cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
No-cut thoracoscopic lung plication: a new technique for lung volume reduction surgery

Abstract Background: Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) using a linear cutting stapler or laser ablation via median sternotomy or thoracoscopy is a current therapy for symptomatic emphysema. The primary causes of morbidity and mortality (as high as 20%) are existing comorbidities and prolonged air leaks secondary to visceral pleural division. We report a novel technique using minimally invasive techniques designed to achieve volume reduction while preserving the visceral pleura. A novel lung grasper and a knifeless stapler are used to permanently plicate lung tissue without cutting visceral pleura. Study Design: This prospective analysis involves a consecutive series of patients who had LVRS using this method. Between May 1995 and September 1996, 32 patients underwent 50 unilateral, staged bilateral, or bilateral thoracoscopic lung plication procedures. The indications for LVRS were standard; they included severe limiting dyspnea (forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV1] = 0.68 ± 0.05), hyperinflated lungs with flattened diaphragms on chest x-ray, and diffuse emphysema seen on chest computed tomography scan. Ventilation and perfusion scanning was used to identify potential ventilation and perfusion mismatch target areas of lung for plication. Results: The right lung was plicated first in 25 of 32 patients (78%), and upper lobe plications predominated (77%). A mean of 9.3 ± 0.8 staple firings were used for each unilateral plication procedure. There were no perioperative deaths. Two patients (4%) required axillary thoracotomies to repair air leaks. Mean chest tube duration was 6.3 ± 0.5 days. Median hospital stay was 7 days (range 3–15). An Intensive Care Unit stay was required following 8 procedures (17%). Post operative morbidity occurred in 18 (39%) of 46 procedures, including 5 cases of atrial fibrillation and 4 persistent (> 7 days) air leaks. A minimum 2 month followup was available for 22 patients (32 of 46 procedures), demonstrating a clear chest x-ray with significant improvement in ipsilateral diaphragmatic contour. Twelve patients had unilateral reduction, and 10 patients had bilateral reduction in either a staged (n = 7) or sequential at one operation (n = 3) fashion. Twenty-five (78%) of 32 procedures were associated with improved pulmonary function, with a mean increase in FEV1, in patients in this subgroup of procedures, of 43 ± 7% for each ipsilateral plication at a mean followup of 3.8 ± 0.5 months. For the entire group of 32 procedures, the mean improvement in measured FEV1 was 29 ± 7%. Supplemental oxygen requirement was significantly reduced in 9 of 16 patients following plication. Conclusion: These data suggest that minimally invasive surgical techniques coupled with a no-cut lung plication can achieve significant lung volume reduction with favorable postoperative morbidity and mortality. Lung plication appears to hold promise as an alternative technique of LVRS.
Distribution of Cadmium in Human Blood Cultured in Low Levels of CdCI2: Accumulation of Cd in Lymphocytes and Preferential Binding to Metallothionein

Human blood was exposed to low levels of CdCl/sub 2/ (2 x 10/sup -7/ M) in tissue culture. During a 3-day exposure, Cd was accumulated by the blood cells. Erythrocytes incorporated Cd to a level approx. 5-fold greater than the concentration in the growth medium, while lymphocytes accumulated Cd to a cellular concentration approx. 3000-fold greater than that in the culture medium. In erythrocytes, Cd was bound to several macromolecular species, none of which corresponded to the specific, inducible, Cd-binding protein metallothionein.In contrast, most of the Cd in lymphocytes was found associated with a low-molecular-weight macromolecule characteristic of Cd-thionein. On the basis of these studies showing the accumulation of Cd by lymphocytes and the metabolic response of lymphocytes indicated by the sequestering of Cd in metallothionein, it is possible that Cd exposure may alter normal immunocompetence associated with lymphocytes.
Animal model of the univentricular heart and single ventricular physiology.

The univentricular heart complexes are a fairly common and potentially lethal set of congenital cardiac anomalies. Progress in developing new therapeutics has been hampered by a lack of suitable animal models. The authors developed a stable, closed heart preparation to systematically examine potential interventions. Using neonatal piglets (3.5–6.0 kg), a 6-mm PTFE graft was anastomosed end to end to the innominate artery and end to side to the pulmonary artery. An atrial septostomy was made, using a Rashkind septostomy catheter passed transsvenously. With the same catheter, the tricuspid valve was rendered incompetent. Occlusion of the right ventricular outflow tract completed a univentricular circuit. All cardiac output exited from the left ventricle, and pulmonary blood Jow was maintained via the innominate artery-to-pulmonary artery shunt. Pressure transducers measured central venous (mid inferior vena cava), aortic, and pulmonary arterial pressures. Oximetric probes recorded systemic venous and arteri...
Photosynthetic symmetry of sun and shade leaves of different orientations

