cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Outcomes of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy with and without antrectomy in severely obese subjects. Evidence from randomized controlled trials

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) has been proven safe and effective in achieving weight loss. However, the distance from the pylorus where resection should begin has been debated. OBJECTIVES To compare the clinical outcomes of laparoscopic SG with antrum resection (AR) versus preservation (AP) for bariatric purposes by conducting a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT). SETTING Academic Hospital, United States. METHODS PubMed and Cochrane Library were queried for RCTs from establishment to August 2020. The following key search terms were used: “sleeve gastrectomy” AND (“antrectomy” OR “antrum”) AND (“randomized” OR “random”). The following data were extracted: author, publication year, country, sample size, follow-up duration, and clinical outcomes, including weight-related: excess weight loss (EWL), total weight loss (TWL), body mass index (BMI), operation time, length of hospital stay, complication rates, and resolution of obesity-related comorbidities. RESULTS A total of nine unique RCTs including 492 AR and 385 AP patients were screened and included in the final quantitative analysis. Patients who underwent SG with AR showed higher EWL and TWL at 6 months (EWL: p 3, resolution of comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, arthritis/back pain), and de novo gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD, p>0.05). AP was associated with a slightly shorter post-operative hospital stay (4.0 vs 3.1 days, p=0.039). CONCLUSION Laparoscopic SG with AR is associated with superior weight loss in the short-term when compared to AP. However, mid-term follow-up beyond one year showed no significant differences in BMI or incidence of de novo GERD.
Consistency and Change in Long Dream Series

The previous chapters have established the potential of our coding system in terms of its reliability and its ability to yield findings compatible with common understandings of age, gender, and cultural differences. We are not surprised by the ways children’s dream reports differ from those of adults, or men’s from women’s, nor by the cultural differences in some content categories. In a certain sense we are not enlightened by these findings, for they tell us nothing new about children, gender differences, or cross-cultural psychology. Such findings give us confidence, however, that our coding system is picking up psychologically relevant findings and therefore may lead to new and interesting findings in future studies.
Method in Anthropological Discourse Analysis: The Comparison of Units of Interaction

Forum: Methods and Analysis in Linguistic Anthropology Following the very well-attended Presidential Panel “Frontiers in Methodology in Linguistic Anthropology,” organized by Diane Riskedahl and chaired by Barbra Meek at the November 2012 American Anthropological Association meeting, we are inaugurating a new forum for essays and commentary on linguistic anthropological methods and analysis in this issue. We are very pleased to have Susan Philips's essay as our first piece, and are confident that it will be a valuable resource and will prompt lively discussion. Authors who would like to contribute an essay or brief commentary to this forum should contact either one of us to discuss the specific proposal.
A Knowledge-Based Framework for Belief Change, Part II: Revision and Update

Abstract The study of belief change has been an active area in philosophy and AI. In recent years two special cases of belief change, belief revision and belief update, have been studied in detail. In a companion paper [FH94b] we introduced a new framework to model belief change. This framework combines temporal and epistemic modalities with a notion of plausibility, allowing us to examine the changes of beliefs over time. In this paper we show how belief revision and belief update can be captured in our framework. This allows us to compare the assumptions made by each method and to better understand the principles underlying them. In particular, it allows us to understand the source of Gardenfors' triviality result for belief revision [Gar86] and suggests a way of mitigating the problem. It also shows that Katsuno and Mendelzon's notion of belief update [KM91a] depends on several strong assumptions that may limit its applicability in AI.
Teacher Thinking in Cultural Contexts

Teacher Thinking in Cultural Contexts. Francisco A. Rios, ed. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996. 400 pp.
Feedback equivalence of nonlinear control systems with m-states and (m-1) controls

The problem of equivalence for control systems with m-states and (m-1) controls is interpreted as a geometric equivalence of a submanifold of the tangent bundle under the diffeomorphisms of a canonically defined geometric structure. E. Cartan's method of equivalence is executed to uncover the basis invariants of this structure. >
Notes on the diamond-α dynamic derivative on time scales

Abstract Various dynamic derivative formulae have been proposed in the development of a time scales calculus, with the goal of unifying continuous and discrete analysis. Recent discussions of combined dynamic derivatives, in particular the ⋄ α derivative defined as a linear combination of the Δ and the ∇ derivatives, have promised improved approximation formulae for computational applications. This paper presents an equivalent definition of the ⋄ α functions without reference to the existing Δ and ∇ derivatives, examines the status of the ⋄ α as a dynamic derivative and its properties relative to the Δ and ∇ derivatives, and compares data obtained using the various dynamic derivatives as approximation formulae in computational experiments. A ⋄ α integral case is investigated.
Overvoltages During Power-System Faults

OVERVOLTAGES may be produced by lightning, switching surges, faults, both solid and arcing, and the overspeeding of machines due to loss of load. The effect of circuit and machine characteristics on the duration and magnitude of these overvoltages has received considerable attention.1–10 Furthermore, field tests have been made in order to determine the effectiveness of different methods of grounding, and the accuracy of the methods used to calculate the magnitude of overvoltage during system faults.11–13
Ca2+ Sensitivity of Fetal Coronary Arteries Exposed to Long-Term, High-Altitude Hypoxia

