cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect on regression potential of atherosclerosis produced by intermittent or continuous hypercholesterolemia

Abstract The feasibility of producing advanced or complicated atherosclerosis and the potential for regression of these lesions was studied in the White Carneau pigeon. Over a 14-month period, one group of White Carneau pigeons was fed an atherogenic or control diet alternating at two-month intervals to induce intermittent hypercholesterolemia as a means for producing advanced atherosclerosis. Another group was fed an atherogenic diet for a continuous period of eight months to induce continuous hypercholesterolemia. After atherosclerosis induction, subgroups of animals were studied at four and eight months of lesion regression during which time control diets were fed to all animals. After the atherosclerosis progression period, the percentage of aortic intimal surface covered with raised plaque was 23% in their intermittent cholesterol fed group and 17% in the continuous cholesterol fed group. After lesion progression, aortic cholesterol concentration was significantly higher in the intermittent versus continuous cholesterol fed group. The largest increase was seen in esterified cholesterol concentration. Compared to control levels aortic collagen content was significantly increased only in the intermittent cholesterol-fed pigeons. Atherosclerosis lesion regression occurred in both the intermittent and continuous cholesterol-fed groups but the pattern of regression was different. The decrease in total aortic and brachiocephalic artery cholesterol concentration in the intermittent cholesterol-fed pigeons was a parabolic function while the continuous cholesterol-fed pigeons showed a downward linear trend with time. After four months regression aortic collagen content in the intermittent group was significantly higher than the continuous cholesterol-fed group. At eight months regression the intermittent group had aortic collagen contents significantly higher than controls. Aortic calcium concentrations in the intermittent group were higher than the continuous group after eight months of regression. Intermittent hypercholesterolemia in White Carneau pigeons induced atherosclerosis that was characterized by greater aortic cholesterol concentrations, lesions that were more fibrous and mineralized and lesions that showed a different pattern of regression than the atherosclerosis produced by continuous hypercholesterolemia.
The Physiology of Taste, Vintage 2000

The identification of bitter taste receptors is a very exciting discovery that will provide scientists with invaluable tools to decipher the principles of taste and to address fundamental questions about the emergence of cellular diversity during the development and the regeneration of sensory systems. One can also foresee important socioeconomic applications in the detection and design of tastants. As predicted 175 years ago by Brillat-Savarin, the future of Taste glows:And you too, gastronomes of 1825, sates already in the midst of plenty, and dreaming now of novel dishes, you will never know the mysteries science shall reveal in 1900, mineral esculences perhaps, liqueurs distilled from a hundred atmospheres; you will never see that travelers as yet unborn shall bring from that half of the globe which still remains to be discovered or explored. How I pity you!*E-mail: dulac@fas.harvard.edu.
Technical and management notes: Training engineers to be leaders: A classical management approach

The problems associated with a successful transition from professional engineer to professional manager are discussed, and several prerequisites defined as 1) the motivation to manage, 2) a full awareness of the many facets of professional management, and 3) either a role model for the candidate to emulate, or experential training that allows him or her to practice the required managerial behavior patterns.
REGULATION OF DRUG-METABOLIZING ENZYMES AND TRANSPORTERS IN INFLAMMATION

Inflammation and infection have long been known to downregulate the activity and expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes involved in hepatic drug clearance. This can result in elevated plasma drug levels and increased adverse effects. Recent information on regulation of human CYP enzymes is presented, as are new developments in our understanding of the mechanisms of regulation. Experiments to study the effects of modulating CYP activities on the inflammatory response have yielded possible insights into the physiological consequences, if not the purpose, of the downregulation. Regulation of hepatic flavin monooxygenases, UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, sulfotransferases, glutathione S-transferases, as well as of hepatic transporters during the inflammatory response, exhibits similarities and differences with regulation of CYPs.
ParNCL and ParGAL: Data-parallel Tools for Postprocessing of Large-scale Earth Science Data☆

Abstract Earth science high-performance applications often require extensive analysis of their output in order to complete the scien- tific goals or produce a visual image or animation. Often this analysis cannot be done in situ because it requires calculating time-series statistics from state sampled over the entire length of the run or analyzing the relationship between similar time series from previous simulations or observations. Many of the tools used for this postprocessing are not themselves high- performance applications, but the new Parallel Gridded Analysis Library (ParGAL) provides high-performance data-parallel versions of several common analysis algorithms for data from a structured or unstructured grid simulation. The library builds on several scalable systems, including the Mesh Oriented DataBase (MOAB), a library for representing mesh data that sup- ports structured, unstructured finite element, and polyhedral grids; the Parallel-NetCDF (PNetCDF) library; and Intrepid, an extensible library for computing operators (such as gradient, curl, and divergence) acting on discretized fields. We have used ParGAL to implement a parallel version of the NCAR Command Language (NCL) a scripting language widely used in the climate community for analysis and visualization. The data-parallel algorithms in ParGAL/ParNCL are both higher performing and more flexible than their serial counterparts.
Torchestra: reducing interactive traffic delays over tor

