cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Locomotion of epithelial cells: Factors involved in extension of the leading edge

Abstract Epithelial cells, like fibroblasts, spread by the active extension of their flattened leading edge. The role of microtubules, microfilaments, and internal hydrostatic pressure in this spreading was studied. While colchicine and colcemid have no effect, cytochalasin B, which affects the microfilament meshwork in the region of the leading edge without affecting general protein synthesis, and sorbitol, which presumably reduces the cell's internal hydrostatic pressure, reversibly prevent the extension of the flattened leading edge. These results are discussed in relation to the mechanism of this extension.
Frequency of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient red blood cell units in a metropolitan transfusion service

BACKGROUND: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is characterized by red blood cell (RBC) destruction in response to oxidative stress. Although blood donors are not routinely screened for G6PD deficiency, the transfusion of stored G6PD-deficient RBCs may have serious adverse outcomes. By measuring G6PD enzyme activity of RBC units from a large metropolitan hospital transfusion service, we sought to determine 1) the prevalence of G6PD-deficient RBC units, 2) if G6PD activity changes during storage, and 3) if G6PD activity in segments correlates with its activity in the bags. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Quantitative G6PD activity was measured in 301 randomly selected RBC units and 73 D+C−E− (i.e., R0r or R0R0) RBC units, all stored in additive solutions. G6PD deficiency was defined as activity less than 60% of the normal mean. RESULTS: The frequency of G6PD-deficient units in the general inventory was 0.3% (1/301; 95% confidence interval [CI], <0.01%-2.1%). In contrast, its frequency in D+C−E− RBC units was 12.3% (9/73; 95% CI, 6.4%-22.0%). G6PD activity did not significantly change during the 42-day storage period, and G6PD activity measured in RBC storage bags and attached segments correlated well (r = 0.7-0.9, p ≤ 0.001, Spearman rank correlation). CONCLUSIONS: Although the frequency of G6PD-deficient RBC units in the transfusion service general inventory was relatively low, it was significantly higher among a subset of R0r or R0R0 units. The latter are preferentially allocated for transfusion to patients with sickle cell disease to decrease the risk of RBC alloimmunization, possibly allowing more of these units to be inadvertently targeted to these patients.
"If you can't do it now, you're out the door:" employees with traumatic brain injury - a case study.

This study considers the employment of persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) from a disability-rights perspective. This approach calls for a shift from a focus on one's (in)capacity towards one's capability, incorporating both factors of impairment and of appropriate accommodation and supports to create inclusion. To give a voice to persons with TBI, the discussion is based on interviews with Tracey (pseudonym), a woman who incurred the injury at a young age and carried its implications as she entered the workforce. It illustrates the discrimination and prejudice encountered by such individuals in procuring employment and gaining acceptance in workplaces and the accommodation-related challenges. The case study discusses the complexities involved as a way for developing a better understanding what must be considered, from a disability-rights perspective, regarding employment and workplace of persons with TBI. The 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) provides a legal reference for the discussion. Language: en
On the remarkable thermal stability of nanostructured ferritic alloys

Abstract We explore the high-temperature thermal stability of a class of potentially transformational materials for high temperature applications that we call nanostructured ferritic alloys (NFAs). NFAs manifest unprecedented properties including outstanding strength and irradiation tolerance that are primarily enabled by an ultrahigh concentration of Y–Ti–O nanoscale features (NFs). One significant challenge is to understand and control the stability of the NFs under extreme high temperature and long-time aging conditions. Thermal aging was carried out between 800 °C and 1000 °C for times up to 32.4 kh. A toolkit of characterization techniques shows that the NFAs and NFs are stable below 900 °C, while experiencing slow, but systematic coarsening at 950 °C and especially 1000 °C, accompanied by small reductions in strength. Other microstructural changes are also described.
Stimulation Of Wound Healing By Lasers

Clinical observations have suggested that low energy lasers might stimulate wound healing. To understand the mechanism of the biostimulation, we have previously examined the effects of low energy lasers on collagen production by human skin fibroblasts and reported an increase of collagen synthesis in vitro (J. Am. Acad. Derm. 11:1142-1150, 1980. To examine the effects of low energy lasers in vivo, hairless mice were experimentally wounded, sutured and subjected to laser irradiation by He-Ne laser with a power output of 1.56 mW, and an energy fluence of 1.22 J/cm2. Experimental wounds were subjected to laser treatment every other day, for a total duration of 2 months; control wounds remained untreated. Specimens from the wounds were then examined for histology, tensile strength and total collagen content. Results demonstrated a considerable improvement of the tensile strength of the laser-irradiated wounds at 1 and 2 weeks. Furthermore, the total collagen content was significantly increased at 2 months when compared to control wounds. These results suggest a beneficial effect of He-Ne laser on wound healing in vivo.© (1986) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Dynamic Energy Release Rate for a Steadily Propagating Antiplane Shear Crack in a Linearly Viscoelastic Body

