and 118-B were tested for their therapeutic efficiency by assay in humans. The subjective response of menopausal patients was used as the end point in this assay. The usual uncontrolled factors encountered in such a study were largely eliminated by using multiple dosage levels of the estrogens as well as other precautions. The results indicate that all three synthetic estrogens are highly effective in relieving the distressing symptoms of the menopause if proper dosages are used. A satisfactory daily therapeutic dose of diethylstilbestrol is 1 mg., of hexestrol, 2.5 to 5 mg., and of 118-B, 1 to 2 mg. The larger the dose of synthetic estrogen used, the greater the likelihood of untoward reactions. Hexestrol is definitely less toxic than diethylstilbestrol, and 118-B is far less toxic than either diethylstilbestrol or hexestrol.
The Hydrogen/Helium Ratio on the Surface of Wolf-Rayet Stars

As yet there have been few detailed analyses of Wolf-Rayet (WR) emission line spectra. Such analyses must certainly take account of line transfer in a spherically extended, expanding medium, a problem not yet completely addressed in the complexity of WR envelopes. However, visual examination of optical spectra suggests real differences in line strengths among the Balmer and Pickering series lines in WN stars. If hydrogen is present, the Balmer lines will be stronger than the adjacent Pickering lines of ionized helium; if hydrogen is weak or absent, then there will be a smooth transition in intensities along the Pickering series with no additional contribution from the Balmer lines at alternatively blending wavelengths (Underhill 1967).
Unbound motion and scattering

Bound- and unbound-motion states are defined by the asymptotic behavior of the radial separation. A distinction between unbound-motion states and scattering states is made and conditions are obtained under which unbound-motion states are scattering states.
Measure validation is an ongoing process: the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast Symptom Index as a case example

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) such as measures of symptoms status or health-related quality of life (HRQL) have demonstrated their value to clinical practice and research over the last three decades. Routine assessment of HRQL has been shown to enhance clinical care by improving problem identification and management, patient-provider communication, and patient satisfaction with care (1-3).
NATURE IN ARISTOTLE'S ETHICS AND POLITICS

Aristotle's doctrine that human beings are political animals is, in part, an empirical thesis, and posits an inclination to enter into cooperative relationships, even apart from the instrumental benefits of doing so. Aristotle's insight is that human cooperation rests on a non-rational propensity to trust even strangers, when conditions are favorable. Turning to broader questions about the role of nature in human development, I situate Aristotle's attitude towards our natural propensities between two extremes: he rejects both the view that we must bow to whatever nature dictates, and also the view that nature is generally or always to be suppressed or overcome. This middle position requires that Aristotle hold nature and goodness apart, so that the latter can serve as a standard for evaluating the former. He holds that nature does not treat all human beings alike: just as some are handicapped in their development by a deficiency in their natural abilities or propensities, others are extraordinarily fortunate and have so powerful a disposition to act well that they easily acquire good habits and skills of practical reasoning. Further, he recognizes that sociable inclinations and natural virtues have to compete in the human soul with other natural forces that make ethical life extraordinarily difficult. That is why things so often go so badly for us: we need not only to subdue the external environment, but to overcome certain inner natural obstacles as well. Even so, for Aristotle ethical life is not generally alienated from nature, as it is for other philosophers.
An accurate two-node finite element for shear deformable curved beams

An accurate two-node (three degrees of freedom per node) finite element is developed for curved shear deformable beams. The element formulation is based on shape functions that satisfy the homogeneous form of the partial differential equations of motion which renders it free of shear and membrane locking. The element is demonstrated to converge to the results obtained from a shear deformable straight beam when the beam becomes shallower. Numerical examples were performed to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency with respect to previously published formulations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
(+)-2-(1,2,3,4,4a,5,6,7-Octahydro-4a,8-dimethyl-7-oxo-2-naphthyl)propionic acid: catemeric hydrogen bonding in a bicyclic sesquiterpenoid keto acid.

The title compound, C15H22O3, derived from a naturally occurring sesquiterpenoid, has two mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit, differing principally in the rotational conformation of the carboxyl group. Each species aggregates separately as a carboxyl-to-ketone hydrogen-bonding catemer [O⋯O = 2.752 (4) and 2.682 (4) A, and O—H⋯O = 161 (4) and 168 (4)°], producing two crystallographically independent single-strand hydrogen-bonding helices, with opposite end-to-end orientations, passing through the cell in the b direction. Three intermolecular C—H⋯O=C close contacts exist for the ketone.
Well-woman visit of mothers and human papillomavirus vaccine intent and uptake among their 9-17 year old children.