The photosynthetic responses to light of leaves irradiated on the adaxial or abaxial surfaces, were measured for plants with contrasting leaf orientations. For vertical-leaf species of open habitats (Eryngium yuccifolium and Silphium terebinthinaceum), photosynthetic rates were identical when irradiated on either surface. However, for horizontal-leaf species of open habitats (Ambrosia trifida and Solidago canadensis), light-saturated rates of photosynthesis for adaxial irradiation were 19 to 37% higher than rates for abaxial irradiation. Leaves of understory plants (Asarum canadense and Hydrophyllum canadense) were functionally symmetrical although they had horizontal orientation. Photosynthetic rates were measured at saturating CO2, thus differences in the response to incident irradiance presumably resulted from complex interactions of light and leaf optical properties rather than from stomatal effects. Differences in absorptance (400–700 nm) among leaf surfaces were evident for horizontal-leaf species but the primary determinant of functional symmetry was leaf anatomy. Functionally symmetrical leaves had upper and lower palisade layers of equal thickness (vertical leaves of open habitats) or were composed primarily of a single layer of photosynthetic cells (horizontal leaves of understory habitats). Photosynthetic symmetry of vertical-leaf species may be an adaptation to maximize daily integrated carbon gain and water-use efficiency, whereas asymmetry of horizontal-leaf species may be an adaptation to maximize daily integrated carbon gain and photosynthetic nutrient-use efficiency.
Opportunity recognition, intellectual property rights, barriers to technological adoption and technology entrepreneurship in emerging economies: a multilevel analysis

Our study asks a pertinent question – to what extent does institutional environment moderate the influence of entrepreneurs’ ability to recognise opportunities and their likelihood of entering into technology entrepreneurship? This study suggests that technology entrepreneurs in emerging economies may be deterred by strong intellectual property rights regimes and other barriers to technology adoption. We tested our hypotheses using global entrepreneurship monitor (GEM) survey data on individual-level entrepreneurial behaviours that was complemented with national-level datasets on institutional factors such as the intellectual property rights and barriers to technological adoption. Our results indicate that entrepreneurs’ opportunity recognition at the individual-level may be even more important in contexts where barriers to technological adoption are high. We contribute to a growing literature that treats entrepreneurship as a multi-level phenomenon and that examines the combined influences of individual-centric characteristics and his or her context on individual-level entrepreneurial intentions and behaviours – specifically on engaging in technology entrepreneurship. Overall, our research indicates that the factors that predict technology entrepreneurship in emerging economies may not be the same as those in developed nations.
A generalization of the inspection paradox in an ordinary renewal process

The inspection paradox in an ordinary renewal process is investigated in the very general case of the time dependent problem and arbitrary distribution of inter–renewal times with finite mean and a probability density function
Overview of Venous Disorders

The term venous disorders implies that normal functioning is deranged. To understand the various venous disorders, it is necessary to start with an understanding of the normal anatomy (Table 33-1). The venous system of the lower extremities can be divided, for purposes of understanding, into three systems: the deep venous system, the superficial venous system, and the connecting veins, which are called perforating veins. The principal return of blood flow from the lower extremities is through the deep veins. In the calf, the deep veins are paired and named for the accompanying arteries. Therefore, the anterior tibial, posterior tibial, and peroneal artery are accompanied by their paired veins, which are interconnected. These join to form the popliteal vein, which may also be paired. As the popliteal vein ascends, it becomes the femoral vein.1 Near the groin, this is joined by the deep femoral vein, which becomes the common femoral vein and then the external iliac vein proximal to the inguinal ligament. The superficial venous system of the lower extremities consists of two axial veins, the great and small saphenous veins, and many interconnecting tributaries, the communicating veins.
Symmetry and clustering of symptomatic hand osteoarthritis in elderly men and women: the Framingham Study

Objective. While symmetry and clustering of radiographic hand osteoarthritis (OA) have been described in middle-aged women, these have not been studied in elderly individuals and similar investigations are lacking for symptomatic hand OA. The goal of this study was to study patterns of joint involvement in symptomatic hand OA among elderly Caucasian men and women. Methods. Using data from the Framingham Osteoarthritis Study, we defined a joint as having symptomatic OA if it had symptoms and radiographic OA (Kellgren and Lawrence grade 02). We assessed clustering of symptomatic OA using a x 2 -test and evaluated the interrelationship of occurrence of symptomatic OA among different joints with generalized estimating equations. Results. Of 976 subjects (age 71‐99 yr, 36% men) examined, symptomatic OA more often affected multiple hand joints in an individual than would be expected by chance (P<0.001). The presence of symptomatic OA at a particular joint was strongly associated with symptomatic OA in the same joint of the opposite hand, followed by other joints in the same row of the same hand, and then other joints in the same ray of the same hand. The symmetrical pattern of symptomatic OA was more apparent in women than in men. Conclusion. Our study demonstrates that symptomatic OA often affects multiple hand joints, and is more likely to cluster by row than by ray. The disease also occurs in a remarkably symmetrical pattern, especially in women.
A Role for Uric Acid in the Progression of Renal Disease

