cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Echocardiographic detection of large left to right shunts and cardiomyopathies in infants and children

Abstract Diagnostic separation of infants with signs of cardiac failure (hypoglycemia, sepsis, myocarditis, hypoxemia) but no congenital cardiocirculatory malformation from those with a large left to right shunt is crucial in newborn management. Echocardiographic studies of 218 infants and children allowed group separation and distinction from normal by the assessment of mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (Vcf) and the ratio of left atrial to aortic root diameter at end-systole (LAAo). In normal premature and full-term infants, Vcf (1.51 ± 0.04 [mean ± standard error]) was significantly lower than in infants with a large shunt (2.12 ± 0.08, P P P
Treasury Department regulatory material under the tax code

The legislative process in the tax field and the administrative process for the issuance of regulatory and interpretative material by the Treasury Department are closely coordinated. The same persons and interests both inside and outside of Government are involved in both processes. There is thus continuity of expertise, understanding of what is at stake, adversary viewpoints, and Washington knowhow. The preparation of administrative material within the Treasury is a task for those technical personnel and policy officials who in varying degrees also have a voice in the preparation of the Treasury's legislative position and the legislative development of statutory language. The outside forces who watch legislative activity also closely watch administrative activity and seek to shape the latter just so they do the former. The response of the Treasury is much the same in both situations, and governed by the policies, attitudes and predilections of tax policy officials and career personnel.
The role of layer-thickness deviation in dispersion and structure of plasmons in finite superlattices

We study the effects of layer thickness variations on the collective plasmon excitation modes of finite superlattices. Unlike other symmetry lowering mechanisms, thickness variation does not strongly localize the surface modes. We find that the reason for this insensitivity lies in the fact that the collective modes of a given finite structure must evolve continuously from the single-finite-superlattice at zero thickness deviation into modes of a pair of uncoupled finite structures at large thickness variation. We also show that this behavior is analogous to the evolution of molecular orbitals from atomic orbitals as the internuclear separation is reduced, in contrast to the analogy of the superlattice modes as a stack of coupled quantum wells. This emphasizes the difference between the electromagnetic symmetry of the finite superlattice and the structural symmetry.
Studies of Mental “Noise”

Successive tests of subjects' performance in reaction time tasks were treated as time series and submitted to spectrum analysis. Rather than revealing the “white” noise expected by the view that variability is due to random error (equivalent power across frequency), the power spectra revealed “colored” noise. The slopes of the power spectra did not vary much for tasks differing in memory requirements. Spectrum analysis of time series from the logistic map also showed colored noise in regions on the “edge” of chaos, showing that the presence of colored noise in cognitive data need not oblige a theoretical account based on a complex, high-dimensional, system.
Effects on fertility of immunization against lactate dehydrogenase X in female mice.

Abstract Female mice of proven fertility were immunized with pure lactate dehydrogenase X (LDH-X) and adjuvant or with adjuvant alone and their fertility determined. Assessments of humoral and cellular immunity were performed at the termination of the experiment. A significant decrease in litter size occurred with the highest serum concentrations of anti-LDH-X antibody.
Pulmonary Ventilation Measured from Body Surface Movements

Changes in anteroposterior diameters of the rib cage and abdomen are sensed with magnetometers and summed to give outputs which are very nearly linearly related to changes in lung volume. The volume events of breathing can be measured without recourse to a mouthpiece or face mask, other than for calibration, and with minimal encumbrance to the subject.
A father of four consecutive trisomic pregnancies with elevated frequencies of associated aneuploid sperm

A couple with normal somatic karyotypes had four consecutive trisomic pregnancies, each involving a different chromosome, of which two children were liveborn with confirmed paternal-origin trisomies. The apparently healthy father produced abnormally high frequencies of disomic sperm for each of the four chromosomes involved in the trisomic pregnancies (P< 0.003, by sperm fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)). His elevated sperm aneuploidies persisted over a 2-year period and affected all chromosomes evaluated, suggesting that he had a genome-wide defect in meiotic disjunction. He also had the highest frequencies of aneuploid sperm reported for any healthy man to date. His frequencies of aneuploid sperm were comparable to the peak frequencies of the transient responses reported in some cancer patients after receiving aneugenic chemotherapies. These findings indicate that apparently healthy men can produce abnormally high frequencies of sperm aneuploidies that suggest that this condition may contribute to recurrent trisomic pregnancies.
Application of Low-Intensity Ultrasound to Growing Bone in Rats

Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound recently has been shown to accelerate long bone fracture healing, but its effect on bone growth and development is unknown. The longitudinal growth and bone density of the femur and tibia in young rats was measured after application of an ultrasound transducer emitting 1.5-MHz pulsed ultrasound (30 mW/cm2, SATA) for 20 min/day. After 28 days, no length difference was detected (< or = 2%) compared to the sham-treated leg or to unexposed controls. Also, no significant difference in bone mineral density (BMD) of the femur or tibia was found (< or = 6%). In a repeated experiment in which a periosteal trauma stimulus was created in the femoral diaphysis, the ultrasound also had no effect on growth or BMD. This results suggests that physeal bone growth is far less sensitive to this level of ultrasound application than is fracture repair. This may be related to the cascade of cellular events and regulatory factors that are present after a fracture.
Ultra low energy standard cell design optimization for performance and placement algorithm

