cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The anatomic location of digital glomus tumor recurrences.

Purpose We examined the anatomic location of recurrences of digital glomus tumors treated with surgical excision to make inferences on the causes of recurrence. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 12 cases of glomus tumors of the hand treated surgically over an 8-year period. Two of these patients presented with recurrences after previous glomus tumor excision surgery elsewhere. The location of recurrences, duration of symptoms, gender, revision surgeries, and histological specimens were analyzed. Results All tumors developed in the periungual and subungual area of the digits. Five of the 12 patients had recurrences, with one of these patients having a second recurrence after revision surgery. All recurrent tumors occurred in new, separate locations from the original lesions. The recurrences presented from 2 months to 5 years after the initial surgery. All surgical specimens from the index surgeries, as well as revision procedures, were examined by a pathologist and confirmed to be glomus tumors. There were no discernible differences in the histology features of the tumors that recurred compared to those that did not. Conclusions Traditionally, recurrences of digital glomus tumors after surgical excision are thought to be rare. Inadequate resection was considered the likely cause in most cases. However, recurrent symptoms might be attributed to small, synchronous, satellite lesions not detected during the original surgery. A careful preoperative and intraoperative examination for synchronous lesions should be made, and patients should be informed of the risk of recurrent symptoms.
Phosphorylation of Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5/IKLF) at the CBP interaction region enhances its transactivation function.

The Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5/IKLF) belongs to the Kruppel family of genes which bind GC-rich DNA elements and activate or repress their target genes in a promoter context and/or cellular environment-dependent manner. In the present study, we used the Gal4 fusion assay system to characterize the mechanism of transactivation by KLF5. We demonstrated that the transactivation function of KLF5 was enhanced by CREB-binding protein (CBP) and blocked by wild-type but not mutant E1A. Over expression of CBP reversed the inhibition effect of E1A. With various lengths of KLF5 fusion protein, the transactivation functions were localized to 156 amino acid residues at the N-terminal region and 133 amino acid residues adjacent to the Zn finger motif. We mapped the CBP and KLF5 interaction domain to the N-terminal region of CBP (amino acids 1–232) and the N-terminal region of KLF5 (amino acids 1–238) where one of the activation functions resides. The histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity of CBP does not play a role in the transactivation function of KLF5 nor does it acetylate KLF5 in vitro. However, phosphorylation is important in KLF5 transactivation activity. Inhibition of protein kinase activity by H7 or calphostin C blocked both full-length and N-terminal fragment (amino acids 1–238) KLF5 activities. Mutation at a potential protein kinase C phosphorylation site within the CBP interaction domain of KLF5 reduces its transactivation function. Furthermore, using the GST pull-down approach, we showed that phosphorylation of KLF5 enhances its interaction with CBP. The results of the present study provide a mechanism for KLF5 transactivation function.
Diagnosing the QBO's Influence on Circumpolar Vortex Variability Using MSU Brightness Temperatures and MSU-Derived Winds

Abstract Using brightness temperatures from channels 3 and 4 of the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) as approximations to mean-layer temperatures, the geostrophic winds at 50 mb can be computed through a “bottom-up” approach. When this method is applied at high latitudes during austral winter and spring, it is found that accurate descriptions of the seasonal evolution and interannual variability of the lower-stratospheric circumpolar vortex are obtained. Variations in early-spring vortex strength from year to year appear to relate well to variations in the timing of the first large late-winter wavenumber one event in the lower stratosphere. Since wave forcing of the mean flow in the lower stratosphere is known to be weak, the variability in vortex strength may result from variations in wave-induced subsidence through the downward control principle. Previous studies have demonstrated a biennial harmonic in both extratropical wave forcing and the mean flow, suggesting a link with the equatorially confined quas...
Surface desensitization of polarimetric waveguide interferometers

Nonspecific surface binding of small protein molecules presents a major obstacle to surface biosensing techniques attempting to detect very low concentrations (< 1 pg/mm/sup 2/) of large biological objects such as cells and bacteria. A new method for selective desensitization of a polarimetric waveguide interferometer eliminates the background noise from nonspecific surface binding. We demonstrate the ability to tune the phase sensitivity of a waveguide interferometer as a function of the distance of the biological or chemical analyte from the waveguide surface. This makes possible a sensor that has zero sensitivity at a particular distance where nonspecific surface binding occurs without significantly reducing the sensitivity to target larger biological species.
Interventions to evaluate fitness to drive among people with chronic conditions: Systematic review of literature