Abstract Objective To examine the association between attending a well-woman clinic in the prior 2 years and obtaining the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for their 9–17-year-old child. Methods Women (n = 1256) who attended reproductive health clinics during September 2011 to February 2013 and had ≥1 children 9–17 years of age were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire containing questions on demographic characteristics, prior well-woman visits, HPV awareness, and HPV vaccine intent and uptake among their adolescent children. Results Nearly 78% of women reported having undergone a well-woman visit during the past 2 years. Bivariate analysis showed that the HPV vaccine initiation (23.9% vs. 14.0%, P = .004) and completion (13.6% vs. 6.7%, P = .011) among 9–17 daughters differed between mothers who did or did not have a well-woman visit during the past 2 years. However, intent to vaccinate them (47.2% vs. 53.3%, P = .173) did not differ between these two groups. With regard to 9–17 year old sons, vaccine initiation (10.1% vs. 9.6%, P = .871), completion (4.6% vs. 2.4%, P = .273) and intent to vaccinate (47.3% vs. 52.1%, P = .311) did not differ between these two groups. Multivariable logistic regression analyses confirmed the findings of these bivariate analyses after adjusting for confounder variables. Conclusion The well-woman visit may be a missed opportunity for physicians to educate their patients about the benefits of HPV vaccination for their adolescent children in general and sons in particular. Intervention studies are warranted to assess the benefits of using this setting to improve HPV vaccine uptake in the US.
Effects of burnout on char oxidation kinetics

The effects of both extent and type of burnout on char oxidation rates and rate parameters (apparent activation energy and oxygen reaction order) have been investigated for chars prepared from Dietz (subbituminuous B) coal. Intrinsic rates were determined using isothermal thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). N2 BET and CO2 DP surface areas were measured, as was hydrogen to carbon ratio (H/C). CaO surface area was measured for selected samples. Three types of burnouts were studied and compared. Devolatilization mass loss (DML) was studied by devolatilizing the Dietz coal to various extents in a flat-flame methane burner (FFB) and then comparing the oxidation rates and other properties of the resulting chars. Low-temperature oxidation burnout was studied by oxidizing a FFB char to a continuum of burnout oxidation rates. High-temperature oxidation burnout was studied by taking the same FFB char and oxidizing it to various conversion levels in a drop-tube reactor (DTR) at 1400 K (particle temperature). The oxidation rates and kinetics of these partially burned out char samples were then determined using TGA. The rate of oxidation was found to decrease with increasing devolatilization residence time, even after mass loss (DML) and H/C had become essentially constant. This decrease in reactivity was shown to correlate with a decrease in CaO surface area, consistent with the importance of CaO catalysis in low-temperature char oxidation. H/C shows an inverse linear correlation with DML. N2 and CO2 surface area data indicate dramatic increases in the mesopore surface are during devolatilization but not in the micropore surface are. Intrinsic rates of chars partially burned out at high temperatures were found to decrease with burnout level, while those of chars burned out at low temperatures were essentially constant with burnout level. Values of apparent activation energy increased with burnout level (or DML) for all three types of burnout by 20 to 30%. Oxygen reation orders ranged from 0.74 to 0.53 and generally showed a decrease with burnout (or DML).
Alterations in monoamine oxidase activity after single and repeated exposure of rats to chlorphentermine

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was determined in rat tissues following in vivo treatments with chlorphentermine (CP). Oxidation of seven amine substrates by liver, lung or brain mitochondrial MAO was investigated at 2 h after a single i.p. injection (60 mg/kg) or after repeated injection (once daily for 3 days, 20 mg/kg, i.p.). Deamination of the type A substrates, norepinephrine, serotonin and octopamine, was decreased significantly in liver, lung and brain after both single and repeated injections. Oxidative deamination of tyramine and dopamine (type A + B substrates) was also lowered in all organs after single and repeated exposure to CP, but to a lesser degree than the type A substrates. However, oxidation of the type B substrates, benzylamine and tryptamine, was unaffected by CP administration in comparison to control. These data indicate that CP is a specific inhibitor of mitochondrial MAO, form A.
A rare pituitary lesion