Most medical implantable devices and wearable electronics have critical battery life requirements. Such devices will fundamentally benefit from ultra low voltage or subthreshold operation of circuits, leading to longer battery life. In this work, we focus on designing a subthreshold standard cell library and improving their performance using charge boosters. The performance-enhanced standard cell library is implemented on ISCAS'85 benchmark circuits and a 10 times improvement in frequency with an overhead of approximately 2 times in the energy-delay product is observed. We also propose a placement methodology to integrate the enhanced cells using Critical Path Method (CPM) algorithm to minimize the overhead in energy consumption. A 50 % reduction in energy was achieved with implementation of CPM.
Sequence of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene from the hypotrichous ciliate Euplotes aediculatus.

. We have determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the coding region of the small subunit rRNA gene of the hypotrichous ciliate Euplotes aediculatus. It is 1882 nucleotides long and contains several inserts not present in the small subunit rRNA genes of the hypotrichs Oxytricha nova and Stylonychia pustulata. A comparison of the sequences suggests that E. aediculatus is much less closely related to these other two hypotrichs than they are to each other. Although the gene sequence of E. aediculatus is drifting more rapidly than those of these other two species, its faster evolutionary clock is not enough to account for the degree of difference between them.
Effects of vitamin D metabolites on proliferation and differentiation of cultured human epidermal keratinocytes grown in serum-free or defined culture medium

We examined the effects of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3), and vitamin D3 on human keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation in a serum-free or defined culture system. Concentrations greater than 10(-8) M 1,25-(OH)2D3 or 10(-7) M 25(OH)2D3 caused marked inhibition of cell growth. Growth inhibition with high doses of 1,25-(OH)2D3 was not stringent, but was mainly exerted in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Early release from the cell cycle block restored the proliferation of human keratinocytes. The calcium concentration in the medium had no significant effect on the antiproliferative action of 1,25-(OH)2D3, 25OHD3, and vitamin D3. We also show that human keratinocyte proliferation is enhanced at doses of 1,25-(OH)2D3 and 25OH2D3 of 10(-9) M or less. Enhanced proliferation of human keratinocytes with physiological concentrations of 1,25-(OH)2D3 could only be shown in fully defined medium that contained no vitamin D3, related sterols, or bovine pituitary extract. Human keratinocyte differentiation was enhanced with higher doses of 1,25-(OH)2D3 when cells were grown in the presence of high calcium concentrations. These studies demonstrate that the lower, physiological concentrations of vitamin D3 metabolites are capable of stimulating the proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes grown under selected conditions that eliminate confounding or unidentified medium culture factors. Vitamin D3 metabolites are shown to exert mitogenic trophic effects in cultured human epithelial cells similar to their established activities in vivo.
Regulation of Akt-dependent cell survival by Syk and Rac.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) prevents cell apoptosis and promotes survival, but the involved mechanisms have not been completely defined. Although phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) has been implicated in IL-2–mediated survival mechanisms, none of the 3 chains of the IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) expresses a binding site for PI 3-kinase. However, IL-2Rβ does express a Syk-binding motif. By using an IL-2–dependent natural killer (NK) cell line, followed by validation of the results in fresh human NK cells, we identified Syk as a critical effector essential for IL-2–mediated prosurvival signaling in NK cells. Down-regulation of Syk by piceatannol treatment impaired NK cellular viability and induced prominent apoptosis as effectively as suppression of PI 3-kinase function by LY294002. Expression of kinase-deficient Syk or pretreatment with piceatannol markedly suppressed IL-2–stimulated activation of PI 3-kinase and Akt, demonstrating that Syk is upstream of PI 3-kinase and Akt. However, constitutively active PI 3-kinase reversed this loss of Akt function caused by kinase-deficient Syk or piceatannol. Thus, Syk appears to regulate PI 3-kinase, which controls Akt activity during IL-2 stimulation. More important, we observed Rac1 activation by IL-2 and found that it mediated PI 3-kinase activation of Akt. This conclusion came from experiments in which dominant-negative Rac1 significantly decreased IL-2–induced Akt activation, whereas constitutively active Rac1 reelevated Akt activity not only in Syk-impaired but also in PI 3-kinase–impaired NK cells. These results constitute the first report of a Syk → PI3K → Rac1 → Akt signal cascade controlled by IL-2 that mediates NK cell survival.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Even More Difficult to Teach than to Define