When an health condition has been identified, the question of whether to continue driving depends not on a medical diagnosis, but on the functional consequences of the illness. The complex nature of physical and mental impairments and their relationship with safe driving make the availability of evidence based tools necessary for health professionals. The review aims at identifying and summarizing scientific findings concerning the relationship between neuropsychological and clinical screening tests and fitness to drive among people with chronic conditions. Studies were searched for driving ability evaluation by road test or simulator, clinical/neuropsychological examinations of participants with chronic diseases or permanent disablement impairing driving performance, primary outcomes as fatal/non-fatal traffic injuries and secondary outcomes as fitness to drive assessment. Twenty-seven studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Some studies included more than one clinical condition. The illness investigated were Alzheimer Disease (n=6), Parkinson Disease (n=8), Cardiovascular Accident (n=4), Traumatic Brain Injuries (n=3), Sleep Apnea Syndrome (n=2), Narcolepsy (n=1), Multiple Sclerosis (n=1) and Hepatic Encephalopathy (n=1), comorbidities (n=3). No studies match inclusion criteria about Myasthenia Gravis, Diabetes Mellitus, Renal Diseases, Hearing Disorders and Sight Diseases. No studies referred to primary outcomes. The selected studies provided opposite evidences. It would be reasonable to argue that some clinical and neuropsychological tests are effective in predicting fitness to drive even if contrasting results support that driving performance decreases as a function of clinical and neuropsychological decline in some chronic diseases. Nevertheless we found no evidence that clinical and neuropsychological screening tests would lead to a reduction in motor vehicle crashes involving chronic disabled drivers. It seems necessary to develop tests with proven validity for identifying high-risk drivers so that physicians can provide guidance to their patients in chronic conditions, and also to medical advisory boards working with licensing offices.
Luna 20: mineralogy and petrology of fragments less than 125 μm size

Two milligrams of less than 125-micron size particles from the Luna 20 soil sample (22001,17) have been examined. The results of the mineral identification and analysis verify earlier assumptions that the nature of the lunar highlands is predominantly anorthositic in composition. The presence of highly magnesian clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, and olivine suggests crystallization of highland rocks in an ultrabasic environment. No fragments were observed that could be unequivocally assigned to mare basalt types.
Variation in Lupinus arboreus alkaloid profiles and relationships with multiple herbivores

Abstract Variation in plant defensive profiles can be affected by environmental factors, genetic factors, and their interactions, and different feeding guilds may have different responses to variation in defenses. Here we present results of a factorial breeding design in Lupinus arboreus from three sites of origin to determine how parental effects, population differences, and environmental effects influence alkaloid profiles and resistance to multiple herbivores. Alkaloids were identified and quantified in seeds and adult plants grown at each of the three sites. We also censused five different herbivores on plants over 2 years and determined the relationship between each herbivore density and total alkaloids, alkaloid profiles, plant size and site. We found strong effects of origin, maternal parent, and maternal×paternal interactions on seed alkaloid profiles, and effects of origin, destination site, their interactions, and maternal×paternal interactions on leaf alkaloid profiles. However, there was no correlation between alkaloid concentration or specific compounds in seeds and full-sib adult plants. Density of the leaf galler Dasineura lupinorum and the fungus Colletotrichium spp. was affected by total alkaloid concentration and alkaloid profiles, while density of apical flies and bud gallers was not affected by any alkaloid measure. Red and green forms of the leaf galler had different responses to alkaloids, and green leaf gallers and fungi had opposite responses to measures of alkaloid profiles. These results highlight the complexity of interactions between herbivores and plant defenses, and indicate that measuring selection for defense traits may not be straightforward in natural environments that include multiple herbivore guilds.
The development of risk-taking: A multi-perspective review

Abstract The current paper reviews four research perspectives that have been used to investigate the development of risk-taking. Cognitive developmental research has investigated the development of decision-making capacities that potentially underlie risk-taking development, including sensitivity to risk, probability estimation, and perceptions of vulnerability. Emotional development research has found that affective decision-making and emotional regulation skills improve with development through adolescence. Psychobiological research has analyzed the cognitive and affective neurological and biochemical bases of risk-taking, and their development. Social developmental research has explored the effects of parent–child relationship quality, parenting strategies, and peer influences on the emergence of risk-taking tendencies. Although they have remained largely independent, it is argued throughout that factors within each of these perspectives interact to influence the probability that an individual will engage in risky activities, which should be the topic of future research.
The genetic basis of multiple sclerosis: a model for MS susceptibility