ABSTRACT. Hyperuricemia is associated with renal disease, but it is usually considered a marker of renal dysfunction rather than a risk factor for progression. Recent studies have reported that mild hyperuricemia in normal rats induced by the uricase inhibitor, oxonic acid (OA), results in hypertension, intrarenal vascular disease, and renal injury. This led to the hypothesis that uric acid may contribute to progressive renal disease. To examine the effect of hyperuricemia on renal disease progression, rats were fed 2% OA for 6 wk after 5/6 remnant kidney (RK) surgery with or without the xanthine oxidase inhibitor, allopurinol, or the uricosuric agent, benziodarone. Renal function and histologic studies were performed at 6 wk. Given observations that uric acid induces vascular disease, the effect of uric acid on vascular smooth muscle cells in culture was also examined. RK rats developed transient hyperuricemia (2.7 mg/dl at week 2), but then levels returned to baseline by week 6 (1.4 mg/dl). In contrast, RK+OA rats developed higher and more persistent hyperuricemia (6 wk, 3.2 mg/dl). Hyperuricemic rats demonstrated higher BP, greater proteinuria, and higher serum creatinine than RK rats. Hyperuricemic RK rats had more renal hypertrophy and greater glomerulosclerosis (24.2 ± 2.5 versus 17.5 ± 3.4%; P versus 1.52 ± 0.47; P in vitro studies, cultured vascular smooth muscle cells incubated with uric acid also generated COX-2 with time-dependent proliferation, which was prevented by either a COX-2 or TXA-2 receptor inhihbitor. Hyperuricemia accelerates renal progression in the RK model via a mechanism linked to high systemic BP and COX-2-mediated, thromboxane-induced vascular disease. These studies provide direct evidence that uric acid may be a true mediator of renal disease and progression.
Formalin injection causes a coordinated spinal cord CO/NO-cGMP signaling system response

Background The CO/NO-cGMP signalling system participates in the regulation of many physiological processes. The roles this system plays in spinal cord nociceptive signalling are particularly important. While individual components have been examined in isolation, little study has been dedicated to understanding the regulation and functioning of the system as a whole.
Sapping processes and the development of theater-headed valley networks on the Colorado Plateau

Ground-water sapping is an erosional process that produces landforms with unique characteristics. Sapped drainage systems differ in morphology, pattern, network spatial evolution, rate of erosion, and degree of structural control from their fluvial counterparts. Investigation of deeply entrenched theater-headed valleys in the Glen Canyon region of the Colorado Plateau indicates that ground-water sapping is the predominant mechanism of growth. The canyons occur in the Navajo Sandstone, a highly transmissive aquifer underlain by essentially impermeable rocks. Within this formation, two populations of valleys with markedly different features are identified. The first group exhibits theater heads: longitudinal profiles with high, step-like discontinuities and commonly asymmetric, structurally controlled patterns. The second group is characterized by tapered terminations; a relatively smooth, concave-up profile; and a more arborescent network. Because the valleys have developed under the same lithologic, stratigraphic, and climatic conditions, the differences in form are attributed primarily to structural constraints that determine the relative effectiveness of overland-flow and ground-water (sapping) processes. Of particular importance is the dip direction of the beds relative to that of valley growth, inasmuch as this relationship controls the occurrence and distribution of ground-water seepage at valley walls. Laterally flowing ground water also exploits fractures at depth, so that the drainage pattern of theater-headed valleys reflects that of the regional jointing pattern. Martian valleys exhibit numerous morphologic similarities to canyons formed in the Navajo Sandstone. These include theater-shaped heads, nearly constant width from source to outlet, high and steep sidewalls, hanging outlets, and a large degree of structural control. Although the constituent materials, scale, climate, structure, and ground-water conditions of Mars cannot be replicated in any Earth analog, the striking similarities in form suggest that the gross geomorphic processes may be similar and that sapping processes have operated to create the Martian valleys.
The Biology of Balanus balanoides. IV. Relation to Environmental Factors

1. Vertical traverses down the shore were worked at four localities in the Isle of Man, with varying degrees of wave-exposure, for which factor a coefficient is given.2. The upper limit of distribution is high water neaps in a sheltered place, and up to high water of extreme spring tides at greater waveexposure. The lower limit similarly drops with increasing exposure.3. Barnacles are largest and most abundant in a wave-exposed locality. The effect of wave-exposure may be reproduced by a current.4. In sheltered localities the optimum level for growth, mean size, etc., is at low water for newly settled barnacles, but moves progressively up to high water as they grow older. In a very exposed situation, however, the optimum is always at low water.5. In an exposed situation the gonads mature in their first year below about half-tide level, and in their second year above this level. With decreased wave-exposure the age of maturation rises, especially at high water until in a very sheltered place few barnacles mature at all.
In-Situ Surface Observation of C-Axis Oriented YBa2Cu3O7-x Thin Films by Leed, XPS and ISS

