cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Initial experience with 3D CT cinematic rendering of acute pancreatitis and associated complications

Inflammation of the pancreas can present with a wide range of imaging findings from mild enlargement of the gland and surrounding infiltrative fat stranding through extensive glandular necrosis. Complications of pancreatitis are varied and include infected fluid collections, pseudocysts, and vascular findings such as pseudoaneurysms and thromboses. Cross-sectional imaging with computed tomography (CT) is one of the mainstays of evaluating patients with pancreatitis. New methods that allow novel visualization volumetric CT data may improve diagnostic yield for the detection of findings that provide prognostic information in pancreatitis patients or can drive new avenues of research such as machine learning. Cinematic rendering (CR) is a photorealistic visualization method for volumetric imaging data that are being investigated for a variety of potential applications including the life-like display of complex anatomy and visual characterization of mass lesions. In this review, we describe the CR appearance of different types of pancreatitis and complications of pancreatitis. We also note possible future directions for research into the utility of CR for pancreatitis.
Metadata, Digital Infrastructure, and the Data Ideologies of Cultural Anthropology

In this chapter, based on fieldwork with the Research Data Alliance and our work designing the Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography (PECE), we elaborate on the concept of data ideologies and examine how they have informed work and data-sharing practice in academic research, and in cultural anthropology more specifically. Data ideologies refer to people’s underlying assumptions about data, the way they operate, and the consequences they produce. We argue that, while many cultural anthropologists have been reticent to share their data, making anthropological data more open and accessible affords new possibilities for multi-perspectival analysis and re-interpretation of data—practices that can make ethnographic narratives more robust and pluralistic. Metadata is key to encouraging re-interpretation of archived data, as it situates data collection and analysis in a particular time, setting, and cultural context. We demonstrate how we implemented data-sharing infrastructure and metadata standards in PECE—not to advance reproducible research practices, but instead to encourage collaborative hermeneutics and iterative re-analysis of data. We conclude that attending to complex contemporary problems will demand linking undervalued and underfunded infrastructural work to the cultural work of shifting the discipline’s data ideologies.
Estimating the sensitivity of small airport catchments to competition from larger airports: A case study in Indiana

Abstract An accurate estimation of airport catchment area enables airlines and airport operators to make informed decisions and to target potential markets precisely. This study uses the state of Indiana as a case study to estimate traffic leakage from the local airport, Indianapolis International Airport (IND), to two large hub airports in Illinois, the neighboring state of Indiana, namely Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW). By using a decision making model that considers flying cost and access cost, this study simulates from local passengers' perspective which origin airport delivers the most cost effective flight itinerary. Using the top 20 routes of IND in 2018 as model inputs, the catchment area of two Chicago based airports in Indiana with variable coverage is plotted for different traveling scenarios. The analysis shows that an airport catchment area is sensitive to location, service level and traffic volume of competing airports nearby, as well as purpose of travel (business or leisure), number of travelers in a group (single, couple, family or multiple), length of trip, destination (domestic or international), preference of airlines (network carrier or budget carrier), and frequent flyer program status (premier member or general member). These findings could be valuable to all three aforementioned airports as well as airlines serving these airports when allocating operational and marketing resources. More importantly, this study creates a generic model that could be used by virtually any airport to estimate scenario-based catchment area using readily available itinerary and spatial data without resorting to expensive passenger surveys.
Ultrasonic vibration-assisted (UV-A) manufacturing processes: State of the art and future perspectives

Abstract In recent years, ultrasonic technology has been extensively applied in numerous manufacturing processes to improve the process performance and part quality. This review paper presents a broad overview on the recent progress in ultrasonic vibration-assisted (UV-A) manufacturing processes reported in the literature. Based on the ultrasonic energy propagation through solid or liquid phases, UV-A manufacturing processes can be divided into mechanical manufacturing processes (including conventional machining, densification, forming, and consolidation) and thermal manufacturing processes (including thermal non-traditional machining, casting, fusion welding, laser cladding, and direct laser deposition). The results from a great number of published investigations have strongly evidenced the significant influences of ultrasonic vibration during the material processing. In UV-A mechanical manufacturing processes, ultrasonic vibration can reduce the machining force through intermittent cutting between machine tools and the workpiece, decrease the load in both densification and forming processes due to the reduced friction, and increase the bond at the workpiece interface by breaking oxide layers in ultrasonic consolidation. In UV-A thermal manufacturing processes, on the other hand, ultrasonic vibration can exert nonlinear effects (acoustic streaming and cavitation) on the solidification behavior of liquid melting materials. The precision and quality of parts fabricated by thermal manufacturing will be thus improved through various phenomena such as element homogenization, material degassing, crack reduction, microstructure refinement, etc. This literature review aims to provide a comprehensive overview on ultrasonic vibration influences in different UV-A manufacturing processes and guide the future development of ultrasonic vibration assisted technologies.
Some Geometry of Curves in Projective Space