MS-pathogenesis is known to involve both multiple environmental events, and several independent genetic risk-factors. A model of susceptibility is developed and a mathematical analysis undertaken to elucidate the nature of genetic susceptibility to MS and to understand the constraints that are placed on the genetic basis of MS, both by the known epidemiological facts of this disease and by the known frequency of the HLA DRB1*1501 allele in the general populations of northern Europe and North America. For the large majority of cases (possibly all), MS develops, in part, because an individual is genetically susceptible. Nevertheless, 2.2% or less of the general population is genetically susceptible. Moreover, from the model, the number of susceptibility-loci that need to be in a "susceptible allelic state" to produce MS-susceptibility is small (11-18), whereas the total number of such susceptibility-loci is large (50-200), and their "frequency of susceptibility" is low (i.e., ≤ 0.12). The optimal solution to the model equations (which occurs when 80% of the loci are recessive) predicts the epidemiological data quite closely. The model suggests that combinations of only a small number of genetic loci in a "susceptible allelic state" produce MS-susceptibility. Nevertheless, genome-wide associations studies with hundreds of thousands of SNPs, are plagued by both false-positive and false-negative identifications and, consequently, emphasis has been rightly placed on the replicability of findings. Nevertheless, because genome-wide screens don't distinguish between true susceptibility-loci and disease-modifying-loci, and because only true susceptibility-loci are constrained by the model, unraveling the two will not be possible using this approach. The model also suggests that HLA DRB1 may not be as uniquely important for MS-susceptibility as currently believed. Thus, this allele is only one among a hundred or more loci involved in MS susceptibility. Even though the "frequency of susceptibility" at the HLA DRB1 locus is four-fold that of other loci, the penetrance of those susceptible genotypes that include this allele is no different from those that don't. Also, almost 50% of genetically-susceptible individuals, lack this allele. Moreover, of those who have it, only a small fraction (≤ 5.2%) are even susceptible to getting MS.
Update on Genomics in Veterinary Oncology

The release of an annotated human genome sequence assembly and the emergence of genomics technologies have led to significant advances in our understanding of many human diseases including cancers. As DNA sequencing technology has become less costly, the field of comparative genomics has progressed rapidly and attention has turned now to generating whole genome assemblies and dedicated genomics resources for veterinary species. Such progress brings a whole new series of opportunities to advance veterinary medicine. Many human and animal diseases share a pathogenetic basis, and although veterinary species need advances in biomedical research in their own right, the consideration of companion animals also as good comparative models for human disease saw the emergence of the "one medicine" concept. The future of many areas of human and veterinary biomedical research is very much interdependent, with one of the closest associations being in oncology. It is inevitable that veterinary oncology will benefit enormously from data derived from genomics and that this era will see a huge shift in the ways in which companion animal cancer patients are evaluated and subsequently treated. Here, we will review some of the advancements of genomics as they relate to veterinary oncology.
Sex differences in the response to environmental cues regulating seasonal reproduction in birds

Although it is axiomatic that males and females differ in relation to many aspects of reproduction related to physiology, morphology and behaviour, relatively little is known about possible sex differences in the response to cues from the environment that control the timing of seasonal breeding. This review concerns the environmental regulation of seasonal reproduction in birds and how this process might differ between males and females. From an evolutionary perspective, the sexes can be expected to differ in the cues they use to time reproduction. Female reproductive fitness typically varies more as a function of fecundity selection, while male reproductive fitness varies more as a function sexual selection. Consequently, variation in the precision of the timing of egg laying is likely to have more serious fitness consequences for females than for males, while variation in the timing of recrudescence of the male testes and accompanying territory establishment and courtship are likely to have more serious fitness consequences for males. From the proximate perspective, sex differences in the control of reproduction could be regulated via the response to photoperiod or in the relative importance and action of supplementary factors (such as temperature, food supply, nesting sites and behavioural interactions) that adjust the timing of reproduction so that it is in step with local conditions. For example, there is clear evidence in several temperate zone avian species that females require both supplementary factors and long photoperiods in order for follicles to develop, while males can attain full gonadal size based on photoperiodic stimulation alone. The neuroendocrine basis of these sex differences is not well understood, though there are many candidate mechanisms in the brain as well as throughout the entire hypothalamo–pituitary–gonadal axis that might be important.
Death in the Hospital

(27%) were receiving ventilatory support, and 18% were restrained. Nearly half of the patients (48%) had an order or progress note specifying “comfort measures only” (CMO). Patients with CMO, compared with those without such orders, had similar levels of pain, agitation, and dyspnea. Patients with CMO were less likely to be in an intensive care unit(P = .001),receiveventilatorysupport(P = .001),receive antibiotics (P = .009), or be weighed (P = .001). Conclusions: Baseline information with which to begin improvement of care for dying individuals was obtained through a brief retrospective chart review. While patients with CMO receive less aggressive care, no specific process was used to provide comfort care. The evaluation and testing of processes of care for dying patients are necessary to begin the improvement of care. We provide baseline data about processes and outcomes of care in our hospitals. Arch Intern Med. 1998;158:1570-1572
Paradoxes of Traffic Engineering with Partially Optimal Routing