“Respect” is a word like “empathy”, “love”, and “compassion”, that everyone agrees connotes a positive attribute; however, there are innumerable ideas about what respect means. Perhaps the reason it is so difficult to define is because it can mean different things to different people, depending on whether it is being used as a verb or as a noun, on the person’s cultural background, and the context in which it is being discussed. For instance, when a parent tells a teenager “to show some respect” the meaning is somewhat different than when philosophers talk about “respect for persons”. Aretha1 put it very simply: “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to ME!” Still, it is useful to examine why and how a physician can show respect to patients. After all, the American Board of Internal Medicine’s Medical Professionalism in the New Millennium: A Physician Charter mentions “respect for patient autonomy” as a core principle and the Project Professionalism states that “Respect for others (patients and their families, other physicians, and professional colleagues such as nurses, medical students, residents, and subspecialty fellows) is the essence of humanism, and humanism is both central to professionalism and fundamental to enhancing collegiality among physicians.”2,3 In this issue of JGIM, Beach et al attempt to define the object of physicians’ respect and what respect requires4. They believe autonomy is too limited as the object of our respect because it seems to make respect conditional on whether we admire a patient’s values, and because it limits our obligation to those patients who lack autonomy. They propose that it is a physician’s moral duty to respect all patients equally as persons, as a professional extension of one’s universal duty to respect all people because of their “unconditional intrinsic value as human beings.” They go on to describe this respect as bidimensional; that is, the concept of respect is both an attitude and a set of behaviors that one ought to have as a physician. Both dimensions, they argue, are morally required of physicians. This article is likely to be widely read and discussed. Whereas philosophers may argue about whether their concept of autonomy is biased, we agree that respect should not be contingent on a patient’s lifestyle or health decisions. For medical educators who are charged with training respectful physicians for the future, the article raises questions about the barriers to respect, how to teach respect, whether a focus on behavior is sufficient, and what behaviors constitute respect. We will focus our attention on these issues.
The pale mutation in Bombina orientalis: Effects on melanophores and xanthophores

The pale defect in Bombina orientalis has been examined both biochemically (for pigment defects) and ultrastructurally (for cellular defects). Both xanthophores and melanophores (but not iridophores) are affected by this gene in a manner suggesting that the pigmentation process is inhibited prior to the formation of mature pigment organelles. Of interest is the presence of multivesicular structures in the organelles of mutant xanthophores and melanophores. It is proposed that this mutation acts at the level of a “primordial organelle” common to both pigment cell types.
Immunohistochemical staining of CD10 in atypical fibroxanthomas.

Background: The histologic diagnosis of atypical fibroxanthoma (AFX) may be difficult at times with a differential diagnosis including spindle cell/desmoplastic melanoma and a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). While there are immunohistochemical stains that may be used to support a diagnosis of either melanoma or carcinoma, the diagnosis of AFX tends to be one of exclusion. Methods: A total of 35 cases including 16 AFXs, 10 poorly differentiated SCCs and nine spindle cell/desmoplastic melanomas were stained with the antibody against CD10. Results: There was strong (3+) diffuse expression of CD10 in 15/16 (94%) AFXs, weak (1+) to moderate (2+) patchy expression of CD10 in 5/10 (50%) SCCs and weak (1+) expression of CD10 in 3/9 (33%) spindle cell/desmoplastic melanomas. Conclusion: CD10 expression is helpful in distinguishing between AFXs, carcinomas and melanomas and will be useful in a panel of antibodies when distinguishing between these entities.
Urinary metabolomic analysis to detect changes after intravenous, non-ionic, low osmolar iodinated radiocontrast for computerized tomographic imaging.

Introduction: Contrast-induced nephropathy is a result of injury to the proximal tubules caused by oxidative stress and ischemia. Metabolomics is a novel technique that has been used to identify renal damage from drug toxicities. The objective of this study is to analyze the metabolic changes in the urine after dosing with intravenous (IV) contrast for computed tomograph (CT) of the chest Methods: A convenience sample of patients undergoing a chest CT with IV contrast who had at least one of the following: age ≥50 years, diabetes, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, coronary artery disease, or diastolic blood pressure >90 mmHg -- were eligible for enrollment. Urine samples were collected prior to imaging and 4-6 hours post imaging. Samples underwent gas chromography/mass spectrometry profiling. We measured peak metabolite values and log transformed data. Paired T tests were calculated. We used significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) to determine the most significant metabolites. Results: The cohort comprised 14 patients with matched samples; 9 /14 (64.3) were males, and the median age was 61 years (IQR 50-68). A total of 158 metabolites were identified. Using SAM we identified 9 metabolites that were identified as significant using a delta of 1.6. Conclusion: Changes in urinary metabolites are present soon after contrast administration. This change in urinary metabolites may be potential early identifiers of contrast-induced nephropathy and could identify patients at high-risk for developing this condition. [West J Emerg Med. 2014;15(2):152–157.]
A potential hazard of housing allowances for public housing

Abstract Benefit estimates indicate a large number of small households would emigrate from public housing if faced with an either-or choice between public housing and a housing allowance. Moreover, waiting lists are not sufficiently long to replace the emigres, so vacancy rates for small apartments might run as high as 55% under such a scheme. Raising public housing rents and making public housing tenants eligible for housing allowances seems a viable way to reduce emigration, although the scheme tried here, which sets rents equal to operating costs, does not eliminate emigration or vacancies entirely.
The Influence of Sexual Infidelity, Verbal Intimacy, and Gender Upon Primary Appraisal Processes in Romantic Jealousy