In an ultra-high vacuum equipment, YBa2CU3O7-x (YBCO) thin films were deposited by the ozone-assisted co-evaporation method and their surfaces were investigated by LEED, XPS and ISS without breaking the vacuum. A LEED pattern was observed for the first time at an as-deposited surface. A clean, crystalline and superconducting surface was preserved to the top of the film. Only Cu atoms were detected at the first monolayer by ISS, suggesting that clean surfaces are stabilized by Cu-O layers.
Reliable mobicast via face-aware routing

This paper presents a novel protocol for a spatiotemporal variant of multicast called mobicast, designed to support message delivery in ad hoc sensor networks. The spatiotemporal character of mobicast relates to the obligation to deliver a message to all the nodes that will he present at time t in some geographic zone Z, where both the location and shape of the delivery zone are a function of time over some interval (t start, tend). The protocol, called face-aware routing (FAR), exploits ideas adapted from existing applications of face routing to achieve reliable mobicast delivery. The key features of the protocol are a routing strategy, which uses information confined solely to a node's immediate spatial neighborhood, and a forwarding schedule, which employs only local topological information. Statistical results shows that, in uniformly distributed random disk graphs, the spatial neighborhood size is usually less than 20. This suggests that FAR is likely to exhibit a low average memory cost. An estimation formula for the average size of the spatial neighborhood in a random network is another analytical result reported in this paper. This paper also presents a novel and low cost distributed algorithm for spatial neighborhood discovery
Electron microscope studies of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase in rat liver cell.

Liver tissue of the rat, fixed in glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde, was incubated in a medium which consisted of 20 mM L-aspartic acid, 2 mM α-ketoglutaric acid, 50 mM imidazole and 6 mM lead nitrate at pH 7.2–7.4. The electron-opaque precipitates, due to glutamic oxalacetic transaminase activity in liver cells, were found to be localized to the cristae and surface membranes of the mitochondria, the limiting membrane of the microbodies, and the nuclear membrane. Sucrose storage and trauma resulted in altered morphology and diminished final product intensity in mitochondria, but the microbody enzyme activity disappeared completely under these conditions. These distinctive responses of enzymatic activity are considered to indicate a difference in either the enzyme protein or its membrane attachment to these two sites. The use of a buffered dehydrating ethanol series to prepare tissue blocks for electron microscopy appeared to result in more precise intracellular localization of enzymatic reaction product.
Geminin has dimerization, Cdt1-binding, and destruction domains that are required for biological activity

Geminin is an unstable regulatory protein that affects both cell division and cell differentiation. Geminin inhibits a second round of DNA synthesis during S and G(2) phase by binding the essential replication protein Cdt1. Geminin is also required for entry into mitosis, either by preventing replication abnormalities or by down-regulating the checkpoint kinase Chk1. Geminin overexpression during embryonic development induces ectopic neural tissue, inhibits eye formation, and perturbs the segmental patterning of the embryo. In order to define the structural and functional domains of the geminin protein, we generated over 40 missense and deletion mutations and tested their phenotypes in biological and biochemical assays. We find that geminin self-associates through the coiled-coil domain to form dimers and that dimerization is required for activity. Geminin contains a typical bipartite nuclear localization signal that is also required for its destruction during mitosis. Nondegradable mutants of geminin interfere with DNA replication in succeeding cell cycles. Geminin's Cdt1-binding domain lies immediately adjacent to the dimerization domain and overlaps it. We constructed two nonbinding mutants in this domain and found that they neither inhibited replication nor permitted entry into mitosis, indicating that this domain is necessary for both activities. We identified several missense mutations in geminin's Cdt1 binding domain that were deficient in their ability to inhibit replication yet were still able to allow mitotic entry, suggesting that these are separate functions of geminin.
Necessary and sufficient conditions for robust H/sub 2/ performance

An exact condition is obtained for worst-case H/sub 2/ performance analysis of a system under structured uncertainty. This test is a convex feasibility condition across frequency, of the same nature and computational complexity as the corresponding conditions for H/sub /spl infin// performance.
Evaluation of C4d staining in liver and small intestine allografts.

Abstract Context.—Antibody-mediated humoral rejection in kidney and heart allografts is well recognized and is often associated with poor outcome. C4d deposition in allograft biopsy specimens occurs at sites of antibody-mediated complement activation and has become one of the histopathologic criteria for diagnosis of humoral rejection in the kidney and the heart. Objective.—To study immunohistochemical C4d staining as a potential diagnostic marker in liver and small intestine allograft biopsy specimens. Design.—Thirty-six small intestine and 71 liver specimens, including native specimens, allografts with and without histologic features of acute cellular rejection, and explants, were stained with antisera to C4d using an immunohistochemical method on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. Results.—In small intestine, C4d labeled capillaries in 27% of cases with no evidence of rejection, 36% of cases with evidence of acute rejection, and 2 (28%) of 7 specimens of native normal small intestine. In liver a...
Learner responsibility in management education, or ventures into forbidden research (with comments)

Formal education can be improved by transferring responsibility from the teacher to the learner. A simple approach to this is the time contract. Time contracts have been used successfully in nine quasi-experiments but, despite these successes, some educators see this as subversive research.
Neurocognition in patients with brain metastases treated with radiosurgery or radiosurgery plus whole-brain irradiation: a randomised controlled trial.