Most large-scale communication networks, such as the Internet, consist of interconnected administrative domains. While source (or selfish) routing, where transmission follows the least cost path for each source, may be reasonable across domains, within a subnetwork controlled by a single administrative domain, service providers often depart from selfish routing to improve operating performance. This observation suggests that the study of large-scale communication networks requires an analysis of partial optimal routing, where optimal routing within subnetworks is overlaid with selfish routing across domains. Such partially optimal routing leads to a number of paradoxes. However, first optimal routing within a subnetwork does not necessarily improve the performance of the overall network. In particular, it is showed that when partially optimal routing leads to worse overall network performance, it is because of Braess' paradox can occur in the network. second in the absence of prices per unit of transmission, lower-layer traffic engineering within administrative domain may prefer selfish routing to optimal routing because optimal routing typically increases the amount of flow into the subnetwork, thus increasing the delay costs.
Comparison of Collocated Automated (NCECONet) and Manual (COOP) Climate Observations in North Carolina

The National Weather Service’s Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) is a valuable climate data resource that provides manually observed information on temperature and precipitation across the nation. These data are part of the climate dataset and continue to be used in evaluating weather and climate models. Increasingly, weather and climate information is also available from automated weather stations. A comparison between these two observing methods is performed in North Carolina, where 13 of these stations are collocated. Results indicate that, without correcting the data for differing observation times, daily temperature observations are generally in good agreement (0.96 Pearson product–moment correlation for minimum temperature, 0.89 for maximum temperature). Daily rainfall values recorded by the two different systems correlate poorly (0.44), but the correlations are improved (to 0.91) when corrections are made for the differences in observation times between the COOP and automated stations. Daily rainfall correlations especially improve with rainfall amounts less than 50 mm day 1 . Temperature and rainfall have high correlation (nearly 1.00 for maximum and minimum temperatures, 0.97 for rainfall) when monthly averages are used. Differences of the data between the two platforms consistently indicate that COOP instruments may be recording warmer maximum temperatures, cooler minimum temperatures, and larger amounts of rainfall, especially with higher rainfall rates. Root-mean-square errors are reduced by up to 71% with the day-shift and hourly corrections. This study shows that COOP and automated data [such as from the North Carolina Environment and Climate Observing Network (NCECONet)] can, with simple corrections, be used in conjunction for various climate analysis applications such as climate change and site-to-site comparisons. This allows a higher spatial density of data and a larger density of environmental parameters, thus potentially improving the accuracy of the data that are relayed to the public and used in climate studies.
Plastic Flow of Saturated, Consolidated Alumina Powder Compacts: Particle Size and Binary Mixtures

The flow stresses and relaxed yield stresses of saturated, alumina powder compacts that have been consolidated via pressure filtration were measured in unconstrained uniaxial compression. Two different sized powders, as well as binary mixtures of the two powders, were investigated. Bodies that were consolidated from slurries of larger particles had lower flow and relaxed yield stresses, relative to bodies that were made of small particles with the same relative density and solution conditions. This result is primarily due to the lower number of particle-particle contacts per unit volume in the body that was made of the large particles. The flow stress of the body can be controlled by adjusting the fraction of large particles to small particles.
Simultaneous Analysis of Variance Tests Using Friedman's χ r2 Statistics

This study develops simultaneous tests for shifts in marginal distributions pertaining to complete two-way multivariate data not having Gaussian errors. Gerig's (1969) statistics based on ranks are used, a special case yielding Friedman's (1937) χ Statistics statistics for the one-dimensional marginal distributions. Exact α-level procedures are not now available. Instead, approximate but conservative tests are constructed using available tables together with suitable probability inequalities. A variational result permits unlimited tests even when these are suggested by the data. The procedures are illustrated using data from field studies with peanuts; some extensions are noted; and selected percentage points are provided to support some of the tests.
Whole-exome sequencing for relapse prediction in patients discontinuing TKI treatment in chronic myeloid leukemia

The treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is one of the greatest success stories in oncology. With long-term follow-up, continued treatment of chronic p...
Advancing in Building Information Modeling (BIM) contracting: Trends in the AEC/FM Industry

Construction industry has recognized BIM implementation as a best practice that provides a new set of processes and technologies in construction projects. Despite the significant growth in BIM adoption and research on technological aspects of BIM, far too little attention has been paid to research on BIM contracting. So far, two industry leading organizations (AIA and AGC) have developed standard forms of agreement for BIM contracting. However, many projects have incorporated custom manuscripts to satisfy their special contractual needs, but the existing literature has not dealt with these industry-wide trends of BIM contracting. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine custom developed contracts in order to trace the advances in BIM contracting. This research demonstrates that there are several areas of importance in that standard forms have not addressed them. These include but are not limited to (1) requirements for BIM process inputs (e.g. BIM staff competencies), (2) requirements for BIM process management (e.g. BIM quality assurance and quality control, a metric based BIM processing assessment), (3) requirements for information modeling (e.g. landscape, facility management), and (4) requirements for data security (e.g. corruption of files, and data misuse). This study has practical implications for BIM contracting practices and future developments of inclusive BIM standard agreements.
1792 – Inpatient suicide risk association with depression, anxiety disorders and pharmacogenetic testing