Abstract : The steady-state propagation of a semi-infinte, anti-plane shear crack is reconsidered for a general, infinite, homogeneous and isotropic linearly viscoelastic body. As with an earlier study, the inertial term in the equation of motion is retained and the shear modulus is only assumed to be positive, continuous, decreasing and convex. A Barenblatt type failure zone is introduced in order to cancel the singular stress, and a numerically convenient expansion for the dynamic Energy Release Rate (ERR) is derived for a rather general class of crack face loadings. The ERR is shown to have a complicated dependence on crack speed material properties with significant qualitative differences between viscoelastic and elastic material. The results are illustrated with numerical calculations for both power-law material and a standard linear solid. Keywords: Crack Growth; Fracture Mechanics; Dynamic Fracture.
Current role of electroencephalography in cerebral ischemia.

The electroencephalogram has been largely supplanted by neuroimaging techniques for the diagnosis and localization of ischemic stroke. However, because of its close correlation with cerebral metabolism and its ability to detect brief transient alterations in cortical function, the electroencephalogram may still be useful for certain diagnostic applications in stroke.The relation of electroencephalographic phenomena to cerebral blood flow and metabolism is reviewed. Ten clinical questions that can be addressed by the electroencephalogram in patients with stroke are posed. The presence of seizures, confirmation of diagnosis, intraoperative monitoring, and level of consciousness are areas of proven usefulness. The electroencephalogram provides less worthwhile information about the time course, prognosis, and localization of strokes. Computerized techniques are of potential but unproven value.The electroencephalogram retains a worthwhile place in the evaluation of patients with cerebral ischemia when it is us...
Sexual violence in rural areas: a review of the literature.

While some research has demonstrated the problems associated with sexual assault in urban areas, rural areas, however, have not been studied extensively. The studies on sexual assault in rural areas are discussed and some common concerns are identified. These include stranger versus acquaintance assault, hesitance to report assaults, blaming attitudes, and the need for more and faster services. The need for further research covering risk factors and treatment of sequelae is discussed. Language: en
Recurrent evolution of herbivory in small, cold-climate lizards: Breaking the ecophysiological rules of reptilian herbivory

Herbivory has evolved in many groups of vertebrates, but it is rare among both extinct and extant nonavian reptiles. Among squamate reptiles, (lizards, snakes, and their relatives), 7,800 species are considered to be herbivorous, and herbivory is restricted to lizards. Here, we show that within a group of South American lizards (Liolaemidae, ≈170 species), herbivory has evolved more frequently than in all other squamates combined and at a rate estimated to be >65 times faster. Furthermore, in contrast to other herbivorous lizards and to existing theory, most herbivorous liolaemids are small bodied and live in cool climates. Herbivory is generally thought to evolve only in reptile species that are large bodied, live in warm climates, and maintain high body temperatures. These three well known “rules” of herbivory are considered to form the bases of physiological constraints that explain the paucity of herbivorous reptile species. We suggest that the recurrent and paradoxical evolution of herbivory in liolaemids is explained by a combination of environmental conditions (promoting independent origins of herbivory in isolated cool-climate regions), ecophysiological constraints (requiring small body size in cool climates, yet high body temperatures for herbivores), and phylogenetic history. More generally, our study demonstrates how integrating information from ecophysiology and phylogeny can help to explain macroevolutionary trends.
Strict coherence, sigma coherence and the metaphysics of quantity

In 1955 Abner Shimony introduced a strong notion of coherence which has become known as strict coherence. It is a variation on a theme by Ramsey and de Finetti: that of testing the coherence of your system of beliefs by seeing how much damage can be done by a cunning bettor with a finite number of bets, each of which you take to be fair. The bettor makes a Dutch Book against you if his bets taken together guarantee that you must suffer a loss; that is to say that no matter what the outcomes of the events upon which bets are placed you suffer a net loss. Let us say that a bettor makes a Weak Dutch Book against you if you can suffer a loss but cannot enjoy a gain: that is to say that there are possible outcomes of the events on which bets are made such that you suffer a net loss and no such outcomes which yield a net gain. If no Dutch book can be made against you, your beliefs are coherent; if- in addition no weak Dutch book can be made against you, your beliefs are strictly coherent. Betting quotients are coherent if and only if they are finitely additive probabilities. They satisfy the stronger requirement of strict coherence if and only if they are finitely additive probabilities which assign a positive probability to every possible event (Kemeny 1955). Coherence is a pragmatic consistency condition. Strict coherence adds to this a requirement of open-mindedness. The strictly coherent agent does not assign probability zero to anything unless it is must be judged impossible by virtue of the underlying Boolean logic. Strict coherence is epistemologically attractive and was easily implementable in the context of finite Carnapian inductive logic in which it was introduced. But
Equivalent Circuit of the Primitive Rotating Machine With Asymmetrical Stator and Rotor