We begin with some general remarks. If M is a complex manifold of dimension n and A ⊂ M is a submanifold of dimension n −, 1 (codimension 1), A defines a holomorphic line bundle as on a Riemann surface: if {U i} is an open covering of \(M,f_i \in \mathcal{O}(U_i )\) is such that U i ∩ A = {x ∈ U i f i (x) = 0, df i ≠ 0 at any pomit of U i }, then g ij = f i /f j is holomorphic, nowhere zero on U i ∩ U j and form the transition functions for a line bundle L(A). The family {f i } define the standard section s A of L(A) (whose divisor is A).
3.47 – Pitch Perception

The major subjective perceptual attribute of sound is its pitch. Pitch is a subjective attribute of many simple and complex sound sources ranging from music, to speech, to most of the sounds of everyday life. The pitch of the sound from a source is related to both the sound’s physical temporal properties and to its physical spectral properties. References to pitch perception have existed throughout recorded time and several theories of pitch processing have been developed over the past 150 years. Such theories fall into three categories: those based on the temporal properties of a sound’s waveform, those based on the structure of a sound’s frequency spectrum, and those that combine spectral and temporal processing. The spectral structure of sound that can be resolved by the auditory periphery forms the major component of spectral theories of pitch. Temporal theories of pitch depend on the temporal amplitude envelope of a complex sound or on a sound’s temporal fine structure. Autocorrelation is often used in temporal models of pitch processing. A wealth of perceptual and neural data have been collected to support each theory of pitch processing and each theory continues as valid predictors of pitch perception.
The Effect of Timing of Intracranial Pressure Monitor Placement in Patients with Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor placement is indicated for patients with severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) to minimize secondary brain injury. There is little evidence to guide the optimal timing of ICP monitor placement. A retrospective cohort study using the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) from 2013 to 2017 was performed. The NTDB was queried to identify patients with sTBI who underwent external ventricular drain or intraparenchymal ICP monitor placement. Propensity score matching was used to create matched pairs of patients who underwent early compared to late ICP monitor placement using 6-h and 12-h cutoffs. The outcomes of interest were in-hospital mortality, non-routine discharge disposition, total length of stay (LOS), intensive care unit (ICU) LOS, and number of days mechanically ventilated. A total of 5057 patients with sTBI were included in the study. In-hospital mortality for patients with early compared to late ICP monitor placement was 33.6% and 30.4%, respectively (p = 0.049). The incidence of non-routine disposition was 92.6% in the within 6 h group and 94.4% in the late placement group (p = 0.037). Hospital LOS, ICU LOS, and number of days mechanically ventilated were significantly greater in the late ICP monitoring group. Similar results were seen when using a 12-h cutoff for late ICP monitor placement. In the Cox proportional hazards model, craniotomy (HR 1.097, 95% CI 1.037–1.160) and isolated intracranial injury (HR 1.128, 95% CI 1.055–1.207) were associated with early ICP monitor placement. Hypotension was negatively associated with early ICP monitor placement (HR 0.801, 95% CI 0.725–0.884). Despite a statistically marginal association between mortality and early ICP monitor placement, most outcomes were superior when ICP monitors were placed within 6 or 12 h of arrival. This may be due to earlier identification and treatment of intracranial hypertension.
Perinatal complications associated with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) – comparison to the general population and among the different genetic subtypes.

Background: Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is caused by lack of expression of genes on the paternal chromosome 15 (15q11.2 - 15q13 region). There is an evolving phenotype for patients with either a deletion, Uniparental Disomy (UPD) or Imprinting Center Defect (ICD). Patients present prenatally with decreased fetal movements, higher pregnancy complications and hypotonia, dysmorphism and feeding difficulties in postnatal period. Objectives: 1) Compare the clinical features of PWS in pregnancy and early neonatal period to the general population. 2) Compare the clinical features of …
Hydrogen in Nanocatalysis.

Hydrogen is ubiquitous in catalysis. It is involved in many important reactions such as water splitting, N2 reduction, CO2 reduction, and alkane activation. In this Perspective, we focus on the hyd...
Microbiota on Biotics: Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics to Optimize Growth and Metabolism

The early stages of the metagenomics era produced countless observational studies linking various human diseases to alterations in the gut microbiota. Only recently have we begun to decipher the ca...
Quantification – Affordances and Limits

