cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE SWINE LUNGWORM AS A RESERVOIR AND INTERMEDIATE HOST FOR SWINE INFLUENZA VIRUS : IV. THE DEMONSTRATION OF MASKED SWINE INFLUENZA VIRUS IN LUNGWORM LARVAE AND SWINE UNDER NATURAL CONDITIONS.

1. The presence of masked swine influenza virus has been demonstrated in lungworm larvae from earthworms dug on Midwestern farms. 2. Swine influenza virus infections were provoked in 2 of 3 swine obtained from an Iowa farm during an interepizootic period. 3. The evidence presented has been interpreted as indicating that the swine lungworm is the reservoir and intermediate host for swine influenza virus in the field. 4. A concept of the epidemiology of swine influenza in which the causative virus is represented as being maintained and disseminated in a masked form by its lungworm intermediate host has been presented.
Thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction. A review .

In the past 10 years, thrombolytics have become standard therapy for acute myocardial infarction. Although the ability of streptokinase to lyse clot was first recognised in the 1930s, thrombolytic therapy was not used to treat acute myocardial infarction until the early 1980s, when the importance of thrombosis in the pathogenesis of acute infarction was fully recognised. In addition to streptokinase and urokinase, recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and anistreplase were developed and widely used in the 1980s. Saruplase (prourokinase) and BM-06022 (recombinant plasminogen activator) have also undergone human clinical studies. All of these agents are effective at achieving clot lysis and coronary patency. Large, randomised clinical trials have demonstrated that thrombolytic therapy reduces mortality in patients with ST elevation treated within the first 6 to 12 hours of acute infarction, with an approximately 0.5% risk of intracranial haemorrhage. Recent data have more clearly identified which patients benefit from thrombolytic therapy. Efforts have been made to improve the speed of reperfusion, decrease reocclusion, simplify administration and reduce adverse effects. The characteristics of fibrin specificity and more rapid clot lysis with tissue plasminogen activator have not yet been translated into overall clinical benefit compared with the less expensive streptokinase. The lack of close association of improved early patency and improved global left ventricular function with improved survival challenges the very paradigm which led to the use of thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction. The need for development of additional methods for evaluation of new thrombolytic agents is evident.
Outward rectifying potassium currents are the dominant voltage activated currents present in Deiters' cells

Abstract Supporting cells in the cochlea are thought to maintain the homeostasis of the organ of Corti and contribute to the electrical and micromechanical environment of the hair cells. Of the different types of supporting cells, Deiters' cells form a structure that holds the outer hair cells (OHCs) at their base and apex. This structure may play an important role in modifying cochlear mechanics by influencing the force produced by sound induced motion of the OHCs which in turn may be modulated by ATP acting on ligand gated cation channels on the Deiters' cells. Also, a glia-like role of buffering external K + concentration for the Deiters' cells has been suggested. We studied Deiters' cells' electrical properties and ion conductances using the whole cell variant of the patch clamp technique since they must play an important role in the function of these cells. It was found that isolated Deiters' cells posses a large voltage activated, outwardly rectifying K + selective conductance. Voltage activated Ca 2+ currents and non-selective currents were not detected and voltage activated inward currents were very small. The outward K + currents were found to be dependent on voltage but not on Ca 2+ for their activation. Nimodipine and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) were shown to interact directly with the K + channels in a voltage dependent manner. It is suggested that the K + selective channels in Deiters' cells may be similar to the Kv1.5 type channel. However, based on the voltage dependence of the channels that was described by double Boltzmann equation and on the alteration of that dependence by 4-AP, it is possible that more than one type of K + selective channel exists.
Salt-Water Movement in the Principal Artesian Aquifer of the Savannah Area, Georgia and South Carolinaa

The Savannah area obtains most of its water supply from the principal artesian aquifer. The aquifer consists of limestones of middle and late Eocene age. Unflushed salty water is present in the lower water-yielding zones of the aquifer in the eastern part of the area and sea water is entering the upper water-yielding zones in the northeastern part of the area. The salty water in the lower zones and the upper zones is moving slowly toward Savannah because a cone of depression created by pumping has reversed the natural hydraulic gradient.
Changes in Thyroid State Affect pHiand Nai+Homeostasis in Rat Ventricular Myocytes