OBJECTIVE To determine the contribution of decreased calcium responsiveness of fetal coronary arteries to decreased contractile responses to potassium and the thromboxane A(2) analogue U46619 in these arteries after exposure to chronic hypoxemia. METHODS Concentration-response curves to Ca(2+) in beta-escin-permeabilized left circumflex (LCx), left anterior descending (LAD), and right coronary artery (RCA) rings from high-altitude (HA) and control (CON) fetuses were measured. In a second set of beta-escin-permeabilized coronary artery rings, the effect of U46619 on Ca(2+) sensitivity was tested. RESULTS Maximum Ca(2+)-activated force (T(max)) was decreased in HA LCx (CON 0.091+/-0.010 versus HA 0.057+/-0.006 g/cm(2); P<.05) and HA LAD (CON 0.065+/-0.012 versus HA 0.031+/-0.007 g/cm(2); P <.05). No significant difference was observed in the RCA. There was no change in the pD(2) (-log EC(50)) values between CON and HA coronary rings. The Ca(2+) sensitizing effect of U46619 on submaximal Ca(2+)-activated force was lower only in the HA LCx (CON 0.044+/-0.010 versus HA 0.023+/-0.006 g/cm(2) at 10(-5) mol/L; P<.05). CONCLUSION These results indicate that maximum tension development in response to Ca(2+) was decreased in the HA LCx and LAD but not the RCA; however, Ca(2+) sensitivity of the contractile apparatus was unaltered in all of them. Decreased Ca(2+) responsiveness may partially explain the decreased contractile capability of fetal LCx and LAD during long-term, high-altitude intrauterine hypoxemia.
On lapped orthogonal transforms (signal coding applications)

The energy compaction performance of several lapped orthogonal transforms (LOTs) are presented. It is shown that the LOT outperforms the conventional block transforms for all the cases considered. The performance of the poorly performing block transforms for high correlation sources increased dramatically in their LOT versions. It is found that the energy compaction performance of the LOT versions of the different block transforms considered is about the same. Therefore, the choice of LOT is based on the efficiency of the transform algorithm. The LOT is an alternative to the block transforms for signal coding applications. Also, the blocking effect is reduced with the increase in the computational complexity of the transform algorithm. >
Effect of 1,3-bis-(2-chloroethyl)-l-nitrosourea on ehrlich ascites tumor cells☆

Abstract The effects of l,3- bis -(2-chloroethyl)-l-nitrosourea on the synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid, ribonucleic acid, and protein in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells was investigated in vitro by measuring rates of incorporation of radioactive precursors into the acid-insoluble fraction of the cells. Effect of the drug on the concentration of diphosphopyridine nucleotide (NAD) was determined by fluorometric measurement of the nucleotide. At concentrations compatible with those obtainable in vivo , there was a marked reduction in the rate of DNA synthesis, accompanied by an increase in the rate of RNA synthesis. Protein synthesis was affected only slightly at the lower drug concentrations. At higher concentrations all three parameters were inhibited. The concentration of NAD in the cells was increased at low drug concentrations and depressed at higher levels.
Antarctic marine life under the McMurdo Ice Shelf at White Island: A link between nutrient influx and seal population

Throughout 1981, the first routine collections of a variety of fish were made under the McMurdo Ice Shelf near White Island, Antarctica. Estimates of their local biomass were calculated using food consumption patterns of resident seals. Since no significant primary production occurs at White Island, the resident fauna must be maintained by a large nutrient influx from the Ross Sea.
Current approach to the treatment of polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Although corticosteroids remain the mainstay of treatment for the inflammatory myopathies, their use is complicated by many side effects. Other immunosuppressive agents, alone or in combination, are being increasingly used for patients with other severe disease or treatment-related complications. Pu
Growth Hormone Release After Synthetic 1–24 ACTH: Effects of Estrogen and Sex

Recent reports have demonstrated that growth hormone (GH) is inconsistently released after intravenous administration of synthetic 1-24 ACTH. This study was designed to evaluate the role of estrogens in mediating this response. 250 mug of synthetic 1-24 ACTH were administered to 8 men in 12 studies and 6 women in 11 studies. None of the men exhibited a rise in GH after 1-24 ACTH, while the women exhibited a significant increase. Pretreatment of 5 of these men with 100 mug of ethinyl estradiol daily for 3 days did not alter GH response from the initial studies. Pretreatment with 10 mg of diethylstilbesterol daily for 3 days, however, resulted in a rise in GH which was similar to the female group. It is concluded that the variable GH responses to synthetic 1-24 ACTH may be in part due to prevailing concentrations of sex steroids and their effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary GH release mechanism.
Abstract LB-143: Interplay between tissue tension and inflammation in pancreatic tumor progression