Tor is an onion routing network that protects users' privacy by relaying traffic through a series of nodes that run Tor software. As a consequence of the anonymity that it provides, Tor is used for many purposes. According to several measurement studies, a small fraction of users using Tor for bulk downloads account for the majority of traffic on the Tor network. These bulk downloads cause delays for interactive traffic, as many different circuits share bandwidth across each pair of nodes. The resulting delays discourage people from using Tor for normal web activity.We propose a potential solution to this problem: separate interactive and bulk traffic onto two different TCP connections between each pair of nodes. Previous proposals to improve Tor's performance for interactive traffic have focused on prioritizing traffic from less active circuits; however, these prioritization approaches are limited in the benefit they can provide, as they can only affect delays due to traffic processing in Tor itself. Our approach provides a simple way to reduce delays due to additional factors external to Tor, such as the effects of TCP congestion control and queuing of interactive traffic behind bulk traffic in buffers. We evaluate our proposal by simulating traffic using several methods and show that Torchestra provides up to 32% reduction in delays for interactive traffic compared to the Tor traffic prioritization scheme of Tang and Goldberg [18] and up to 40% decrease in delays when compared to vanilla Tor.
Patient satisfaction profiling of individual physicians: impact of panel status.

Rationale, aims and objectives Evaluation of physician performance is increasingly based on patient satisfaction. However, few data are available regarding the extent to which individual physician profiles might be influenced by factors such as whether a physician's practice is open or closed. We evaluated whether panel status (whether or not a physician is accepting new patients) is associated with patient satisfaction with their primary care physician (PCP). Methods Cross-sectional analysis of patient satisfaction surveys. Surveys were available for 1750 patients cared for by 69 PCPs. Patient satisfaction with their PCP was determined based on a composite of six questions derived from the Medical Outcomes Study. We used Generalized Estimating Equations to adjust for physician level variation. Results Patients of closed-panel physicians were more likely to rate their satisfaction with the provider as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’ compared to patients of open-panel physicians (78% vs. 69%, P < 0.0001). After adjusting for satisfaction with the practice site, provider years in practice, managed care coverage, provider productivity, and patient race, the association between a closed panel and satisfaction remained significant (odds ratio 1.60, 95% confidence interval 1.10–2.31). Conclusions Individual physicians’ patient satisfaction data are confounded by factors not likely to be adjusted for in available profiles. After adjusting for other variables, physicians with closed panels still had better patient satisfaction compared to physicians with open panels. Further research is necessary to determine if panel status might also confound patient satisfaction.
Cytochalasin B, but not colchicine, inhibits migration of secretory vesicles in root tips of maize.

The effects of colchicine and cytochalasin B on the structure of dictyosomes of maize root tips were studied. Colchicine did not significantly affect dictyosome structure or change the distribution of dictyosome-derived secretory vesicles. Cytochalasin B did not significantly change dictyosome structure or intercisternal fibers, but did alter markedly the distribution of the secretory vesicles in both the epidermal and outer cap cells. With cytochalasin B, the vesicles accumulated in a region close to their site of formation and did not migrate to the cell surface. The results show that a cytochalasin B-sensitive subcellular component is involved in the vectorial movement of secretory vesicles from sites of formation at dictyosomes to sites of fusion at the cell surface.
Increased detection of alcohol consumption and at-risk drinking with computerised alcohol screening and brief intervention (CASI)

Background The impact of alcohol use has been widely studied and is considered a public health issue. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recommends Screening and Brief Intervention and Referral Treatment (SBIRT) but the actual practice in the Emergency Department (ED) is deviated due to limited provider time and financial resources. Objectives To assess the effectiveness of alcohol screening using Computerised Alcohol Screening and brief Intervention (CASI) compared to alcohol screening by triage nurse during Medical Screening Examination (MSE) in the ED. Methods Retrospective review of CASI/MSE database from January 2008 through December 2009, collected in the tertiary, level I Trauma ED was performed. Inclusion criteria included age ≥18, and completion of both the MSE and CASI. We analysed the database by comparing age, gender, primary language (English, Spanish), and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores using McNemar9s analysis. Results Data was available for 5835 patients. CASI showed an increase in detection of at-risk drinking over MSE across all ages, gender, and primary language with statistically significant. MSE found 2.5% at-risk drinkers while CASI found 11.5% at risk drinkers (OR 8.88, 95%CI 6.89 to 11.61). Similar results were found in 18–20-year-old patients. MSE identified 1.7% at-risk drinkers and CASI reported 15.94% (OR 19.33, 95% CI 6.29 to 96.74). Significance CASI increased detection of at-risk alcohol drinkers compared with MSE across all ages, gender, and primary language. CASI is a promising innovative method for alcohol screening in the ED for the adult population including under-aged drinkers.
Probing correlation in quantum arrays