We have tested the hypothesis that thyroid state may influence both the flow of cellular Ca2+ and the myofilament response to Ca2+ by effects on intracellular pH (pHi) and Na+ (Nai+). Single cardiac myocytes isolated from hypothyroid, euthyroid and hyperthyroid animals were loaded with fura-2/AM (Cai2+ probe), BCECF/AM (pHi probe) or SBFI/AM (Nai+ probe). Compared with hypothyroid animals, myocytes isolated from hyperthyroid rat hearts demonstrated a significant: (1) increase in extent of shortening; (2) decrease in the time to peak contraction; (3) increase in the peak amplitude of the fura-2 fluorescence ratio; (4) decrease in pHi (DeltapHi=0. 19+/-0.05); and (5) increase in Nai+ (DeltaNai+=2.88+/-0.55 mM). We have also compared pHi in Langendorff perfused hypo- and hyperthyroid rat hearts using NMR. We have found that hyperthyroid hearts are 0.15+/-0.03 pH units more acidic than hypothyroid hearts. Analysis of mRNA levels demonstrated that hyperthyroidism increased expression of both the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger and Na+/H+ antiporter, and decreased expression of Na+ channel mRNAs. These changes appear partially responsible for the observed changes in Nai+ and pHi. Our results provide the first evidence that changes in cardiac contractility associated with altered thyroid state not only involve effects on Ca2+, but may also involve changes in the response of the myofilaments to Cai2+mediated by altered pHi and Nai+.
Music's Representation in Early Childhood Education Journals: A Literature Review.

In this review of literature, the author explored the representation of music in early childhood education researcher and practitioner journal articles. Thirty-eight pertinent journal articles were...
Fundamentals of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Today’s market increasingly demands sophisticated materials for advanced technologies and high-value applications, such as nanocomposites, optoelectronic, or biomedical materials. Therefore, the demand for well-defined polymers with very specific molecular architecture and properties increases. Until recently, these kinds of polymers could only be prepared via living ionic polymerization, a process that requires very stringent experimental conditions. Recently, atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), a controlled/living radical polymerization (CRP) process, has emerged as a viable alternative. ATRP allows the synthesis of polymeric structures that are well-defined in terms of composition and molecular architecture. By virtue of its simplicity, versatility and scope to make polymers with site-specific functionality and novel architecture, ATRP has become the most extensively studied CRP technique.
Mesiodistal crown diameters of permanent teeth in male American Negroes

The mesiodistal crown diameters were measured in a group of fifty-six male American Negroes from the recruit population at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center and compared with previously reported data on Caucasians from the same population. The results indicate that tooth size is consistently larger in the Negro sample, averaging about 8.4 percent for the over-all maxillary and mandibular dentition, excluding third molars.
Spatial precues affect target discrimination in the absence of visual noise.

In 2 earlier sets of experiments, the author reported that shape discrimination in an otherwise empty visual field is facilitated when the target shape is preceded by a valid spatial precue (J. M. Henderson, 1991; J. M. Henderson & A. D. Macquistan, 1993). L. Shiu and H. Pashler (1994) recently suggested that these earlier results were due to the presence of multiple posttarget pattern masks. They concluded that precue effects are observed only when visual noise is present. The author reviews the existing evidence and presents new data supporting the view that spatial precues influence shape discrimination in the absence of visual noise, consistent with a limited capacity conception of visual-spatial attention. Language: en
Line-breadths and the theory of magnetism

The tradit ional start ing point for any discussion of line breadths is the simple collision theory of Lorentz (1). We can omit radiation damping, for it is un impor tan t in the microwave region. The Lorentz model is basically a harmonic oscillator subject to collisions of exceedingly short duration. At each such impact there is a sudden change in phase. I t is further assumed tha t there is no persistance o r ~ hang-over ~> in phase, so tha t after collision one value of the phase is as likely as another. (Actually, as shown by VAN VLEC~; and WEISSKOPF (2), the various phases should be weighted somewhat unevenly conforming to the Bol tzmann factor for the instantaneous v~lue of the energy in the applied field. The resulting corrections, however, introduce only terms in ]/(~+co0) rather than 1/(o~ O~o), and are of no importance near reso a ce. We shall omit them). The mathemat ica l ~nMysis for the Lo~entz model runs as follows. The differential equation for a harmonic oscillator subject to a periodic field
Comparison of sperm viability with seminal plasma metal levels

This study compares the semen levels of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and aluminum (Al) in relation to live sperm in semen samples from 64 apparently healthy men. The measured levels were separated into live sperm count tertiles ( 50% [20 subjects]). The mean ± SD for each group was calculated, and the difference between the means of the high and low tertiles were compared by ANOVA. Significant differences were observed between the high and low live sperm groups for Pb (p < 0.01) and Al (p < 0.05), but not Cd. Spearman’s rank correlation between sperm viability and the semen plasma metal levels showed a direct relation to Mg (p < 0.05). However, there was an inverse relation to lead (p < 0.001), cadmium (p < 0.01), and aluminum (p < 0.01). There was no significant correlation between Ca and Zn. Linear regression between the live sperm counts and semen level of the three metals show that metal levels were inversely correlated with the percentage of live sperm (p < 0.001, <0.01). Apparently, the presence of these metals in the environment and in seminal plasma exerts a toxic effect on sperm.
Moving trajectories and controller synthesis for an assistive device for arm rehabilitation