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is amongst the most lethal malignancies due largely to an inability to detect these tumors early and thereafter a lack of effective therapies for late stage cancers (Tempero, 2003). PDAC is characterized by a strong desmoplastic response including significant extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling that severely compromises treatment and surgical resection (Farrow, 2008). Nevertheless, the molecular mechanisms linking tissue transformation to fibrosis and tumor aggression remain unclear. Tissue fibrosis increases tissue tension and we showed that ECM stiffness and epithelial cell tension drive squamous carcinoma and mammary transformation (Levental, 2009; Samuel, 2011). We therefore asked whether pancreatic fibrosis promotes PDAC progression and aggression by increasing ECM stiffness and tissue tension and how. Inflammation is casually-associated with fibrosis and targeted deletion of the TGFβ receptor 2 (TGFβR2KO) when combined with expression of KRas up regulates CXC chemokine expression to promote PDAC aggression (Ijichi, 2011). Here we report that PDAC progression is accompanied by significant fibrosis and inflammation that correlated strongly with collagen deposition and LOX-dependent cross-linking and ECM stiffening. PDAC progression associated with elevated CXC chemokine levels as well as high epithelial STAT3 activity and elevated mechanosignaling in the epithelium including activated myosin, FAK and YAP and enhanced PDAC contractility. Intriguingly, we showed that PDAC contractility is functionally linked through a reciprocal Cxcr2 receptor - GPCR- JAK-STAT3 - ROCK - FAK signaling circuit that contributes to PDAC aggression and tissue inflammation. Consistently, the pancreas of mice expressing a targeted β1 integrin V737lox/lox clustering mutant, which drives integrin-dependent mechanosignaling in their epithelium showed profound fibrosis, high pSTAT3 and chronic inflammation which progressed to pancreatitis by as early as 3 months of age when combined with the KRas oncogene. Ongoing studies are currently exploring the relevance of Stat3 on pancreatic fibrosis and tumor aggression. Nevertheless, our findings identify a vicious positive feedback mechanism mediated through tissue tension that may account for the strong association between fibrosis, tumor aggression and inflammation in PDAC. (This work was supported by the Tumor Microenvironment Network (TMEN) grant NIH/NCI 1U01 CA151925-01, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Innovative Grant 30-60-25-WEAV, and NIH/NCI R01 CA138818-01A1 to VMW). Citation Format: Hanane Laklai, Yekaterina Miroshnikova, Jon lakins, Novitskiy Sergey, Agnes Gorska, Lidiya Korets, Raghu Kalluri, Harold Moses, Valerie Weaver. Interplay between tissue tension and inflammation in pancreatic tumor progression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-143. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-LB-143
IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROMOTER REGION AND GENE EXPRESSION FOR HUMAN ACID ALPHA GLUCOSIDASE

Genetic deficiency of acid alpha glucosidase (GAA) results in glycogen storage disease type II. A cDNA containing the complete coding region was constructed and cloned into the expression vector pSV2 and was transiently transfected into an SV40 immortalized GAA deficient human fibroblast cell line which has undetectable levels of GAA enzyme activity and does not express GAA mRNA. Transfected cells had 4.9% of normal human fibroblast enzyme activity. Additionally a 5' 1.8 kb genomic fragment was ligated to the 5' end of the GAA cDNA construct and cloned into pUC19. Transient and stable transfection also resulted in expressed GAA enzyme activity in deficient fibroblast cells, indicating that the genomic fragment has GAA promoter function.
Detwinning, damage and crack initiation during cyclic loading of Cu samples containing aligned nanotwins

Abstract High-purity Cu samples containing parallel columns of highly aligned nanotwins separated by coherent Σ3 twin boundaries (TBs) with median spacing of about 35 nm were subjected to tension–tension fatigue. It was found that the microstructure of highly aligned nanotwinned Cu is much more stable under deformation than that of nanocrystalline Cu. Hardness values underwent only modest drops, the greatest decrease being seen for fatigue under a maximum stress of 450 MPa. While the majority of the twins remained after fatigue at this stress, a significant number of the original nanotwinned structures were destroyed. In parts of some columns new dislocation structures formed with straight extended dislocation walls. The de-nanotwinned regions are expected to be softer than the surrounding twinned material. Intense dislocation build-up is seen at the intersection of two columns in which the microstructures and thus patterns of dislocation activity differ. Such high stress regions are sites for crack nucleation. The S–N curves for the nanotwinned Cu and ultrafine-grained Cu are remarkably similar, perhaps because in both cases the intersections of soft regions with the surface are sites for crack initiation.
Things Fell Apart Here Too: Reconstructing African Identity in Donato Ndongo-Bidyogo’s Las tinieblas de tu memoria negra