Using perceptual models of romantic jealousy, this study explored the influence of gender and two types of threat (sexual infidelity and verbal intimacy) upon jealousy appraisal processes. Type of threat and gender of the jealous person were expected to affect the intensity of the jealous response, loss of relational self-esteem, and perceptions of relationship loss. No significant gender differences were found for appraisal of jealousy threat. Regardless of gender, sexual infidelity was a more powerful threat than verbal intimacy during primary appraisal processes. The results indicate that traditional notions regarding gender differences in jealousy appraisal may need to be more closely evaluated because women and men may be more similar in their responses to jealousy threats than previous research has indicated.
Trace-Class Operators and Commutators

Abstract We identify the linear span of commutators AB − BA , where A is a trace-class operator and B is any bounded operator on a separable Hilbert space, or where A , B are both Hilbert-Schmidt operators, thus answering questions raised by work of Anderson, Vaserstein, and Weiss.
Birch and ragweed pollen immunotherapy in the treatment of pollen-food allergy syndrome

Abstract Rationale Fruit/vegetable allergy affects up to 50% of pollen-allergic adults. Pollen sensitization is regarded as the primary event with subsequent development of allergy to cross-reactive fruits and vegetables. We sought to determine the effect of pollen immunotherapy on pollen-food allergy syndrome. Methods A randomized open trial of birch and ragweed pollen immunotherapy in patients with birch and ragweed allergic rhinitis and oral allergy to apple and/or cantaloupe Results Sixteen birch and ragweed allergic patients, median age 30 years (range; 11-47) with apple and/or cantaloupe allergy confirmed by double-blinded placebo-controlled oral challenge were randomized to receive birch and ragweed pollen immunotherapy (n=9) or to a control group that did not receive immunotherapy (n=7). Four immunotherapy patients underwent oral challenges at median 15 months (range; 12–16) and 5 control patients were challenged at median 12 months (range; 12–18). Following immunotherapy, blinded challenges revealed decreased symptom scores, mean 4.8 versus 1.0 (p Conclusion Birch and ragweed pollen immunotherapy increases tolerance to fruits in subjects with pollen-food allergy syndrome.
Solving group technology problems via clique partitioning

This paper presents a new clique partitioning (CP) model for the Group Technology (GT) problem. The new model, based on a novel 0/1 quadratic programming formulation, addresses multiple objectives in GT problems by drawing on production relationships to assign differing weights to machine/part pairs. The use of this model, which is readily solved by a basic tabu search heuristic, is illustrated by solving 36 standard test problems from the literature. The efficiency of our new CP model is further illustrated by solving three large scale problems whose linear programming relaxations are much too large to be solved by CPLEX. An analysis of the quality of the solutions produced along with comparisons made with other models and methods highlight both the attractiveness and robustness of the proposed method.
Microstructural and gas separation properties of CVD modified mesoporous γ-alumina membranes

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was used to modify 4 nm pore, sol–gel derived, -alumina membranes supported on macroporous-alumina. Aluminum oxide was deposited in the pores of the-alumina membrane by alternating additions of trimethylaluminum (TMA) and water vapor. By reducing the pore size, the permeance of non-condensable gasses was reduced much more than the permeance of condensable gasses due to capillary condensation or preference adsorption of water vapor. The modified membrane that exhibited the best separation properties had a water vapor permeance ranging from 1 .5 × 10 −6 to 3.0 × 10 −7 mol/m 2 s Pa, an oxygen permeance ranging from 1.7 × 10 −7 to 1.5 × 10 −9 mol/m 2 s Pa, and a separation factor as high as 140 at room temperature. The microstructure of the pores contained some irregularities which were attributed to an atomic layer CVD (ALCVD) mechanism modified by homogeneous reactions. The effect of the modified ALCVD was higher permeances than would be expected. P-type zeolite membranes were also made and found to have similar separation properties to the more heavily modified -alumina membranes. © 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Candidate Recruitment and Selection in Latin America: A Framework for Analysis

This article provides a theoretical framework for analyzing the recruitment and selection of legislative candidates in Latin America. It argues that political recruitment and candidate selection are undertheorized for Latin America yet have determinative impacts on political systems, often overriding the influence of more commonly studied institutional variables. The article elucidates a typology of legislative candidates based on the legal and party variables that lead to the emergence of particular selection methods, as well as the patterns of loyalty generated by those methods. It analyzes the recruitment and selection processes as independent and dependent variables, underscoring the significant effect these procedures have on the incentive structure and subsequent behavior of legislators. Those factors, in turn, have important consequences for democratic governability and the performance of presidentialism.
Phenobarbital-induced cytosolic cytoprotective mechanisms that offset increases in NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase activity in menadione-mediated cytotoxicity1☆