In this study, a twisted string actuation mechanism was used to develop an assistive robotic system to assist post-stroke patients to regain mobility. The robotic manipulator used in therapy systems can apply forces to aid in specific tasks during goal-directed movements. The device was designed for the one-degree-of-freedom movement of patients' elbow joint. To compensate the moving trajectory, the dynamics of both actuation system and robotic mechanism were identified. An angular trajectory of healthy male adults was used to drive the movement of the proposed robotic system to mimic the locomotion of real human arms. Different physical conditions, including induced torque disturbance and applicable range of actuation, were discussed. A high-gain controller with the consideration of robustness and time-delay to the torque disturbance was synthesized to ensure the control performance.
HMI ring diagram analysis II. Data products

The combination of high resolution, spatial coverage, and continuity of photospheric Doppler and other data from HMI has allowed us to embark on a program of systematic exploration of solar subsurface flows and thermal structure variations using the technique of ring-diagram analysis on an unprecedented scale. There are two ring-diagrams pipelines, as described in [1]. In this paper we discuss the synoptic pipeline execution and describe the data being processed and produced.
Caveats on the Use of Fossil Calibrations for Molecular Dating: A Reply to Parham and Irmis

In Parham and Irmis’s (2008) commentary on our article “Assessing Concordance of Fossil Calibration Points in Molecular Clock Studies: An Example Using Turtles” (Near et al. 2005), these authors address three areas of concern with respect to fossil calibration analyses in general and our article in particular: (1) absolute age estimates for fossil calibration points, including the accuracy of the reporting of age information and the inclusion of stratigraphic error; (2) the use of fixed calibration points in clock calibration studies; and (3) the phylogenetic placement of fossil taxa in our article. Before we discuss the points raised by Parham and Irmis, it is important to emphasize that the primary goal of our article was to provide a new methodological approach for incorporating uncertainty and error into molecular clock calibration estimates. In that article, we developed a new method, based on cross-validation with multiple calibration points, to identify outlier fossils that may have been inaccurately dated or phylogenetically misplaced or that had otherwise been providing inaccurate dates for clade divergences. We applied that method to turtles because they have an excellent fossil record and have been
cGMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Iβ Interacts with p44/WDR77 to Regulate Androgen Receptor-Driven Gene Expression

The androgen receptor (AR) pathway plays critical roles in controlling differentiation and proliferation of prostate epithelial cells. We previously identified a novel AR cofactor, p44/WDR77, which specifically enhances AR transcriptional activity in the prostate gland and prostate cancer. To further elucidate p44/WDR77's role in the AR signaling pathway, we conducted a yeast two-hybrid screening and identified cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG) as a p44/WDR77-interacting protein. Further investigation by lusiferase assay and kinase assay demonstrated that PKG-Iβ physically interacted with and phosphorylated both p44 and AR and enhanced AR transactivity in synergy with p44 in an androgen- and cGMP-dependent manner. Furthermore, PKG1β expression promoted p44/WDR77 nuclear translocation and inhibited prostate cancer cell growth via G1 cell cycle arrest. Our findings characterize PKG as a novel regulator of AR-mediated transcription by enhancing AR cofactor p44/WDR77's function, which provide a novel mechanism for the growth regulation of prostate cancer cells by the androgen signaling.
Fear-avoidance beliefs as measured by the fear-avoidance beliefs questionnaire: change in fear-avoidance beliefs questionnaire is predictive of change in self-report of disability and pain intensity for patients with acute low back pain.

Objectives:The purposes of this study were to investigate the association among measures of fear-avoidance beliefs, pain intensity, and lumbar flexion and to determine if changes in these measures were predictive of treatment outcome following physical therapy for acute low back pain. It was hypothe
Medical Treatment: Worthwhile and When?

Abstract The incidence of nephrolithiasis in industrialized countries is 0.5% to 1% annually. Stone formers subsequently face recurrence rates of 50% over 5 years. Annual costs in the United States for evaluation and treatment have been estimated at $1.83 billion USD [Clark JY, Thompson IM, Optenburg SA. Economic impact of urolithiasis in the United States. J Urol 1995;154:2020–2024]. Clearly the impact of urinary stone management poses an ever increasing medical, economic and social burden to modern society. The ability to detect 97% of underlying medical abnormalities in stone forming patients has stimulated discoveries of both selective and non-selective medical therapies to prevent stone recurrence. And yet there is no clear evidence in the literature that medical prophylaxis is cost effective. Various studies support the cost effectiveness of both proponents and adversaries of medical stone management. Nevertheless, there is clear evidence that medical therapy effectively prevents stone formation, especially when analyzing surrogate endpoints such as 24 urinary abnormalities, as well as primary endpoints such as stone formation. Therefore it makes intuitive sense to offer a search for underlying metabolic abnormalities in stone-forming patients and subsequently provide medical therapy, if the patient desires. Herein, we provide an overview in the medical evaluation and medical management of urinary stone disease.
Specific inhibition of vaccinia virus growth by 2′-O-methyladenosine: isolation of a drug-resistant virus mutant