The equations and equivalent circuits of all standard types of rotating electric machinery operating under arbitrary conditions may be derived as special cases of a single generalized rotating machine, the so-called primitive machine. This paper derives the steady-state equivalent circuit of the primitive machine having unbalanced rotor as well as stator. That is, the load or transmission line connected to a salient-pole synchronous machine is assumed to be unbalanced (due to faults, short circuits, and so forth), or the load connected to the slip rings of an induction motor is assumed to be unbalanced. The single-phase alternator, instrument Selsyns, and also sudden short-circuit studies are cases that require an infinite series of time harmonics in the stator and rotor windings in addition to the fundamental. It is assumed that these time harmonics are due to space waves with fundamental pairs of poles rotating at different speeds. The effect of the harmonic space waves is not considered. A paper by A. W. Rankin1 shows network analyzer studies made of the harmonic currents and torques of a single-phase alternator.
Genome-wide association study of sleep in Drosophila melanogaster

Sleep is a highly conserved behavior, yet its duration and pattern vary extensively among species and between individuals within species. The genetic basis of natural variation in sleep remains unknown. We used the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) to perform a genome-wide association (GWA) study of sleep in D. melanogaster. We identified candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with differences in the mean as well as the environmental sensitivity of sleep traits; these SNPs typically had sex-specific or sex-biased effects, and were generally located in non-coding regions. The majority of SNPs (80.3%) affecting sleep were at low frequency and had moderately large effects. Additive models incorporating multiple SNPs explained as much as 55% of the genetic variance for sleep in males and females. Many of these loci are known to interact physically and/or genetically, enabling us to place them in candidate genetic networks. We confirmed the role of seven novel loci on sleep using insertional mutagenesis and RNA interference. We identified many SNPs in novel loci that are potentially associated with natural variation in sleep, as well as SNPs within genes previously known to affect Drosophila sleep. Several of the candidate genes have human homologues that were identified in studies of human sleep, suggesting that genes affecting variation in sleep are conserved across species. Our discovery of genetic variants that influence environmental sensitivity to sleep may have a wider application to all GWA studies, because individuals with highly plastic genotypes will not have consistent phenotypes.
Surgical Relief of Aortic Insufficiency by Direct Operation on the Aortic Valve

The natural history of patients with aortic insufficiency and the previous experimental and clinical operations devised for its relief are reviewed. Methods that have been used at the University of Virginia Hospital for treatment of aortic insufficiency are reported. These procedures include the release of the fixed valve leaflet and removal of calcium from it, aortic valve leaflet extension with suture of a small piece of compressed polyvinyl sponge or Teflon fabric to the edge of one of the leaflets, excision and replacement of a portion of the valve with a synthetic leaflet, and complete subcoronary replacement of the valve with a prosthesis. To relieve isolated rheumatic aortic insufficiency, an annulus has been constricted or a bicuspid aortic valve has been created. Insufficiency resulting from perforation of one or more valve leaflets by subacute bacterial endocarditis has been treated by closure of the perforations. Nineteen patients underwent 21 operations for the correction of aortic insufficiency. All had been in, or were in, heart failure, and several had significant coronary artery disease or multivalvular disease. Eleven of the 19 patients are well or markedly improved. Eight died during or after the operative procedure. It is concluded that a direct attack upon the insufficient aortic valve is the procedure of choice at the present time.
Decreased sensitivity associated with an altered formulation of a commercially available kit for detection of protein carbonyls

Abstract Carbonylation is a commonly studied form of oxidative modification to proteins which can be conveniently detected using commercially available kits. The most common of these kits is the OxyblotTM Protein Oxidation Detection Kit (Chemicon/Millipore). Over the past year we have observed severely diminished sensitivity of these kits which was shown to be a result of a change in the formulation of one of the components supplied in the kit. This component, the 10X 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine derivatization solution, which had previously been dissolved in 100% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), was now dissolved in 2N hydrochloric acid, which according to our results is not acid enough. Further, we observed that upon storage even DNPH dissolved in TFA is subject to degradation. Based on these studies, we make recomendations that should improve the sensitivity and reproducibilty of this assay.
Comparing farmers' market revenue trends before and after the implementation of a monetary incentive for recipients of food assistance.