Summary Background It is unclear whether the benefit of adding whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) to stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for the control of brain-tumours outweighs the potential neurocognitive risks. We proposed that the learning and memory functions of patients who undergo SRS plus WBRT are worse than those of patients who undergo SRS alone. We did a randomised controlled trial to test our prediction. Methods Patients with one to three newly diagnosed brain metastases were randomly assigned using a standard permutated block algorithm with random block sizes to SRS plus WBRT or SRS alone from Jan 2, 2001, to Sept 14, 2007. Patients were stratified by recursive partitioning analysis class, number of brain metastases, and radioresistant histology. The randomisation sequence was masked until assignation, at which point both clinicians and patients were made aware of the treatment allocation. The primary endpoint was neurocognitive function: objectively measured as a significant deterioration (5-point drop compared with baseline) in Hopkins Verbal Learning Test–Revised (HVLT-R) total recall at 4 months. An independent data monitoring committee monitored the trial using Bayesian statistical methods. Analysis was by intention-to-treat. This trial is registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00548756. Findings After 58 patients were recruited (n=30 in the SRS alone group, n=28 in the SRS plus WBRT group), the trial was stopped by the data monitoring committee according to early stopping rules on the basis that there was a high probability (96%) that patients randomly assigned to receive SRS plus WBRT were significantly more likely to show a decline in learning and memory function (mean posterior probability of decline 52%) at 4 months than patients assigned to receive SRS alone (mean posterior probability of decline 24%). At 4 months there were four deaths (13%) in the group that received SRS alone, and eight deaths (29%) in the group that received SRS plus WBRT. 73% of patients in the SRS plus WBRT group were free from CNS recurrence at 1 year, compared with 27% of patients who received SRS alone (p=0·0003). In the SRS plus WBRT group, one case of grade 3 toxicity (seizures, motor neuropathy, depressed level of consciousness) was attributed to radiation treatment. In the group that received SRS, one case of grade 3 toxicity (aphasia) was attributed to radiation treatment. Two cases of grade 4 toxicity in the group that received SRS alone were diagnosed as radiation necrosis. Interpretation Patients treated with SRS plus WBRT were at a greater risk of a significant decline in learning and memory function by 4 months compared with the group that received SRS alone. Initial treatment with a combination of SRS and close clinical monitoring is recommended as the preferred treatment strategy to better preserve learning and memory in patients with newly diagnosed brain metastases. Funding No external funding was received.
Use of random-sequence riboflavin as a marker of medication compliance in chronic schizophrenics

Abstract Adherence to prescribed medications is believed to be a major problem in medicine. However, actual medication taking behaviour is rarely measured as no reliable objective measures of adherence are available. 50 mg of riboflavin administered at night could be reliably detected in urine, under UV light, for the next 18–24 h. The ability of 20 schizophrenic outpatients to adhere to a once-a-night dosage was studied by dispensing riboflavin or placebo in a random sequence and testing the urine for UV flourescence the next day. The majority of patients (80%) had errors between 40–80% of the times tested. Only age and sex predicted the level of adherence. Clinicians were very poor predictors of the error rates in their patients.
Early components of the averaged electroencephalic response to constant level clicks during rapid eye movement sleep.

The early components of the averaged electroencephalic response (AER) were elicited by click stimuli from each of four subject during completed night of nature sleep. Clicks were presented from a loudspeaker 50 dB above the subject's voluntary threshold at a rate of 4.5/sec continuously throughout the night. Response obtained during sleep stages 2, 3, and 4 were pooled and compared to the responses obtained during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep for each subject. Statistically significant peak-to-peak amplitude difference scores were only obtained for the Pa and Nb peaks. The largest differences, with shorter REM latencies in both cases, were 1.5 msec for Pa and 4.5 msec for Nb. Thus a similar pattern for the early components of the AER was found during REM and non-REM (NREM) sleep. Therefore, the clinical usefulness of the early components was not diminished during stage REM sleep.
Stability of networked control systems

First, we review some previous work on networked control systems (NCSs) and offer some improvements. Then, we summarize the fundamental issues in NCSs and examine them with different underlying network-scheduling protocols. We present NCS models with network-induced delay and analyze their stability using stability regions and a hybrid systems technique. Following that, we discuss methods to compensate network-induced delay and present experimental results over a physical network. Then, we model NCSs with packet dropout and multiple-packet transmission as asynchronous dynamical systems and analyze their stability. Finally, we present our conclusions.
Silicon-chip-based single-shot ultrafast optical oscilloscope

We demonstrate a single-shot ultrafast optical oscilloscope using a four-wave-mixing-based parametric temporal lens integrated on a CMOS-compatible silicon photonic chip. Experimentally, we demonstrate waveform measurement with a 100-ps record length and sub-picosecond resolution.
A Multi-modal User Interface for Agent Assistant Systems

