cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
NMDA Receptor Dysfunction in Alzheimer’s Disease

Excessive activation of NMDA receptors (NR) by endogenous glutamate (Glu) causes excitotoxic neuronal degeneration in acute CNS injury syndromes such as stroke and trauma. It has been suggested that excessive NR activation may also play a role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We propose that if excessive NR activation plays a role in AD, it is an indirect role in which excessive NR activation destroys NR, thereby rendering the NR system hypofunctional. According to our hypothesis, when the NR system becomes sufficiently hypofunctional it unleashes a complex excitotoxic process (fueled both by acetylcholine and glutamate) which is a major contributing factor to the widespread pattern of neuronal degeneration in AD. This hypothesis is derived in part from evidence that the NR system may, in fact, be hypofunctional in AD, and that experimental induction of NR hypofunction (NRH) in rat brain (by administration of NR antagonist drugs) triggers a pattern of neuronal degeneration resembling that seen in AD.
Chromatography of rat liver soluble proteins and localization of enzyme activities.

SUMMARY A method was developed for chromatography of rat liver soluble proteins on diethylaminoethyl cellulose, with a parabolic chloride gradient for elution. Protein, nucleic acid and 16 en- zyme activities were determined in the fractions, and each gave a consistent pattern of distribution in a number of preparations. Some of the enzyme activities, for example, lactic dehydro- genase, isomerase, and aldolase, were not adsorbed by the diethyl- aminoethyl cellulose at pH 8.0 and low ionic strength. Several of the enzymes gave multiple peaks of activity. With two of multiple peak enzymes, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, rechromatography of one of the peaks, under the same conditions, gave a single peak at the anticipated position. REFERENCES 1. SOBER, H. A., GUTTER, F. J., WYCOFF, M. M., AND PETERSON, E. A., .Z. Am. Chem. Sac., ‘78, 756 (1956). 2. SOBER,
How to Derive all LP — Metrics from a Single Probabilistic Metric

It is shown that all the LP-metrics on a given vector space of functions can be derived from a single and very natural probabilistic metric on that space. In addition, it is indicated how the close connection between these concepts can be exploited to generate a large variety of inequalities, e.g., for special functions, by a uniform method.
The scattering matrix associated with a stationary stochastic process: system theoretic properties and role in realization

To a multivariate stationary stochastic process, we associate a scattering matrix S, which measures the interaction between the past and future of the process. This matrix valued function can be viewed as the generalized phase function associated with the spectral density. We develop a realization theory in the spectral domain and show that S can be viewed as the analog of the frequency response function in systems.
Provocation in the Workplace: A Qualitative Analysis of Published Arbitration Decisions:

Workplace violence has become a serious concern for managers and unions. This study examined provocation, a precursor to aggression and retaliation, using a grounded theory approach to evaluate a s...
Valid tests when instrumental variables do not perfectly satisfy the exclusion restriction

There is a growing consensus that it is difficult to pick instruments that perfectly satisfy the exclusion restriction. Drawing on results from Berkowitz, Caner, and Fang (2012, Journal of Econometrics 166: 255�266), we provide in this article a nontechnical summary of how valid inferences can be made when instrumental variables come close to satisfying the exclusion restriction. Although the Anderson�Rubin (1949, Annals of Mathematical Statistics 20: 46�63) test statistic is robust to weak identification, it assumes that the instruments are perfectly orthogonal to the structural error term and is therefore oversized under mild violations of the orthogonality condition. The fractionally resampled Anderson�Rubin (FAR) test is a modification of the Anderson�Rubin test that accounts for violations of the orthogonality condition. We show that in small samples, the size of the resampling block of the FAR test can be modified to obtain valid critical values and analyze its size and power properties. We focus on power and not on size-adjusted power because the FAR test uses only one critical value in its application. We also describe user-written commands to implement the Anderson�Rubin and FAR tests in Stata
Poster: Automated Test Migration for Mobile Apps

The use of mobile apps is increasingly widespread, and much effort is put into testing these apps to make sure they behave as intended. To reduce this effort, and thus the cost of mobile app testing, we propose AppTestMigrator, a technique that allows for migrating test cases between apps with similar features. The intuition behind AppTestMigrator is that many apps share similarities in their functionality, and these similarities often result in conceptually similar user interfaces (through which that functionality is accessed). Typical examples of this situation are apps in the same category, apps developed based on the same specification, and different versions of the same app. In all these cases, the burden of writing test cases can be reduced by migrating test cases written for an app to another, similar app. Given a test case for an app (source app) and a second app (target app), AppTestMigrator attempts to automatically transform the sequence of events in the test for the source app to events that can be consumed by the target app. We implemented AppTestMigrator for Android mobile apps and evaluated our approach on four randomly selected shopping list apps from the Google Play Store. Our initial results are promising and motivate further research in this direction.
Bone Health during the Menopause Transition and Beyond