We consider the problem of identifying the degree of correlation θ in the depolarization rates of an array of qubits, such as might be found in a holding register in a quantum information processing architecture. We treat this as a problem in quantum channel identification and use the quantum Fisher information about θ in the channel output to compare different candidate probe states. We consider channel probes in general pure N-qubit cat states and find that partial entanglement is always suboptimal; the best cat probe state is either separable or maximally entangled, and we lay out for any given depolarizing rate p and correlation θ, the (p, θ)-regions for which separable and maximally entangled probes each yield the most information. In the case of very large qubit arrays, we find that the quantum Fisher information obtained about θ using any pure cat probe state is asymptotically independent of the state and identically equal to the information available about a classical coin's bias from a single coin toss. Finally, we turn our attention to arrays of N qudits (with common dimension D) that are depolarizing with some correlation θ. We consider both separable and maximally entangled cat probe states and find and compare their quantum Fisher informations in both the large N and large D regimes.
Effect of the α-glucosidase inhibitor, bromoconduritol, on carbohydrate metabolism in the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii.

The involvement of alpha-glucosidase in the partitioning of ingested sucrose between excretion and incorporation was investigated in the silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii). Approximately half of the alpha-glucosidase activity in adult whiteflies was soluble and the remainder was associated with membranes. In contrast, almost all of the trehalulose synthase was membrane-associated. Isoelectric focusing revealed that soluble and membrane-associated alpha-glucosidases were each composed of several isozymes in the pH 5 to 6.5 range, but the distribution of activity among the various isozymes was different. Bromoconduritol, an inhibitor of glucosidases, inhibited trehalulose synthase and alpha-glucosidase activities in whitefly extracts. Inhibition was greatest when bromoconduritol was incubated with extracts prior to the addition of sucrose, consistent with the irreversible nature of this inhibitor. Addition of bromoconduritol to artificial diets decreased the extractable trehalulose synthase and alpha-glucosidase activities by about 30 and 50%, respectively. Ingestion of bromoconduritol reduced the amount of carbohydrate excreted by about 80% without changing the distribution of the major honeydew sugars or causing an increase in the proportion of sucrose that was excreted. Ingestion of bromoconduritol did not affect respiration, the content and distribution of soluble carbohydrates in whitefly bodies, or the conversion of labeled sucrose into glucose, trehalose and isobemisiose. The results indicate that partitioning of ingested carbon between excretion and metabolism in whiteflies is highly regulated, probably involving multiple forms of alpha-glucosidase that facilitate a separation of the processes involved in the metabolic utilization of sucrose from those involved in excretion of excess carbohydrate. Arch. Insect Biochem. Physiol. 45:117-128, 2000. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Protein Synthesis in Nuclei Isolated from HeLa Cells

Labeled amino acids were incorporated into isolated HeLa cell nuclei in vitro in the presence of a cytoplasmic pH 5 fraction and an energy generating system. Autoradiographically, the label appeared evenly distributed over the nuclei. Comparison of the nuclear and microsomal systems in vitro revealed differences in the ionic requirements for optimum function and in the polyacryl-amide gel electrophoretic pattern of the proteins being synthesized. The inhibition of the protein synthesizing activity following inhibition of RNA synthesis in HeLa cells was more pronounced in the nuclear than in the microsomal system.
Vector- and Rodent-borne Diseases in Europe and North America: Distribution, Public Health Burden and Control

An estimated 70% or more of emerging infectious disease agents have some form of vector. The author of this book, Norman Gratz, a medical entomologist, has written a very valuable resource on vectorborne and rodentborne diseases found in Europe and North America. His book includes information on diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, rodents, mites, sandflies, fleas, lice, biting midges, diptera, triatomines, and cockroaches. As a text, it is impressive that one man has such a breadth of knowledge of these diseases, although some credit must go to Mike Service, who helped prepare the manuscript for publication after the death of the author. Unlike most books on this subject, which concentrate on describing the agent and its molecular properties, this book focuses on public health aspects of the diseases, and most chapters are divided on the basis of the vector that carries the agents. The chapters describe the history of the agents and details of incidence by country, year, and important ecologic parameters. The details of the number of cases of each disease by year are particularly impressive. Many chapters have a conclusion section with an overview of the public health importance of the disease, interpretation of the risk of the disease, and identification of our knowledge gaps. In addition, some chapters are devoted to the economic effects of vectorborne and rodentborne diseases in Europe and North America. This is a very readable text or reference book for those who want to know about a specific vectorborne or rodentborne disease in Europe or North America through 2003–2004. The only weakness I could find is that although the word “control” is used in the title, the book contains relatively little information on this subject. However, the depth of other areas compensates for a lack of information about control. Overall, I recommend this to anyone who needs a reference book on vectorborne and rodentborne diseases. All we need now is an equivalent reference for such diseases in Africa, Asia, Australasia, and South America!
Optical Waveform Generation for Coherent High-Resolution Imaging