Hepatocytes isolated from phenobarbital (PB)-pretreated and naive male Sprague-Dawley rats were incubated with menadione under one of three oxygen conditions (0, 21, or 95% oxygen) for 3 hr. During this time, samples were drawn and assayed for lactate dehydrogenase release and trypan blue exclusion as indices of cytotoxicity. Neither parameter indicated any significant difference in menadione-induced cytotoxicity between naive and PB-pretreated hepatocytes. Likewise, no difference was observed between hepatocytes incubated in 21% versus 95% O2. Consistent with the oxyradical hypothesis of menadione-induced cytotoxicity, hepatocytes incubated under 0% O2 (95:5; N2:CO2) did not exhibit any menadione cytotoxicity. Hepatic microsomes prepared from PB-pretreated rats exhibited a threefold increase in NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase activity over those of controls. Menadione-stimulated superoxide (O2−) production was twofold higher in PB pretreated versus naive liver microsomes. However, PB pretreatment failed to produce an increase in O2− production in intact hepatocytes or in hepatocytes disrupted by sonication. The failure of PB pretreatment to increase menadione-induced cytotoxicity and superoxide production in either intact or sonicated hepatocytes suggests that a concomitant cytoprotective mechanism is induced as well. The data further indicate that the cytoprotective elements are located in a nonmicrosomal fraction of the cell. In support of this, we observed PB-induced increases in glutathione levels, glutathione reductase, and DT-diaphorase activities. These findings indicate that PB-induced enhancements of the hepatocellular cytoprotective mechanisms collectively compensate for the increased redox cycling mechanism, resulting in a mitigation of the anticipated increased hepatocellular cytotoxicity of menadione.
Semiconductor microcavity laser spectroscopy of intracellular protein in human cancer cells

The speed of light through a biofluid or biological cell is inversely related to the biomolecular concentration of proteins and other complex molecules comprising carbon- oxygen double bonds that modify the refractive index at wavelengths accessible to semiconductor lasers. By placing a fluid or cell into a semiconductor microcavity laser, these decreases in light speed can be sensitively recorded in picoseconds as frequency red-shifts in the laser output spectrum. This biocavity laser equipped with microfluidics for transporting cells at high speed through the laser microcavity has shown potential for rapid analysis of biomolecular mass of normal and malignant human cells in their physiologic condition without time-consuming fixing, staining, or tagging.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
IMF policy advice, market volatility, commodity price rules, and other essays

Abstract The November 1988 conference, held in Pittsburgh, covered an unusually wide range of topics, as the title of the volume suggests. The conference has had long-standing interest in political-economic interaction, the role of institutions, and economic theory and policy. Most of those interests are reflected in this volume.
Chain Dynamics and Viscoelastic Properties of Poly(ethylene oxide)

The chain dynamics and viscoelastic properties of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) were studied covering a wide range of molecular weights and temperatures. Two experimental techniques were used: rheology, in order to study the large scale viscoelastic properties, and neutron spin−echo (NSE) spectroscopy, to investigate the chain dynamics at the molecular level. We aimed to explore the characteristic dynamical parameters of the pure homopolymer system and describe its dependence on the polymer molecular weight and temperature. We will show that, after accounting for the molecular weigth dependence of the glass transition temperature, the dynamics observed for the different molecular weight samples can be consistently described by the Vogel−Tammann−Fulcher (VTF) temperature dependence.
Incorporation of magnetic resonance water-fat separation into MR-guided near-infrared spectroscopy in the breast

Magnetic resonance (MR) guided diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) has shown promise in several case studies in aiding the characterization of breast lesions[1, 2]. It has been proposed that the increased quantification and resolution with a priori structural guidance yields higher diagnostic value in characterizing tumors. To date, these systems have merged MR anatomical recovery with optical contrast recovery. However, the MR has a wealth of spectral and functional data that may aid in further improving lesion characterization by appending both new and overlapping physiological information to optical methods. It has been well documented that spectral recovery of water and lipids is inaccurate with few wavelengths. Yet, recovery of these chromophores is important both because of the possible importance of these as indicators of breast cancer, adema, and inflammation. In addition, crosstalk between water and oxyhemoglobin may lead to erroneous tissue properties, which may affect lesion diagnosis. The use of multiple MR sequences with DOS enables the separation of water and lipids via MRI, and improves recovery of tissue oxygenation and hemoglobin content. However, in most cases, MRI is not a quantitative device; this paper investigates the best reconstruction methods to incorporate this data into the optical reconstruction for quantitatively accurate chromophore recovery in the presence of imperfect MR water/fat separation. Specifically, it investigates whether incorporating water/fat information directly or through a maximum likelihood algorithm yields the optimal solution both in terms of reduced crosstalk between oxyhemoglobin and water, and compares results to having no priori knowledge of water and fat.
Expertise in Tactile Pattern Recognition