The menopause transition is a critical period for bone health, with rapid losses in bone mass and strength occurring in a 3-year window bracketing the date of the final menstrual period. Declines in bone mass are accompanied by deleterious changes in bone macrostructure and microarchitecture, which may be captured by changes in composite strength indices and indices of trabecular thickness and connectivity. The onset of the rapid bone loss phase is preceded by changes in sex steroid hormones and increases in markers of bone resorption, measurements of which may be clinically useful in predicting the onset of the rapid loss phase and in identifying the women who will lose the most bone strength over the menopause transition.
Exposing the inadequacy of redox formalisms by resolving redox inequivalence within isovalent clusters

In this report we examine a family of trinuclear iron complexes by multiple-wavelength, anomalous diffraction (MAD) to explore the redox load distribution within cluster materials by the free refinement of atomic scattering factors. Several effects were explored that can impact atomic scattering factors within clusters, including 1) metal atom primary coordination sphere, 2) M−M bonding, and 3) redox delocalization in formally mixed-valent species. Complexes were investigated which vary from highly symmetric to fully asymmetric by 57Fe Mossbauer and X-ray diffraction to explore the relationship between MAD-derived data and the data available from these widely used characterization techniques. The compounds examined include the all-ferrous clusters [nBu4N][(tbsL)Fe3(μ3–Cl)] (1) ([tbsL]6– = [1,3,5-C6H9(NC6H4-o-NSitBuMe2)3]6–]), (tbsL)Fe3(py) (2), [K(C222)]2[(tbsL)Fe3(μ3–NPh)] (4) (C222 = 2,2,2-cryptand), and the mixed-valent (tbsL)Fe3(μ3–NPh) (3). Redox delocalization in mixed-valent 3 was explored with cyclic voltammetry (CV), zero-field 57Fe Mossbauer, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray crystallography techniques. We find that the MAD results show an excellent correspondence to 57Fe Mossbauer data; yet also can distinguish between subtle changes in local coordination geometries where Mossbauer cannot. Differences within aggregate oxidation levels are evident by systematic shifts of scattering factor envelopes to increasingly higher energies. However, distinguishing local oxidation levels in iso- or mixed-valent materials can be dramatically obscured by the degree of covalent intracore bonding. MAD-derived atomic scattering factor data emphasize in-edge features that are often difficult to analyze by X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). Thus, relative oxidation levels within the cluster were most reliably ascertained from comparing the entire envelope of the atomic scattering factor data.
Communicating faith: language and extirpation in the seventeenth-century Archdiocese of Lima

This essay examines the extent to which official fears about the failure of Christianization became projected onto language during periods of extirpatory zeal in the seventeenth-century Archdiocese...
Ezequiel Adamovsky. Historia de la clase media Argentina. Apogeo y decadencia de una ilusión, 1919-2003

Esta obra es el resultado de una investigacion profunda, ambiciosa y, ante todo, muy bien documentada sobre la formacion historica de la clase media argentina durante el siglo XX. Ezequiel Adamovsky, profesor asociado de la Universidad de Buenos Aires e investigador del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas de Argentina, nos entrega un libro con una narrativa cautivante dirigida a un publico mas amplio que el estrictamente academico. Su estudio hace parte de una creciente produccion historiografica que analiza la formacion historica de la clase media en America Latina. Si bien los historiadores, sociologos, antropologos y, en general, cientificos sociales suelen pensar las relaciones sociales en terminos bipolares (ricos y pobres, elites y plebeyos, oligarcas y pueblo, los de arriba y los de abajo, las elites y los subalternos), Adamovsky nos dice que en el caso argentino esta tendencia historiografica y analitica se ha traducido en una preocupacion por explicar el “fracaso nacional” ya sea por el papel de las oligarquias o del movimiento popular peronista, o por las dificultades que tiene la clase obrera para asumir su papel revolucionario en la historia. Con esto entonces el autor trae a debate la funcion crucial que desempenaron las clases medias —asi como su apogeo y decadencia— en el desarrollo politico, social y cultural de la nacion argentina durante el siglo XX.
Diagnosis and treatment of 8 cases of children ingesting multiple magnetic foreign bodies by mistake

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics of multiple magnetic digestive tract foreign bodies ingested by mistake, to review the previous literature and provide reference for clinical treatment. Methods The clinical data, treatment process and outcome of 8 cases of children with multiple magnetic foreign bodies admitted to Shanxi Children′s Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, and relevant literatures were reviewed. Results Eight children with multiple magnets were aged 1 to 9 years old, and their medical history ranged from 5 hours to 2 months.Number of magnets ingested was 2-25.During the operation, 6 patients were found with multiple intestinal perforations, 1 with internal fistula and 2 with internal abdominal hernia, with at least 2 perforations and at most 6 perforations.The perforation sites located in the distal esophagus, stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon.Seven cases were treated by emergency surgery, and 1 case was removed by colonoscopy and discharged after conservative treatment.One case underwent simple repair, 1 case underwent gastrojejunostomy, intestinal perforation repair; partial intestinal resection was performed in 2 places in 2 cases; partial intestinal resection was performed in 1 place and simple repair in the other places in 2 case; 1 case of fistula in child with intestinal anastomosis laparoscopic exploration, incision bowel resection.Seven cases recovered after surgical treatment.The child with intestinal obstruction after colonoscopy was discharged uneventfully 9 days later by conservative treatment, no complications occurred by followed-up.Combined with experience and literature, we developed a management algorithm for digestive tract magnet foreign body. Conclusion Accidental ingestion of multiple magnets can cause multiple digestive tract perforations, internal hernia, intestinal obstruction and other serious diseases, which should be treated as soon as possible.Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the understanding of multiple magnet foreign bodies in children, early detection and early treatment. Key words: Multiple magnet; Digestive tract foreign body; Children
Overclaiming responsibility in fictitious countries: Unpacking the role of availability in support theory predictions of overclaiming