We have developed a time-multiplexed technique for controlling the amplitude and phase of the individual frequency components of a mode-locked laser to generate a precisely linear chirped waveform. We have demonstrated a 20-GHz, 1-us chirp.
Impact of preoperative neurologic events on outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Background Neurologic events (permanent stroke and transient events) can be devastating complications after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This study assessed the impact of a history of preoperative neurologic events on postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) vs conventional coronary artery bypass (CCAB). Methods From January 1996 to June 2006, 14,278 patients underwent primary, isolated CABG (5641 OPCAB and 8637 CCAB) at Emory Healthcare Hospitals and were prospectively entered into a computerized database. In a multiple logistic regression analysis using propensity score adjustment, we evaluated the impact of preoperative neurologic events on in-hospital mortality and postoperative neurologic events in patients undergoing OPCAB vs CCAB using adjusted odds ratios (AOR). Results Overall, postoperative neurologic events occurred in 1.9% (274 of 14,278) of patients and were associated with an in-hospital mortality of 13.5% (37 of 274). In the logistic regression analysis, patients with preoperative neurologic events had a higher incidence of postoperative neurologic events (AOR, 3.07; p p p Conclusions Preoperative neurologic events are risk factors for postoperative neurologic events and in-hospital mortality. OPCAB is associated with a reduced risk of postoperative neurologic events compared with CCAB. However, OPCAB does not confer additional risk reduction in patients with preoperative neurologic events.
218 FETAL AND MATERNAL ARGININE VASOPRESSIN IN SPONTANEOUS OVINE PARTURITION

In order to assess the possible correlation between plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) levels and the process leading to the initiation of parturition, catheters were placed in maternal and fetal vessels of 11 pregnant ewes. Samples of blood withdrawn during a 20 day period preceding delivery and during parturition were analyzed for AVP by radioimmunoassay, pH, PaCO2, and PaO2. Detectable levels of hormone were found throughout the interval prior to labor, fetal AVP 1.74 ± 0.18 pg/ml and maternal AVP 1.47 ± 0.10 pg/ml(mean ± S.E.). Daily fetal AVP levels taken during the 4 days prior to the onset of labor did not differ significantly from the levels during the preceding two weeks. Levels increased progressively during labor to reach peak values in cord blood (range 7.5 to 8000 pg/ml). There was no concomitant rise in maternal AVP. A persistent relationship between antepartum intrauterine asphyxia and increases in fetal AVP was noted. Antepartum and intra partum increases in fetal hormone correlated with decreases in fetal PaO2 (r =-.790 and -.981). It is concluded that the markedly elevated levels of AVP seen in both ovine and human cord blood are the result of intrapartum “stress” but are not related to the initiation of parturition.
Microsatellite analysis of pooled Schistosoma mansoni DNA: an approach for studies of parasite populations

Human parasites are often distributed in metapopulations, which makes random sampling for genetic epidemiology difficult. The typical approach to sampling Schistosoma mansoni involves laboratory passage to obtain individual worms with small sample size and selection bias as a consequence. By contrast, the naturally pooled samples from egg output in stool or urine directly represent the genetic composition of current populations. To test whether pooled samples could be used to estimate population allele frequencies, DNA from individual cloned parasites was pooled and amplified by PCR for 7 microsatellites. By polyacrylamide gel analysis, the relative band intensities of the products from the major alleles in the pooled samples differed by 0–6% from the summed intensities of the individual clones (mean=2·1%±2·1% S.D.). The number of PCR cycles (25–40) did not influence the accuracy of the estimate. Varying the frequency of 1 allele in pooled samples from 32 to 69% likewise did not affect accuracy. Allele frequency estimates from aggregate samples such as eggs will be a better foundation for studies of parasite population dynamics as well as the basis for large-scale association studies of host and parasite characteristics.
A tool for the culturally competent assessment of suicide: the Cultural Assessment of Risk for Suicide (CARS) measure

