cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Outcomes after cataract surgery in eyes with pseudoexfoliation: Results from the Veterans Affairs Ophthalmic Surgery Outcomes Data Project

Abstract Objective To compare clinical outcomes of cataract surgery in eyes with and without pseudoexfoliation (PXF). Design Retrospective deidentified data analysis. Participants A total of 123 PXF and 4776 non-PXF eyes of patients who underwent cataract surgery. Methods We compared data on visual acuity, Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ)-based quality of life, and complications in PXF and non-PXF eyes from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Ophthalmic Surgery Outcomes Data Project across 5 VA medical centres. Results Pupillary expansion devices were used in 31 (25.2%) PXF cases and 398 (8.4%) non-PXF cases ( p p p = 0.02), persistent inflammation (28 [24.1%] vs 668 [14.5%]; p = 0.007), and persistent intraocular pressure elevation (5 [4.3%] vs 68 [1.5%]; p = 0.03). Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved in both groups after 1 month, but 87 (83.7%) PXF cases achieved postoperative BCVA better than or equal to 20/40 compared to 3991 (93.8%) non-PXF cases ( p = 0.0003). There was no significant difference in the postoperative composite VFQ scores between PXF (82.1 ± 16.9) and non-PXF cases (84.2 ± 16.8, p = 0.09). Conclusions Several complications occurred more frequently in the PXF group compared to the non-PXF group, and fewer PXF cases achieved BCVA better than or equal to 20/40. Despite this, both groups experienced similar improvement in vision-related quality of life after cataract surgery.
Fingolimod (Gilenya) and melanoma

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved fingolimod usage for multiple sclerosis in 2010. Melanoma after the usage of fingolimod immunomodulation was reported rarely in clinical trials, and only two case reports exist in the published literature, both occurring in Europe. Most of the incidences reported in clinical trials were in-situ, whereas both case reports were of malignant melanoma. Fingolimod has been found to inhibit metastatic melanoma growth in a mouse model that depends on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced angiogenesis for metastasis. However, there are numerous pathways of angiogenesis and tumour growth found in vivo by which melanoma can expand that do not mandate VEGF. We report a case of superficial spreading malignant melanoma occurring after fingolimod therapy in the USA.
Cross‐layer technique for boosting base‐station anonymity in wireless sensor networks

Summary A wireless sensor network (WSN) principally is composed of many sensor nodes and a single in situ base station (BS), which are randomly distributed in a given area of interest. These sensor nodes transmit their measurements to the BS over multihop wireless paths. In addition to collecting and processing the sensed data, the BS performs network management operations. Because of the importance of the BS to the WSN, it is the most attractive target of attacks for an adversary. Basically, the adversary opts to locate the BS and target it with denial-of-service attack to temporarily or indefinitely disrupt the WSN operation. The adversary can intercept the data packet transmissions and use traffic analysis techniques such as evidence theory to uncover the routing topology. To counter such an attack, this paper presents a novel technique for boosting the BS anonymity by grouping nodes into clusters and creating multiple mesh-based routing topologies among the cluster heads (CHs). By applying the closed space-filling curves such as the Moore curve, for forming a mesh, the CHs are offered a number of choices for disseminating aggregated data to the BS through inter-CH paths. Then, the BS forwards the aggregated data as well so that it appears as one of the CHs. The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed technique in boosting the anonymity of the BS.
The Central Code of the Chemical Senses

The code of neurons of the brain stem nuclei of the taste pathway seems remarkably similar to that of the first-order afferent fibers. The thalamic and cortical representation of taste is as yet terra incognita, but is currently being surveyed.
Comparison of the Effects of a Pharmaceutical Industry Decision Guide and Decision Aids on Patient Choice to Intensify Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Objective. To compare the effects a pharmaceutical industry decision guide and International Patient Decision Aids Standard (IPDAS) compliant patient decision aids (PtDA) on patient medication beli...
I6 Natural product-based protein amyloid inhibitors