We live in a world awash in numbers. Tables, graphs, charts, Fitbit readouts, spreadsheets that overflow our screens no matter how large, economic forecasts, climate modeling, weather predictions, journal impact factors, H-indices, and the list could go on and on, still barely scratching the surface. We are measured, surveyed, and subject to constant surveillance, largely through the quantification of a dizzying array of features of ourselves and the world around us. This article draws on work in the history of the quantification and measurement of intelligence and other examples from the history of quantification to suggest that quantification and measurement should be seen not just as technical pursuits, but also as normative ones. Every act of seeing, whether through sight or numbers, is also an act of occlusion, of not-seeing. And every move to make decisions more orderly and rational by translating a question into numerical comparisons is also a move to render irrelevant and often invisible the factors that were not included. The reductions and simplifications quantifications rely on can without question bring great and important clarity, but always at a cost. Among the moral questions for the practitioner is not just whether that cost is justified, but, even more critically, who is being asked to pay it?
Seizure improvement following vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) battery change with cardiac-based seizure detection automatic stimulation (AutoStim): early experience in a regional paediatric unit

The recent VNS models (AspireSR® Model 106, SenTiva™ Model 1000 (VNS Therapy®, LivaNova)) include a new function of cardiac-based seizure detection (CBSD) automatic stimulation, known as ‘AutoStim’. This algorithm uses tachycardia as a proxy to a seizure, and the battery delivers a closed-loop electrical current in addition to its programmed stimulation. This function leads to further seizure reduction in adults, but this advantage has not been reported in the paediatric population. This study aims to investigate whether battery change with AutoStim leads to further seizure reduction in children. This observational study included the first 10 cases of VNS battery change from non-AutoStim to AutoStim function. During the battery change operation, the new VNS was switched on, with the same normal and magnet mode settings as the previous VNS. The AutoStim mode was activated at the same time. Data on seizure burden were collected at 3 time points: (1) before the first VNS insertion, (2) before battery replacement (post-1st VNS) and (3) 12 months post-battery change (post-AutoStim). The net effect of AutoStim, the only changed parameter, was evaluated by comparing the seizure burden prior to and 12 months following battery change in each child. The seizure reduction improved significantly from 60 to 83% following battery change with AutoStim. Categorising the outcome according the McHugh classification, children achieving class I and II outcome (≥ 50% seizure reduction) improved from 70 to 90%. This is the first study to demonstrate the additional efficacy of AutoStim in children treated with VNS.
Energy of non-relativistic many-particle quantum states from non-commuting Coulomb field and momentum operators

We derive a functional form for the energy of interacting many-particle systems from first principles. The effective zero-point energy of a Coulomb-interacting quantum system can be considered in terms of fluctuations around its classical electrostatic interaction and fluctuations of momentum. This perspective provides a controlled and intuitive way to realize the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem. Specifically, an uncertainty equation that relates the interaction energy, kinetic energy and local charge density is derived; it is then combined with the Lieb-Thirring bound on kinetic energy. The combination of these two constraints results in the functional form for total energy of interacting many particle systems that applies for bosons as well as fermions, with appropriate consideration for (anti)symmetry of wavefunctions under coordinate exchange. In the uniform density limit, the functional form is consistent with Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) data for the bosonic fluid, as well as fermionic systems -- paramagnetic, ferromagnetic and BCC Wigner crystalline.
Formulação de Problemas de Função Afim

In this work, we present an experience of Problem-posing in Mathematics for the studies of Affine Function, which occurred in a class of 1st Grade of High School, of a State Public School, in the city of Marataizes - ES. Of a qualitative nature, the data were produced during the stage of conducting Supervised Internship III, of the Higher Degree in Mathematics at the Federal Institute of Espirito Santo (Ifes), Campus Cachoeiro de Itapemirim - ES. The students were asked to problem-posing that contemplated the Law of Formation of an Affine Function. The analysis of the data allowed us to conclude that the Problem-posing reinforced the student protagonism in the mathematics classes, allowing the development of argumentation and critical thinking, important in learning, and allowed to reveal the students' preferences, knowledge and experiences in the problem-posing, generating motivation in mathematics.
Atlas PainCare: Preliminary feedback on a chronic pain interprofessional mentoring program

Research supports the use of interprofessional care to manage chronic pain. Despite ample programs for patients and continuing education for clinicians, we see a gap in provider mentorship for skill building and implementation. Atlas PainCare is a program we are developing to provide mentorship to enhance care delivery by helping clinicians and organizations build the tools, pain science knowledge base, administrative support, and interprofessional teamwork required to implement best practice. Atlas PainCare's Mentoring Group helps interprofessional teams develop care structures for patients with chronic pain using multimodal, evidence-based, and patient-centered approaches that focus on minimizing opioid use and promoting self-management. The purpose of this study was to collect feedback from potential mentee teams about the Atlas PainCare program. Feedback is being used to refine the program before implementation. Clinical chronic pain teams of at least two distinct professions were invited to participate. Participants attended an information session to review the proposed program and ask questions. Participants unable to attend, viewed a recording of the session. We then conducted virtual semi-structured focus groups to elicit feedback about Atlas PainCare's utility, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for themes using NVivo. We collected feedback from 4 teams (12 participants) representing PT, MD, CRNP, SW, PsyD, OT, and dental and spanning multiple settings. The feedback fell into four themes: overall feedback, perceived barriers, perceived strengths, and suggestions for improvement. Our conclusions coalesce around: Affirmations: feedback supporting planned program design a. mentor team make up b. inter-team sharing c. well-designed technology platform for clear communication d. mentoring for team functioning and financial support Improvements: feedback prompting us to consider design alterations a. reducing time demand b. clarifying role definitions c. incorporating patient voices d. enhancing interprofessional resources
Do Students Use Semantics When Solving Parsons Puzzles? – A Log-Based Investigation