Despite important differences in suicide presentation and risk among ethnic and sexual minority groups, cultural variations have typically been left out of systematic risk assessment paradigms. A new self-report instrument for the culturally competent assessment of suicide, the Cultural Assessment of Risk for Suicide (CARS) measure, was administered to a diverse sample of 950 adults from the general population. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a 39-item, 8-factor structure subsumed under and consistent with the Cultural Theory and Model of Suicide (Chu, Goldblum, Floyd, & Bongar, 2010), which characterizes the vast majority of cultural variation in suicide risk among ethnic and sexual minority groups. Psychometric properties showed that the CARS total and subscale scores demonstrated good internal consistency, convergent validity with scores on other suicide-related measures (the Suicide Ideation Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory suicide item, and the Beck Hopelessness Scale), and an ability to discriminate between participants with versus without history of suicide attempts. Regression analyses indicated that the CARS measure can be used with a general population, providing information predictive of suicidal behavior beyond that of minority status alone. Minorities, however, reported experiencing the CARS cultural risk factors to a greater extent than nonminorities, though effect sizes were small. Overall, results show that the CARS items are reliable, and the instrument identifies cultural suicide risk factors not previously attended to in suicide assessment. The CARS is the first to operationalize a systematic model that accounts for cultural competency across multiple cultural identities in suicide risk assessment efforts.
Pion production at high transverse momentum in 24-GeV proton-proton collisions

We report measurements of the inclusive ..pi../sup -/ and ..pi../sup +/ yields in 24-GeV proton-proton collisions at theta/sub c.m./ = 90/sup 0/ for 2.2 < or = P/sub T/ < or = 2.8 GeV/c. There is a high-P/sub T/ deficit, rather than excess, at this incident energy.
Specific incorporation of 5-hydroxy-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid into phosphatidylcholine in human endothelial cells.

The incorporation of hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) into cellular lipids was studied in cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. 5-[3H]HETE was incorporated into the phospholipids (8%) and neutral lipids (15.5%). The uptake was at half maximum after 15 min and reached a plateau after 1 h. The incorporation occurred mainly into phosphatidylcholine (6.3%) with minimal uptake into phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol (0.6%) or phosphatidylethanolamine (1.2%). There was no uptake of 12-[3]H]HETE, 15-[su3h]hete or [3H]leukotriene B4 into phospholipids. Treatment of the phosphatidylcholine fraction with phospholipase A2; released 64% of the 5-[3H]HETE with 26% remaining in the lysophosphatidylcholine fraction. This indicates that the majority of the 5-HETE was in the sn-2 position. Unlabeled 5-HETE and arachidonic acid inhibited the uptake of 5-[3H]HETE into phosphatidylcholine with an ID50 of 2.5 and 1.25 μM, respectively. Stearic acid and 15-HETE were not effective inhibitors. Histamine, which activates phospholipases, increased the uptake of 5-3H1HETE into phosphatidylcholine by 3-fold. Both 5-[3H]HETE and 12-[3H]HETE were incorporated into the neutral lipids of the cells. Analysis of the neutral lipid fraction revealed that 5-[3H]HETE was incorporated into mono-, di- and triacylglycerols but not cholesterol esters. Incorporation of 5-HETE into cellular lipids reduced histamine- and arachidonic acid-stimulated synthesis of 6-ketoprostaglandin F1α and prostaglandin E2 in a concentration-related manner. Angiotensin I converting enzyme activity was not changed. Thus, 5-HETE is incorporated specifically into phosphatidylcholine and glycerol esters of human endothelial cells and this incorporation inhibits prostaglandin synthesis in these cells.
Remote sensing of salinity in the San Francisco Bay Delta

Landsat multispectral scanner data and color and color infrared photographs acquired from a U-2 aircraft are combined with surface measurements for salinity mapping of the San Fransisco Bay Delta. A regression model is developed between the surface truth data and Landsat digital data for 29 sample sites, and is then extended over the entire study area. Results are in general agreement with reported salinity distribution values. It appears to be impossible to establish any quantitative judgement regarding the salinity values by visual interpretation of the imagery within the test site.
Adaptive Optics Imaging of the Orion Trapezium Cluster

We have imaged an area ~5 arcmin2 at the center of the Trapezium cluster in Orion in the K band using the University of Hawaii (UH) adaptive optics system at the UH 2.2 m telescope. Our survey detects 292 stars brighter than K = 18.2 mag and resolves pairs to the 023 diffraction limit of the telescope. The binary fraction in the angular separation range 03–06, corresponding to 132–264 AU at 440 pc, is indistinguishable from that of the solar-like stars in the solar neighborhood. Proplyds are associated with both single stars and visual binaries. About half the stars in our sample have also been measured at V and I by Prosser et al.; most of these seem to be about 106 yr old, observed through moderate extinction, and having some excess emission at K. The luminosity function turns over before the stellar limit of ~13.5 mag, indicating that the cluster does not contain a large population of massive brown dwarfs.
Lobster hepatopancreatic epithelial single cell suspensions as models for electrogenic sodium-proton exchange.