Students of African literature are accustomed to discussing it within the context of its developmental stages. For instance, there is the first stage in which the focus is on the clash of cultures that followed the European colonial enterprise in Africa. Whilst this phase is best represented by works like Camara Laye’s L’Enfant noir (1954) and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958), the next stage saw novels like Ayi Kwei Armah’s The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born (1968) and T.M. Aluko’s Chief, the Honorable Minister (1970) in which the conversation shifts from the cultural clashes to criticisms of African mismanagement of the new nations that were born following the departure of the European colonial masters. Phase 3 would begin in the mid-1980s and focus on the new cultural and political paradigms that the global era has fanned across the planet. The author of the present study chronicles this history and attempts to explain why Ndongo-Bidyogo’s Las tinieblas de tu memoria negra discusses issues similar to the novels of the first phase although it belongs chronologically to the works of the third phase. Published in 1987, the author surmises that this could be the result of Equatorial Guinea’s unique history within the African continent. As the only country to have been colonized by Spain and one of the last to gain her independence, the author believes this combination of factors along with the country’s long history of dictatorships meant it had no choice but to wait until the conditions were ripe to tell their story. This is the story of the brainwashing colonial education that the Spanish put in place. Destructive in and of itself, it also had the added toxicity of fomenting the cultural clashes that occurred throughout Africa during the colonial period. The author concludes that Ndongo-Bidyogo used his novel to tell this story, but more importantly, to explain the root causes of contemporary Guinean problems. Rooted, like elsewhere in Africa, on the racist political education that Spain left behind in 1968 when they conceded independence to the tiny nation of a little over half a million people, Mr. Ndongo-Bidyogo attempted to explain how this happened and how contemporary Guineans should approach the problem if only they are interested in a solution.
Realities Confronting Elementary School Guidance

Overlap among 8 pupil personnel services, having implications for elementary school guidance, is illustrated by quotations from Scope of Pupil Personnel Services, written by representatives of the 8 disciplines. The overlap is viewed as advantageous in helping children if pupil personnel services are organized to accommodate flexibility. Guidance personnel are urged to borrow extensively from research in all behavioral sciences in developing an elementary school guidance program catering to known and anticipated requirements of young children for succeeding in a technological society. Other disciplines are cited for their potential contributions to elementary school guidance in some areas not usually emphasized in professional literature.
UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROLLING THE CELL CYCLE WITH NATURAL PRODUCTS

Small molecule natural products have aided in the discovery and characterization of many proteins critical to the progression and maintenance of the cell cycle. Identification of the direct target of a natural product gives scientists a tool to control a specific aspect of the cell cycle, thus facilitating the study of the cell-cycle machinery.
Gas Chromatographic Analysis of Toxic Edemagenic Inhalation Compounds

Abstract Different megabore column and packed column phases were evaluated for their suitability in the gas chromatographic analysis of three toxic polyhalogenated compounds (phosgene, TFD, and PFIB). Adsorbent type stationary phases provide better retention and separation for the volatile fluorocarbons than do polar and nonpolar liquid phases. The reactivity of phosgene precludes the use of many phases having hydroxy, amino, or cyano functional groups. Silica gel is still the column of choice for phosgene. The use of gas sampling bags and gas-tight syringes can provide reliable quantitation of these compounds in air samples. TFD and PFIB eexhibit different electron capture mechanisms and detector temperature dependency. The mechanisms are supported by the results of negative ion mass spectrometry.
EFFECTS OF INTERANNUAL CLIMATE VARIATION ON ABOVEGROUND PHYTOMASS IN ALPINE VEGETATION

Relationships between peak annual vascular aboveground phytomass and annual climate variation in alpine plant communities located on Niwot Ridge, Colorado, were analyzed using path analysis. The five community types, fellfield, dry meadow, moist meadow, wet meadow, and snowbed, represent a snow depth-soil moisture gradient and broadly represent the most common vegetation types on east-facing slopes of the Front Range alpine zone. using nine successive years of data, this is the first longer term analysis of alpine phytomass and climate and one of the longest nonagricultural production records available. Live phytomass ranged from 97 g/m[sup 2] (snowbed) to 237 g/m[sup 2] (fellfield). Among-community differences in phytomass were greater than differences among years, but there was a significant phytomass variation among years. Path analysis indicated that climate accounted for 15-40% of the variation in phytomass. The dry communities, fellfield (exposed rocky summit areas dominated by cushion and mat plants) and dry meadow, were most sensitive to previous year precipitation, the moist and wet meadow communities were most sensitive to current growing season soil moisture, and the snowbed community was most sensitive to date of snow release. Because of the relatively high amount of variation attributable to variables related to precipitation, changes inmore » precipitation regimes that may occur in alpine ecosystems will likely result in changes in phytomass that are detectable with clip-harvest methods. 62 refs., 2 figs., 6 tabs.« less
Macro-Engineering: Past and Future

Large-scale engineering has been a feature of the human scene, even before the dawn of recorded history. But the designated, deliberate overview called macro-engineering is of recent vintage: the word was first used in 1968\ and in 1970, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology inaugurated the initial seminars on the topic. Today, after a generation of academic courses, symposia and publications, and with an International Association of Macro-Engineering Societies established under the guidance of Sir Robert G. A. Jackson,z it has become very appropriate to ask, 'What's it all about?' and 'How do you pull it off?'
Enhancement of ionization efficiency and selective enrichment of phosphorylated peptides from complex protein mixtures using a reversible poly-histidine tag.