Parsons puzzles are jigsaw puzzles wherein students are given a program in scrambled order and tasked with reassembling the program in its correct order. Do students use program semantics when solving Parsons puzzles? The answer to this question has implications for the use of Parsons puzzles as a pedagogic tool. In order to answer this question, we considered semantics at the level of statements and control-flow. We analyzed the data collected by a Parsons puzzle tutor over 5 semesters and measured the extent to which students’ puzzle-solving behavior conformed with the use of statement-level and control-flow semantics. We found that students used statement-level semantics to assemble up to 73% of the lines in a puzzle and control-flow semantics to assemble up to 47% of the lines. They used statement-level semantics more than control-flow semantics and more on some puzzles than others. Whenever we found a significant difference between C++ and Java students, C++ students used semantics more than Java students. Finally, we did not find an increase in the use of semantics with increased practice.
Paying ex gratia: Parametric insurance after calculative devices fail

Abstract The past decade has seen the dramatic proliferation of geospatial tools to remotely monitor, measure, and transfer weather and climate risk, particularly in the Global South. These “parametric” tools are calculative market devices used to commodify risk and facilitate its distantiated exchange via insurance markets. Yet the environmental estimates they generate are frequently wrong, sometimes grossly so. This paper investigates what happens after calculative market devices fail, analyzing so-called ex gratia (“from grace”) practices in which insurers make payouts to aggrieved clients even when none are due under contractual terms. Though these payments are commonly deployed to dispel discontent, these “public secrets” of the industry have gone unnoticed in insurance scholarship. This paper documents numerous ex gratia payouts in parametric programs across Africa, disputing the myth of autonomous insurance markets that function according to formal, transparent rules administered by dispassionate calculative devices. Instead, these “discretionary” monetary transfers reintroduce human decision making in informal, black-boxed ways, cloaking the inadequacy of the parametric contracts they shore up. Far from incidental, I argue that these practices have been constitutive of the parametric insurance market’s persistence and expansion. Though ex gratia payments sometimes give rise to negotiations over indemnification with aggrieved collectivities, these unfold on insurers’ terms, informalizing power and delegitimizing complaint. The growing emphasis on parametric insurance as a tool for climate adaptation makes it all the more important to excavate the mechanics and politics of ex gratia, and to relinquish expectations that geospatial algorithms alone can resolve questions of post-disaster redistribution.
Using High-Low Flight Gravity Data to Improve Geoid Model Precision: A case study in U.S. Virgin Islands (July 2021)

The Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) project collected airborne gravity data over Puerto Rico (PR) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (VI). There was one large N-S/E-W survey at about 11km altitude running from N17 to N21 latitude and E291 to E297 longitude. Considering the very limited surface gravity coverage on VI, only about 500 points, additional flights were conducted at lower altitudes (1.5 km to 1.8 km). By adding these additional low altitude aerial gravity data, the geoid model precision is improved from 6.55 cm with no airborne data to 2.55 cm with both the high and low altitude data. Using only the high altitude flights achieves only 4.99 cm geoid model precision. The ~500 surface gravity data points in the target area do not improve the model precision significantly, which justifies the rationale of carrying out these lower altitude flights. Noticing the nearly 3 times geoid model precision improvements from the low flight data, we suggest to fly in low altitudes in future airborne gravimetric survey for geoid modeling in the areas that have limited surface gravity coverage and/or small topographic features like islands that are not well-sampled in high-altitude, wider-spaced data.
Mechanisms of song divergence between swamp sparrow subspecies

Speciation is promoted when traits under divergent selection also contribute to non-random mating. For example, divergent selection on bill morphology in birds can influence song because of the role of bills in song production (ecomorphological constraints). Since song is used by females to find appropriate mates, divergent selection on bills through its impact on song can promote non-random mating. However, because song in songbirds is learned, divergence in song between populations could be the result of cultural influences (cultural evolution). In this study, we use an experimental approach to address the relative influence of ecomorphological constraints and culture on song divergence in swamp sparrow subspecies (Melospiza georgiana). As with other songbirds, swamp sparrows are subject to cultural influences that may explain differences in song between subspecies (cultural evolution). However, ecological conditions promote larger bill size in the coastal subspecies of swamp sparrows rendering males unable to perform the broad-band, rapid songs that inland females prefer potentially contributing to non-random mating between subspecies. To determine the impact of ecomorphological constraints on song learning, we trained hand-raised swamp sparrows from divergent populations with an identical set of tutor songs from a foreign inland population. Males from both populations learned species typical songs. We found that inland males produced learned songs with better vocal performance than coastal males suggesting that observed differences in specific features of song are influenced more by morphological constraints than cultural drift. Further, we found that inland males reproduced tutor songs more accurately than coastal males suggesting that coastal males tried but were less able to accurately reproduce physically challenging songs. These results support the current model for how motor constraints influence song production and may demonstrate a mechanism by which natural selection can influence signal evolution and population divergence through divergent selection on bills.
Altered Regulation of Protein Degradation in Transformed Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