This article explores expertise in tactile object recognition. In one study, participants were trained to differing degrees of accuracy on tactile identification of two-dimensional patterns. Recognition of these patterns, of inverted versions of these patterns, and of sub-parts of these patterns was then tested. The inversion effect (better recognition of upright than inverted patterns) and the part-whole effect (better recognition of the whole than a part pattern), traditionally considered signatures of visual expertise, were observed for tactile experts but not for novices. In a second study, participants were trained as visual or tactile experts and then tested in the trained and nontrained modalities. Whereas expertise effects were observed in the modality of training, cross-modal transfer was asymmetric; visual experts showed generalization to haptic recognition, but tactile experts did not show generalization to visual recognition. Tactile expertise is not obviously attributable to visual mediation ...
1-β-d-Arabinofuranosylcytosine and Hydroxyurea Production of Cytotoxic Synergy with cis-Diamminedichloroplatinum(II) and Modification of Platinum-induced DNA Interstrand Cross-Linking

1-β-d-Arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) and hydroxyurea (HU) were investigated as possible inhibitors for the repair of cis -diamminedichloroplatinum(II) (DDP)-induced DNA damage. HU and ara-C were chosen for their known ability to inhibit DNA excision repair following UV irradiation. Work by several groups has suggested that the repair of DDP-induced DNA damage may involve an excision-repair mechanism. The cytotoxic effects of dose, exposure duration, and sequence for the three drugs was studied in a human colon cancer cell line (HT-29) by colony formation assays. Significant synergistic cytotoxicity was seen whether HU + ara-C were given prior to, or following DDP exposure. Cytotoxic synergy was also seen between HU + ara-C themselves. The effect of the combined antimetabolites on the level and persistence of DDP-induced DNA interstrand cross-links was assessed by DNA alkaline elution. These were measured as an indicator of DDP-DNA adduct formation and removal. When HU + ara-C exposure preceded or followed DDP treatment, higher levels of interstrand cross-linking were found at late time points than were seen with DDP alone, suggesting repair inhibition. We conclude that the combination of HU, ara-C, and DDP shows synergistic cytotoxicity, and that this effect may be due in part to inhibition of DDP-induced DNA adduct repair. The concentrations of drugs used in vitro are achievable in humans. On the basis of these results, a Phase I/II clinical trial of the three agents in combination has been initiated.
A Pervasive Millennial-Scale Cycle in North Atlantic Holocene and Glacial Climates

Evidence from North Atlantic deep sea cores reveals that abrupt shifts punctuated what is conventionally thought to have been a relatively stable Holocene climate. During each of these episodes, cool, ice-bearing waters from north of Iceland were advected as far south as the latitude of Britain. At about the same times, the atmospheric circulation above Greenland changed abruptly. Pacings of the Holocene events and of abrupt climate shifts during the last glaciation are statistically the same; together, they make up a series of climate shifts with a cyclicity close to 1470 ± 500 years. The Holocene events, therefore, appear to be the most recent manifestation of a pervasive millennial-scale climate cycle operating independently of the glacial-interglacial climate state. Amplification of the cycle during the last glaciation may have been linked to the North Atlantic's thermohaline circulation.
Neurocognitive Challenges in Brain Tumor Survivors: Is There Anything We Can Do?

Neurocognitive and neuropsychological deficits after treatment of primary and metastatic tumors in the brain are significant, much feared survivorship challenges for a group of patients that is enlarging as treatment effectiveness for primary brain tumors and metastatic cancers improve. When reporting the initial phase II results1 that motivated the phase III trial that accompanies this editorial,2 Shaw et al framed this issue with a quotation from a survivor, Susan Sontag, 16 years after combined-modality therapy: “‘Everything I do is slow. I walk, talk, and think slowly… I still have no short-term memory… Much of the time I can’t even remember the names of relatives and close friends… I am always confused… Because I look normal and often sound normal, people assume I am normal. But I’m not… I get depressed a lot knowing that I will never have my competence back.’ (Sontag Foundation Distinguished Scientists Awards ceremony speech at the Society for Neuro-Oncology Meeting, Toronto, Canada, November 20, 2004.)”2(p1415) Have there been advances in the last decade to address this problem, and does the phase III trial now reported provide evidence that contributes to an appropriate strategy?
DNA hypomethylation and imbalanced expression of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1, 3A, and 3B) in human uterine leiomyoma

Abstract Objective Despite the high prevalence of uterine leiomyoma in women, little is known about the pathophysiology of this tumor. This study intends to define the epigenetic modulation of this tumor. Methods Twenty-three pairs of leiomyomas and their adjacent myometria were collected. Status of DNA global methylation was determined by using DNA methyl acceptance assay and immunohistochemistry staining with 5-methylcytidine antibody. MRNA level of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT1, 3A, and 3B) was assessed by quantitative real time PCR. Results DNA global hypomethylation was detected in the leiomyoma tissues as compared with the adjacent myometria. DNMT1 expression was increased in 47.5% and was equal in 47.5% in leiomyomas compared to the adjacent myometria. On the other hand, over 74% of cases showed decreased expression of DNMT3A and 3B in leiomyomas compared to the adjacent myometria. Conclusion Global hypomethylation and imbalanced expression of DNMTs in uterine leiomyoma suggested a potential mechanism of epigenetic modulation in the development of this tumor.
Preschoolers’ Beliefs About the Stability of Antisocial Behavior: Implications for Navigating Social Challenges