2'-O-methyladenosine (Am) specifically inhibits growth of vaccinia virus on cultured monkey kidney (BSC40) cells. Specificity has been demonstrated by the isolation of an Am-resistant mutant of vaccinia which forms plaques on Am-treated monolayers of BSC40 cells under conditions where wild type (wt) plaque formation is inhibited. Am inhibits virus growth at an early stage of infection; host shut off and early virus protein synthesis are inhibited by the drug.
A Simple and Effective Hierarchical Phrase Reordering Model

While phrase-based statistical machine translation systems currently deliver state-of-the-art performance, they remain weak on word order changes. Current phrase reordering models can properly handle swaps between adjacent phrases, but they typically lack the ability to perform the kind of long-distance re-orderings possible with syntax-based systems. In this paper, we present a novel hierarchical phrase reordering model aimed at improving non-local reorderings, which seamlessly integrates with a standard phrase-based system with little loss of computational efficiency. We show that this model can successfully handle the key examples often used to motivate syntax-based systems, such as the rotation of a prepositional phrase around a noun phrase. We contrast our model with reordering models commonly used in phrase-based systems, and show that our approach provides statistically significant BLEU point gains for two language pairs: Chinese-English (+0.53 on MT05 and +0.71 on MT08) and Arabic-English (+0.55 on MT05).
Radioiodine Therapy for Hyperthyroidism

A 37-year-old woman receives a diagnosis of Graves' disease and is treated with methimazole for 1 year. After completing this treatment, she presents with recurrent symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Radioiodine ablation is recommended.
A Comparative Study on the Architecture Templates for Dynamic Nested Loops

Loops are the most typical constructs that the FCCM community tries to accelerate. Many loop constructs have dynamic loop bounds and may face load balancing issues in their parallel realizations. In this paper we discuss different architecture templates for these dynamic nested loops, and show the benefits and trade-offs between various implementation strategies. We show that a statically scheduled architecture may perform better if the overhead in banking conflicts overwrites the benefits in load balancing by dynamic scheduled architectures.
Efficient model-based speech separation and denoising using non-negative subspace analysis

We present a new probabilistic architecture for analyzing composite non-negative data, called Non-negative Subspace Analysis (NSA). The NSA model provides a framework for understanding the relationships between sparse subspace and mixture model based approaches, and encompasses a range of models, including Sparse Non-negative Matrix Factorization (SNMF) [1] and mixture-model based analysis as special cases. We present a convenient instantiation of the NSA model, and an efficient variational approximate learning and inference algorithm that combines the advantages of SNMF and mixture model-based approaches. Preliminary recognition results on the Pascal Speech Separation Challenge 2006 test set [2], based on NSA separation results, are presented. The results fall short of those achieved by Algonquin [3], a state-of-the-art mixture-model based method, but considering that NSA runs an order of magnitude faster, the results are impressive. NSA outperforms SNMF in terms of word error rate (WER) on the task by a significant margin of over 9% absolute.
Surfactant protein-A enhances respiratory syncytial virus clearance in vivo.

To determine the role of surfactant protein-A(SP-A) in antiviral host defense, mice lacking SP-A (SP-A–/–) were produced by targeted gene inactivation. SP-A–/– and control mice (SP-A+/+) were infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) by intratracheal instillation. Pulmonary infiltration after infection was more severe in SP-A–/– than in SP-A+/+ mice and was associated with increased RSV plaque-forming units in lung homogenates. Pulmonary infiltration with polymorphonuclear leukocytes was greater in the SP-A–/– mice. Levels of proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 were enhanced in lungs of SP-A–/– mice. After RSV infection, superoxide and hydrogen peroxide generation was deficient in macrophages from SP-A–/– mice, demonstrating a critical role of SP-A in oxidant production associated with RSV infection. Coadministration of RSV with exogenous SP-A reduced viral titers and inflammatory cells in the lung of SP-A–/– mice. These findings demonstrate that SP-A plays an important host defense role against RSV in vivo.
Non-STEM Undergraduates Become Enthusiastic Phage-Hunters

To increase science literacy and appreciation among nonscience majors, we offered a course in which 20 non-STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) undergraduates participated in a unique, two-semester research experience. Each student isolated and characterized his or her own bacteriophage from soil samples. One bacteriophage was selected for sequencing and together, the class annotated the genome of the newly sequenced bacteriophage. The class produced a group poster and gave PowerPoint presentations, and one student presented the joint work at a science symposium.
Bulk micromachining for SOI based microsystems using double side XeF2 etching