Abstract Sodium–proton antiporters, also called Na + /H + exchangers (NHE), are vital transmembrane proteins involved in multiple cellular functions including transepithelial ion transport and Na + homeostasis of cells throughout the biological kingdom. Na + /H + exchange is accelerated by cytosolic acidification and also by osmotically induced cell shrinking, thereby promoting recovery of the physiological pH i and volume. Eight isoforms of Na + /H + exchangers have been cloned and characterized to date and share the same overall structure, but exhibit differences with respect to cellular localization, kinetic variables and plasma membrane targeting, in polarized epithelial cells. The electrogenic Na + absorption across tight epithelia from invertebrates follow significantly different principles from the electroneutral Na + /H + antiporter found in vertebrates. In all invertebrate cells examined, the antiporter displayed a 2Na + /1H + transport stoichiometry and this transport was markedly inhibited by exogenous calcium and zinc. Na + /H + exchangers (NHE) are present in crustacean hepatopancreatic cell type suspensions and are believed to function in acid-base regulation by driving the extrusion of protons across the hepatopancreatic epithelium in exchange for Na + in the sea water. A brief review of current knowledge about Na + /H + exchangers has been presented. In addition, understanding of hepatopancreatic Na + /H + exchange is described as obtained after isolation of purified E-, R-, F- and B-cell suspensions from the whole organ by centrifugal elutriation.
Laboratory-scale evaluation of secondary alkaline zinc batteries for electric vehicles

Abstract Two types of secondary zinc cell have been evaluated in our laboratory to assess their suitability to power an electric van. Single cells were charged and discharged with constant-current cycles as well as with controlled-power discharge profiles, scaled to the predicted mass of a full-size battery. Both cells were able to meet the requirements for power discharge specified by the so-called Simplified Federal Urban Driving Schedule (SFUDS) early in life (the first 15 cycles). The Zn/air cell achieved an average of 72 SFUDS repetions (7.2 h) per discharge. The Zn/NiOOH cell achieved an average of 51 SFUDS repetitions (5.1 h) per discharge. The bifunctional air electrodes did not reach oxygen-evolution potentials during the 8-s regenerative breaking portions of the SFUDS cycle.
Factors associated with recovery from acute optic neuritis in patients with multiple sclerosis

Objective: To identify clinical and demographic features associated with the severity and recovery from acute optic neuritis (AON) episodes in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: Adult (n = 253) and pediatric (n = 38) patients whose first symptom was AON were identified from our MS database. Severity measured by loss of visual acuity (mild attack ≤20/40, moderate attack 20/50–20/190, and severe attack ≥20/200) and recovery in visual acuity at 1 year after the attack (complete recovery ≤20/20, fair recovery 20/40, and poor recovery ≥20/50) were recorded. Demographic and clinical features associated with attack severity and recovery were identified using proportional odds logistic regression. For another group of patients, blood samples were available within 6 months of an AON attack. In this group, the impact of vitamin D level on the severity/recovery was also assessed. Results: Men (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.28, p = 0.03) and subjects with severe attacks (adjusted OR = 5.24, p p = 0.041) and the analysis adjusted for sex ( p = 0.029). Season-adjusted vitamin D level was significantly associated with attack severity (OR for 10-U increase in vitamin D level = 0.47; 95% confidence interval: 0.32, 0.68; p p = 0.98) in univariate analysis or after accounting for attack severity ( p = 0.10). Conclusion: Vitamin D levels affect AON severity, whereas younger age, attack severity, and male sex affect AON recovery. Underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets may identify new measures to mitigate disability accrual in MS.
A 1 and 2 year follow-up study of adoptive families and special needs children

Abstract This study provides an overview of issues that families encounter over time in the adoption of children with special needs. One hundred and thirty three families participated in a two-year survey of special-needs adoption. Results provide support for much of the conclusions provided by cross-sectional studies. The implications of findings for the service system are discussed.
The Rhetorical Way of Knowing and Public Administration

This article explores the rhetorical nature and context of public administration. Rhetorical theory, although largely neglected by the field offers much in sight for public administration. A basic understanding of rhetoric and its application reveals some distinctive, legitimating aspects of the profession in practice and theory. It enables one to apprehend important differences among types of knowledge, decision making, and responsibility, and can aid the public administration in its efforts to relate theory to practice.
Dikaryotic fruiting in Schizophyllum commune fr.: morphology of the developing basidiocarp.

Sporulating dikaryotic fruit-bodies of Schizophyllum commune (str. 699 A41B41 + str. 845 A51B51) were produced on glucose-asparagine medium and harvested at various stages of development for histological studies. Distinct patterns of cell organization were observed from basidiocarp initials to mature fructifications. Different cell types included basal bulbous cells, cylinders of parallel hyphae in the stipe, loosely knit tramal cells in the lamellae, specialized sub-hymenial cells and basidia. Large encrustations were observed protruding from the hymenium near the lamellar apex. Lateral hairs and crystalline matter were also seen in these genetically defined dikaryotic fruit-bodies which arose on simple medium in the laboratory.
Processing of neutron activation analysis data using a general purpose PDP-11 minicomputer