Introduction We examined the influence of an intervention to increase fruit and vegetable purchases at farmers' markets for recipients of food assistance, Shop N Save (SNS), on revenue trends at a farmers' market located at a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in rural South Carolina. We compared revenue trends for 20 weeks before the intervention (2011) and 20 weeks after (2012). Methods SNS provided one $5 monetary incentive per week to customers spending $5 or more in food assistance at the farmers' market. SNS was available to any farmers' market customer using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and/or Senior or WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) vouchers. Sales receipts were recorded for each transaction at the farmers' market to document payment type and the cost of the purchase. All SNS participants completed a one-time enrollment survey. Results A total of 336 customers self-enrolled in SNS from June through October 2012. Most SNS participants were female, African American, and patients at the FQHC. In total, the use of all forms of food assistance (SNAP, WIC, and FMNP) at the farmers' market increased significantly after the intervention (from 10% before, to 25% after, P = .003). Senior FMNP vouchers and SNAP usage increased the most. Conclusion Interventions that provide incentives to recipients of food assistance programs at farmers' markets are a viable strategy for increasing food assistance usage and revenue.
Providers’ Experiences Treating Chronic Pain Among Opioid-Dependent Drug Users

BACKGROUND Successful management of chronic pain with opioid medications requires balancing opioid dependence and addiction with pain relief and restoration of function. Evaluating these risks and benefits is difficult among patients with chronic pain and pre-existing addiction, and the ambiguity is increased for patients on methadone maintenance therapy for opioid dependence. Providers treating both chronic pain and addiction routinely make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions, but decision-making strategies in this context have not been well described.
The Type II Protein Secretion System of Legionella pneumophila Promotes Growth at Low Temperatures

The gram-negative bacterium Legionella pneumophila grows in both natural and man-made water systems and in the mammalian lung as a facultative intracellular parasite. The PilD prepilin peptidase of L. pneumophila promotes type IV pilus biogenesis and type II protein secretion. Whereas pili enhance adherence, Legionella type II secretion is critical for intracellular growth and virulence. Previously, we observed that pilD transcript levels are greater in legionellae grown at 30 versus 37 degrees C. Using a new pilD::lacZ fusion strain, we now show that pilD transcriptional initiation increases progressively as L. pneumophila is grown at 30, 25, and 17 degrees C. Legionella pilD mutants also had a dramatically reduced ability to grow in broth and to form colonies on agar at the lower temperatures. Whereas strains specifically lacking type IV pili were not defective for low-temperature growth, mutations in type II secretion (lsp) genes greatly impaired the capacity of L. pneumophila to form colonies at 25, 17, and 12 degrees C. Indeed, the lsp mutants were completely unable to grow at 12 degrees C. The growth defect of the pilD and lsp mutants was complemented by reintroduction of the corresponding intact gene. Interestingly, the lsp mutants displayed improved growth at 25 degrees C when plated next to a streak of wild-type but not mutant bacteria, implying that a secreted, diffusible factor promotes low-temperature growth. Mutants lacking either the known secreted acid phosphatases, lipases, phospholipase C, lysophospholipase A, or protease grew normally at 25 degrees C, suggesting the existence of a critical, yet-to-be-defined exoprotein(s). In summary, these data document, for the first time, that L. pneumophila replicates at temperatures below 20 degrees C and that a bacterial type II protein secretion system facilitates growth at low temperatures.
Tim-3-mediated signaling in NK cells may be modulated by increased Galectin-9 expression in HIV-1 infection

Background Natural Killer (NK) cells constitutively express high levels of Tim-3, an immunoregulatory molecule recently proposed to be a marker for mature and fully functional NK cells (Ndhlovu et al., 2012). Cytokines can induce Tim-3 expression on NK cells, and IFN-gamma production by Tim-3+ NK cells can be enhanced by exposure to Galectin-9 (Gleason et al. 2012), yet their ability to kill target cells is lost upon Tim-3 cross-linking. Moreover, up-regulation of Tim-3 on NK cells has been associated with reduced anti-viral properties in chronic hepatitis B infection (Ju et al., 2010). However, the impact of HIV-1 infection on Tim-3 expression on NK cells and on Tim-3-mediated NK cell function has not been studied yet.
Spectral narrowing in double-pass superradiant lasers☆

Abstract Analytical results are obtained for the important spectral narrowing and rebroadening behavior of mirrorless and single-mirror superradiant laser amplifiers including the effects of both the right and left traveling waves. These results make possible a straightforward quantitative interpretation of experimental data.
Matched filter separation of magnetic anomalies caused by scattered surface debris at archaeological sites

Randomly scattered debris, some of it ferromagnetic, on or near the ground surface regularly degrades magnetic data acquired for archaeological purposes. These sources create short-wavelength high-amplitude dipolar anomalies in total field magnetic intensity maps and they can dominate maps of the vertical magnetic gradient. Thus, we generally wish to separate longer wavelength anomalies created by features of interest, such as foundations or building perimeters, from the shorter wavelength anomalies created by debris on or near the ground surface. Matched bandpass filtering, employed extensively in the aeromagnetic industry, is an effective way to separate magnetic anomalies arising from different depths. It entails fitting the radially averaged power spectrum of the total field magnetic data with a series of power spectra corresponding to simple equivalent layers at the archaeological site. We show that applying matched bandpass filtering to a set of total field magnetic intensity data yields two equivalent layers with excellent separation of near-surface sources from deeper sources of interest. The benefit of this approach over enhancing surface features using magnetic gradiometry, analysis by upward continuation, or the analytic signal is that we isolate the source layers without losing information.
Inversion of the Laplace Transform and Generation of Abel Summable Semigroups