Microfabrication is pivotal in any microsystem synthesis. Even through silicon is the most common material used in the Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS) foundry, Silicon on Insulator (SOI) wafers are very promising for the fabrication of Micro Opto Electro Mechanical System (MOEMS) Devices such as micromirrors due to their better optical reflectivity, low residual stress and compatibility with silicon microfabrication processes. The present work explores the possibility of patterning and using controlled pulse etching method involving Xenon difluoride (XeF2) to etch SOI wafers to realise micromirrors. Pulse-etching method is proposed due to its better control and etching uniformity. This paper also presents the process flow for the fabrication of SOI based micromirrors through double side XeF2 micromachining which involves mask preparation, photolithography and pulse etching. The presented results also include etch characteristics obtained on SOI wafers.
International Financial Liberalization and Economic Growth

This paper pulls together existing theory and evidence to assess whether international financial liberalization, by improving the functioning of domestic financial markets and banks, accelerates economic growth. The analysis suggests that the answer is “yes.” First, liberalizing restrictions on international portfolio flows tends to enhance stock market liquidity. In turn, enhanced stock market liquidity accelerates economic growth primarily by boosting productivity growth. Second, allowing greater foreign bank presence tends to enhance the efficiency of the domestic banking system. In turn, better-developed banks spur economic growth primarily by accelerating productivity growth. Thus, international financial integration can promote economic development by encouraging improvements in the domestic financial system.
Neurophysiology of Ammonia Intoxication

Hepatic encephalopathy is a potentially reversible disease. Therefore, a structural abnormality of the CNS cannot be the cause of the encephalopathy. The encephalopathy is the expression of an abnormal function, or dysfunction, of the CNS. Since the CNS consists of neuronal circuits, a dysfunction of these neuronal circuits underlies the dysfunction of the CNS. Neuronal circuits consist of individual neurons which must function normally to properly interact with each other. Hence it can be presumed that the cause of encephalopathy is a dysfunction of individual neurons, which disturbs interactions between individual neurons in neuronal circuits, causes a dysfunction of neuronal circuits, and causes a dysfunction of the CNS.
The Negotiation of Footing and Participation Structure in a Social Group of Teens with and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study combines participant observation and discourse analytic methodologies to determine how an adolescent girl with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), referred to here as Sheila, negotiates shifts in footing and participation structure within a small group intervention. The intervention also includes two typically developing, adolescent peers. Video recordings of 11 hours of group session were transcribed and analyzed. Analysis shows that Sheila uses resources characteristic of ASD, namely repetition, to structure the mode in which she participates in social group activities. Repetition appears in both verbal and physical modalities, and serves to shift footing into or out of alignment with her peers depending on the context of the interaction. Through bodily imitation, Sheila reframes a game of charades into a joint performance, and is corroborated by her typical peers and the adult facilitator in doing so as they ratify her shaping of a new game.
Mapping and Ablation of Atypical AVNRT from the Morphologic Left Atrium in a Patient with Dextrocardia and Situs Inversus

A 75-year-old woman with dextrocardia, situs inversus, and subpulmonic outflow obstruction presented with recurrent supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). This SVT was easily inducible during electrophysiology study, and pacing maneuvers during SVT were consistent with atypical, slow-slow atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT). The His bundle was identified in the low postero-septal morphologic right atrium, at the typical anatomic site for slow pathway ablation of AVNRT. Mapping of the retrograde earliest atrial electrogram during AVNRT localized this site to the mid-septal morphologic left atrium, and cryoablation at this site terminated the AVNRT and rendered it noninducible.
Islet yield after different methods of pancreatic Liberase delivery.

Objective. Enzymatic digestion of the pancreas is a fundamental step in islet isolation and there are many ways to administer the enzyme during procurement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different methods of Liberase delivery during pancreas harvest on the quality and quantity of islets. Methods. Depending on the type of Liberase delivery, 4 groups were created. Group 1 was intraductal, Group 2 was interstitial, Group 3 was intragallbladder, and Group 4 was no infusion of enzyme. After injection, the pancreata were harvested, digested in Liberase solution, mechanically disrupted, and purified using discontinuous gradient centrifugation. After 24-hour culture, the number, purity, and viability of the isolated islets were determined. Results. Intraductal injection of the enzyme yielded statistically significantly more islets per mouse when compared with interstitial, intragallbladder, and no injection administration. Although there was a trend toward better islet purity and viability for Group 1, this was not statistically significant. Conclusion. Intraductal administration is the best enzyme delivery method for pancreatic islet isolation. The pancreatic ducts are the most anatomic and physiological way to transport the enzyme uniformly inside the pancreas, determining an adequate digestion and better islet quantity and quality when compared with other delivery methods.
Theory of vortex crystal formation in two-dimensional turbulence