To improve the detection of phosphorylated peptides/proteins, a combination of optimized MS-based strategies were used involving chemical derivatization with a polyhistidine-tag (His-tag) and affinity enrichment of the resulting His-tag peptides on a nanoscale Ni2+-IMAC column. The phosphoserine and phosphothreonine peptides were derivatized using a one-pot β-elimination/Michael addition reaction with a reversible His-tag possessing a thiol-containing Cys residue. The His-tag peptides were enriched selectively by Ni2+-IMAC and released using either imidazole or cleavage with Factor Xa. This novel capture and enzyme-mediated release provided an additional element of selectivity and yielded phosphopeptide-specific modifications with enhanced MS ionization characteristics. The eluted peptides were mapped using MALDI-TOF MS and QTRAP ESI-MS/MS techniques. The results obtained for a model peptide and two tryptic protein digests show that the method is highly specific and allows selective enrichment of phosphorylated peptides at low concentrations of femtomoles per microliter.
Surgical Techniques for Removing Problematic Mesh

The use of mesh and graft in pelvic reconstructive surgery has increased over the last decade. As the use of these products increased, the frequency and complexity of mesh-related complications has also increased. Management of complications resulting from mesh placement requires a thoughtful, systematic approach. Although many mesh complications can be managed nonsurgically, a significant proportion will require surgical excision of some or all of the mesh. Mesh excision is often successful in treating even serious complications, however a notable portion of patients will require more than 1 operation and complete symptom resolution is not always achieved.
Does Jack Goldstone's Model of Early Modern State Crises Apply to Russia?

In 1991 Jack A. Goldstone published an important book, Revolution and Rebellion in the Early Modern World, in which he boldly charted a new way to explain the basic causes of revolution throughout Eurasia from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Goldstone attempts to explain the periodic waves of early modern state crises, rebellions, and civil wars in widely divergent cultures and geographic settings by developing an intriguing model of state breakdowns which he applies primarily to England, France, the Ottoman Empire, and China. Goldstone views the crises of large agrarian absolute monarchies mainly as the result of a single basic process: prolonged population growth in the context of relatively inflexible economic and social structures, eventually resulting in rapid price inflation, sudden shifts in resources, and rising social demands on a scale that most agrarian-based bureaucratic states found overwhelming. Simply put, long-term population and price in-creases have helped push rigid political, economic, and social institutions into crisis. Since the publication of Goldstone's work, there has been a positive response to it from many historians and social scientists. So far, however, no one has attempted to test Goldstone's model by applying it to a state break-down which the author did not include in his study. In my own research I have discovered that Goldstone's model may apply to Russia even though he did not focus on it. In this article I hope to demonstrate that his work helps explain Russia's Time of Troubles (1598–1613) and that the Russian test case helps validate Goldstone's model as an important contribution to comparative history.
Aminoborohydrides. 3. A facile reduction of tertiary amides to the corresponding amines and alcohols in high purity using lithium aminoborohydrides. Sterically controlled selective CN or CO bond cleavage

Abstract Lithium aminoborohydrides (LiABH 3 ), obtained by the reaction of n-BuLi with amine-boranes, are powerful reducing agents for the reduction of tertiary amides to the corresponding amines or alcohols. Lithium pyrrolidinoborohydride (LiPyrrBH 3 ) and lithium diisopropylaminoborohydride (LiH 3 BN(i-Pr) 2 ) reduce both aliphatic and aromatic tertiary amides to give either the corresponding alcohol or amine, depending on the steric requirement of the tertiary amide and the LiABH 3 used. The yields of amines and alcohols from this procedure range from very good to essentially quantitative.
Diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias

Abstract Paediatric cardiac arrythmias commonly occur in the absence of structural heart disease, and are classified according to their cardiac site of origin. Although a detailed history and examination are invaluable, a correct diagnosis cannot be made unless the ECG is analysed, taking into account features specific to this age group. A 24-hour ECG recording may also be helpful. As many of these conditions have a genetic basis, a careful family history should be taken. For patients presenting acutely with haemodynamic collapse, paediatric life support measures should be instigated. For others, there is more time to undertake investigations prior to treatment. A relatively small number of agents, described here, are used in therapy, and in older children, radiofrequency ablation or fitting of a pacemaker offers a more permanent treatment. Advances in genetics suggest the chance of improved screening and treatment for those conditions which are inherited.
INITIAL TELLING THE PARENTS OF A SEVERE BIRTH DEFECT: A TRAINING SEQUENCE

Parenthood is a significant milestone in the development of adults, and regardless of their socioeconomic status, prospective parents generally anticipate the birth of a child with joyous expectation. Following the birth of a baby with obvious physical disability, however, unusual events are set into motion: the growing mutuality between infant and mother, nurtured in utero for many months, seems suddenly extinguished. The air becomes heavy with silence. The parents feel apart, cheated, faulted and deprived. Health professionals handling this crisis situation must be aware of the significant psychosocial events surrounding it. How the initial information of the child's condition is presented is most important; the pattern established can lead to continuing collaboration and compliance or antagonism and distrust. A training sequence developed by the authors and aimed at health professionals utilizes a commercially available film-vignette, and worksheets. The worksheets address the basic logistics of informing the parents as follows: who should tell to whom, when, where; how much to tell of the child's condition and what kind of follow-up to offer. The participating audience completes the worksheets before and after viewing the film-vignette, and finally, there is a general discussion.
A comparative study of the effects of prostaglandins and d-amphetamine on the metabolism of 3H-dopamine continuously presented to rat brain In Vivo