In many transformed cells the post-translational processing and/or translocation of lysosomal proteases and integral membrane proteins is altered. This results in increased expression of lysosomal proteins on the cell surface (Mane et al., 1989; Sloane et al., 1990). In addition, lysosomal protease inhibitors are deregulated. These alterations increase the capacity of transformed cells for degradation of extracellular matrix constituents and are thought to contribute to tumor invasion (Rochefort et al., 1990; Lee et al., 1993). We have tested the hypothesis that intracellular protein degradation is also deregulated in transformed cells. This deregulation may contribute to tumorigenesis by conferring a growth advantage to transformed cells, particularly in conditions of nutritional stress (Lee et al., 1989 and 1992).
The forest and the trees - Reply to Siegel

Decency requires that a discussion as lengthy as the preceding be handily brought to a close. The seriousness of Siegel's complaints against me do, however, call for a response. In what follows I will address what I take to be Siegel's main criticisms, roughly in the order that they are presented. My responses will be limited to, at most, a few paragraphs. They can do no more than indicate how I would counter the thrust of his critical remarks. As both Siegel and myself readily admit, our positions exhibit deep agreements. As I shall attempt to indicate in what follows, much of what Siegel sees in my arguments as evidence of confusion, or worse, may point to equally deep differences of opinion. Our agreements, as he graciously acknowledges, are relevant to issues at the center of recent philosophy, but, as should be apparent from what follows, so are our possible differences.
Instructional Materials and ‘Works Made for Hire’ at Universities: Policies and Strategic Management of Copyright Ownership

Under the copyright doctrine of “works made for hire,” the author and copyright owner of the work is the employer of the person who created it. In the context of many instructional materials and scholarly publications created by faculty authors, however, placing all rights with one party, whether with the university or with the creator through transfer, can be problematic and detrimental to the goals of higher education. In determining whether the doctrine applies, courts look to details of the situation and whether the work performed is “within the scope of employment.” Recent court cases suggest that the doctrine likely applies broadly, and recent developments in the law weaken arguments for a “teacher’s exception” to the work-made-for-hire doctrine.Even if a work is deemed to be “for hire,” the copyright statutes include two important opportunities to change that result. First, the university could simply transfer the copyright back to the faculty member. Second, through a provision of the work-made-for-hire statute, the creator of the work and the employer may agree to reallocate the rights between themselves. Either way, the work remains a work made for hire, and other attributes of a work for hire remain applicable. In order to avoid some of the adverse consequences of works for hire, a copyright owner may choose unbundle rights by transferring or licensing only some rights of ownership, relieving tension and conflicts surrounding claims of ownership. Many colleges and universities have routinely opted for general policy statements that articulate copyright ownership principles. Recent cases, however, indicate that general copyright policies in the context of works made for hire may not satisfy statutory requirements for copyright transfers. Thus, educational institutions and individuals can effectively manage their copyrights, but only by properly attending to the requirements of the law.A court ruling since publication of this work has raised the possibility, in consideration of a motion for summary judgment, that a general university policy allowing faculty ownership of instructional materials may be enforceable. See Bosch v. Ball-Kell, 206 WL 2548053 (C.D. Ill. 2006).
Biliary Excretion of Biotin and Biotin Metabolites Is Quantitatively Minor in Rats and Pigs

We sought to determine whether the biliary excretion of biotin contributes substantially to the overall excretion of the vitamin in mammals, and hence, whether metabolism by gut microorganisms could account for some metabolism of biotin administered parenterally. [carbonyl-14C]Biotin was injected intravenously into six rats; bile and urine were collected for 24 h after injection. In a study of five pigs, serum and bile were analyzed for endogenous biotin and metabolites. In rat bile and urine, biotin, bisnorbiotin, biotin-d,l-sulfoxide, bisnorbiotin methyl ketone and two unidentified compounds were quantitated. In bile, these six compounds accounted for only 1.9 +/- 0.2% of the administered 14C, but in urine they accounted for 60.6 +/- 4.1%. The metabolite and time profiles in bile were also strikingly different from those in urine. Only biotin, bisnorbiotin and biotin-d,l-sulfoxide were quantitated in pig bile and serum. The concentrations of biotin, bisnorbiotin and biotin-d,l-sulfoxide in bile were 6.9-14.7 times the concentrations in serum. However, the bile to serum ratios of biotin and metabolites were >99% less than those of bilirubin, which is actively excreted. These data provide evidence that the biliary excretion of biotin and metabolites is quantitatively negligible.
Abscesses of the valve rings of the heart, a frequent but not well recognized complication of acute bacterial endocarditis.