Introduction National and international research has shown the association between depression and anxiety disorders with the risk of planned and impulsive suicidal behavior. Patients with depression may have severe anxiety or agitation associated with their depression with or without comorbid additional anxiety disorder diagnoses. Objectives 1. Evaluate differences between self rated overall suicide risk of inpatients on a treatment resistant depression unit based on presence or absence of comorbid anxiety disorder. 2. Evaluate association of pharmacogenetic testing results with self-ratings of suicide risk. Aims 1. To determine if suicide risk of psychiatric inpatients is higher in patients with depression and comorbid anxiety disorder. 2. To determine utility of pharmacogenetic testing with suicide risk assessment and patterns of use in patients with treatment resistant depression at a large academic medical center. Methods This is a retrospective records review study of a sample of over 700 inpatients on a treatment resistant depression unit at the Mayo Clinic. Patients overall suicide risk self-assessments will be analyzed for differences in suicide risk assessment controlling for diagnoses, age, and sex. Pharmacogenetic testing results, including serotonin transporter and p450 2D6 testing results, will be analyzed for their association with suicide risk. Results Statistical analyses results are pending at time of abstract submission. Conclusions At a population level, the interplay between anxiety disorders and depressive symptoms is felt to be key to understanding the progression from suicidal ideation to suicidal behavior. Factors complicating this at an individual patient level along with results of research study will be discussed.
FePt nanoparticles assembled on graphene as enhanced catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction.

Seven-nanometer FePt nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and assembled on graphene (G) by a solution-phase self-assembly method. These G/FePt NPs were a more active and durable catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in 0.1 M HClO4 than the same NPs or commercial Pt NPs deposited on conventional carbon support. The G/FePt NPs annealed at 100 °C for 1 h under Ar + 5% H2 exhibited specific ORR activities of 1.6 mA/cm2 at 0.512 V and 0.616 mA/cm2 at 0.557 V (vs Ag/AgCl). As a comparison, the commercial Pt NPs (2–3 nm) had specific activities of 0.271 and 0.07 mA/cm2 at the same potentials. The G/FePt NPs were also much more stable in the ORR condition and showed nearly no activity change after 10 000 potential sweeps. The work demonstrates that G is indeed a promising support to improve NP activity and durability for practical catalytic applications.
Photonic-Plasmonic Hybrid Interconnects: a Low-latency Energy and Footprint Efficient Link

We benchmark different photonic interconnect options and contrast them to hybridization assuming plasmonics (photonics) for active (passive) elements respectively. Our results show superior latency and power consumption performance for hybridization.
Demystifying the Neuroscience of Love

Scholars from different disciplines have investigated the nature of love for centuries. It has been only in the past century that social psychologists have begun to scientifically investigate the c...
Interfirm Influence Strategies and Their Application within Distribution Channels

This article focuses on the use of influence strategies by boundary personnel within distribution channel relationships. Alternative strategies are discussed in terms of their operational character...
Intergenerational narratives and identity across development

Abstract Intergenerational narratives are the stories that parents and grandparents share with their children about their own past experiences growing up. We argue from the foundational perspectives of Eriksonsian life-span theory, Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, and the sociocultural model of autobiographical memory that intergenerational narratives, although often overlooked by researchers of narrative identity development, play an important role in the family storytelling process that serves many functions for the elder generations who tell them and the younger generations who hear them. We focus on where these narratives fit within the larger body of literature on narrative identity at two developmental periods of interest: midlife and adolescence. We review evidence suggesting that intergenerational narratives influence the psychosocial development of individuals, serving as constructions of identity and a means of achieving a sense of generativity, in ways that may also contribute to family identity and individual well-being.
Study on membrane theory and film-forming drilling fluid

The membrane generated by adsorption of special water soluble polymers on hole wall rock performs anti-sloughing and formation damage control properties. The filtration process of polymer membrane was analyzed based on the theory of concentnation polarization. The conception of membrane and the transformation mechanism from semi-permeable diaphragm to membrane were illustrated. The conception of membrane can be considered that the permeability of membrane to free water in drilling fluid significantly decreases, even to zero and no filtration, due to quadric or trinal or more membrane generated by concentration polarization. Therefore, the membrane is formed by multi deposition, i.e. "pollution", on the semi-permeable diaphragm. The film-forming laboratory study on the polysaccharide developed is conducted by performance evaluation such as filtration, permeability and swelling properties. Plj film-forming agent is a modification product from a natural plant secretion. The molecular weight of modified polysaccharide is 8.4×10~5, the length of molecule is 4500 nm and the diameter is 19 nm. After acidic hydrolization to the agent, a natural macromolecule with no color, no odor and edibility can be got. Chemically, the macromolecule is mainly consists of two polymers units, of which one is acidic polymer containing Plj acid and can form a true solution, while another is a neutral polysaccharide in which galactose as primary bonds linked by arabinose and is prone to form gel by hygroscope and swelling. Some performances of membrane such as bearing resistance, permeability, semi-permeability, dynamic filtration, were evaluated in lab. Results showed that the Plj agent has excellent film-forming effect and is prone to be removed by LG-1 removal agent developed.
Effects of endothelin on renal function in dogs and rats.