An agent structure is presented for communication between users and agent systems through multiple communication modes. Two application systems are also presented; and e-mail monitoring system for keeping track of the user's e-mail while the user is away from the office, and a web-based event monitoring system for monitoring events such as weather alerts.
P3D: a Lisp-based format for representing general 3D models

The primary design goal for P3D has been to produce a metafile format which can support the needs of scientific visualization while remaining compatible with a wide range of common renderers. To this end, rendering features which are available on only a few renderers and cannot easily be emulated have been excluded from P3D. P3D is based on the Common Lisp programming language with a small number of extensions for the description of geometry. The programmability of P3D greatly eases the task of adapting existing model generators to produce P3D, in the same fashion that the programmability of the Postscript page description language eases the task of modifying code to generate Postscript. Further, programmability allows knowledge of the particular scientific domain of the model to be incorporated into the metafile. This method provides easy representation of directed acyclic graphs and complete programmability to facilitate interfaces to new model generators, without the introduction of a new and unfamiliar language. >
Dysregulation of Norepinephrine Release in the Absence of Functional Synaptotagmin 7

Synaptotagmin 7 (Syt7) is expressed in cardiac sympathetic nerve terminals where norepinephrine (NE) is released in both Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis and Ca(2+)-independent norepinephrine transporter (NET)-mediated overflow. The role of Syt7 in the regulation of NE release from cardiac sympathetic nerve terminals is tested by employing a Syt7 knock-in mouse line that expresses a non-functional mutant form of Syt7. In cardiac sympathetic nerve terminals prepared from these Syt7 knock-in mice, the Ca(2+)-dependent component of NE release was diminished. However, these terminals displayed upregulated function of NET (∼130% of controls) and a significant increase in Ca(2+)-independent NE overflow (∼140% of controls), which is greater than the Ca(2+)-dependent component of NE exocytosis occurring in wild-type controls. Consistent with a significant increase in NE overflow, the Syt7 knock-in mice showed significantly higher blood pressures compared to those of littermate wild-type and heterozygous mice. Our results indicate that the lack of functional Syt7 dysregulates NE release from cardiac sympathetic nerve terminals.
Therapeutic Group Approaches in Community Mental Health

■ In the face of a thriving increase in the use of a variety of group approaches in mental health programs, there is an urgent need for conceptual and methodological clarity. This paper outlines a classification system for group treatment modalities that is linked to client needs and allows for interaction patterns on different depth levels. ■ The disquieting symptoms of personal and social pathology characteristic of this "age of alienation" remind us again of the im portance of the small group as a source of sustenance and gratification for the indi vidual. From the standpoint of community mental health theory, an essential compo nent of any person's social and psycholog ical functioning resides in a meaningful reciprocal relationship between him and at least one, if not a number, of relatively stable groups. Whether one chooses to conceptualize this in Erikson's terms of individual and group identity, in Freudian terms of identification and object rela
Comparisons of Ci Poetry by Shi Da-zu and Gao Guan-guo

A comparison is made of the ci poetry by Shi Da-zu and Gao Guan-guo.It is thought that the two's ci poetry concerning the depiction of things is more or less the same,that Gao's ci poetry concerning the lyric topics is inferior to that by Guo,that Gao's ci poetry concerning the love topics is far inferior to that by Guo.The two's ci poetry all focus very much on syntax,and they all tend to compose poetry in an earnest manner.
Atomic Absorption Method of Lead Determination in Chewing Gum by Lixiviation

The lead determination in chewing gum was improved by ameliorating sample prepation by using HNO3-H2O2 lixiviation solution with less matrix interference.The standard recovery of determination is 95.2%～110.3% fortified at three levels.The coefficient of variation is 1.8%(n=8).Aanlyzed by using t-test method,the result obtained by the improved method has no significant difference with that of national standard method.
CTCF and CohesinSA-1 Mark Active Promoters and Boundaries of Repressive Chromatin Domains in Primary Human Erythroid Cells.

Background CTCF and cohesinSA-1 are regulatory proteins involved in a number of critical cellular processes including transcription, maintenance of chromatin domain architecture, and insulator function. To assess changes in the CTCF and cohesinSA-1 interactomes during erythropoiesis, chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high throughput sequencing and mRNA transcriptome analyses via RNA-seq were performed in primary human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) and primary human erythroid cells from single donors. Results Sites of CTCF and cohesinSA-1 co-occupancy were enriched in gene promoters in HSPC and erythroid cells compared to single CTCF or cohesin sites. Cell type-specific CTCF sites in erythroid cells were linked to highly expressed genes, with the opposite pattern observed in HSPCs. Chromatin domains were identified by ChIP-seq with antibodies against trimethylated lysine 27 histone H3, a modification associated with repressive chromatin. Repressive chromatin domains increased in both number and size during hematopoiesis, with many more repressive domains in erythroid cells than HSPCs. CTCF and cohesinSA-1 marked the boundaries of these repressive chromatin domains in a cell-type specific manner. Conclusion These genome wide data, changes in sites of protein occupancy, chromatin architecture, and related gene expression, support the hypothesis that CTCF and cohesinSA-1 have multiple roles in the regulation of gene expression during erythropoiesis including transcriptional regulation at gene promoters and maintenance of chromatin architecture. These data from primary human erythroid cells provide a resource for studies of normal and perturbed erythropoiesis.
Sheehan's syndrome