Abstract Necessary and sufficient conditions are given for a Banach-space-valued function f to be the Laplace–Stieltjes transform of a function of bounded variation. These conditions are used to obtain generation theorems for both absolutely continuous integrated semigroups and Abel summable semigroups.
Grain growth in nanocrystalline iron prepared by mechanical attrition

Abstract The grain growth in nanocrystalline Fe produced by high energy ball milling is investigated. Grain growth data are analysed using two different models of grain growth, one of which takes pinning forces on the grain boundaries into account. The grain growth exponents n D 1 n − D 1 n o = kt for nanocrystalline and conventional polycrystalline Fe are compared. The use of the above mentioned equation yields an activation energy of 125 kJ/mol, while the second model gives 248 kJ/mol. These values are compared to those for grain boundary and lattice diffusion in Fe. Some evidence for two different sets of mechanisms governing the grain growth in nanocrystalline Fe are discussed.
Ellipsometry As A Real-Time Deposition Monitor

The use of an ellipsometer as an in situ thin film deposition monitor is usually complicated by the calculations required to arrive at an estimate of the index and thickness values. In general, the ellipsometer parameters Φ and Δ are derived from the measured readings. The calculation for index and thickness from the (Φ and Δ values is by successive approximation and can require considerable time. Because of this, real-time control is not possible even for modest evaporation rates. The direct use of the Fourier coefficients of the signal from the ellipsometer analyzer can significantly increase the data acquisition rate. One quick way to analyze the data from the ellipsometer is to compare the numerical Fourier analysis of the ellipsometer signal with the expected values calculated prior to the deposition. Several commercial ellipsometers can provide such a signal for accurate layer thickness measurements, in near real-time, during the thin film coating process, thus, enabling computer control of multiple evaporation sources. Variations of the measured ellipsometer Fourier parameters can provide a great deal of information on the index, thickness, and inhomogeneity of the film during growth. A method for realizing the above is presented, along with examples of films grown using this technique.
Hemodynamic correlates of exercise function in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension.

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to study the hemodynamic correlates of exercise function in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension and to further define the role of exercise testing in the evaluation of these individuals. Data from the progressive exercise tests and subsequent cardiac catheterization in 16 consecutive patients, aged 16.9 ± 10.4 years (range 6 to 35), with primary pulmonary hypertension were prospectively collected and analyzed. Exercise capacity averaged 40 ± 36% (range 0 to 117%) of that predicted for age, height and gender. Statistically significant correlations existed between exercise capacity and 10 invasively measured hemodynamic variables. Mean right atrial pressure, a variable previously noted to be one of the best predictors of survival in patients with primary pulmonary hypertension, correlated best with exercise capacity (r = −0.83, p 75% of the predicted value identified the two patients who had a positive response to acute pulmonary vasodilator drug testing. Poor exercise capacity ( The ability of exercise testing to identify patients at high risk for cardiac catheterization was superior to that of other noninvasive variables. Results of exercise testing may help guide decisions regarding the optimal timing of heart-lung or single lung transplantation.
PION MULTIPLICITY IN NUCLEON-ANTINUCLEON ANNIHILATION

In the annihilation problem we have considered the influence of the Ball-Chew model, according to which, at low energies, only a few of the eigenstates of the nucleon-antinucleon system need be considered. The effect of the selection rules that forbid certain pion multiplicities is thereby examined. The energies considered are 50 Mev, 140 Mev, and 0 Mev in the case of protonium---the bound system of a proton and an antiproton. To obtain the multiplicity, we have used the Fermi statistical model but have introduced Lorentz-invariant phase space, thus defining a new interaction volume. It is found that due to selection rules there is a substantial change in the number distribution of the outgoing pions. At 140 Mev and in the case of protonium the two-pion production is decreased considerably. The zero-prong events for the $p\overline{p}$ annihilation are suppressed by about a factor of two for annihilations at rest in the case of protonium compared to the corresponding events for annihilations in flight. The over-all average multiplicity is unchanged, however. The value of the newly defined interaction volume, in units of Fermi volume, for $p\overline{p}$ and $N\overline{p}$ annihilations (where $N$ denotes an "average" nucleon) should be \ensuremath{\sim}10 in order to fit the observed multiplicities.
Fast anterograde transport of Herpes Simplex Virus: Role for the amyloid precursor protein of Alzheimer’s disease