Prior research has demonstrated that Americans massively overestimate how much their home state has contributed to US history. Why does such collective overclaiming occur? We argue that although self-serving biases undoubtedly influence overclaiming, non-motivated factors, such as a failure to consider the contributions of other states, also play a large role in overclaiming effects. In the current studies, subjects read descriptions of territories within a fictitious country and evaluated how much a territory within that country contributed to its history. Experiment 1 showed that overclaiming of responsibility increased as more territories were added to the country. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that requiring subjects to explicitly consider all territories reduced estimations of responsibility. Experiment 4 showed that people provided higher ratings of responsibility when more details were provided about the territory. Finally, Experiment 5 showed that retrieval fluency did not affect overclaiming. We conclude that support theory – based on the availability of content – provides a strong explanation for why the collective overclaiming of responsibility occurs, with both theoretical and practical implications.
Plant Pharmacogenomics: From Drug Discovery to Personalized Ethnomedicine

Plants have been an integral part of ethnomedicine and are being exploited for their therapeutic benefits for centuries. They have not only contributed to the drug discovery and development process but also supported the conventional therapeutic strategies by providing effective curative alternatives. The genetic makeup of the botanical source tends to affect the qualitative and quantitative properties of a phytochemical. These plant products, like other medicinal agents, possess beneficial and adverse drug reactions, which vary widely among individuals. This variation is mainly attributable to the difference in the genetic makeup of an individual. To investigate these differences, the study of plant pharmacogenomics becomes inevitable. Plant pharmacogenomics deals with the study of the genetic processes involved in the differential pharmacological responses to a particular phytochemical and vice versa. Interindividual variation in drug transport, metabolism, and interaction at the receptor site are some of the representations of these genetic variants. Understanding of the interrelationship of the genetic diversity of individuals and the administered plant product can help develop ideal therapeutic strategy for the treatment of a disease. Recent advances in the fields of genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics have made the functional understanding of the genome efficient and accurate. The scope of pharmacogenomics spreads from simple monogenic traits to complex pathways involving hundreds of alleles, influencing both pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics parameters, thus helping in the effective translation of molecular data into clinical findings. Once the correlation between the genetic makeup of an individual and the expected therapeutic response to a particular plant product is established, targeted, personalized pharmacotherapy can be developed. This review systemically analyzes the recent developments in plant pharmacogenomics and its contributions in the field of molecular and pharmaceutical sciences.
A Rare Case of Ganser Syndrome: Psychogenic or Organic?

Ganser syndrome (GS) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by answer approximation, clouded consciousness, somatic conversion symptoms, and visual or auditory hallucinations. The objective of this case report is to elucidate the presentation of a patient with GS and to highlight the interplay of psychological and organic determinants in this condition. We present a 66-year-old man with a history of concussion and short-term memory loss who presented with selective, remote, and recent memory loss following the death of his wife, visual hallucinations, approximation of answers regarding his current state, and limited insight into his condition. We found the patient oriented only to place and person, with impaired short-term memory and no language abnormalities. Montreal cognitive assessment (MOCA) exam showed mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment. The patient's presentation can be explained by both psychological and organic causes. Negative results from imaging and testing showed that the patient's recent emotional stressor, the death of his wife, may be contributing to the current state. However, the patient also has a history of hospitalization for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and a recent history of progressive memory loss. Therefore, the combination of psychological and organic factors likely played supplementary roles in the patient's current presentation. This case supports the literature that GS is a psychogenic disorder. However, an organic cause from the long-term sequelae of TBI needs further exploration.
Epigenomic Reprogramming as a Driver of Malignant Glioma

Malignant gliomas are central nervous system tumors and remain among the most treatment-resistant cancers. Exome sequencing has revealed significant heterogeneity and important insights into the molecular pathogenesis of gliomas. Mutations in chromatin modifiers-proteins that shape the epigenomic landscape through remodeling and regulation of post-translational modifications on chromatin-are very frequent and often define specific glioma subtypes. This suggests that epigenomic reprogramming may be a fundamental driver of glioma. Here, we describe the key chromatin regulatory pathways disrupted in gliomas, delineating their physiological function and our current understanding of how their dysregulation may contribute to gliomagenesis.
R-Loop Physiology and Pathology: A Brief Review