Experiments on pure electron plasmas have found that the decay of two-dimensional (2D) turbulence can lead to spontaneous formation of “vortex crystals,” which are symmetric arrays of strong vortices within a background of weaker vorticity. This paper presents a theory of these novel equilibrium states of 2D turbulence. The paper consists of two parts. In the first part, we show that the vortex crystals are well described as “regional” maximum fluid entropy (RMFE) states, which are equilibrium states reached through ergodic mixing of the background by the strong vortices. In the second part, a theory is advanced that allows us to predict from the initial conditions the approximate number of the strong vortices in the final state.
Classification and functional decomposition of business documents

This paper describes recent efforts to develop a document classification system. Our classification approach uses two steps: first, the document is sorted by the number of columns and second, functional landmarks are detected to determine the class. Results for detecting and classifying business class documents are included.
Interleukin-2/Anti-Interleukin-2 Immune Complex Expands Regulatory T Cells and Reduces Angiotensin II-Induced Aortic Stiffening

Adaptive immune function is implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular disease. Inhibition of T-lymphocyte function has been shown to reduce hypertension, target-organ damage, and vascular stiffness. To study the role of immune inhibitory cells, CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs), on vascular stiffness, we stimulated the proliferation of Treg lymphocytes in vivo using a novel cytokine immune complex of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) and anti-IL-2 monoclonal antibody clone JES6-1 (mAbCD25). Three-month-old male C57BL/6J mice were treated with IL-2/mAbCD25 concomitantly with continuous infusion of angiotensin type 1 receptor agonist, [Val(5)]angiotensin II. Our results indicate that the IL-2/mAbCD25 complex effectively induced Treg phenotype expansion by 5-fold in the spleens with minimal effects on total CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-lymphocyte numbers. The IL-2/mAbCD25 complex inhibited angiotensin II-mediated aortic collagen remodeling and the resulting stiffening, analyzed with in vivo pulse wave velocity and effective Young's modulus. Furthermore, the IL-2/mAbCD25 complex suppressed angiotensin II-mediated Th17 responses in the lymphoid organs and reduced gene expression of IL-17 as well as T cell and macrophage infiltrates in the aortic tissue. This study provides data that support the protective roles of Tregs in vascular stiffening and highlights the use of the IL-2/mAbCD25 complex as a new potential therapy in angiotensin II-related vascular diseases.
Influence of diffusion on first-order deactivation of microheterogeneous enzyme samples.

Effect of microheterogeneity with a continuous normal distribution of thermal deactivation activation energies on first-order enzyme deactivation. Diffusion effects should not be ignored when one is modeling immobilized enzyme reactors, especially since diffusion effects are well known in such systems and can have a significant effect on apparent kinetics and on apparent microheterogeneity. This aspect is analyzed in detail in this communication.
Hidden Scholars: Woman Anthropologists and the Native American Southwest, edited by Nancy J. Parezo. Foreword by Nathalie F. S. Woodbury and Richard B. Woodbury. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquer­que. 1993

A public conference followed by a scholarly symposium was held at Tucson, AZ in March 1986. Co-sponsored by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, The Southwest Institute for Research on Women, the Arizona State Museum, and the Department of Anthropology and the Southwest Center at the University of Arizona, "Daughters of the Desert" brought together more than 20 scholars to discuss the history of women in southwestern anthropology. The conference included an exhibit with an illustrated catalogue: Daughters of the Desert (Babcock and Parezo 1988). Now, with the publication of Hidden Scholars: Woman Anthropologists and the Native American Southwest, we have, as the Woodburys state in their Foreword, "a comprehensive survey of southwestern anthropology" with an expanded history and biographical profiles of some 50-60 of the most important of the more than 1,600 women who have worked in southwestern anthropol­ogy. This volume appears when there is renewed interest in the history of anthropology, the history of women within anthropology (especially American anthropology), and the issue of gender in archaeological research. Recent symposia and conferences have focused on these topics, e.g., ''Women in Archaeology: The Second Annual Symposium on the History of American Archaeology" held at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology (April 1989), and the entire 22nd Annual Chacmool Conference (November 1989).
A family of Arf effectors defined as suppressors of the loss of Arf function in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract Arf proteins are ubiquitous, eukaryotic regulators of virtually every step of vesicular membrane traffic. ADP-ribosylation factors are essential in yeast and the lethality resulting from either overexpression or underexpression (deletion) of Arf genes has previously been ascribed to dysregulation of the secretory process. We have identified a family of four genes (Suppressors of Arft s, SAT) as high copy suppressors of a loss of function allele of ARF1 (arf1–3). Those proteins with SAT activity were found to contain a minimal consensus motif, including a C2C2H2 cluster with a novel and specific spacing. Genetic interactions between members of this family and withARF1 are consistent with each sharing a common cellular pathway. Included in this family is Gcs1, a protein previously described (Poon, P. P., Wang, X., Rotman, M., Huber, I., Cukierman, E., Cassel, D., Singer, R. A., and Johnston, G. C. (1996) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 93, 10074–10077) to possess Arf GTPase-activating protein (GAP) activity, demonstrating a direct interaction between Arf and at least one of these suppressors. The suppression of the loss of Arf function by overexpression of Gcs1 and demonstration of direct, preferential binding of Gcs1 to the activated form of Arf (Arf·GTP) lead us to conclude that the biological role of Gcs1 is as an effector of the essential function of Arf in mitotic growth, rather than a down-regulator as implied by the biochemical (Arf GAP) activity. Suppression of the growth defect ofarf1−3 cells was observed under conditions that did not alter the secretory defect associated witharf1 − mutation, indicating that the essential role of Arf in eukaryotes can be distinguished from role(s) in the secretory pathway and appear to employ distinct pathways and effectors.
A generalization of the spectrogram for colored displays