A minicomputer system is described for the off-line reduction of gamma spectral data from neutron activation analysis. The hardware and software systems are described. Both data printouts and spectral plots are produced. The versatility of system permits the availability of computer capability for both on- and off-line functions in a variety of analytical techniques at a moderate cost and under the control of the experimenter.
Field and service applications - An infrastructure-free automated guided vehicle based on computer vision - An Effort to Make an Industrial Robot Vehicle that Can Operate without Supporting Infrastructure

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have been operating effectively in factories for decades. These vehicles have successfully used strategies of deliberately structuring the environment and adapting the process to the automation. The potential of computer vision technology to increase the intelligence and adaptability of AGVs is largely unexploited in contemporary commercially available vehicles. We developed an infrastructure-free AGV that uses four distinct vision systems. Three of them exploit naturally occurring visual cues instead of relying on infrastructure. When coupled with a highly capable trajectory generation algorithm, the system produces four visual servo controllers that guide the vehicle continuously in several contexts. These contexts range from gross motion in the facility to precision operations for lifting and mating parts racks and removing them from semi-trailers. To our knowledge, this is the first instance of an AGV that has operated successfully in a relevant environment for an extended period of time without relying on any infrastructure.
Urethroplasty of Female Distal Urethra

Abstract Results of experiences with urethroplasty for the repair of urethral meatal stricture of the female are reported. Discussion of the indications, results of the surgery, and a five-year follow-up study of the procedure is presented. Results are satisfactory, especially in children. A study of the resected pathologic specimens demonstrates inflammation rather than fibrosis is the basic cause of urethral meatal stricture.
Prevention of coronary artery disease. A medical imperative.

Cardiologic practices are an important contributor to the cost of medical care today. Combining the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease with medical and surgical interventions that involve ex...
The Renter Squeeze: Minority and Low-Income Renters Feel Pressures from Housing Boom and Weak Labor Market

The housing market boom over the last decade has been welcomed by most Americans as a positive economic phenomenon, with beneficial effects on families and neighborhoods. However, this housing boom, while benefiting homeowners, has hurt America's renting population, a population among which minorities and the poor are vastly overrepresented. As rents have risen, renters have been forced to commit a greater percentage of their resources to simply keeping their homes, and thus found it difficult to invest in their own properties. Steady or falling incomes have exacerbated this bind, while a worsening public education and transportation system has added to the burden, particularly for poor and minority renters. The Federal government has failed to respond to this growing crisis, instead choosing to cut or curtail major renter-assistance programs.
The αA-crystallin gene: Conserved features of the 5′-flanking regions in human, mouse, and chicken

Approximately 2 kb of 5′-flanking sequences of the lens-specific αA-crystallin genes from human and mouse are presented and compared with similar regions of the chicken gene. A repetitive element was found approximately 1 kb upstream from the coding sequences of the αA-crystallin gene in all three species (Alu in human, B2 in mouse, and CR1 in chicken), suggesting that they may have an important functional or structural role. Despite the ability of αA-crystallin promoters to function across species, dot matrix analyses show only limited similarity among the 600 bp 5′ to the structural genes of these three species. The human 5′-flanking sequence is more similar to that of the mouse and chicken than the mouse and chicken are to each other. Numerous short sequences (8–13 bp) are common to all three genes but are distributed differently in each species. The locations and conservation of these sequence motifs suggest functional roles, possibly ascis-regulatory elements of transcription. One motif is similar to the αA-CRYBP1 binding site implicated earlier in the transcriptional regulation of the mouse αA-crystallin gene, and other motifs correspond to sites previously mapped by methylation interference studies in the mouse αA-crystallin promoter. The modular arrangement of conserved sequence motifs is consistent with evolutionary changes occurring at the level of gene regulation.
A Critique of the Application of Sensory Integration Therapy to Children with Learning Disabilities

Sensory integration (SI) therapy is a controversial--though popular--treatment for the remediation of motor and academic problems. It has been applied primarily to children with learning disabilities, under the assumption that such children (or at least a subgroup of them) have problems in sensory integration to which some or all of their learning difficulties can be ascribed. The present article critically examines the related issues of whether children with learning disabilities differentially exhibit concomitant problems in sensory integration, and whether such children are helped in any way by means specific to SI therapy. An overview of theoretical contentions and empirical findings pertaining to the first issue is presented, followed by a detailed review of recent studies in the SI therapy research literature, in an effort to resolve the second issue. Results of this critique raise serious doubts as to the validity or utility of SI therapy as an appropriate, indicated treatment for the clinical population in question--and, by extension, for any other groups diagnosed as having "sensory integrative dysfunction." It is concluded that the current fund of research findings may well be sufficient to declare SI therapy not merely an unproven, but a demonstrably ineffective, primary or adjunctive remedial treatment for learning disabilities and other disorders.
Stress Induces the Danger-Associated Molecular Pattern HMGB-1 in the Hippocampus of Male Sprague Dawley Rats: A Priming Stimulus of Microglia and the NLRP3 Inflammasome