Unanesthetized rats with chronic indwelling cannulas, engaged in food reinforced operant behavior, were infused intracerebroventricularly with a solution containing a trace concentration of 3H-dopamine (3H-DA) with or without prostaglandins (PGs). Approximately 45 minutes after the infusion was started, the procedure was changed to a push-pull perfusion. Perfusate from the ventricles contained significant quantities of the 3H-DA metabolites 3H-3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (3H-DOPAC), 3H-3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (3H-homovanillic acid, 3H-HVA), 3H-3-methoxytyramine (3H-3-MT), and the 3H-noradrenaline (3H-NA) metabolite 3H-3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylethylenegiycol (3H-MHPG). The presence of PGF2α decreased the amount of 3H-DOPAC, 3H-HVA, and 3H-3-MT in perfusate, while PGE1 had the opposite effects. d-Amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg, IP) affected the recovery of these metabolites from perfusate in a manner similar to PGF2α and opposite to PGE1. PGF2α and the highest (Scizure-inducing) dose of PGE1 significantly decreased, while d-amphetamine significantly increased, the quantity of 3H-MHPG in perfusate. Therefore, PGs affect central dopaminergic and noradrenergic activity in vivo, as reflected by changes in their metabolic profiles, and may play a role in the response of the central nervous system to drugs which act through catecholaminergic mechanisms.
Soft-photon analysis of pion-proton bremsstrahlung and the "experimental" magnetic moment of Delta ++(1232).

We present a special two-energy-two-angle amplitude which can be rigorously derived for the pion-proton bremsstrahlung ({pi}{sup +}{ital p}{gamma}) process near the {Delta}{sup ++}(1232) resonance and report the magnetic dipole moment of the {Delta}{sup ++},{mu}{sub {Delta}}, extracted from existing data. The extracted value of {mu}{sub {Delta}} are 3.7--4.2 {ital e}/2{ital m}{sub {ital p}} from one set of data and 4.6--4.9 {ital e}/2{ital m}{sub {ital p}} from another. Here, {ital m}{sub {ital p}} is the proton mass. The overall agreement between the theortical predictions calculated with the extracted {mu}{sub {Delta}} and the experimental measurements is excellent.
Identification of a transposon Tn3 sequence required for transposition immunity

Abstract A plasmid containing transposon Tn3 is immune to further insertions of Tn3. This phenomenon works in cis and is referred to as transposition immunity. We have used the ability of Tn3 to form cointegrates between two plasmids to develop a quantitative assay to detect transposition immunity. Presence of Tn3 on both the plasmids reduces the cointegration frequency to less than 1/100 of parental. Using this assay, we have determined that (i) tnpR is not required for immunity, (ii) only the terminal 38 base pairs of Tn3 need be present to confer immunity, and (iii) other parts of Tn3 appear not to confer immunity.
Arguments against Anomalous Dimensions

Two-dimensional solvable field theories provide examples of anomalous dimensions and conserved dilatation current, while in four-dimensional calculations anomalous dimensions occur together with strongly broken dilatation invariance. We show that the situation in two dimensions arises from peculiar phase-space properties which do not generalize to four dimensions. It appears that two-dimensional physics is not a good "laboratory" for studying scale invariance: Even the free-field theory behaves anomalously. We argue that at the present time there is no theoretical or experimental evidence for the consistency of anomalous dimensions with conserved or weakly broken scale invariance in physically realistic models.
Moving conventional workers compensation systems toward conflict resolution to provide better results

Richard A. Posthuma, of El Paso, Texas, provides the fundamentals of installing best conflict resolution practices into a workers' comp scheme to yield lower costs and better employee relations
Metabolism of 1-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine by cell cultures.

Abstract The metabolism of 1-alkyl-2-acetyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine (platelet-activating factor) was studied using various cultured cell lines. All incubations were done in the presence of bovine serum albumin and serum-free media, since albumin eliminates the adsorption of 1-alkyl-2-acetyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine to cultureware and serum enzymes interfere. Human leukemia (HL-60) cells, MDCK canine kidney cells, and transformed and nontransformed clones of mouse C3H1OT1/2 cells display varying rates of uptake, degradation, and capacities for reacylation of 1-alkyl-2-acetyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine. HL-60 cells displayed the highest uptake rate (24.6 pmol/mg cell protein/15 min). Whereas C3H10T1/2 cells in culture showed uptake rates comparable to other cells tested, they displayed a relative metabolic inertness towards 1-alkyl-2-acetyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphocholine.
Multiple functions of the 37/67-kd laminin receptor make it a suitable target for novel cancer gene therapy.