Toxic protein amyloid formation has been implicated in more than a dozen protein misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and type 2 diabetes. Currently there are no effective disease-modifying drugs available. One common therapeutic strategy is to discover and develop protein amyloid inhibitors that can slow down, prevent, or remodel toxic amyloids. Natural products are a major class of amyloid inhibitors, and several dozens of natural product-based amyloid inhibitors have been identified and characterized in recent years. Using amyloidogenic proteins amylin, amyloid beta-peptide, and tau as model systems, we screened libraries of natural compounds used in Complementary and Alternative Medicine. We identified multiple potent inhibitors, including rosmarinic acid and baicalein (200 nM and 1 μM respectively in apparent IC 50 ) [1] . These compounds disaggregate amyloidogenic protein fibrils, significantly reduce protein amyloid-induced cytotoxicity and toxic amyloid oligomers in circulating sera and/or cerebrospinal fluid from diseased animal models. Dissecting the functional groups of these compounds, we demonstrated, for the first time to our knowledge, that the vicinal hydroxyl groups of the catechol groups played key functional roles in amyloid inhibition in more than two dozen catechol-containing compounds, including many plant- and fruit-derived flavonoids and other phenolic compounds [2] . Compounds with multiple catechol groups, such as rosmarinic acid, exhibited additive effects. We provided further mass spectrometric evidence that incubating several of these catechol-containing inhibitors with amyloidogenic proteins leads to covalent adducts consistent with Schiff base conjugation mechanism to interfere with toxic amyloid formation. Consistent with forming covalent adducts via the mechanism of quinone intermediates, we demonstrated that many catechol-containing natural products significantly increase amyloid inhibition effects under autooxidation or oxidizing conditions. Lastly, I will discuss our approach to enhance certain natural product solubility/bioavailability by engineering natural compound-incorporating nanoparticles [3] . Acknowledgement This work is in part supported by Virginia Tech new faculty start-up funds, Commonwealth Health Research Board (CHRB), Alzheimer’s and Related Diseases Research Award Fund (ARDRAF) from Virginia Center on Aging, Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation (DAREF), and Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery (VTCDD).
Material and Structural Design of Novel Binder Systems for High-Energy, High-Power Lithium-Ion Batteries

ConspectusDeveloping high-performance battery systems requires the optimization of every battery component, from electrodes and electrolyte to binder systems. However, the conventional strategy to fabricate battery electrodes by casting a mixture of active materials, a nonconductive polymer binder, and a conductive additive onto a metal foil current collector usually leads to electronic or ionic bottlenecks and poor contacts due to the randomly distributed conductive phases. When high-capacity electrode materials are employed, the high stress generated during electrochemical reactions disrupts the mechanical integrity of traditional binder systems, resulting in decreased cycle life of batteries. Thus, it is critical to design novel binder systems that can provide robust, low-resistance, and continuous internal pathways to connect all regions of the electrode.In this Account, we review recent progress on material and structural design of novel binder systems. Nonconductive polymers with rich carboxylic gro...
A multiband ringed rectangular patch antenna

This paper presents a multiband, electrically small patch antenna with dimensions 147.9 mm by 90.4 mm and an inset microstrip feed. The length of this antenna is suited to a 0.5 GHz resonance. The geometry of the patch has been modified from its traditional form by introduction of five 0.6 mm gaps just inside its outer edge. The effect of these gaps is to reduce the highest frequency of resonance from 500 MHz to 446 MHz, and to introduce three additional resonances, at 353 MHz, 389.5 MHz, and 412.5 MHz.
General Systems Methodology and Political Science

As part of an earlier presentation to this congress Cavallo and Klir characterized the situation regarding the role of general systems research with respect to the social sciences. Fundamental to their presentation was an attitude toward epistemology and science which places primary emphasis on the process-related aspects of research and knowledge acquisition rather than on the finished-research-report status accorded to “theory” by many positivist accounts. In this regard their position parallels that of the physicist Werner Heisenberg who perceived that “in the development of natural science [it] will be rather the exception than the rule… [that a] sentence belongs to a closed system of concepts and axioms [Heisenberg 1958].” Their development of the notion of a general systems problem solver (GSPS), which is methodologically oriented, is based on a view also similar to that of a Nobel physicist, Neils Bohr, who argues that “physics is to be regarded not so much as the study of something a priori given, but rather as the development of methods for ordering and surveying human experience [Bohr 1963].”
Pulmonary cuff dysfunction after lung transplant surgery: A systematic review of the evidence and analysis of its clinical implications.