This paper defines a class of colored displays for analyzing the spectral content of nonstationary processes. The displays are based on a natural mapping that exists between colors and pairs of zero mean, equal variance complex random variables, and are capable of representing signal features not easily recognizable on a conventional spectrogram. Displays are constructed for both one and two channel processing and an example is presented of the single channel display.
Admission characteristics of trauma patients in whom delirium develops.

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to describe the admission characteristics of trauma victims that are predictive of the development of delirium during hospitalization. Methods In this case-control study, data (demographics, injury type, medical histories, admission laboratory values, medications, and outcomes) were obtained from the records of 120 patients in whom delirium developed and 145 in whom it did not after admission for traumatic injury. Odds ratios were employed to identify significant predictors used in a stepwise logistic regression analysis. Results Admission characteristics, retained after stepwise logistic regression, that were independently predictive of delirium were age more than 45 years, positive admission blood alcohol, and an elevated mean corpuscular volume. Those in whom delirium developed had longer hospital and intensive care unit lengths of stay than in whom it did not. Conclusions Older patients and alcoholics are at increased risk for delirum. Therapies directed at prevention have the potential to improve care and decrease lengths of stay.
Nix the Acronyms

Because acronyms can hinder a document's readability, courts have expressed displeasure with them in legal writing. This article provides an example of a passage containing cumbersome acronyms and offers suggestions for fixing it.
The new Interventional Radiology/Diagnostic Radiology dual certificate: "higher standards, better education".

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has approved a “new” residency: dual Certification in Interventional Radiology (IR) / Diagnostic Radiology (DR). This IR/DR program intends to better prepare future IR doctors. Residency programs can apply for the IR/DR program beginning in 2015, with full nationwide implementation of the IR/DR residency likely to ramp up by 2022. The IR/DR dual certificate can be attained via an “Integrated” or “Independent” IR/DR residency pathway. The IR/DR training pathway may lead the way to the future training of IR/DR physicians worldwide. Certainly, the ABMS approval of a “new” residency is rare and worth attention; however, as with all things new, questions and concerns will be raised. • The ABMS approved a “new” residency, the IR/DR dual Certification. • This IR/DR program intends to better prepare future IR doctors. • Full nationwide implementation of the IR/DR Residency is likely by 2022. • The IR/DR certificate can be attained via the Integrated or the Independent residency pathway. • These programs may lead the way to the future training of IR/DR physicians worldwide.
Abdominoperineal Resection, Pelvic Exenteration, and Additional Organ Resection Increase the Risk of Surgical Site Infection after Elective Colorectal Surgery: An American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Analysis.

Abstract Background: Determining predictors of surgical site infection (SSI) in a large cohort is important for the design of accurate SSI surveillance programs. We hypothesized that additional organ resection and pelvic exenterative procedures are associated independently with a higher risk of SSI. Methods: Patients in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program® (ACS NSQIP®; American College of Surgeons, Chicago, IL) database (2005–2012) were identified (n=112,282). Surgical site infection (superficial or deep SSI) at 30 d was the primary outcome. Using primary and secondary CPT® codes (American Medical Association, Chicago, IL) pelvic exenteration was defined and additional organ resection was defined as: bladder resection/repair, hysterectomy, partial vaginectomy, additional segmental colectomy, small bowel, gastric, or diaphragm resection. Univariable analysis of patient and procedure factors identified significant (p<0.05) predictors, which were modeled using stepw...
A 8Be identifier and its application to the (α, 8Be) reaction

Abstract A 8Be identifier consisting of a divided collimator, a transmission (ΔE) detector and a position-sensitive E detector has been designed. A solid angle of ≈6 msr is subtended, providing efficient detection of 35–70 MeV 8Be events. Both a simple identifier, employing a single ΔE detector, and a modified identifier, using twin transmission detectors with subnanosecond pile-up rejection, are described in detail. On light targets (A⩽16), 400 keV 8Be energy resolution was obtained at a high counting rate (50 kcps). The smallest absolute cross sections observable were, at 20 kcps, 1 μb/sr c.m. (simple identifier) and, at 50 kcps, 0.1 μb/sr c.m. (modified identifier). Results from solid and gas targets are discussed.
Cardiac resuscitation in 2015: Improving outcomes after OHCA — targeting the layperson