Exposure to acute and chronic stressors sensitizes the proinflammatory response of microglia to a subsequent immune challenge. However, the proximal signal by which stressors prime microglia remains unclear. Here, high mobility group box-1 (HMGB-1) protein was explored as a potential mediator of stress-induced microglial priming and whether HMGB-1 does so via the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat, pyrin domain containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Exposure to 100 inescapable tail shocks (ISs) increased HMGB-1 and NLRP3 protein in the hippocampus and led isolated microglia to release HMGB-1 ex vivo. To determine whether HMGB-1 signaling is necessary for stress-induced sensitization of microglia, the HMGB-1 antagonist BoxA was injected into the cisterna magna before IS. Hippocampal microglia were isolated 24 h later and stimulated with LPS ex vivo to probe for stress-induced sensitization of proinflammatory responses. Previous IS potentiated gene expression of NLRP3 and proinflammatory cytokines to LPS, that is, microglia were sensitized. Treatment with BoxA abolished this effect. To determine whether HMGB-1 is sufficient to prime microglia, IS was replaced with intracerebral administration of disulfide or fully reduced HMGB-1. Intracerebral disulfide HMGB-1 mimicked the effect of the stressor, because microglia isolated from HMGB-1-treated rats expressed exaggerated NLRP3 and proinflammatory cytokine expression after LPS treatment, whereas fully reduced HMGB-1 had no effect. The present results suggest that the CNS innate immune system can respond to an acute stressor as if it were cellular damage, thereby releasing the danger signal HMGB-1 in the brain to prime microglia by acting on the NLRP3 inflammasome, in preparation for a later immune challenge.
Follicular and perforating disorders

Pathologic changes associated with hair follicles include infundibular hyperkeratosis, inflammation, mucinous degeneration and transepidermal elimination of foreign material. Because of the focal nature of the pathologic changes multiple sections are often useful in establishing the correct diagnosis.
Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells: General Characteristics and Relevance to Clinical Management of Pancreatic Cancer

Recent studies describe a heterogeneous population of cells of the myeloid lineage, termed myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), which are observed with increased prevalence in the peripheral blood and tumor microenvironment of cancer patients, including pancreatic cancer. Accumulation of MDSC in the peripheral circulation has been related to extent of disease, and correlates with stage. MDSC have primarily been implicated in promoting tumor growth by suppressing antitumor immunity. There is also compelling evidence MDSC are also involved in angiogenesis and metastatic spread. Two main subsets of MDSC have been identified in cancer patients: a monocytic subset, characterized by expression of CD14, and a granulocytic subset characterized by expression of CD15. Both subsets of MDSC actively suppress host immunity through a variety of mechanisms including production of reactive oxygen species and arginase. Just as in humans, accumulation of monocytic and granulocytic MDSC has been noted in the bone marrow, spleen, peripheral circulation, and tumors of tumor bearing mice. Successful targeting of MDSC in mice is associated with improved immune responses, delayed tumor growth, improved survival, and increased efficacy of vaccine therapy. By further elucidating mechanisms of MDSC recruitment and maintenance in the tumor environment, strategies could be developed to reverse immune tolerance to tumor. We discuss here what is currently known about MDSC as well as some potential strategies targeting MDSC in the context of our work on pancreatic cancer and recent literature. Due to the number of new reports on MDSC, the most pertinent ones have been selected.
Linguistic factors in reading disability: a model for assessing children who are without overt language impairment

Reading is now widely considered to be a language-based skill. For this reason, speech-language clinicians have begun to involve themselves, in a collaborative fashion, with two populations of reading-disabled children: the traditional population who have historical or current speech-language disorders of a clearly identifiable nature, and a new population with neither a history nor current symptoms of overt speech- language disorder. The latter group serves as the focus of this paper. A suggested cohesive system for the assessment of both lower and higher order linguistic associates of reading disability is presented, along with associated theoretical rationale.
Lessons from lactose permease

AbstractAn X-ray structure of the lactose permease of Escherichia coli (LacY) in an inward-facing conformation has been solved. LacY contains N- and C-terminal domains, each with six transmembrane helices, positioned pseudosymmetrically. Ligand is bound at the apex of a hydrophilic cavity in the approximate middle of the molecule. Residues involved in substrate binding and H+ translocation are aligned parallel to the membrane at the same level and may be exposed to a water-filled cavity in both the inward- and outward-facing conformations, thereby allowing both sugar and H+ release directly into either cavity. These structural features may explain why LacY catalyzes galactoside/H+ symport in both directions utilizing the same residues. A working model for the mechanism is presented that involves alternating access of both the sugar- and H+-binding sites to either side of the membrane.