Abscesses of the valve rings of the heart were encountered at autopsy in 86 per cent of patients with acute bacterial endocarditis who had received antibiotic therapy. The abscesses, which appeared to arise from mycotic aneurysms in the valve rings, represented in most instances the only persistent focus of acute inflammation. They may account in part for the unsatisfactory results in the treatment of acute bacterial endocarditis, and their frequent occurrence suggests a relationship to antibiotic therapy.
Anti-uveitis and inhibition of fibroblast-like corneal and conjunctival cells by interleukin-1 blockers.

Effects of interleukin-1 (IL-1) blockers, CK130 and CK131, on IL-1-induced uveitis and proliferation of fibroblast-like corneal and conjunctival cells were investigated in this study. It was found that CK130 and CK131 inhibited IL-1-induced uveitis in rat eyes effectively at 3 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg, respectively. Further, CK130 and CK131 inhibited fibroblast-like corneal and conjunctival cell growth effectively at 10–300 µg/ml and 30–300 µg/ml, respectively. It was also found that DNA synthesis was markedly reduced by CK130 and CK131 at 30–100 µg/ml. RNA synthesis was also inhibited by these CK compounds but protein synthesis was little affected or enhanced.
Scalable Detection of Anomalous Patterns With Connectivity Constraints

We present GraphScan, a novel method for detecting arbitrarily shaped connected clusters in graph or network data. Given a graph structure, data observed at each node, and a score function defining the anomalousness of a set of nodes, GraphScan can efficiently and exactly identify the most anomalous (highest-scoring) connected subgraph. Kulldorff’s spatial scan, which searches over circles consisting of a center location and its k − 1 nearest neighbors, has been extended to include connectivity constraints by FlexScan. However, FlexScan performs an exhaustive search over connected subsets and is computationally infeasible for k > 30. Alternatively, the upper level set (ULS) scan scales well to large graphs but is not guaranteed to find the highest-scoring subset. We demonstrate that GraphScan is able to scale to graphs an order of magnitude larger than FlexScan, while guaranteeing that the highest-scoring subgraph will be identified. We evaluate GraphScan, Kulldorff’s spatial scan (searching over circles)...
Adipocyte-Mononuclear Cell Interaction, Toll-like Receptor 4 Activation, and High Glucose Synergistically Up-regulate Osteopontin Expression via an Interleukin 6-mediated Mechanism

Although it has been reported that osteopontin, a matrix glycoprotein and proinflammatory cytokine, mediates obesity-induced adipose tissue macrophage infiltration and insulin resistance, it remains unclear how osteopontin is up-regulated in adipose tissue in obese humans and animals. In this study, we incubated U937 mononuclear cells with adipocytes in a transwell system and studied how cell interaction regulated osteopontin expression. Results showed that coculture of U937 cells with adipocytes led to a marked increase in osteopontin production when compared with that released by independent cultures of U937 cells. Moreover, lipopolysaccharide or palmitic acid-induced TLR4 activation and high glucose further augmented the coculture-stimulated osteopontin secretion. Similar observations were made in the coculture of human primary monocytes and adipocytes. Real time PCR studies showed that coculture of U937 cells and adipocytes increased osteopontin mRNA in U937 cells, but not adipocytes, suggesting that adipocyte-derived soluble factor may stimulate osteopontin expression by U937 cells. In our studies to explore the underlying mechanism, we found that the neutralizing antibodies against interleukin (IL)-6 or IL-6 small interfering RNA transfection in adipocytes effectively inhibited coculture-stimulated osteopontin expression, suggesting that IL-6 released by adipocytes plays an essential role in the coculture-stimulated osteopontin expression by U937 cells. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that cell interaction, TLR4 activation, and high glucose up-regulate osteopontin expression, and adipocyte-derived IL-6 played a major role in the up-regulation.
ELECTRONIC CHARGE TRANSPORT IN CAROTENOID PIGMENTS AND A PRIMITIVE THEORY OF THE ELECTRORETTNOGRAM