The proportion of the lay population that is trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation is closely linked to the probability of an individual surviving cardiac arrest. New mobile-assisted technologies might increase the benefit of population-based training. Furthermore, admission of patients to specialized hospitals can increase the likelihood of survival.
Multiwavelength Resonant Absorption Enhancement and Highly Directional Absorption with Aperiodic Multilayer Structures

We show that a graphene monolayer between two aperiodic multilayer structures can achieve near total resonant light absorption at multiple tunable wavelengths, and also that aperiodic multilayer structures can lead to highly directional absorption.
Marital separation and stress

The focus of this article is on the disruptive potential of divorce. Stress experiences in two life-span samples were compared. The first sample included persons who had recently separated from their spouses, while the second included persons in the midst of such normative transitions as marriage, having a first child, departure of children from the family home, and retirement. The men and women in the divorce sample not only reported more negative life experiences in the recent past but also reported more positive experiences as well. The results support previous suggestions in the literature that divorce has within it the potential for growth as well as decrement.
Combined Gas Turbine and Diesel Generator Cooling Air Intake System

A new generation of auxiliary ships to enter the U.S. Navy (USN) fleet is the AOE-6 SUPPLY CLASS. These fast combat support ships conduct operations at sea as part of a Carrier Battle group to provide oil, aviation fuel, and ammunition to the carrier and her escorts. The SUPPLY CLASS is the first ship in the entire USN fleet to use a combined gas turbine and diesel generator cooling air intake system to cool its respective engine modules. The cooling air intake was designed this way to save on costs. As the ships in this class continued with operations and problems of insufficient supply of cooling air for the gas turbines modules started surfacing, the entire intake system required investigation and analysis. Since the gas turbines and diesel generators share a common cooling air trunk, they were competing for air. This paper will outline the tests that were performed to determine the problems, the recommended solutions, and the lessons learned from the investigations.Copyright © 1998 by ASME
A SVC Devices Configuration Method of Power Grid for Improving the Economic Operation of Wind Integrated Power System

In order to increase economy and voltage quality of the power system with the integration of large-scale wind farm,SVC is studied without considering the transient stability to reduce the voltage fluctuation and system loss.Through the obtaining of wind speed and load status using Monte Carlo sampling method,power flow is calculated under each operation state,and the voltage espected value on each buses are got,based on which the range of compensation location is determined.Then,the objective function model is built by considering of the loss-reduction benefit,cost of investment and maintenance,deviation of voltage,and the optimal SVC installed capacity and location are determined in the range of compensation.In addition,the optimal solutions are calculated by improved genetic algorithm.In the end,the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified with modified IEEE-30 bus system,and the results show that economy and voltage quality can be improved effectively by using of the proposed method.
Stone Surface Area Determination Techniques: A Unifying Concept of Staghorn Stone Burden Assessment

AbstractThe use of stone surface area measurements obtained from standard radiographs provides a more accurate and reproducible assessment of stone burden when reporting results and treatment recommendations for staghorn calculi. Techniques for determining stone surface area include use of graph paper, planimeter or computerized image analysis. The use of graph paper is inefficient while planimeters suffer from significant variation for areas less than 500mm.2 (more than 5%). Computer image analysis is accurate, rapid and easiest to perform. Software programs compatible with microcomputers are readily available making assessment of stone surface area practical and inexpensive. Stone surface area showed close correlation to stone volume as measured by 3-dimensional computerized tomography (correlation coefficient 0.84, p = 0.005). Stone surface area determination enables more accurate reporting of treatment results and, thus, recommendations based upon stone burden. Comparison of data between institutions ...
Involving staff pharmacists in management decisions

Various administrative techniques used to bring staff pharmacists in a decentralized, satellite pharmacy system into the managerial decision-making process are discussed. These techniques include a staff pharmacist on-call procedure to discourage absenteeism, and the concept of a head pharmacist to serve as a link with departmental administration. The head pharmacist works in the satelite pharmacy, is responsible for its daily operation and is the spokesman for the satellite. Active roles for the head pharmacist in the selection and evaluation of technicians are outlines. Management skills are developed in head pharmacists through a program of special classes and discussion groups. It is concluded that this program has improved the credibility of administrative decisions and has tapped an underused source of ideas and talent.
Determinants of survival in adolescents and young adults with urothelial cancer: Results from the California Cancer Registry.

e15543 Background: Urothelial cancer (UC) is the 6thmost common malignancy in the United States and is often diagnosed in the elderly: median age at diagnosis is 73 years. Previous studies have rep...