Anterograde transport of herpes simplex virus (HSV) from its site of synthesis in the neuronal cell body out the neuronal process to the mucosal membrane is crucial for transmission of the virus from one person to another, yet the molecular mechanism is not known. By injecting GFP-labeled HSV into the giant axon of the squid, we reconstitute fast anterograde transport of human HSV and use this as an assay to uncover the underlying molecular mechanism. HSV travels by fast axonal transport at velocities four-fold faster (0.9 μm/sec average, 1.2 μm/sec maximal) than that of mitochondria moving in the same axon (0.2 μm/sec) and ten-fold faster than negatively charged beads (0.08 μm/sec). Transport of HSV utilizes cellular transport mechanisms because it appears to be driven from inside cellular membranes as revealed by negative stain electron microscopy and by the association of TGN46, a component of the cellular secretory pathway, with GFP-labeled viral particles. Finally, we show that amyloid precursor protein (APP), a putative receptor for the microtubule motor, kinesin, is a major component of viral particles, at least as abundant as any viral encoded protein, while another putative motor receptor, JIP 1/2, is not detected. Conventional kinesin is also associated with viral particles. This work links fast anterograde transport of the common pathogen, HSV, with the neurodegenerative Alzheimer’s disease. This novel connection should prompt new ideas for treatment and prevention strategies. Key words: Herpes Simplex Virus; HSV; amyloid precursor; protein; APP; kinesin; fast axonal transport; anterograde transport.
Building a Secure Base: Treatment of a Child with Disorganized Attachment

Treatment strategies for children with disorganized attachments are not well established. This population exhibits a large array of difficulties in social relationships and self-regulation, as well as numerous other co-morbid conditions. As such, treatment of children with attachment problems is complex and requires a multi-faceted approach. This paper explores current research and theories about disorganized attachment and then examines how that research helped shape the treatment of an 8 year-old boy.
Geometry representation, modification and iterative design using RKEM

We present a new method for representing smooth geometry using the reproducing kernel element method. Further, the formulation provides a simple method to modify geometry that does not require modification of the underlying RKEM mesh. We develop a method for determining the representation from a discrete point set that is applicable to both traditional engineering domains, as well as applications where only discrete point sets are available, such as biology and medicine. Geometry representation and modification are demonstrated using examples of analytic functions and on a digitized shark tooth. Finally, we develop an isogeometric analysis capability for modified and un-modified geometry. The isogeometric capability on modified geometry may be useful in an iterative design-analyze cycle or shape optimization.
Theoretical accuracy of model-based shape matching for measuring natural knee kinematics with single-plane fluoroscopy.

Quantification of knee motion under dynamic, in vivo loaded conditions is necessary to understand how knee kinematics influence joint injury, disease, and rehabilitation. Though recent studies have measured three-dimensional knee kinematics by matching geometric bone models to single-plane fluoroscopic images, factors limiting the accuracy of this approach have not been thoroughly investigated. This study used a three-step computational approach to evaluate theoretical accuracy limitations due to the shape matching process alone. First, cortical bone models of the femur, tibia/fibula, and patella were created from CT data. Next, synthetic (i.e., computer generated) fluoroscopic images were created by ray tracing the bone models in known poses. Finally, an automated matching algorithm utilizing edge detection methods was developed to align flat-shaded bone models to the synthetic images. Accuracy of the recovered pose parameters was assessed in terms of measurement bias and precision. Under these ideal conditions where other sources of error were eliminated, tibiofemoral poses were within 2 mm for sagittal plane translations and 1.5 deg for all rotations while patellofemoral poses were within 2 mm and 3 deg. However, statistically significant bias was found in most relative pose parameters. Bias disappeared and precision improved by a factor of two when the synthetic images were regenerated using flat shading (i.e., sharp bone edges) instead of ray tracing (i.e., attenuated bone edges). Analysis of absolute pose parameter errors revealed that the automated matching algorithm systematically pushed the flat-shaded bone models too far into the image plane to match the attenuated edges of the synthetic ray-traced images. These results suggest that biased edge detection is the primary factor limiting the theoretical accuracy of this single-plane shape matching procedure.
Health promotion and disease prevention.