The relation between 3- to 5-year-old children's beliefs about sociomoral stability (the tendency for antisocial behavior to remain stable over time) and their reasoning about peer interactions was examined. Participants were 100 preschoolers enrolled in a Head Start program. Children who endorsed sociomoral stability beliefs were less likely than their peers to make prosocial inferences, were rated by their teachers as less likely to engage in prosocial behavior, and were more likely to endorse the use of aggression to solve conflict with peers. These findings suggest that as early as preschool, children have general patterns of beliefs about the stability of antisocial behavior that predict a tendency to de-emphasize prosocial strategies that can mediate social challenges.
Adhesion receptor expression by CD34+ cells from peripheral blood or bone marrow grafts: correlation with time to engraftment.

Objective This study was undertaken to define the pattern of cell adhesion receptor expression by the CD34 + progenitor cells from mobilized peripheral blood and bone marrow from normal and autologous donors, and to correlate the adhesion receptor profile with time to blood cell recovery for patients undergoing autologous transplant. Methods Blood cell recovery was determined by absolute neutrophil count (>500/μL), time to last red cell transfusion, and platelet count (>50,000/μL and >100,000/μL). The analysis for expression of adhesion receptors α L (CD11a), α 2 (CD49b), α 3 (CD49c), α 4 (CD49d), α 5 (CD49e), α 6 (CD49f), β 1 (CD29), L-selectin (CD62L), ICAM-1 (CD54), PECAM-1 (CD31), HCAM (CD44), and P-selectin (CD62P) was performed by two-color flow cytometry. The Kruskal-Wallis test and Spearman's rank correlation were used for statistical analysis. Results Statistical analysis of adhesion expression by the CD34 + population for patients undergoing autologous transplant demonstrated that the higher percent expression of PECAM-1 correlated with longer time to platelet recovery (>100,000/μL, p = 0.049). In contrast, the higher the percent expression of α 6 ( p = 0.013) and the increased density of expression of α 2 ( p = 0.035), α 3 ( p = 0.023), α 4 ( p = 0.044), β 1 ( p = 0.027), and ICAM-1 ( p = 0.010) correlated with shorter time to platelet recovery. Neutrophil recovery time decreased with increased density of expression of α L ( p = 0.014) and P-selectin ( p = 0.007) receptors. Increased density of expression of CD44 (HCAM) was associated with longer time to red blood cell recovery ( p = 0.05). Conclusion These data suggest that upregulation of specific adhesion receptors or selection of certain cell populations could result in earlier blood cell recovery after transplant.
Validation of selected donor-screening questions: structure, content, and comprehension

BACKGROUND: Donor questioning is an integral component of blood safety, designed to identify and interdict donors considered to be at elevated risk of transfusion-transmissible infection. Questions are frequently added to this screening procedure, but they are rarely evaluated for comprehension. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Seven American Red Cross blood donor history questions were selected for evaluation. Focus groups were conducted using individuals from high school/college, church, business, and other sources, who had never donated blood. Both sexes and various age and racial groups were represented. The donation process and regulatory requirements or guidelines were explained. Participants were asked to consider 1) content, 2) clarity 3) likelihood of asking for more information, 4) suggestions for improvement, and 5) how a need for clarifying information would best be met. RESULTS: Constructive, helpful, and consistent comments obtained might be utilized in revising questions. CONCLUSION: Focus group discussions can be useful in providing guidance for developing screening questions that can be easily understood.
Overexpression of nerve growth factor in the heart alters ion channel activity and β-adrenergic signalling in an adult transgenic mouse

1. The electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of cardiac myocytes from the hearts of adult transgenic mice engineered to overexpress nerve growth factor (NGF) in the heart were studied. 2. There was a 12% increase in the ventricular myocyte capacitance in NGF myocytes consistent with cardiac hypertrophy, and action potential duration at 90% repolarization (APD90) was prolonged by 142 % compared with wild-type (WT) myocytes. This was due, at least in part, to a decrease in the density of two K+ currents, Ito and IK(ur), which were significantly reduced in NGF mice with no change in their electrophysiological characteristics. We found no change in the current density or electrophysiological properties of the L-type Ca2+ current. 3. The effect on Ito and IK(ur) of TEA and 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) was not different in cells isolated from WT and NGF mice. The prolongation of APD observed in NGF cells was mimicked in WT cells by exposure to 1 mM 4-AP, which partially blocked Ito, completely blocked IK(ur) and increased APD90 by 157%. 4. The isoprenaline-induced increase in ICa was significantly smaller in NGF myocytes than in WT myocytes. This was not due to a decrease in beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) density, as this was increased in NGF tissue by 55%. Analysis of beta-AR subtypes showed that this increase was entirely due to an increase in beta2-AR density with no change in beta1-ARs. 5. The response of the beta-AR-coupled adenylyl cyclase system to isoprenaline, Gpp(NH)p and forskolin was studied by measuring cAMP production. In NGF tissue, isoprenaline elicited a significantly smaller response than in WT myoyctes and this was not due to reduced adenylyl cyclase activity as the responses of NGF tissue to guanylylimidodiphosphate (Gpp(NH)p) and forskolin were unaffected. 6. In conclusion, the overexpression of NGF in the mouse heart resulted in a decrease in the current density of two K+ channels, which contributed to the prolongation of the cardiac action potential. Despite an increase in beta2-AR density in the hearts of the NGF mice, the response to isoprenaline was diminished, and this was due to an uncoupling of the beta-ARs from the intracellular signalling cascade. These potentially pathological changes may be involved in the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias in cardiac hypertrophy and failure, and this mouse provides a novel model in which to study such changes.
Carotenoid Formation by Staphylococcus aureus