The 37/67-kd laminin receptor, LAMR, is a multifunctional protein that associates with the 40S ribosomal subunit and also localizes to the cell membrane to interact with the extracellular matrix. LAMR is overexpressed in many types of cancer, playing important roles in tumor-cell migration and invasion. Here, we show that LAMR is also vital for tumor-cell proliferation, survival, and protein translation. Small-interfering RNA (siRNA)–mediated reduction in expression of LAMR leads to G1 phase cell-cycle arrest in vitro by altering cyclins A2/B1, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) 1/2, Survivin, and p21 expression levels. In vivo, reduction in LAMR expression results in inhibition of HT1080 cells to develop tumors. We also found that LAMR's ribosomal functions are critical for translation as reduction in LAMR expression leads to a dramatic decrease in newly synthesized proteins. Further, cells with lower expression of LAMR have fewer 40S subunits and 80S monosomes, causing an increase in free 60S ribosomal subunits. These results indicate that LAMR is able to regulate tumor development in many ways; further enhancing its potential as a target for gene therapy. To test this, we developed a novel Sindbis/Lenti pseudotype vector carrying short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) designed against lamr. This pseudotype vector effectively reduces LAMR expression and specifically targets tumors in vivo. Treatment of tumor-bearing severe combine immunodeficient (SCID) mice with this pseudotype vector significantly inhibits tumor growth. Thus, we show that LAMR can be used as a target in novel therapy for tumor reduction and elimination.
Nonparametric estimation of the conditional mean residual life function with censored data.

The conditional mean residual life (MRL) function is the expected remaining lifetime of a system given survival past a particular time point and the values of a set of predictor variables. This function is a valuable tool in reliability and actuarial studies when the right tail of the distribution is of interest, and can be more informative than the survivor function. In this paper, we identify theoretical limitations of some semi-parametric conditional MRL models, and propose two nonparametric methods of estimating the conditional MRL function. Asymptotic properties such as consistency and normality of our proposed estimators are established. We investigate via simulation study the empirical properties of the proposed estimators, including bootstrap pointwise confidence intervals. Using Monte Carlo simulations we compare the proposed nonparametric estimators to two popular semi-parametric methods of analysis, for varying types of data. The proposed estimators are demonstrated on the Veteran’s Administration lung cancer trial.
Next-generation test of cosmic inflation

The increasing precision of cosmological datasets is opening up new opportunities to test predictions from cosmic inflation. Here we study the impact of high precision constraints on the primordial power spectrum and show how a new generation of observations can provide impressive new tests of the slow-roll inflation paradigm, as well as produce significant discriminating power among different slow-roll models. In particular, we consider next-generation measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature anisotropies and (especially) polarization, as well as new Lyman-$\ensuremath{\alpha}$ measurements that could become practical in the near future. We emphasize relationships between the slope of the power spectrum and its first derivative that are nearly universal among existing slow-roll inflationary models, and show how these relationships can be tested on several scales with new observations. Among other things, our results give additional motivation for an all-out effort to measure CMB polarization.
Level of expression and chromosome mapping of the mouse cholecystokinin gene: Implications for murine models of genetic obesity

Abstract Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a neuropeptide which is present in brain and intestine and which stimulates gall bladder contraction and pancreatic secretion. Additional studies have demonstrated an appetite-suppressing effect of CCK in vivo. These data have aroused speculation that the physiology of this hormone could be relevant in the pathogenesis of the mouse obesity mutations ob on chromosome 6 and db on chromosome 4. In order to determine whether abnormalities of this hormone could be the primary defect in these obesity mutations, we have used three separate approaches to map the mouse Cck gene to distal chromosome 9, where it is part of a syntenic group between mouse chromosome 9 and human chromosome 3. These data therefore exclude cholecystokinin as the etiologic factor in the pathogenesis of any of the known mouse obesity syndromes. In order to exclude the possibility that there are differences in mutant animals in the level of CCK RNA, we have used an S1 nuclease protection assay as well as a novel radioimmunoassay that detects the CCK precursor, to show that there are no gross differences in CCK mRNA or protein precursor levels between ob ob and wild-type animals.
"Churches and Streetcars in Barcelona: Ways to Modernity"

(1999). Churches and Streetcars in Barcelona: Ways to Modernity. Romance Quarterly: Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 204-215.
An Application of LQ Control to a Two Link SCARA Manipulator

A Linear Quadratic (LQ) controller is a logical improvement beyond a classical Proportional-plus-derivative (PD) controller. In this paper, an LQ tracking controller using gain scheduling is designed for a task on an idealized two degree of freedom SCARA Manipulator. The LQ performance is evaluated alogside that of a PD tracker operating on the same idealized manipulator model performaing the same task. Following this, a more complete model of the manipulator hardware is used to evaluate the robustness of the controllers in performing the task. The effects of friction and load parameter variations are investigated, as are the effects of unmodelled dynamics in the drive motors.
Possible Involvement of poly(A) in protein synthesks