Endothelin was infused for 20 min into the left renal artery of pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs at 1 (n = 6) and 10 (n = 5) ng.min-1.kg-1. Renal blood flow (flow probe) increased 6 +/- 2 (SE) and 29 +/- 2% during the first 5 min of endothelin infusion and then slowly decreased to 86 +/- 3 and 29 +/- 2% of control at 20 min, respectively; the low renal blood flow persisted for at least 30 min after endothelin infusion, and there were no systemic effects of the peptide at either dose. These effects of endothelin on renal function were not altered by the angiotensin (ANG) II receptor antagonist, [Sar1,Thr8]ANG II. In the rat, endothelin was infused intravenously into three groups of pentobarbital-anesthetized females for 30 min at 0.1 microgram.min-1.kg-1; five had endothelin only, six had either endothelin + [Sar1,Thr8]ANG II (n = 4, 1.0 micrograms.min-1.kg-1) or endothelin + saralasin (n = 2, 1 and 2 micrograms.kg-1.min-1), and five had endothelin + captopril (5 mg.h-1.kg-1). The inhibitors were infused throughout the entire experiment. During infusion of endothelin alone mean arterial blood pressure increased from 106 +/- 2 to 136 +/- 4 mmHg and the glomerular filtration rate decreased from 2.7 +/- 0.2 to 0.7 +/- 0.3 ml/min. Captopril attenuated the endothelin-induced changes in renal function but not the increase in mean arterial blood pressure, whereas the competitive ANG II receptor antagonists had no effect on either the systemic or renal actions of the peptide. These data demonstrate that endothelin is a potent renal vasoconstrictor with transient vasodilator effects and that the inhibition of kinin degradation may attenuate the renal actions of the peptide.
Characterization of CO 2 dependent microcolony variants of Staphylococcus aureus.

Microcolonies of two strains of CO2 dependent Staphylococcus aureus required a CO2 atmosphere for production of alpha hemolysin and fermentation of mannitol. One strain could not be cultivated on Mueller-Hinton agar. In an atmosphere of air, the colonies were minute and their cells appeared as tetrads, segmented and bizarre in morphology. The cell walls of the isolates grown in air were thick and irregular. The application of 5% CO2 or air environment did not significantly alter inhibition zone diameters of the isolate that grew on Mueller-Hinton agar. These small-colony variants of S. aureus may escape detection in a mixed culture.
A Linguistic Model for 3-D Constructions

Publisher Summary Currently, the complete description of the physical layout of a building and its structural details can be stored in the computer. The efficiency of the data structures, the amount of memory required, and the type of storage facilities to be utilized remain important issues. But the most crucial issue is how the descriptions of these structures are derived and how they are communicated to the computer. The most primitive approach is to manually depict the point-by-point coordinates of each piece of material in the structure. But it is hardly efficient when the process that derived the structure is of major importance and needs to be stored in addition to the complete piece-by-piece structural details, including those pieces which are invisible when the structure is completed. This chapter presents linguistic model and its implementation for the description of three-dimensional compositions, primarily as they occur in building construction. The model, while it also provides for irregular compositions, facilitates the derivation of standard orthogonal arrangements by the use of the junction operator, which does not require the explicit definition of positioning coordinates for each element in the composition. The model also allows for the definition and composition of arbitrarily complex elements and it is, therefore, used for any type of spatial synthesis. But in the latter case, the coordinates of the elements and their position in the composition have to be given explicitly.
Evaluation and Management of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathic Patients Through Noncardiac Surgery and Pregnancy

Due to the prevalence of hypertrophy cardiomyopathy (HCM) (1:500), anesthesiologists, cardiologists, surgeons and obstetricians will encounter these patients and need to thoroughly understand their disease in order to understand the risk that noncardiac surgery and pregnancy imposes upon them. Patients with HCM have genotypic and phenotypic variability. Indeed a subgroup of these patients exhibits the HCM genotype but not the phenotype (left ventricular hypertrophy). There are a number of treatment modalities for these patients including pharmacotherapy to control symptoms, implantable cardiac defibrillators to manage malignant arrhythmias, and surgical myectomy and alcohol septal ablation to decrease the left ventricular hypertrophy and outflow obstruction. In this chapter, we will discuss how management of these patients perioperatively is vital to improving their survivability and morbidity when they undergo noncardiac surgery, either electively or emergently. We will also discuss the peripartum management of the HCM patient since the physiologic changes of pregnancy can have either a salubrious or detrimental effect on the pathophysiology of HCM.
Regional Techniques: Role and Pitfalls