Physiological and pathological roles for R-loop structures continue to be discovered, and studies suggest that R-loops could contribute to human disease. R-loops are nucleic acid structures characterized by a DNA:RNA hybrid and displaced single-stranded DNA that occur in connection with transcription. R-loops form naturally and have been shown to be important for a number of physiological processes such as mitochondrial replication initiation, class switch recombination, DNA repair, modulating DNA topology, and regulation of gene expression. However, subsets of R-loops or persistent R-loops lead to DNA breaks, chromosome rearrangement, and genome instability. In addition, R-loops have been linked to human diseases, specifically neurological disorders and cancer. Of the large amount of research produced recently on R-loops, this review covers evidence for R-loop involvement in normal cellular physiology and pathophysiology, as well as describing factors that contribute to R-loop regulation.
Nearby Microlensing Events: Identification of the Candidates for theSpace Interferometry Mission

The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) is the instrument of choice when it comes to observing astrometric microlensing events where nearby, usually high proper motion, stars ("lenses") pass in front of more distant stars ("sources"). Each such encounter produces a deflection in the source's apparent position that, when observed by SIM, can lead to a precise mass determination of the nearby lens star. We search for lens-source encounters during the 2005-2015 period using Hipparcos, ACT, and NLTT to select lenses, and USNO-A2.0 to search for the corresponding sources, and rank these by the SIM time required for a 1% mass measurement. For Hipparcos and ACT lenses, the lens distance and lens-source impact parameter are precisely determined so that the events are well characterized. We present 32 candidates beginning with a 61 Cyg A event in 2012 that requires only a few minutes of SIM time. Proxima Centauri and Barnard's star each generate several events. For NLTT lenses, the distance is known only to a factor of 3, and the impact parameter only to 1''. Together, these produce uncertainties of a factor ~10 in the amount of SIM time required. We present a list of 146 NLTT candidates and show how single-epoch CCD photometry of the candidates could reduce the uncertainty in SIM time to a factor of ~1.5.
Bulk Grid Frequency Support Using Electrolyzers

Increasing renewable penetration in the bulk power systems has resulted in declining inertial response of the generation during system disturbances. This results in larger frequency deviations and oscillations during such events. This paper proposes a strategy for controlled dispatch of electrolyzers as loads to improve the system’s frequency response. A droop based controller with constraints based on electrolyzer operating limits has been developed to regulate its load. Consecutively, a localized frequency based control strategy has been developed to support the bulk system during disturbances. The impact of the electrolyzer support has been demonstrated using the 23-bus SAVNW system, and the 240-bus WECC system for baseline, 25% and 50% renewable penetration. The impact of changing droop settings and the available controllable electrolyzer capacities on the system’s frequency response has also been presented. Overall, the dispatchable electrolyzers helps improve (reduce) both the maximum frequency deviation and the settling times during common disturbances like loss of load/generation, and line faults. Systems with lower inertia were seen to benefit more from the controlled electrolyzer dispatch.
Leveraging prospective teachers’ reflections to challenge spaces of marginality

Prospective teachers must have opportunities in teacher education to critically reflect on race and racism in mathematics education. Engaging preservice teachers in such conversations during method...
Integration of Robotics in Urology Residency Programs: an Unchecked Technological Revolution.

Purpose of review To review the integration of robotics in urology residency programs and evaluate how it has impacted a graduates' level of surgical competence. Recent findings Surgical technique training has shown a dramatic shift towards robotics with the most profound occurring in oncology. However, integration of robotics is not uniform across programs nor even among residents themselves. Robotics require graduates to garner a broader skill set within the same prescribed training time. Unfortunately, in this modern era, graduates are feeling more ill-equipped to start independent practice and show an increased need to pursue fellowship training to achieve technical proficiency. The dissemination of robotics in residency programs has gone unchecked. Modulating existing training structures through (1) development of procedure- and surgical technique-specific target metrics for graduation and (2) integration of a formalized robotic curriculum may improve the overall quality and outcome of the educational experience.
Putting the brakes on the "drive to eat": Pilot effects of naltrexone and reward-based eating on food cravings among obese women.

Abstract Purpose Obese individuals vary in their experience of food cravings and tendency to engage in reward-driven eating, both of which can be modulated by the neural reward system rather than physiological hunger. We examined two predictions in a sample of obese women: (1) whether opioidergic blockade reduced food-craving intensity, and (2) whether opioidergic blockade reduced an association between food-craving intensity and reward-driven eating, which is a trait-like index of three factors (lack of control over eating, lack of satiation, preoccupation with food). Methods Forty-four obese, pre-menopausal women completed the Reward-Based Eating Drive (RED) scale at study start and daily food-craving intensity on 5 days on which they ingested either a pill-placebo (2 days), a 25 mg naltrexone dose (1 day), or a standard 50 mg naltrexone dose (2 days). Results Craving intensity was similar under naltrexone and placebo doses. The association between food-craving intensity and reward-driven eating significantly differed between placebo and 50 mg naltrexone doses. Reward-driven eating and craving intensity were significantly positively associated under both placebo doses. As predicted, opioidergic blockade (for both doses 25 mg and 50 mg naltrexone) reduced the positive association between reward-driven eating and craving intensity to non-significance. Conclusions Opioidergic blockade did not reduce craving intensity; however, blockade reduced an association between trait-like reward-driven eating and daily food-craving intensity, and may help identify an important endophenotype within obesity.
Adverse Childhood Experience and Adolescent Well-being: Do Protective Factors Matter?