Summary The photoconductive and photovoltaic behaviour of a s-carotene glass cell is analyzed with regard to the effects of electric field strengths, polarity, and wave length dependence of the photoliberated electronic charge. These results have lead to a primitive theory of the electroretinogram. The four postulates of the theory are: 1. The generator potentials of the retina arise from a current source in the rod and cone outer segments. These currents are electronic charge transport processes created by the absorption of light by the visual pigments. 2. The component P II of the electroretinogram arises as a photocurrent in the retina due to the presence in the dark of an electric field in the receptor organ. 3. The component P III of the electroretinogram arises as a photovoltaic current in the receptor organ. 4. The electric field in the receptor organ arises from a potential gradient between the synaptic and the free end of the receptor. The polarity of the field being the base of the receptor negative with respect to the free end. These postulates of the theory, taken in conjunction with the experimentally determined characteristics of the photoconduction and photovoltaic effects are capable of commenting on or explaining the signs and shapes of the diphasic and monophasic electroretinograms; the localization measurements on generator potentials; the effects of depolarizing agents on the electroretinograms; the ontogenetic order of development of P III and P II; the similarity of sign of P III in vertebrate and invertebrate eyes; the presence of two components in the monophasic curves of invertebrate eyes; the signs, shapes, time constants, and wave length dependence of the graded photopic response; and lastly the characteristics of on/off receptors. Some difficulties and limitations of the theory are discussed.
Mechanisms of translational control in liver and skeletal muscle.

Abstract The initiation of peptide chains on ribosomes represents the first step in translation and is a dominant control point for regulation of protein synthesis in mammalian cells. An inhibition of peptide-chain initiation occurs in both rat liver treated with calcium-mobilizing hormones and in rat skeletal muscle in response to the isulin deprivation associated with diabetes mellitus or fasting. The inhibition of peptide-chain initiation in both tissues is accompanied by a shift in polysomal aggregation toward an accumulation of free ribosomal particles and a reduction in formation of 43S preinitiation complexes. Furthermore, in both tissues, the inhibition involves a reduction in the activity of a protein termed eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF)-2B. However, the mechanisms involved in the reduction in eIF-2B activity, and thus protein synthesis, in the two tissues under these conditions appear to be distinct. In liver treated with calcium-mobilizing hormones, the reduction in eIF-2B activity is the result of an increase in the phosphorylation state of the α-subunit of a second initiation factor, eIF-2. In contrast, the inhibition of initiation that occurs in skeletal muscle deprived of insulin is not due to a change in the phosphorylation state of eIF-2α. Instead, the activity of eIF-2B may be directly modulated in response to insulin. Studies by others have shown that the e-subunit of eIF-2B is a substrate for at least three different protein kinases and that phosphorylation by at least one of these kinases stimulates the activity of the factor in in vitro assays. Recent studies in our laboratory have shown that eIF-2Be kinase activity in extracts of skeletal muscle is elevated during diabetes and is reduced to below control values within 2 h of insulin treatment of diabetic rats. Furthermore, at least two different eIF-2Be kinases are present in muscle extracts and the two kinases are differentially regulated by insulin. Thus, one kinase exhibits reduced activity following insulin treatment of diabetic rats and the other is stimulated. Current efforts are aimed at purifying and characterizing the two eIF-2Be kinases.
Communication in the courtship of a Madagascan hissing cockroach. I: Normal courtship

Abstract The hissing Madagascar cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa, has a prolonged and complex courtship involving signals in several sensory modalities. Courtship was described for 13 pairs of cockroaches and the frequencies and sequencing of 16 behavioural units were analysed. Particular attention was paid to the function and interactions of acoustic, chemical and tactile components. The results indicate that posturing and sound production by males, and antennation by both males and females, are important in courtship. They also suggest that courtship in G. portentosa, rather than depending on a rigid sequence of behaviour determined by a series of discrete releasers, is quite flexible, using ‘behavioural monologues’ by both sexes as a means of achieving transitions from one stage of courtship to the next.
A 2-Phase Method for Validation of Matching Pair Property with Case Studies of Operating Systems

Memory leaks, asymmetric synchronization, and several other defects are examples of violation of the matching pair (MP) property. The property involves matching between two types of events on every execution path. We present a practical method to validate the MP property for large software. The method is designed to address the validation challenges resulting from the cross-cutting semantics and presence of invisible control flow. The method has two phases: the macro analysis and the micro analysis. The macro analysis phase incorporates important notions of signature and matching pair graph (MPG). Signatures enable a decomposition of the problem into small independent instances for validation, each identified by a unique signature. The MPG(x) defines for each signature x a minimal set of functions to be analyzed for validating the instance given by signature x. The micro analysis phase produces the event traces on all relevant execution paths through the functions belonging to a MPG(x). A fast and accurate analysis of large software is possible because the macro analysis can exactly identify the functions that need to be analyzed and the micro analysis can efficiently compute all the relevant event traces. We demonstrate the method through case studies of the Xinu and the Linux kernels.
A thin-layer chromatographic method for the quantitative separation and estimation of S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylethionine in rat liver.