Summary. Health promotion and disease prevention programmes improve the health status of populations, preserve freedom, and empower individuals. Yet, despite important advances in many countries, including a more health-conscious public, it would be beneficial in the United States and in other countries to have a comprehensive plan to make health promotion and disease prevention personal and societal priorities. I have called this climate a ‘culture of character’, a climate of individual responsibility to encourage healthy behaviour. I want to encourage the readers of Medical Education to participate in the formulation of plans to implement greater health promotion and disease prevention efforts. Such a climate of personal responsibility could be created if doctors, educators and policy-makers agreed on some workable, positive goals and steps that would help meet realistic national goals over a defined period of time. If there were such agreement, then doctors could more clearly focus their own efforts with their patients, in concert with other health professionals, and with policy-makers who have the same goal—healthier people.
Recent advances in the development of new transgenic animal technology

Transgenic animal technology is one of the fastest growing biotechnology areas. It is used to integrate exogenous genes into the animal genome by genetic engineering technology so that these genes can be inherited and expressed by offspring. The transgenic efficiency and precise control of gene expression are the key limiting factors in the production of transgenic animals. A variety of transgenic technologies are available. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages and needs further study because of unresolved technical and safety issues. Further studies will allow transgenic technology to explore gene function, animal genetic improvement, bioreactors, animal disease models, and organ transplantation. This article reviews the recently developed animal transgenic technologies, including the germ line stem cell-mediated method to improve efficiency, gene targeting to improve accuracy, RNA interference-mediated gene silencing technology, zinc-finger nuclease gene targeting technology and induced pluripotent stem cell technology. These new transgenic techniques can provide a better platform to develop transgenic animals for breeding new animal varieties and promote the development of medical sciences, livestock production, and other fields.
Test of a field theory of consciousness and social change: Time series analysis of participation in the TM-Sidhi program and reduction of violent death in the U.S.

This study is part of a research program to test the hypothesis that consciousness has a fundamental field property that is relevant to social change in the direction of improved quality of life. The exogenous variable was the number of participants in the group practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) and TM-Sidhi program, a technology of consciousness predicted to reduce stress in society through a field of “pure consciousness.” The period of the study was 1982–1985, during which the size of a group of participants in Iowa was sufficient to have a measurable influence on the U.S. much of the time, according to theory; a secondary analysis also considered the period 1979–1985, including the time when the group of participants was smaller. The endogenous variable was a violence index comprising the number of weekly fatalities in the U.S. due to three major causes of violent death: motor vehicle fatalities, suicide, and homicide. Time series analysis using both the intervention analysis approach and the transfer function approach indicated a significant reduction in the violence index associated with the exogenous variable. Alternative hypotheses are discussed, as are the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for understanding social change and improving the quality of life.
Understanding developmental-behavioral screening measures.

1. Kevin P. Marks, MD*,† 2. Angela C. LaRosa, MD‡ 1. *Department of Pediatrics, PeaceHealth Medical Group, Eugene, OR. 2. †Division of General Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR. 3. ‡Department of Genetics and Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Medical University South Carolina, Charleston, SC. * Abbreviations: ASQ: : Ages and Stages Questionnaire ASQ-3: : Ages & Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition ASD: : autism spectrum disorder ECSE: : early childhood special education EI: : early intervention M-CHAT: : Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers NPV: : negative predictive value PEDS: : Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status PEDS:DM: : Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status–Developmental Milestones PPV: : positive predictive value With nearly half of pediatricians still not using standardized screening tools, primary care clinicians should know that the periodic use of general developmental and social-emotional screening tools has been proven to identify promptly two to six times more children (age 0–5 years) with suspected delays than a clinician’s unstructured surveillance alone. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Recognize the many methods available to detect a wide spectrum of developmental and behavioral conditions with screening tools, and the screening schedule recommended by the AAP. 2. Recognize that universal, periodic screening with psychometrically sound developmental-behavioral instruments greatly enhances a clinician’s ability to detect, refer, and monitor children who have evolving developmental and behavioral problems. A pediatric provider’s impression has good specificity but poor sensitivity and thus has difficulty identifying the less obvious delays. 3. Know that children who have false-positive screens (screening test concerning but subsequently ineligible for early intervention or early childhood special education services) are a high-risk group in need of close monitoring and other community services such as evidence-based parenting programs and Head Start. 4. Know the main limitations of applying standardized screening tools into a primary care setting. 5. Be aware that screening measures which adhere to core psychometric and feasibility standards are more likely to perform consistently well and be found sustainable in a primary care setting. Developmental and behavioral problems are among the most common conditions of childhood and adolescence; 15% of children have a developmental disability and 21% have a mental health disorder. If intervention is instituted before kindergarten entrance, many problems can be prevented and the large majority can be ameliorated. In the United States, …
1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 and macrophage colony‐stimulating factor‐1 synergistically phosphorylate talin