The majority of the sellar masses are pituitary adenomas. Non-adenomatous hypophyseal lesions are rare and include lymphocytic hypophysitis, idiopathic giant cell hypophysitis and granulomatous hypophysitis. The latter include lesions caused by conditions like tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, syphilis, histiocytosis X and mycotic infections. We report a case of a Sudanese woman who presented with a pituitary mass (presumed preoperatively to be an adenoma) and underwent trans-sphenoidal surgery. The final histopathology showed tuberculous hypophysitis. The patient did not have history of prior exposure to tuberculosis nor any evidence of infection elsewhere in the body. We also briefly review the literature on pituitary tuberculomas.
Cancer: Risk factors and random chances

The discovery that the estimated number of stem-cell divisions in a tissue correlates with cancer incidence suggests that the varying probability of developing cancer in different tissues is mostly down to random mutations.
Potential relaxation instability and ion acoustic waves in a single-ended Q-machine dusty plasma

Abstract The potential relaxation instability (PRI) is excited when the cold endplate of a single-ended Q-machine is biased positively. If a sufficient concentration of negatively charged dust is present, the PRI is eliminated and the current-driven ion acoustic (IA) instability is observed. As the concentration of the negatively charged dust is increased, the frequency of the IA waves also increases, in agreement with theoretical predictions.
On the desirableness of personal relations between librarians and readers: the past and future of reference service

Presents a strong argument that the future of reference is part of an evolutionary process and that, by understanding the relationship of reference service to the library and of the library to its community, one can better understand how those relationships will evolve in the future. Notes that the four functions for reference librarians, as defined by Samuel Swett Green in 1876, remain the core of reference service today.
Normal and Promoted Gastrointestinal Absorption of Water-Soluble Substances I: Induced Rapidly Reversible Hyperabsorptive State in the Canine Fundic Stomach Pouch

Certain surface-active agents placed in a Thomas canine fundic pouch in buffered solutions influence the absorption of soluble drugs (antibiotics). Such agents induce a rapidly reversible hyperabsorptive state of the organ, resulting in blood levels of absorbed drug many times greater than control values. Effective surface-active agents may be nonionic, anionic, or zwitterionic. The influence of the surface-active agent is upon the organ and not upon the drug, as evidenced by the efficacy of the absorption promoter when it is employed and removed before the drug is introduced.
Application of the variational Germano identity to the variational multiscale formulation

We examine the connection between the variational multiscale (VMS) formulation and the variational counterpart of the Germano identity (VGI). We note that they are both based on the same multiscale construct of a given coarse scale space and a user-defined projector into this space, which defines the desired numerical solution. By utilizing this connection we demonstrate how the VGI may be used to determine parameters for the models derived using the VMS formulation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Creaming of phosphatide stabilized fat emulsions by electrolyte solutions

Creaming effects of electrolytes on emulsions of cottonseed and soybean oils have been investigated. The emulsions were stabilized with egg yolk phosphatides or with soybean phosphatides of different degrees of purity. The differences in creaming of the emulsions by the electrolyte solutions apparently were due to the differences in composition or purity of the phosphatide emulsifiers, and to the differences in properties of the respective oils. Emulsions of cottonseed or soybean oils stabilized with chromatographically homogeneous lecithin creamed to a greater extent than did emulsions of the same oils stabilized with impure phosphatides. In the latter, emulsions of cottonseed oil were slightly less creamed than emulsions of soybean oil.
Universal Emancipation: The Haitian Revolution and The Radical Enlightenment

Universal Emancipation: The Haitian Revolution and The Radical Enlightenment, by Nick Nesbitt, Charlottesville, University of Virginia Press, 2008, vii+257 pp., $22.50, ISBN 978-0-8139-2803-6 The p...
FSH-INDUCED SERTOLI CELL PROLIFERATION IN THE DEVELOPING RAT IS MODIFIED BY β-ENDORPHIN PRODUCED IN THE TESTIS.

To probe the possible role of endogenous opiates in Sertoli cell proliferation during testicular development, the effect of interfering with 3-endorphin action either in vivo or in vitro was determined. The percent of Sertoli cells dividing was measured with quantitative autoradiography in [methyl H]-thymidine-exposed fetal testes maintained in organ culture with or without FSH, in the presence or absence of the opiate blocker naloxone. After 1 or 2 days in culture, naloxone enhanced the rise in Sertoli cell proliferation seen with FSH alone, while 2 days of incubation with naloxone alone markedly raised the percent of Sertoli cells dividing above that in untreated cultures. Moreover, when endorphin antiserum was injected directly into testes of pups and Sertoli cell proliferation in vivo measured 8 or 19 h later, there was a dramatic increase in the percent of Sertoli nuclei labeled by [methyl 3H]-thymidine compared to controls. These findings suggest that β-endorphin produced within the testis is a para...
Dynamic control of wind turbines