Abstract A procedure is described for the simultaneous isolation, separation, and quantitation of S -adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) and S -adenosylethionine (AdoEt) in rat liver. These compounds are isolated by precipitation with ammonium reineckate, are separated by thin-layer chromatography, and are quantitated by an isotope dilution determination. The procedure was tested with commercial standards added to liver homogenate ranging up to 160 μg AdoMet/g liver and 173 μg AdoEt/g liver; at all of the concentrations tested, the recoveries were linear and accurate. AdoMet recoveries were linear in the presence of 11.6 or 307 μg AdoEt/g liver, and AdoEt recoveries were linear in the presence of 37.8 or 191 μg AdoMet/g liver. AdoMet and AdoEt levels were measured in the livers of rats fed diet containing 0 or 0.3% dl -ethionine for 2 weeks. In the ethionine-treated animals, AdoMet concentrations were lower than in the controls; and, conversely, AdoEt increased from 0 to 259 μg/g liver.
Effects of dynamic loading on cell viability in intervertebral disc

Sufficient nutrient supply has long been regarded as a crucial factor for maintaining intervertebral disc (IVD) cell viability and preventing IVD degeneration1,2. Due to avascular nature of the tissue, nutrients for IVD cells are transported, mainly by diffusion, through the dense extracellular matrix of the tissue from the peripheral and endplate vasculatures. Experimental studies on the effects of nutrient deprivation on IVD cell viability showed that glucose is the most critical nutrient affecting the cell density in IVD3–5. Because of the difficulties in studying mechano-biology of human IVD in vivo, numerical simulations are necessary to investigate how the disturbances of biological, physical, and chemical signals can affect the cellular metabolism and viability in IVD. However, to date, there is no adequate theoretical model that is able to describe the change of cell density in IVD under dynamic conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a new constitutive model for cell growth/death in human IVD and to analyze the cell metabolism and cell viability in IVD under dynamic, mechanical loading conditions using numerical methods based on the mechano-electrochemical mixture theory6,7.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Kinetic analysis of a generalized catalytic selective oxidation reaction

A kinetic model is presented for a generalized catalytic selective oxidation reaction in which lattice oxygen is the proximate source of oxygen. The model takes into account the effects on the overall kinetics due to finite residence time of intermediates on the surface, diffusional rate of lattice oxygen, and overall stoichiometry of the reaction. It is shown that except under the condition when adsorption of the hydrocarbon reactant is the slow step, the rate expression derived from this model differs from that obtained with a model in which these effects are neglected. One important consequence of the model is that the rate of consumption of hydrocarbon can be changed if the selectivity of the reaction is changed, even when reoxidation of the catalyst is the rate-limiting step. In such a circumstance, the rate might show an order dependence in oxygen partial pressure, the apparent activation energy reflects that of reoxidation and the temperature dependence of the selectivity, and the apparent preexponential factor is also influenced by the stoichiometry of the reaction. The implications of these to the interpretation of substituent effects and deuterium kinetic isotope effects are discussed.
Intron/exon structure of the chicken pyruvate kinase gene

Abstract The chicken pyruvate kinase gene is interrupted by at least ten introns, including nine introns within the coding region. We compare the structure of this gene with the three-dimensional protein structure of the homologous cat muscle enzyme. The introns are not randomly placed-they divide the coding sequence into fairly uniformly sized pieces encoding discrete elements of secondary structure. The introns tend to fall at interruptions between stretches of α-helix or β-sheet residues, and each of the six exons that contribute to the barrel-shaped central domain include one or two repeats of a simple unit, an α-helix plus a β strand. This structure suggests that introns were not inserted into a previously uninterrupted coding sequence, but instead are products of the evolution of the first pyruvate kinase gene. We have found some sequence homology between a segment of pyruvate kinase and the structurally homologous mononucleotide binding fold of alcohol dehydrogenase. The superposition of these two regions aligns an intron from the maize alcohol dehydrogenase gene four nucleotides from an intron in the chicken pyruvate kinase gene.
Depression in mentally retarded children.

Abstract Thirty-one mentally retarded emotionally disturbed children, hospitalized within a university medical school's psychiatric intensive care program, were matched on age and sex compared to 31 children from a normal school setting on depression. Measures included the Child Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Child Behavior Profile (CBP), with children being compared on total and subfactor scores for both measures. Depression and its various subcomponents were more prevalent in the mentally retarded group. There were no significant sex or age differences. Degree of overall psychopathology and depression were highly related. The relationship between criteria for depression on the CDI and CBC were also made. Correlational data showed a strong relationship between the cut-off scores for both measures, an important finding because they were based on norms established with children of normal intelligence. These data suggest that similarities exist between depression in mentally retarded children and those without such cognitive handicaps. The relationship of depression to other forms of psychopathology in the group of 31 emotionally disturbed mentally retarded children was also examined. A wide range of disorders including schizophrenia, aggression, withdrawal, and hyperactivity were evaluated. These are the first empirical data with mentally retarded children in the United States that are aimed specifically at evaluating depression, and should be useful to the clinicians in better understanding the phenomenon.