Macrophage colony stimulating factor (CSF-1) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) are potent inducers of macrophage differentiation. Both appear to modulate protein phosphorylation, at least in part, through protein kinase C (PKC) raising the question as to whether they concurrently impact on macrophage-like cells. In this regard, we utilized the CSF-1 dependent murine macrophage-like line BAC 1.25F5. CSF-1 treatment of these cells for 30 min leads to particular phosphorylation of a 165 kDa protein, the putative CSF-1 receptor, and a 210 kDa moiety. 1,25(OH)2D3 exposure for 24 h prior to addition of CSF-1 enhances phosphorylation of the 165 kDa species and, especially, the 210 kDa protein. Phosphorylation of the latter protein is 1,25(OH)2D3 dose- and time-dependent and the molecule is specifically immunoprecipitated with a rabbit polyclonal anti-talin antibody. Experiments with okadaic acid show that the enhanced phosphorylation of talin does not result from serine phosphatase inhibition. CSF-1 and 1,25(OH)2D3, alone or in combination, do not increase talin protein expression. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor, genestein, blocks 1,25(OH)2D3/CSF-1 induced phosphorylation of the putative CSF-1 receptor but has no effect on talin phosphorylation which occurs exclusively on serine. In contrast to genestein, staurosporin, an inhibitor of PKC, inhibits phosphorylation of talin. Moreover, exposure of 1,25(OH)2D3 pretreated cells to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) in place of CSF-1 also prompts talin phosphorylation. Finally, 1,25(OH)2D3 enhances 3[H]PDBu binding, indicating that the steroid increases PMA receptor capacity. Thus, CSF-1 and 1,25(OH)2D3 act synergistically via PKC to phosphorylate talin, a cytoskeletal-associated protein.
Multichannel scaler with fast channel advance

Abstract A multichannel scaler has been constructed which is capable of running as fast as 250 ns per channel. It is compact, low power and requires no special construction techniques. Readout is into a memory accessible by a microprocessor.
THE NEW MENDICANCY: Homeless in New York City

An ethnographic study of the homeless poor in New York City suggests that significant changes have taken place in the size and composition of that population during the past 15 years. Among the disenfranchised, the mentally disabled figure prominently, many of them casualties of state deinstitutionalization and restricted admission policies. This paper argues that in the absence of safe and accessible shelter, rehabilitation efforts are doomed to failure. It is suggested that clinicians could play a critical advocacy role for an approach that sees therapeutic and social needs as intimately linked.
Role for dopamine-3 receptor in the hyperphagia of an unanticipated high-fat meal in rats.

Behavioral studies have indicated that midbrain dopamine projections arising in the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra play a central role in integrating violations of expectancy in reward-related paradigms. The present study was designed to assess violations of dietary expectation and the role the dopamine-3 receptor plays in integrating reward-related food intake in violations of expectancy. Two groups of rats were conditioned to a meal-feeding schedule (3 h of access to food per day) in which they received either standard rodent chow or a preferable, high-fat diet. Animals either received the diet they had access to during the training period (no contrast) or the opposite diet (negative and positive contrast). As predicted, animals in the positive contrast condition were hyperphagic compared to no contrast animals. Animals in the negative contrast (high fat to chow) condition were hypophagic compared to no contrast animals. A dopamine agonist specific to the dopamine three receptor, ((±)-7-Hydroxy-dipropylaminotetralin HBr) and the dopamine-2 receptor antagonist raclopride were administered in equimolar doses peripherally to assess the involvement of the dopamine receptor subtypes in the violation of expectancy food intake effects. 7-Hydroxy-dipropylaminotetralin HBr blocked the hyperphagia associated with positive contrast and did not disrupt intake in the negative contrast or no contrast paradigm. Raclopride was ineffective at disrupting food intake. These results support the hypothesis that the dopamine-3 receptor is involved in the hyperphagia of an unexpected high fat meal.
Treatment of Life-Threatening Self-Injurious Behavior Secondary to Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type II: A Controlled Case Study:

Although self-injurious behavior is present in all subtypes of hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy, the literature has not sufficiently addressed the issue of treatment of self-injury in this population. Therefore, the purpose of the current case study was to describe a method for assessing and treating self-injurious behavior associated with hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies. This study was conducted with an 11-year-old boy diagnosed with hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type II admitted to an inpatient behavioral unit over a 4-month period. A simplified version of a habit reversal treatment was used, consisting of awareness training, self-monitoring, competing responses, and social support. Treatment resulted in a 98% reduction in the rate of self-injurious behavior relative to pretreatment baseline rates. This case study illustrates that behavioral interventions may be a viable option for treating self-injury secondary to hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies.
TCP/IP Optimization over Wide Area Networks: Implications for Teleradiology

Radiology examinations are large. The advent of fast volume imaging is making that statement truer every year. PACS are based on the assumption of fast local networking and just-in-time image pull to the desktop. On the other hand, teleradiology has been developed on a push model to accommodate the challenges of moderate bandwidth, high-latency wide area networks (WANs). Our group faced the challenging task of creating a PACS environment that felt local, while pulling images across a 3,000-mile roundtrip WAN link. Initial tests showed WAN performance lagging local area network (LAN) performance by a factor of 30 times. A 16-month journey of explorations pulled the WAN value down to only 1.5 times slower than the LAN.