Sheehan's syndrome, or postpartum pituitary necrosis, is rarely seen today, but it may occur in women who have more difficult deliveries. The syndrome may be subclinical in some patients and may manifest only if these patients are stressed. Diagnosis is based on laboratory studies, including hormone levels and hormone stimulation tests. Replacement hormone therapy, with careful follow-up of laboratory and clinical results, is the treatment.
Practitioner views on the core functions of coaching in the implementation of an evidence-based intervention in child welfare

Abstract Despite coaching being identified as an important implementation strategy, scant information is available on the core functions of coaching, and few empirical studies are specific to coaching in the child welfare setting. This study explored practitioners' perceptions of the core functions of coaching by using semi-structured focus groups with coaches (n = 13) and interviews with coachees (n = 11) who were delivering Parent Management Training, Oregon (PMTO) model to families of children in foster care. Four themes were identified as the core functions of coaching: (1) supporting practitioners via strengths-oriented feedback; (2) promoting skill-building via collaboration and active learning strategies; (3) problem-solving for appropriate use and adaptation of the EBI with real-world cases, and (4) providing an accountability mechanism for high fidelity implementation. Collectively, this study's findings build knowledge on the core functions of coaching, which may be a critical strategy for integrating evidence-based interventions (EBI) into usual practice in child welfare settings. The findings suggest that this implementation strategy is more than a simple extension of training. Coaching was viewed as vital for supporting practitioners full adoption of the intervention in their day-to-day practice, fitting an EBI to the complex needs of child welfare families, and ensuring high-quality implementation. Also identified were some unique aspects of PMTO coaching, such as a strict strengths-orientation and observation-based feedback via mandatory video recordings of client sessions. Further research is needed to explore different coaching techniques, protocols, and formats to examine whether certain features promote a more effective path to implementation and, ultimately, client outcomes.
Temporal organization of extinction-induced responding in preschool children

Six preschool children were placed individually in an experimental room for 10 to 14 daily 15-min sessions with a mechanical marble-dispensing clown and a toy punching bag. In each of two parts of the study, marbles were dispensed on a schedule consisting of 96-s periods of fixed-time 12-s marble delivery alternating with 96-s nonreinforcement periods (multiple fixed-time/extinction schedule). During nonreinforcement periods, five of the children hit or shook the punching bag (aggression) two to ten times more often than they did during the marble delivery periods. For four of the six children, the amount of bag punching formed a bimodal function with the least amount of responding at the very beginning, middle, and end of the nonreinforcement components. In the second part of the study, the addition of an audible discriminative stimulus during marble delivery periods for two subjects resulted in a decreased rate of responding during the first 12 s of marble delivery as compared to the rate of the children who did not have the tone stimulus. These results provide an expanded basis for the comparison of human and nonhuman extinction-induced behavior by describing the probability of human extinction-induced behavior across time and demonstrating the suppressive effects on extinction-induced responding of a stimulus correlated with reinforcement.
Volcanism and sedimentation along the western margin of the Rio Grande rift between caldera-forming eruptions of the Jemez Mountains volcanic field, north-central New Mexico, USA

Abstract The Cerro Toledo Formation (CTF), a series of intracaldera rhyolitic dome complexes and their associated extracaldera tephras and epiclastic sedimentary deposits, records the dynamic interplay between volcanic, tectonic, and geomorphic processes that were occurring along the western margin of the Rio Grande rift between major caldera-forming eruptions of the Bandelier Tuff 1.65–1.26 Ma. The Alamo Canyon and Pueblo Canyon Members differ significantly despite deposition within a few kilometers of each other on the Pajarito Plateau. These differences highlight spatial distinctions in vent sources, eruptive styles, and depositional environments along the eastern side of the Jemez Mountains volcanic field during this ca. 400,000 year interval. Intercalated pyroclastic fall deposits and sandstones of the Pueblo Canyon Member reflect deposition with a basin. Thick Alamo Canyon Member deposits of block-and-ash-flow tuff and pyroclastic fall deposits fill a paleovalley carved into coarse grained sedimentary units reflecting deposition along the mountain front. Chemistry and ages of glass from fall deposits together with clast lithologies of sedimentary units, allow correlation of outcrops, subsurface units, and sources. Dates on pyroclastic fall deposits from Alamo Canyon record deep incision into the underlying Otowi Member in the southern part of the Pajarito Plateau within 100 k.y. of the Toledo caldera-forming eruption. Reconstruction of the CTF surface shows that this period of rapid incision was followed by aggradation where sediments largely filled pre-existing paleocanyons. Complex sequences within the upper portion of the Otowi Member in outcrop and in the subsurface record changes in the style of eruptive activity during the waning stages of the Toledo caldera-forming eruption.
Barcoding spindles and decorating whorls: How weavers marked their property at Cerro Azul, Peru