Studies have found traumatic experiences in childhood to have lasting effects across the lifecourse. These adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include a variety of types of trauma, including psychological, physical or sexual abuse; living in poverty; violence in the home; living with a substance abuser; living with a mentally ill or suicidal person; or living with someone who is or has been imprisoned. Long-term effects among adults have been found in previous studies; but there is limited research on the association between ACEs and adolescent development and even less on potential protective factors to mediate these associations. Utilizing the U.S. 2011–2012 National Survey of Children’s Health, this study examines both the prevalence of ACEs in a nationally representative sample of 12–17 year old adolescents and the cross-sectional relationship between experiencing ACEs and multiple measures of well-being. Potential protective factors are then examined in a mediation model. Results indicate that the more ACEs adolescents experience, the less likely they are to enjoy high levels of well-being. Many factors partially mediate this association, including residing in a safe neighborhood, attending a safe school, and parental monitoring of friends and activities. We conclude that measures of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) represent an important construct for indicator systems; in addition, these findings indicate that measures of protective factors represent important components of indication systems.
Differential DNA damage responses in p53 proficient and deficient cells: cisplatin-induced nuclear import of XPA is independent of ATR checkpoint in p53-deficient lung cancer cells

Nucleotide excision repair (NER) and ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)/ATR (ATM- and RAD3-related) DNA damage checkpoints are among the major pathways that affect the chemotherapeutic efficiency of the anticancer drug cisplatin. Xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XPA) protein plays a crucial role in NER including both global genome repair (GG-NER) and transcription-coupled repair (TC-NER) subpathways, and has been a potential target for improving cisplatin therapeutic effects. We report here that XPA translocates from the cytosol into the nucleus after DNA damage induced by UV irradiation and cisplatin, a mimetic of UV damage, in human cells with or without p53 deficiency. However, the damage-induced response of XPA nuclear import was significantly slower in p53-deficient cells than in p53-proficient cells. We also found that while XPA is imported into the nucleus upon cisplatin or UV damage in an ATR-dependent manner in p53-proficient A549 lung cancer cells, the ATR checkpoint pathway has no effect on the XPA nuclear import in p53-deficient H1299 lung cancer cells. Similarly, the XPA nuclear translocation is not regulated by ATM checkpoint or by p38MAPK/MK2 either. Our findings suggest that NER is independent on the major DNA damage checkpoint pathways in H1299 (p53(-/-)) cells and that DNA damage responses are mechanistically different between p53-proficient and p53-deficient cells. Our results also highlight the possibility of selectively targeting XPA nuclear import as a way to sensitize cisplatin anticancer activity, but targeting ATR/ATM-dependent checkpoints may not be helpful in killing p53-deficient cancer cells.
Chapter XI Serology of the Meningococcus

Publisher Summary The natural habitat of Neisseria meningitidis is the nasopharynx of humans. It is estimated that approximately 5% of the population are carriers of meningococci during interepidemic periods and this rate may rise from 15 to 100% in closed populations, endemic zones, and during epidemics. Cerebrospinal meningitis only develops occasionally, but the clinical results are dramatic, particularly in young children. This chapter presents the current status of serological classification of the meningococci and those techniques that are of practical importance in clinical and research laboratories. Neisseria meningitidis is one of the species isolated from humans currently assigned to the genus Neisseria , family Neisseriaceae . Meningococci are gram-negative, oxidase positive, and produce acid from glucose and maltose but not from other sugars. Meningococci are pathogenic only for humans and are not known to cause symptomatic or asymptomatic diseases in any other animal species. The most practical and useful application of definitive serogrouping of the meningococci and establishment of a standard serological classification system is in the development and successful use of a vaccine for cerebrospinal meningitis.
Comparing inter-specific competition for continuous corn grown in a living mulch with stover removal