The paper presents an intelligent wind turbine control system based on models integrating the following three approaches: data mining, model predictive control, and evolutionary computation. To enhance the control strategy of the intelligent system, a multi-objective model is proposed. The model involves five different objectives with different weights controlling the wind turbine performance. These weights are adjusted in response to the variable wind conditions and operational requirements. Three control factors, wind speed, turbulence intensity, and electricity demand are considered in eight computational scenarios. The performance of each scenario is illustrated with numerical results. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
A comparison of the symptoms of medical and psychiatric patients matched on the Beck Depression Inventory

The goals of this study were to examine, in greater detail, the experience of depression in the medically ill, and to compare their experience with that of depressed psychiatric patients. Medical and psychiatric inpatients were matched in terms of total scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). In addition to the BDI, all patients completed a self-report symptom battery. No difference was found between the two groups in terms of total BDI scores, but psychiatric patients scored significantly higher on the affective BDI items, and medical patients scored significantly higher on the somatic BDI items. Discriminant analysis was used to compare their responses to the symptom battery. Depression in the psychiatric patients was characterized primarily by suicidal ideation and loss of interest, whereas in medical patients a lack of energy and worry were the predominant symptoms. The implications of these findings for assessing depression in the medically ill are discussed.
A characterization of pressure records in inelastic rock demonstrated by hydraulic fracturing measurements in salt

Abstract The use of hydraulic fracturing in elastic rock is described in terms of comprehensive hydraulic fracturing observations in rock salt in the Salado formation in southeastern New Mexico. Inelastic rock behaviour involves both rate-independent and rate-dependent permanent deformations. A combination of small-volume tests in initially open, horizontal drillholes, finite-element analyses, and in situ fracture observations demonstrates that the pressure-time data in inelastic rock can differ fundamentally from thode typically recorded in competent hard rock. Stable pressure-time signatures with little or no pressure drop between peak and driving pressure are obtained in isotropic stress fields. Increasingly unstable records appear to be characteristic for anisotropic stress conditions. Qualitatively, the shapes of the pressure-time records of hydraulic fracturing tests in rock salt appear to be remarkably sensitive to the ratio of the in situ principal stresses normal to the fractures. Obtaining quantitative estimates of in situ stress magnitudes in rock salt and other highly inelastic rocks, however, hinges on the existence of reliable rate-dependent constitutive models in conjunction with relatively complex numerical analyses. Exaggerated contrasts in the greatest and least in situ compressive stresses are inferred from applications of elasticity solutions. Time-dependent effects on the characteristics of hydraulic fracturing in rock salt and associated difficulties in data interpretations arise even if hydraulic fracturing is performed almost immediately after drilling.
MR-FOCUSS localizations of language processing and speech onset based on significance thresholds

Abstract This research attempts to determine if localization precision is enhanced by applying a significance level threshold to MR-FOCUSS images of the initial cortical locations of speech onset during word naming and color identification. Six normal control subjects were monitored with 148 MEG channels (4D Neuroimaging Magnes WH2500). Task 1 involved visual presentation of a colored block and asking the subject to name the color. Task 2 involved visual presentation of a printed color name, e.g. “green”, displayed in that color. Each subject was asked to say the word out loud. 40 epochs of data were averaged and filtered 1–50 Hz. A data segment from 100 ms prior to stimulus onset until 500 ms after was analyzed with MR-FOCUSS. Statistically significant regions of activation were identified by transforming the time sequence of MR-FOCUSS imaged activity to significance levels based on the distribution of maximal pre-stimulus imaged activation. The locations and timing of imaged functional activity were determined using a significance threshold of 0.05 and co-registered to a normal MRI scan. During Task 1, initial statistically significant cortical activation (Significance level, α = 0.05) was seen at 114 ± 12 ms in the occipital region in all 6 subjects. This area of initial activations was also seen at the same latency in Task 2. This was followed by activation in the right angular gyrus at 245 ± 23 ms for Task 1. For Task 2, however, activation was seen in the left superior temporal region at 234 ± 21 ms. Activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's areas) was seen at 400 ± 31 ms in both tasks for all 6 subjects. Cortical location differences of speech onset between reading words and naming colored blocks were easily identified from significance level images. Because significance levels are calculated separately for each cortical location, localization precision was dramatically increased from that obtained using a single amplitude threshold.
High-precision measurement of free spectral range of etalon