Spindles with painted “barcodes” provide new information on weavers at Cerro Azul (Valley of Canete). Sets of identically barcoded spindles are often found in a specific workbasket, making it likely that each woman coded some of her personal property. At Cerro Azul, identically barcoded spindles occur in mummy bundles, workbaskets, open-air work spaces, storage bins, and a brewery. The juxtaposition of spinning, weaving, and brewing in one work space suggests Late Intermediate behavior anticipated the aklla—an Inca institution requiring “chosen women” to weave cloth and brew beer. The Inca presumably reconfigured this behavior so that it could be administered at an imperial level, rather than the level of the residential compound as at Cerro Azul (A.D. 1000–1470).
An approach for identifying the causes of benthic degradation in Chesapeake Bay

We developed an index to differentiate between low dissolved oxygen effects and sediment contamination effects for sites classified as degraded by the Chesapeake Bay Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (B-IBI), using discriminant analysis. We tested 126 metrics for differences between sites with low dissolved oxygen and sites with contaminated sediments. A total of 16 benthic community metrics met the variable selection criteria and were used to develop a discriminant function that classified degraded sites into one of two stress groups. The resulting discriminant function correctly classified 77% of the low dissolved oxygen sites and 80% of the contaminated sites in the validation data.
A Review of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Long-Term Care Facilities

ABSTRACTPast research fails to make connections comparing appropriate settings for the benefits of different species of therapy and resident animals in long-term care facilities specifically for the elderly. Two types of animal-assisted interactions (therapy and resident) and four animal species (birds, cats, dogs, and fish) were compared. The findings were sorted into five categories of benefits (behavioral, mental, physical, physiological, and social) and three additional structural variables (affordability, accessibility, and cons). Appropriate activities for each species were also suggested. The review revealed it is important for the facility to consider its budget, number and ailments of residents, type of preferred accessibility, and preferred goal. By being aware of different characteristics of each animal species, such as benefits and affordability, facilities would be able to make an informed decision when considering which animal-assisted intervention would be an appropriate fit for their resid...
A protean clamp guides membrane targeting of tail-anchored proteins.

Proper localization of proteins to target membranes is a fundamental cellular process. How the nature and dynamics of the targeting complex help guide substrate proteins to the target membrane is not understood for most pathways. Here, we address this question for the conserved ATPase guided entry of tail-anchored protein 3 (Get3), which targets the essential class of tail-anchored proteins (TAs) to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy showed that, contrary to previous models of a static closed Get3•TA complex, Get3 samples open conformations on the submillisecond timescale upon TA binding, generating a fluctuating “protean clamp” that stably traps the substrate. Point mutations at the ATPase site bias Get3 toward closed conformations, uncouple TA binding from induced Get3•Get4/5 disassembly, and inhibit the ER targeting of the Get3•TA complex. These results demonstrate an essential role of substrate-induced Get3 dynamics in driving TA targeting to the membrane, and reveal a tightly coupled channel of communication between the TA-binding site, ATPase site, and effector interaction surfaces of Get3. Our results provide a precedent for large-scale dynamics in a substrate-bound chaperone, which provides an effective mechanism to retain substrate proteins with high affinity while also generating functional switches to drive vectorial cellular processes.
Securing extraocular muscles in strabismus surgery: laboratory analysis of biomechanical parameters related to the suture

Purpose To investigate the tensile properties of several components used to secure extraocular muscle to sclera in strabismus surgery to determine potential failure points. Methods A digital force gauge measured the tensile strength of intact or damaged 6-0 Vicryl suture (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ), as well as threads tied in a 2-1-1 or 2-1-1-1 surgeon's knot configuration. Human sclera was used to test the resistance to drag of knotted and unknotted 6-0 Vicryl suture thread through partial thickness sclera. Mean values were compared using a t test. Results The mean tensile strength of 6-0 Vicryl suture was 623.5 g, but it was markedly reduced by damage from the needle (P Conclusions Although 6-0 Vicryl possesses adequate tensile strength for muscle fixation, thread damage from a needle or needle holder may cause serious losses in tensile strength. Knot-breaking strength is not significantly increased by adding a fourth throw. Frictional forces of the scleral tunnel are not sufficient to provide muscle stabilization, but the presence of a knot can provide substantial resistance to suture slip into the scleral tunnel.
Review: In suspected influenza, some rapid tests have high sensitivity and high specificity for detecting infection.

Source Citation Merckx J, Wali R, Schiller I, et al. Diagnostic accuracy of novel and traditional rapid tests for influenza infection compared with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction: ...