Corn stover provides producers a potential additional market for selling biomass for biomass production. However, corn stover returns nutrients to the soil, decreases soil erosion, and helps maintain soil properties. Long term stover removal has been determined to cause detrimental environmental effects (Wilhelm et al., 1986; Mann et al., 2002; Nelson, 2002). Perennial groundcovers or living mulches grow simultaneously with the main row crop and are maintained as living groundcover throughout the growing season. Groundcovers grown in the interrow of row crops may provide beneficial functions such as weed suppression, water infiltration, nutrient cycling, and carbon inputs, but should not disrupt corn development and productivity. The objective of this research was to evaluate management systems including living mulches grown in continuous corn with stover removal. Corn was planted into three perennial groundcovers: creeping red fescue (CF) (Festuca rubra L.), Kentucky bluegrass (KB) (Poa pratensis L.), and a mixture of creeping red fescue and white clover (MX) (Trifolium repens L.) in 2008 and 2009 near Ames, IA. Management treatments were fall strip tillage (ST) and no-tillage (NT), accompanied with either a pre-planting
Synergistic Induction of the Tap-1 Gene by IFN-γ and Lipopolysaccharide in Macrophages Is Regulated by STAT1

Proper regulation of the Tap-1 gene is critical for the initiation and continuation of a cellular immune response. Analysis of the Tap-1/low molecular mass polypeptide 2 bidirectional promoter showed that the IFN-gamma activation site element is critical for the rapid induction of the promoter by IFN-gamma following transfection into the human macrophage cell line THP-1. Furthermore, activation of STAT1 binding to this site was important for the synergistic response seen following the stimulation with both IFN-gamma and LPS. Mutation of an IFN-stimulated regulatory element that binds IFN regulatory factor 1 appeared to enhance the response to IFN-gamma and LPS. These data show that STAT1 is necessary for the activation of Tap-1 gene expression in APCs and initiation of cellular immune responses. Furthermore, our data suggest that bacterial products such as LPS may enhance cellular immune responses through augmenting the ability of STAT1 to regulate IFN-gamma-inducible genes.
Pd(0)‐Catalyzed Diamination of trans‐1‐Phenyl‐1,3‐Butadiene with Di‐tert‐Butyldiaziridinone as Nitrogen Source

Di-tert-butylurea Tert-Butylamine Triethylamine Triphosgene Di-tert-butyldiaziridinone Tert-Butyl hypochlorite Potassium tert-butoxide Trans-1,3-Di-tert-butyl-4-phenyl-5-vinyl-imidazolidin-2-one (E)-1-Phenyl-1,3-butadiene Tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium Keywords: catalyzed diamination; nitrogen source; palladium catalyst; copper catalyst; dibutyldiaziridinone; conjugate trienes; conjugated trienes; chiral diamines; waste disposal; safety
Stability and stabilization of piecewise‐affine slab systems subject to Wiener process noise

Summary The main contribution of this paper is to propose a convex formulation of sufficient conditions for both stability analysis and synthesis of stabilizing controllers for stochastic piecewise affine (PWA) systems with multiplicative noise. One of the main difficulties in PWA systems is the fact that the affine terms in the dynamics make it extremely difficult to formulate the synthesis problem as a convex optimization or even convex feasibility program. The presence of multiplicative noise modeled as a Wiener process adds an additional level of difficulty to the analysis and synthesis procedures. Sufficient conditions for stability of stochastic PWA slab systems in the mean square sense are developed first using a stochastic globally quadratic Lyapunov function. Second, PWA state feedback controllers are designed such that the closed-loop system is stochastically exponentially mean square stable. The conditions for both stability and stabilization are formulated as LMIs, which can then be solved efficiently using currently available software packages. A numerical example shows the effectiveness of the approach. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Best Practices for Transitioning from the Birthing Unit to the Mother–Infant Unit

Poster Presentation Purpose for the Program As we sought to obtain Baby Friendly Hospital designation, we had the opportunity to evaluate our practices in transitioning women from the birthing unit to the mother/infant unit. We discovered two critical practices that were suboptimal and lacked supporting evidence for best patient outcomes: nurse‐to‐nurse hand‐off and the mother/infant admission process. To improve patient outcomes and satisfaction, our team recognized that these two practices were interdependent and required a synergistic problem solving approach for change. Proposed Change The traditional practice of telephone hand‐off was time consuming, inefficient for nurses with multiple demands, did not engage the woman and family, and was not conducive to a seamless transition from one unit to another. Importantly, this transition process, which routinely separated well newborns from healthy postpartum mothers for admission care, had the potential to interfere with bonding and breastfeeding success. An interprofessional team led by the councils of the birthing and mother/infant units recognized the relationship between these processes and the need to align them with Baby Friendly and family‐centered care practices. They developed, implemented, and evaluated an evidence‐based practice project that transitioned the mother/infant dyad from the birthing unit to the postpartum room for admission care while integrating face‐to‐face interprofessional bedside hand‐off. Implementation, Outcomes, and Evaluation The councils were instrumental in identifying, developing, and evaluating these practice changes. Before piloting, women and nurses were surveyed regarding the current processes and then again after implementation. During the pilot period, more than 130 mother/infant dyads were transitioned directly to the postpartum room for admission care with no adverse outcomes related to the process. In addition, unit council representatives also collaborated with provider stakeholders to develop and pilot the interprofessional face‐to‐face bedside hand‐off process. They developed a notification strategy and utilized technology to provide consistent information among team members. Since full implementation of these practices, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores have shown significant improvement as well as breastfeeding initiation and rooming in rates. Implications for Nursing Practice The benefit of a seamless transition process that allows mothers and newborns to stay together from birth until discharge is well documented. Nurses have a responsibility to examine current practices, move away from nurse‐centric traditions, and initiate those that move toward evidence‐based, patient‐centric best practices.
Restrictions on inhibitory circuits contribute to limited recruitment of fast inhibition in rat neocortical pyramidal cells.