The experiments of this paper have re-evaluated the possibility that poly(A) is involved in protein synthesis by testing whether purified poly(A) might competitively inhibit in vitro protein synthesis in rabbit reticulocyte extracts. We have found that poly(A) inhibits the rate of translation of many different poly(A)+ mRNAs and that comparable inhibition is not observed with other ribopolymers. Inhibition by poly(A) preferentially affects the translation of adenylated mRNAs and can be overcome by increased mRNA concentrations or by translating mRNPs instead of mRNA. The extent of inhibition is dependent on the size of the competitor poly(A) as well as on the translation activity which a lysate has for poly(A)+ RNA. In light of our results and numerous experiments in the literature, we propose that poly(A) has a function in protein synthesis and that any role in the determination of mRNA stability is indirect.
Documentation production from a formal database

This paper reports on an existing, operational prototype system, TG/TF2, for the generation of typeset quality documentation from a formal database. TG/TF2 directly supports the conceptual separation of system design, document content design, and document format design. Specifically, support for system design is supplied by Problem Statement Language/Problem Statement Analyzer (PSL/PSA), a development of the ISDOS Project at the University of Michigan. Document content design support is provided by the Text Generator (TG) language system. Text Formatter, Version 2 (TF2) supports document format design.TG is a programming language system specifically tailored for accessing a PSL/PSA database. TG supports document content design through an outline facility that allows the specification of both the order and conceptual content of each section of the document.TF2 provides typeset quality output from the text generated by TG. Though similar in flavor to most “pretty printer”/RUNOFF programs, TF2 has been tailored to the requirements of automatic document production without human intervention.The paper describes the improvements needed in both concept and implementation before the prototype system can be made into an operational tool. The motivation, genesis, and conceptual basis of TG/TF2 are treated, not the details of the software.
EXPLAINING CONSUMERS' CHANNEL-SWITCHING BEHAVIOR USING THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR

Abstract This exploratory study examined channel-switching behavior using the theory of planned behavior in three retail channels: bricks-and-mortar stores, catalogs, and the Internet. This theory assumes that individual attitudes and beliefs, along with subjective norms and control factors, will lead to an intention to perform a certain behavior, whether to switch channels or not. An online survey was administered at four different research sites and resulted in 547 usable surveys. Factor analysis and regression were used for data analysis. Attitude towards channel-switching was significantly influenced by hedonic and utilitarian beliefs in stores and catalogs. However, in the case of the Internet channel, attitude towards channel-switching was only influenced by utilitarian beliefs. Normative beliefs negatively influenced subjective norms in all the channels. Self-efficacy, information, and product type were important factors that impacted perceived behavioral control (PBC) in all channels. Time influenced PBC only in catalogs, and money did not influence PBC in any of the channels. Attitude and subjective norms influenced channel-switching intentions for three channels, whereas PBC was a significant predictor for channel-switching intention for only catalogs and the Internet.
Diverse Colleges of Origin of African American Doctoral Recipients, 2001–2005: Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Beyond

The contribution of HBCUs as “colleges of origin,” i.e., where Black doctorates earned their bachelors’ degrees, remains of interest, given the historical role of HBCUs and the current desire to increase the percentage of doctorates awarded to African Americans in all fields. Using national survey data from multiple sources, we estimated which college characteristics predicted later doctoral degree attainment in all fields. We took into account the large number of Black graduates from HBCUs, which make them likely to be colleges of origin, and controlled for standardized test scores, Carnegie classification, and student/faculty ratio. HBCUs were associated with doctorate production more than twice the expected level based on their other average characteristics. In addition, colleges with low student/faculty ratios, higher SAT scores, and historical Carnegie classifications of research universities and selective liberal arts colleges were also associated with a higher percentage of Black graduates later earning doctoral degrees.
An infinite family of non-embeddable quasi-residual designs

Abstract The existence of a (3 d+2 −2,3 d+1 ,3 d ), d⩾0 , Mitchell design together with the existence of a resolvable 2−(3d+1,3d,(3d−1)/2) design (i.e. designs with the parmeters of an affine geometry design) imply the existence of a quasi-residual 2−(2(3d+2−1),2(3d+1),3d+1) design D. This paper contains a construction for the designs D; each of the designs D contain a substructure S consisting of 8 blocks of D with specified pairwise intersection sizes. A proof is given that the substructure S prevents D from being embedded into a (3d+3−2,3d+2,3d+1) design. Further, the maximum intersection size of any pair of blocks in D is 3d+1, therefore the design D is non-embeddable and not of Bhattacharya type.
Prescriptive models of psychological effects on risk attitudes

This paper discusses models of a person's risk attitude toward financial changes when his preferences depend on psychological effects of the changes, for example, effects on how the person is judged by himself and by others. These models represent the risk attitude of a person who due to these effects is risk averse for outcomes involving gains or the status quo but is risk prone for outcomes involving losses or the status quo. The models are prescriptive in that they exclude the heuristic biases that are studied in behavioral decision theory. They are examined from the descriptive, prescriptive, and normative perspectives. In particular, they are shown to satisfy the principles of expected utility but to violate several other normative principles.