Employing regional anesthesia outside of the operating room equips the clinician with another set of tools to optimally treat pain and allow for and improved patient recovery. Although regional anesthesia may not be appropriate in all situations, it is very effective in the right situation. When doing nerve blocks outside of the operating room setting, it is helpful to set up a portable block cart that can carry all equipment and medication necessary. The chapter outlines the instances when regional anesthesia may truly be beneficial to patient care, which nerve blocks should be employed, how to do the nerve blocks, and special considerations that should be thought of prior to placing a nerve block. The local anesthetic systemic toxicity algorithm is also placed in the chapter.
Loss of p53 Is Due to Rearrangements in a ~6,400 kb Region of Low Copy Repeats near the Centromere of Chromosome 17 in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (B-CLL).

Abstract Background: Loss of p53 is detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in interphase nuclei in 8–10% of patients with B-CLL and has been associated with aggressive disease and poor response to therapy. Results of chromosome studies suggest loss of p53 is often due to structural anomalies of chromosome 17 rather than monosomy 17. To characterize chromosome 17 anomalies in B-CLL, we used interphase and metaphase FISH to study a series of patients with this disorder. Methods: We studied 16 patients with B-CLL who had chromosome 17 anomalies detected by conventional chromosome studies or interphase FISH. The study cohort consisted of 8 females and 8 males (age 54 – 73 years). Clinical data was available for 15 patients: Rai stages were I, II, III and IV for 1, 2, 6 and 6 patients, respectively; 14 patients received treatment and 10 have died. Metaphase and interphase FISH studies were performed using left-over fixed bone marrow or peripheral blood cell pellets from conventional cytogenetic studies. To identify recurrent chromosome 17 breakpoint cluster regions, patients were first studied with p53(17p13.1) and D17Z1(centromere17), and then with FISH probes for SMS(17p11.2) and RARA(17q21). For patients retaining the SMS probe site, we did FISH for HNPP(17p11.2–12) and D17Z1(centromere17). A total of 200 interphase nuclei and up to 20 metaphases were analyzed by each probe set. Results: The karyotype was normal for 3 patients and complex involving various abnormalities of chromosome 17 for the remaining 13. All patients showed loss of one p53 probe site with retention of both chromosome 17 centromeres. The SMS locus was absent in 13 patients indicating a breakpoint cluster region between the centromere and SMS probe site. In the remaining 3 patients, HNPP was absent, but the SMS probe site was retained indicating chromosome breakage between the SMS and HNPP probe sites. Metaphase FISH results indicate loss of p53 was due to an isochromosome 17p11.2 in 4 patients and an unbalanced translocation involving 17p11.2 in 12 patients. Conclusions: This study shows that loss of p53 in B-CLL cells is due to isochromosome formation or unbalanced translocations that involve a ~6,400 kb breakpoint cluster region adjacent to the centromere on the short arm of chromosome 17. Importantly, our findings indicate that loss of p53 is not due to loss of chromosome 17, simple deletions of p53, or chromosome breakage near the p53 locus. The region between the centromere and HNPP on chromosome 17 is known to be rich in low copy repeats and homologous DNA sequences are dispersed throughout the genome. In somatic cells, these repeats can result in pairing of the same or different chromosomes; crossing over within these homologous regions can result in translocations or isochromosomes. Undoubtedly, this genetic mechanism plays an important role in the origin of structural anomalies of chromosome 17 in B-CLL.
A compact signal generation and acquisition circuit for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

In this paper, a circuit for signal stimulus generation and response signal acquisition for electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is presented. The circuit is capable of generating a stimulus signal consisting of 32 frequencies with a 2 Hz (low band) and a 62 Hz (medium band) step from 2 Hz to 2 kHz. A composite signal was generated from the circuit for one band at a time. Such composite signal provides a compact representation of the desired signal spectrum with 0.3% error. The response signal acquisition is accomplished with signal amplification followed by an ADC. An average error of 2.14% in measured impedance was achieved. The limit of detection of 9.2 Ohms was obtained. The design was implemented on a 2-layer PCB board with a total footprint of 75.26 cm2.
Coordinating multiple energy storages using MPC for ship power systems

Pulsed power loads present a difficult scenario for ship power systems to handle. Loads such as radar or energy weapons often demand a large amount of power in a short amount of time. This creates issues for the generators that supply the power to these loads due to the ramp rate constraints. By incorporating energy storage and combining the energy producers and users into a single power system, the ability to service a wide variety of loads is enhanced greatly. However, coordinating the generators and energy storages to meet the load demand is necessary. An Energy Management control layer must be used to dictate the power output of each of the producers to meet the load demand. A model predictive control technique within the Energy Management is used to provide optimal power setpoints for the energy storages in cases where the generators' ramp rates cannot meet the load demand.
Prevent Betrayal by Predatory Publishers: Trust But Verify:

In this column, the concept of betrayal is considered as it relates to publishing. The definition of betrayal is discussed, followed by information regarding the cost of publishing and why this led to the formation of open access publishing as a remedy. The Gold and Green Open Access models are examined along with why they may have inadvertently set the stage for predatory publishing practices. Finally, information will be provided on how to spot and avoid betrayal on the part of predatory publishers.
Democratic Ambivalence: Robert Moses and Modernist Urban Planning

Robert Moses, the consummate modern planner, built an intricate network of bridges, parkways, and tunnels that expertly bound together the five boroughs that compose New York City. At first glance, it is difficult to question Moses’s democratic bona fides. He built scores of playgrounds, parks, and parkways in the City and on Long Island—providing hardworking city dwellers with the recreational opportunities and mobility they craved; however, not only did Moses co-opt ostensibly democratic institutions, he was also responsible for evicting hundreds of thousands of residents and destroying the integrity of dozens of neighborhoods and ecologically sensitive sites. This chapter highlights Robert Moses’s democratic inconsistency and, by extension, explicates the democratic ambivalence of the modernist design philosophy he embodies.
Schistocephalus solidus parasite prevalence and biomass intensity in threespine stickleback vary by habitat and diet in boreal lakes

Trophically-transmitted parasites can affect intermediate host behaviors, resulting in spatial differences in parasite prevalence and distribution that shape the dynamics of hosts and their ecosystems. This variability may arise through differences in physical habitats or biological interactions between parasites and their hosts, and may occur on very fine spatial scales. Using a pseudophyllidean cestode (Schistocephalus solidus) and the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) as a model parasite–host complex, we investigated the association of infection with host diet composition and stomach fullness in different habitats of two large lakes in southwest Alaska. To become infected, the fish must consume pelagic copepods infected with the parasite’s procercoid stage, so we predicted higher infection rates of fish in offshore habitats (where zooplankton are the primary prey) compared to fish from the littoral zone. Sticklebacks collected from the littoral and limnetic zones were assayed for parasites and their stomach contents were classified, counted, and weighed. Contrary to our prediction, permutational multivariate analysis of variance and principal components analysis revealed that threespine sticklebacks in the littoral zone, which consumed a generalist diet (pelagic zooplankton and benthic invertebrates), had higher parasite prevalence and biomass intensity than conspecifics in the limnetic zone, which consumed zooplankton. These results, consistent in two different lakes, suggest that differences in parasite prevalence between habitats may have been determined by a shift in host habitat due to infection, differential host mortality across habitats, differential procercoid prevalence in copepods across habitats, or a combination of the three factors. This paradoxical result highlights the potential for fine spatial variability in parasite abundance in natural systems.
Ovarian estradiol production in vivo. Inhibitory effect of leuprolide acetate.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of reducing the dose of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) for controlled ovarian stimulation in in vitro fertilization (IVF) on subsequent response to stimulation and cycle outcome. STUDY DESIGN: An IVF database was searched to identify patients who underwent at least two cycles of ovarian stimulation at a university-based medical center, and a retrospective chart review was performed. Fifty-one patients whose IVF stimulation protocols during the two cycles were identical except for the leuprolide dosage utilized for luteal pituitary suppression were included in the study. Two leuprolide dosages were utilized for suppression: a low dose, 0.5 mg daily, and a high dose, 1 mg daily. The leuprolide dose was uniformly halved upon initiation of gonadotropin stimulation; the gonadotropin dose and preparation were identical in the two protocols. Day 3 follicle-stimulating hormone levels, duration of stimulation, amount of gonadotropins required, midcycle and peak estradiol levels, oocyte yield and implantation rates were compared. RESULTS: Lowering the dose of GnRH-a while maintaining the same stimulation protocol resulted in a faster estradiol rise and higher mean peak estradiol level. The higher estradiol levels were obtained with a lower total gonadotropin dose. The oocyte yield was not affected by the stimulation protocol utilized. CONCLUSION: Lowering the dosage of leuprolide allows higher estradiol levels in those patients. This suggests an inhibitory in vivo effect of leuprolide acetate on ovarian steroidogenesis.
The Structure of Theories in Environmental Health Science

The ideas of environmental health science, and of human health risk analysis, come from a wide array of disciplines. This introduces two problems. The reader must master definitions in several very different subject areas (from the physical, chemical and biological sciences, as well as the language of environmental decisions and engineering) and these definitions are not necessarily consistent across the different disciplines. An example of the latter problem is the definition of “dose”, which in the literature can mean anything from the amount of a substance taken into the body to the density of energy absorbed in cells following irradiation.