A novel measurement technique to determine the free spectral range of an etalon utilising a modified Pound-Drever-Hall technique is demonstrated with better than 1 part in 104 precision.
Exposure Endpoint Selection in Acute Dietary Risk Assessment

Current USEPA Office of Pesticide Program approaches to acute dietary risk assessment do not adequately address uncertainty in the distributional analysis of exposure. This is especially true with respect to regulatory decision points (bright lines) located at the far extreme of the cumulative output distribution. Use of the 99.9th centile as a risk assessment endpoint necessitates confidence in food consumption and residue input distributions that cannot be demonstrated with currently available data and analysis approaches. Even for a pesticide with a rich residue database, data limitations are sufficient to skew results to significantly overestimate exposure. This is compounded when extremes in food consumption are used that go beyond the stated error bounds for the database used. Risk management decision making need not consider endpoints at extremes of exposure output distributions in order for mitigation to be protective of sensitive populations. In fact, such decision making is better informed by utilizing more statistically reliable endpoint selection in the risk assessment process. The richest data content in cumulative exposure distributions occurs in regions well removed from output tails, where the pattern of exposure distribution is driven by the effects of residue concentrations. In contrast, the extreme upper tail of the exposure distribution is data poor and is characterized by high uncertainty reflecting extremes in food consumption patterns. At present, risk managers are better served with exposure endpoints removed from the highly uncertain tails of exposure distributions such as the 99.9th centile bright line. The selection of more appropriate risk management decision points should consider the nature of the distribution, the severity of the effect being assessed, and robustness of the data available for assessing acute dietary risk.
An Evaluation of Management Practices Used by Southern Dairy Farmers

Abstract Objectives were to examine the effect of using selected dairy farm management practices and other factors on average milk yield per cow and to evaluate characteristics explaining differences among dairy farmers in adopting practices. Data were obtained from 2712 operators of southern dairy farms. They were classified by management practices used including Dairy Herd Improvement records, artificial insemination, forage testing, balanced rations, and concentrate feeding methods. Feeding part of the concentrates at milking and part at other times showed increases of 190 to 259kg yield per cow over feeding all the concentrate at milking. Compared with herds in which no identified practice was used, herds in which records or artificial insemination were used had 467 and 358kg more yield per cow, respectively, and in herds in which all the practices were used the milk yield (per cow) was 1066kg more. Factors affecting dairy farmer use of management practices were herd size, yield per cow, type of ownership, and education. A typical dairy farmer using all the management practices had a larger herd producing above the average, was younger than average, was in a farm partnership, and had a college education.
Multi-scale modeling and control of fluidized beds for the production of solar grade silicon ☆

In this paper we develop a multi-scale model to describe the growth of silicon particles due to chemical vapor deposition (CVD) in a fluidized bed reactor (FBR). The reactor system is designed to make poly-silicon for solar cell applications by thermal decomposition of silane. The complex interplay between the continuous and the disperse phases and CVD onto the silicon particles in the FBR is modeled using three modules — Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Reaction Module and Population Balance Module (PBM). The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) module describes the hydrodynamics via momentum, mass and heat transfer between different phases. The reaction module describes the homogeneous gas phase reactions and deposition on polycrystalline silicon particles. The population balance represents the dynamic evolution of the particle size distribution. By coupling together the modules, we provide a complete multi-scale model for the particulate CVD process. The resulting nonlinear, multi-scale model is solved using COMSOL Multi-physics and MATLAB. The results from the proposed model match the experimental data obtained from a pilot scale reactor. An inventory controller maintains the void fraction and in turn the average diameter of the silicon particles at the exit.
Asymptotic analysis of the finite cone-and-plate flow of a non-newtonian fluid

Abstract Consider the shearing flow of a viscoelastic fluid trapped by surface tension between a cone and a plate. An asymptotic analysis of this problem in the limit of small gap angle has been done. This limit is realized in many practical situations. It is assumed that the Deborah number De, the Reynolds number Re, and the retardation parameter β are all order unity and that the shape of the free surface is very nearly spherical. Closed form analytic expressions are obtained for the leading terms of the primary and weak secondary motion of the fluid as well as the meniscus shape. It is found that the velocity field is bounded and continuous if and only if . There is a family of curves in the De-β plane on which the velocity field has a removable singularity at the origin. The secondary flow is made up of either one or two toroidal vortices. The meniscus has a bulge near the rotating cone and a trough near the stationary plate.
Shelters and Enclosures in Joseph Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS

Through my glasses I saw the slope of a hill.…A long decaying building on the summit was half buried in the high grass; the large holes in the peaked roof gaped black from afar; the jungle and the ...
Acute and chronic ethanol increases reactive oxygen species generation and decreases viability in fresh, isolated rat hepatocytes

Although reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in the etiology of alcohol-induced liver disease, neither their relative contribution to cell death nor the cellular mechanisms mediating their formation are known. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that acute and chronic ethanol exposure enhances the mitochondrial generation of ROS in fresh, isolated hepatocytes. Acute ethanol exposure stimulated ROS production, increased the cellular NADH/NAD+ ratio, and decreased hepatocyte viability slightly, which was prevented by pretreatment with 4-methylpyrazole (4-MP), an inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase. Similarly, xylitol, an NADH-generating compound, enhanced hepatocyte ROS production and decreased viability. Incubation with pyruvate, an NADH-oxidizing compound, and cyanamide, an inhibitor of aldehyde dehydrogenase, significantly decreased ROS levels in acute ethanol-treated hepatocytes. Chronic ethanol consumption produced a sixfold increase in hepatocyte ROS production compared with levels measured in controls. Hepatocytes from ethanol-fed rats were less viable compared with controls, e.g., viability was 68% ± 2% (ethanol) versus 83% ± 1% (control) after 60 minutes of incubation. Antimycin A increased ROS production and decreased cell viability; however, the toxic effect of antimycin A was more pronounced in ethanol-fed hepatocytes. These results suggest that acute and chronic ethanol exposure exacerbates mitochondrial ROS production, contributing to cell death.
The resolution of the universal ring for modules of rank zero and projective dimension two

Hochster established the existence of a commutative noetherian ring R and a universal resolution U of the form 0→Re→Rf→Rg→0 such that for any commutative noetherian ring S and any resolution V equal to 0→Se→Sf→Sg→0, there exists a unique ring homomorphism R→S with V=U⊗RS. In the present paper we assume that f=e+g and we find a resolution F of R by free P-modules, where P is a polynomial ring over the ring of integers. The resolution F is not minimal; but it is straightforward, coordinate free, and independent of characteristic. Furthermore, one can use F to calculate Tor•P(R,Z). If e and g both are at least 5, then Tor•P(R,Z) is not a free abelian group; and therefore, the graded Betti numbers in the minimal resolution of ⊗ZR by free ⊗ZP-modules depend on the characteristic of the field . We record the modules in the minimal ⊗ZP resolution of ⊗ZR in terms of the modules which appear when one resolves divisors over the determinantal ring defined by the 2×2 minors of an e×g matrix.
The helical repeat of underwound DNA in solution

Closed circular DNA was relaxed with a topoisomerase in the presence of varying concentrations of the intercalating dye, ethidium bromide, to create underwound, planar DNA rings. We directly determined the helical repeat of these DNA molecules by the Gaussian center method and found that it varied as a simple predicted function of the degree of underwinding and the helical repeat of relaxed, dye-free DNA. We discuss these results in light of a recent mathematical treatment of DNA structure which predicts that the helical repeat of supercoiled DNA molecules in solution obeys the same function.
High-dose antioxidant administration is associated with a reduction in post-injury complications in critically ill trauma patients

Background: We recently demonstrated a high-dose antioxidant (AO) protocol was associated with reduction in mortality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of AO on organ dysfunction and infectious complications following injury. Patients and methods: High-dose AO protocol: ascorbic acid 1000 mg q 8 h, a-tocopherol 1000 IU q 8 h, and selenium 200 mcg qd for 7-day course. Retrospective cohort study evaluating all patients admitted after protocol implementation (AO+), October 1, 2005 to September 30, 2006. Comparison cohort (AO): all patients admitted in the year prior to implementation, October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2005. Results: 2272 patients included in the AO+ group, 2022 patients in the AO group. Demographics and injury severity were similar. Abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) (2.9% vs. 0.7%, <0.001), surgical site infections (2.7% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.002), pulmonary failure (27.6% vs. 17.4%, p < 0.001), and ventilatordependent respiratory failure (10.8% vs. 7.1%, p < 0.001) were significantly less in the AO+ group. Multivariate regression showed 53% odds reduction in abdominal wall complications and 38% odds reduction in respiratory failure in the AO+ group. Conclusions: Implementation of a high-dose AO protocol was associated with a reduction in respiratory failure and ventilator-dependence. In addition, AO were associated with a marked decrease in abdominal wall complications, including ACS and surgical site infections.