To further define the operational boundaries on fast inhibition in neocortex, whole cell recordings were made from layer V pyramidal neurons in neocortical slices to evaluate evoked inhibitory post...
Laser desorption mass spectrometry for ultrafast DNA analysis and its applications

Summary form only given. In order to use mass spectrometry for fast DNA sequencing, there are three requirements: (1) detection of large DNA segments, (2) detection sensitivity in the femtomole region, and (3) resolution must be good enough to resolve DNA sizes of one nucleotide difference. With pulsed ion extraction, mass resolution of more than 1000 has been achieved for small DNA segments. If good resolution can be extended to large DNA segments, sequencing the human genome will become possible. In addition to using laser desorption mass spectrometry for human genome sequencing, we also used LDMS for genetic disease diagnosis. Cystic fibrosis DNA is characterized by the deletion of three nucleotides that code phenylalanine in the 508 position of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator. We recently succeeded in using LDMS to detect the codon 508 mutant in cystic fibrosis carriers and patients.
Concurrent autoreceptor-mediated control of dopamine release and uptake during neurotransmission: an in vivo voltammetric study.

Receptor-mediated feedback control plays an important role in dopamine (DA) neurotransmission. Recent evidence suggests that release and uptake, key mechanisms determining brain extracellular levels of the neurotransmitter, are governed by presynaptic autoreceptors. The goal of this study was to investigate whether autoreceptors regulate both mechanisms concurrently. Extracellular DA in the caudate–putamen and nucleus accumbens, evoked by electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle, was monitored in the anesthetized rat by real-time voltammetry. Effects of the D 2 antagonist haloperidol (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) on evoked DA levels were measured to evaluate autoreceptor control mechanisms. Two strategies were used to resolve individual contributions of release and uptake to the robust increases in DA signals observed after acute haloperidol challenge in naive animals: pretreatment with 3β-( p -chlorophenyl)tropan-2β-carboxylic acid p -isothiocyanatophenylmethyl ester hydrochloride (RTI-76; 100 nmol, i.c.v.), an irreversible inhibitor of the DA transporter, and kinetic analysis of extracellular DA dynamics. RTI-76 effectively removed the uptake component from recorded signals. In RTI-76-pretreated rats, haloperidol induced only modest increases in DA elicited by low frequencies and had little or no effect at high frequencies. These results suggest that D 2 antagonism alters uptake at all frequencies but only release at low frequencies. Kinetic analysis similarly demonstrated that haloperidol decreased V max for DA uptake and increased DA release at low (10–30 Hz) but not high (40–60 Hz) stimulus frequencies. We conclude that presynaptic DA autoreceptors concurrently downregulate release and upregulate uptake, and that the mechanisms are also independently controlled during neurotransmission.
Kinetics of 1,4-dioxane biodegradation by monooxygenase-expressing bacteria.

1,4-Dioxane is a probable human carcinogen, and an important emerging water contaminant. In this study, the biodegradation of dioxane by 20 bacterial isolates was evaluated, and 13 were found to be capable of transforming dioxane. Dioxane served as a growth substrate for Pseudonocardia dioxanivorans CB1190 and Pseudonocardia benzenivorans B5, with yields of 0.09 g protein g dioxane-1 and 0.03 g protein g dioxane-1, respectively. Cometabolic transformation of dioxane was observed for monooxygenase-expressing strains that were induced with methane, propane, tetrahydrofuran, or toluene including Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, Mycobacterium vaccae JOB5, Pseudonocardia K1, Pseudomonas mendocina KR1, Ralstonia pickettii PKO1, Burkholderia cepacia G4, and Rhodococcus RR1. Product toxicity resulted in incomplete dioxane degradation for many of the cometabolic reactions. Brief exposure to acetylene, a known monooxygenase inhibitor, prevented oxidation of dioxane in all cases, supporting the hypothesis that monoo...
The protective effect ofl-DOPA on heinz body formation in G6PD deficient red cells

Lel-DOPA empeche la formation de «Heinz bodies» resultant de l'incubation des globules rouges normaux et des globules rouges prives de G6PD avec un grond nombre d'oxydants. Lel-DOPA a eu le plus d'effet a 10−3 M et a un PH de 7.0–7.5. L'incubation avec les inhibiteurs de la catalase, l'acide ascorbique et l'azide de sodium bloque l'effet protecteur dul-DOPA.
Is Minimally Invasive Colon Resection Better Than Traditional Approaches?: First Comprehensive National Examination With Propensity Score Matching