The carotenoid pigments of Staphylococcus aureus U-71 were identified as phytoene; ζ-carotene; δ-carotene; phytofluenol; a phytofluenol-like carotenoid, rubixanthin; and three rubixanthin-like carotenoids after extraction, saponification, chromatographic separation, and determination of their absorption spectra. There was no evidence of carotenoid esters or glycoside ethers in the extract before saponification. During the aerobic growth cycle the total carotenoids increased from 45 to 1,000 nmoles per g (dry weight), with the greatest increases in the polar, hydroxylated carotenoids. During the anaerobic growth cycle, the total carotenoids increased from 20 nmoles per g (dry weight) to 80 nmoles per g (dry weight), and only traces of the polar carotenoids were formed. Light had no effect on carotenoid synthesis. About 0.14% of the mevalonate-2-14C added to the culture was incorporated into the carotenoids during each bacterial doubling. The total carotenoids did not lose radioactivity when grown in the absence of 14C for 2.5 bacterial doublings. The total carotenoids did not lose radioactivity when grown in the absence of 14C for 2.5 bacterial doublings. The incorporation and turnover of 14C indicated the carotenes were sequentially desaturated and hydroxylated to form the polar carotenoids.
An Analysis of Various Types of Home Energy Audits

The high cost of one of the more expensive versions of the Class A home energy audit prompted a major utility company to examine two questions that have to date received surprisingly little careful attention: (1) Does receiving an audit result in more energy savings than not receiving an audit? (2) Can the energy savings resulting from more expensive versions of the Class A audit be achieved by less expensive versions? Both self-reported conservation behavior data and more objective kilo Watt hour consumption data were collected from subjects over a 12-month period following the audits. These data indicate that the answer to both of these questions is yes.
Purim, Liminality, And Communitas

“Fever is no sickness and Purim is no holiday.” So runs a surprisingly self-reflective proverb concerning the festival of Purim, the strangest Jewish holiday. Ostensibly the celebration of the triumph of the Jews over the wicked Haman described in the Book of Esther, at a popular level something much larger and far more complex is going on. Folk customs throughout history have always transcended the celebration of the triumph of Mordecai and Esther. Elaborate pageants, grotesque masks, drunken revelry, noisemaking, buffoonery, burning of effigies, costume parades, feasts with special delicacies, and every manner of carousing and merrymaking have characterized Purim since rabbinic times. A diverse body of Purim literature has accumulated, including drinking songs, short stories, parodies, and intricate plays.
PET quantification inaccuracy of non-uniform tracer distributions for radiation therapy

The quantitative accuracy of PET has been measured for phantoms containing uniform activity spheres and cylinders, but has never been studied for non-uniformly varying tracer concentration (TC) distributions. For the correct delineation of tumors for radiation therapy (RT) using PET, the combined effect of all PET image degrading factors for realistic cases needs to be known. We investigate PET inaccuracy for a phantom with TC and attenuation varying non-uniformly in one direction. This ID model enables determination of the positional, angular and statistical effects on the quantification accuracy. We simulated a cylindrical uniform TC phantom containing a non-uniform TC insert using the GATE (Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission) Monte Carlo code. The insert is made of thin parallel slabs with different TC, atomic composition and density. The phantom is simulated inside a validated model of the GE Discovery LS PET/CT scanner. The Software for Tomographic Image Reconstruction (STIR) was used to reconstruct the PET images, which were then analyzed by comparing the reconstructed to true TC recovery coefficients. Simulated images with and without attenuation (AC) and scatter and random events included and rejected were analyzed. The results showed that for strongly non-uniform attenuation and adequate statistics, very accurate attenuation, scatter and random corrections are needed to achieve accuracy better than 20% for most voxels, except close to regions with high gradient, where larger differences are seen. Insufficient scatter and random corrections lead to underestimation of the TC in regions with low attenuation. In such cases, tumors in the lung and close to the end of the axial FOV and with low statistics may not be seen. Reliable estimates of the quantification inaccuracy of 3D PET are needed if 3D PET is to be used for tumor segmentation and dose painting for radiation therapy.