BACKGROUND Pulmonary cuff dysfunction, either due to pulmonary vein obstruction, pulmonary vein stenosis , or pulmonary vein thrombosis, is an uncommon, yet serious complication after lung transplantation . Although there have been numerous reports of its occurrence, there is little consensus regarding the hemodynamic parameters associated with its presentation and diagnostic considerations. This systematic review summarizes the evidence surrounding pulmonary cuff dysfunction after lung transplantation surgery and empirically analyzes its implications. METHODS Databases were examined for all articles and abstracts reporting on pulmonary cuff dysfunction. Data collected included: number of patients studied; patients’ characteristics; incidences of pulmonary vein stenosis and pulmonary vein thrombosis; and timing and imaging modality utilized for diagnosis. RESULTS Thirty-four full-text citations were included in this review. The point prevalence of pulmonary vein stenosis and thrombosis were 1.4% and 2.5%, respectively. The peak pulmonary cuff velocity associated with dysfunction was found to be 1.59 ± 0.66 m/sec. The diameter of the dysfunctional pulmonary vein was noted to be 0.48 ± 0.20 cm. The majority of diagnoses were made in the early post-operative period using transesophageal echocardiography . Overall, 41.3% of patients (26 of 63) required emergent procedural reintervention, and 32% of patients (20 of 63) diagnosed with pulmonary cuff dysfunction died during their hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review underscores the importance of identifying pulmonary cuff dysfunction after lung transplant surgery , and the usefulness of transesophageal echocardiography for detection of this complication. The clinical implications of these results warrant the further development of identification and management strategies for lung transplant patients.
Orchestrating Agile Sprint Reviews in Undergraduate Capstone Projects

This Innovate Practice Full Paper presents an orchestrated way to conducting agile sprint reviews in undergraduate capstone projects. An undergraduate capstone project typically involves a student development team as well as other stakeholders such as faculty advisors and industry mentors. Given that the agile development approach is adopted, a sprint review is conducted at the end of each sprint to demonstrate and critique the features that the development team have completed. Unlike the industrial settings, capstone design students can be challenged when conducting agile sprint reviews. On the one hand, the availability of industry mentors is unpredictable due to their own business commitments and schedules. On the other hand, it is extremely hard to bring all stakeholders together in one meeting. To overcome these difficulties, in our practice we have employed two strategies. First, we used a so-called agile buddy approach which allows each team to acquire an outsider student’s opinion on their system. Second, we adopted a web-based collaboration platform such that students can collect critiques asynchronously from different stakeholders.
Effectiveness of an Intervention Regarding Weight Status of Selected New Mexico Kindergarten Children and their Parent’s Perceptions

The purpose of this study was to analyze pre-existing data of selected kindergarten children in New Mexico regarding the relationship between measured body mass index (BMI) and parents/guardians selfreported perceptions of their child’s weight status. The study is unique because it gives the opportunity to gauge the effectiveness of an intervention that is tailored to a child’s BMI. A total of six districts and 35 schools agreed to participate during this 2004-05 study. A total of 1,480 kindergarten children had their BMI measured by the school nurses. Two instruments were used to conduct the study, a bilingual pre- and post-intervention survey, and the CDC’s gender-specific body mass index for age percentile charts. The intervention materials included only literature for the parent/guardian to read. The largest variation in changes of perception occurred in the borderline categories of at risk of overweight and underweight. On the pre-intervention survey, 10% of the survey respondents accurately described their child as at risk of overweight and increased to 47% on the post- intervention survey. A total of 11% of survey respondents accurately described their child’s weight status as underweight on the pre- intervention survey and this increased to 23% on the post-intervention survey. This study was a seminal attempt to obtain information regarding childhood obesity in the state of New Mexico, particularly among kindergarten children. Interventions regarding childhood obesity should be tailored to the parent/guardian as well as the child. Different interventions are needed for parents/guardians of children in the definitive categories of overweight and normal weight than for those parents/guardians of children who are at risk of overweight and underweight.
PROLONGED HYPERCALCEMIA FROM ANTIBIOTIC-ELUTING CALCIUM SULFATE BEADS.

ABSTRACT Objective: Calcium sulfate beads (CSBs) are biocompatible hydrophilic crystals that are used to deliver local antibiotics in periprosthetic joint infections. Hypercalcemia after placement ...
Patient-Related Risk Factors for Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Systematic Review.

Background: Studies have reported that patient-related factors significantly impact the risk of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting (CINV). The objective of this study was to analyze those risk factors of CINV through a systematic literature review. Methods: We searched MEDLINE to identify articles that addressed patient-related risk factors of CINV through clinical studies. Results: A total of 49 articles were selected for this study. A total of 28 patient-related risk-factors that significantly impact the risk of CINV were documented. Three factors are demographically-related, 17 factors are intrinsic in nature and innate to patient’s physiology or influenced by physiology, and eight factors are extrinsic in nature. At least five studies identified seven risk factors with notable summary odds ratio: history of nausea/vomiting (odds ratio: 3.13, 95% CI 2.40 – 4.07, p<0.05), female sex (odds ratio: 2.79, 95% CI 2.26 – 3.44, p<0.05), expectancy of CINV (odds ratio: 2.61, 95%CI 1.69 – 4.02, p<0.05), younger age (odds ratio: 2.59, 95% CI 2.18 – 3.07, p<0.05), anxiety (odds ratio: 2.57, 95% CI 1.94 – 3.40, p<0.05), history of morning sickness (odds ratio: 1.97, 95% CI 1.46 – 2.65, p<0.05), and low alcohol intake (odds ratio: 1.94, 95% CI 1.68 – 2.24, p<0.05). Conclusions: Oncologists can use these factors prior to the initiation of a chemotherapy regimen to identify patients at risk for CINV, in order to focus on more comprehensive antiemetic treatment options for those high-risk patients. This may enable better outcomes and avoid complications.
Urban predictors of foreign-born PhD clusters