Importance Minimally invasive colectomies are increasingly popular options for colon resection. Objective To compare the perioperative outcomes and costs of robot-assisted colectomy (RC), laparoscopic colectomy (LC), and open colectomy (OC). Design, Setting, and Participants The US Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was used to examine outcomes and costs before and after propensity score matching across the 3 surgical approaches. This study involved a sample of US hospital discharges from 2008 to 2010 and all patients 21 years of age or older who underwent elective colectomy. Main Outcomes and Measures In-hospital mortality, complications, ostomy rates, conversion to open procedure, length of stay, discharge disposition, and cost. Results Of the 244 129 colectomies performed during the study period, 126 284 (51.7%) were OCs, 116 261 (47.6%) were LCs, and 1584 (0.6%) were RCs. In comparison with OC, LC was associated with a lower mortality rate (0.4% vs 2.0%), lower complication rate (19.8% vs 33.2%), lower ostomy rate (3.5 vs 13.0%), shorter median length of stay (4 vs 6 days), a higher routine discharge rate (86.1% vs 68.4%), and lower overall cost than OC ($11 742 vs $13 666) (all P P > .05). However, RC incurred a higher overall hospitalization cost than LC ($14 847 vs $11 966, P Conclusions and Relevance In this nationwide comparison of minimally invasive approaches for colon resection, LC demonstrated favorable clinical outcomes and lower cost than OC. Robot-assisted colectomy was equivalent in most clinical outcomes to LC but incurred a higher cost.
A catheter mounted Doppler system for the continuous measurement of cardiac output

Since the introduction of a flow-directed pulmonary artery catheter in 1970, the most extensively used technique for the invasive measurement of cardiac output (CO) has involved the measurement of the thermal dilution of chilled saline injected into the right heart. The authors report the successful combination of the ultrasound Doppler measurement of pulmonary artery velocity profile with thermal-dilution CO measurements to permit the tracking of changes in heart output and thus the continuous monitoring of CO. >
An Unusual Presentation of Liver Failure in a Patient with Primary Gastrointestinal Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Introduction. Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) presenting either with primary bowel involvement or with cholestasis is unusual. The combination of primary gastrointestinal HL presenting with cholestasis and ductopenia has not been previously described. Case Report. We present a case of primary gastrointestinal HL with evidence of liver involvement, but also with prominent ductopenia on liver biopsy and associated intrahepatic cholestasis. A 50-year-old man with a history of Crohn's disease presented with a bowel obstruction, for which he underwent a small bowel resection. Histology revealed HL. His course was complicated by cholestatic liver failure. A subsequent liver biopsy revealed both focal involvement by lymphoma and ductopenia, resembling vanishing bile duct syndrome (VBDS). He was treated with chemotherapy with improvement in his cholestasis, but he eventually succumbed due to further complications of his disease and treatment toxicities. Conclusion. This case of primary gastrointestinal HL associated with ductopenia does not meet classic criteria for VBDS, but the clinical presentation and pathology are suggestive of a VBDS-like paraneoplastic process. Therapies for HL in the setting of cholestatic liver failure require special consideration, but some reports of durable remissions and recovery of liver function have been reported.
On platers with a bounded number of states

Abstract Designing the best response automation for the repeated prisoner's dilemma with a bounded number of states is shown to be an NP-complete problem, whereas it is easy when no bound is imposed. The results of a computation regarding two-state automata are also reported.
Use of indicator variograms for an enhanced spatial analysis

Flat variograms often are interpreted as representing a lack of spatial autocorrelation. Recent research in earthquake engineering shows that nearby field noise can substantially mask a prominent spatial autocorrelation and result in what appears to be a purely random spatial process. A careful selection of threshold in assigning an indicator function can yield an indicator variogram which reveals underlying spatial autocorrelation. Although this application involves use of seismic data, the results are relevant to geostatistical applications in general.
Dividing Countries to Promote Peace: Prospects for Long-Term Success of Partitions

This article examines the prospects for long-term success of an internally motivated division of a country's homeland territory - a process known as partition or secession - into rump and secessionist states. The question investigated is why, in the years after the partition, some partitioned countries are able to avoid serious domestic-level violent conflict - operationalized as armed conflict and civil war onset - while others are not. The core logic of the article argues that partition-related factors affect the extent of support for extremist (i.e. conflictual) versus moderate (i.e. accommodative) policies, which in turn determine the prospects for future peace. Aftermaths of all 20th-century partitions are used to examine the related hypotheses. Contrary to the arguments found in much of the extant scholarship, the findings indicate (1) that peaceful partitions are more beneficial than their violent counterparts; (2) that secessionist states are less likely to experience conflict than rump states; and (3) that partitioning for ethnic - as opposed to non-ethnic - reasons does not increase the likelihood of future conflict. Finally, (4) the results reveal a lower than expected degree of support for the common claim that partitioning leads to failure because partitioned countries tend to be ethnically diverse. These findings shed new light on the circumstances under which partitioning may be a useful policymaking tool.