The skilled workforce has taken on increased importance in the modern economy, but mobility of highly skilled workers has largely been studied with a focus on their careers. Thus, less is known abo...
Toward a Block-Based Programming Approach to Interactive Storytelling for Upper Elementary Students

Developing narrative and computational thinking skills is crucial for K-12 student learning. A growing number of K-12 teachers are utilizing digital storytelling, where students create short narratives around a topic, as a means of creating motivating problem-solving activities for a variety of domains, including history and science. At the same time, there is increasing awareness of the need to engage K-12 students in computational thinking, including elementary school students. Given the challenges that the syntax of text-based programming languages poses for even novice university-level learners, block-based programming languages have emerged as an effective tool for introducing computational thinking to elementary-level students. Leveraging the unique affordances of narrative and computational thinking offers significant potential for student learning; however, integrating them presents significant challenges. In this paper, we describe initial work toward solving this problem by introducing an approach to block-based programming for interactive storytelling to engage upper elementary students (ages 9 to 11) in computational thinking and narrative skill development. Leveraging design principles and best practices from prior research on elementary-grade block-based programming and digital storytelling, we propose a set of custom blocks enabling learners to create interactive narratives. We describe both the process used to derive the custom blocks, including their alignment with elements of interactive narrative and with specific computational thinking curricular goals, as well as lessons learned from students interacting with a prototype learning environment utilizing the block-based programming approach.
Integrated Critical Care Curriculum for the Third-Year Internal Medicine Clerkship

Introduction A majority of residents provide care for critically ill patients, yet only a minority of medical schools require ICU rotations. Therefore, many medical students enter residency without...
White matter microstructure shows sex differences in late childhood: Evidence from 6,797 children

Sex differences in white matter microstructure have been robustly demonstrated in the adult brain using both conventional and advanced diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) approaches. However, the effect of sex on white matter microstructure prior to adulthood remains poorly understood, with previous developmental work focusing on conventional microstructure metrics and yielding mixed results. Here we thoroughly and rigorously characterized sex differences in white matter microstructure among over 6,000 children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study who were between 9 and 10 years old. Microstructure was quantified using both the conventional model - diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) - and an advanced model, restriction spectrum imaging (RSI). DTI metrics included fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean, axial, and radial diffusivity (MD, AD, RD). RSI metrics included normalized isotropic, directional, and total intracellular diffusion (N0, ND, NT). We found significant and replicable sex differences in DTI or RSI microstructure metrics in every white matter region examined across the brain. The impact of sex on FA was regionally specific. Across white matter regions, boys exhibited greater MD, AD, and RD than girls, on average. Girls displayed increased N0, ND, and NT compared to boys, on average, suggesting greater cell and neurite density in girls. Together, these robust and replicable findings provide an important foundation for understanding sex differences in health and disease.
Aspectos legales de la deuda pública latinoamericana: la relación con los bancos comerciales

Examina algunos antecedentes historicos de la deuda externa latinoamericana, y el tema de la responsabilidad financiera internacional del Estado, para luego analizar los aspectos juridicos de la deuda actual, generada en el mercado del eurodolar.
Formation and properties of the aminoacyl transfer ribonucleic acid-guanosine triphosphate-protein complex.

Abstract Two transfer factors, designated FIs and FIu, which are required for the guanosine triphosphate-dependent, messenger RNA-directed binding of aminoacyl transfer RNA to ribosomes, are also required for maximal interaction with GTP to form a complex that is retained by a nitrocellulose filter. This complex subsequently interacts with aminoacyl-tRNA to form a second complex that is not retained by a nitrocellulose filter and that can be recovered from the filtrate by gel filtration. This second complex is composed of aminoacyl-tRNA, GTP, and the heat-labile transfer factor, FIu. The GTP moiety of the complex does not exchange with GTP or other guanine nucleotides even at 37°; however, the aminoacyl-tRNA moiety of the complex dissociates and exchanges with other aminoacyl-tRNAs at 25° or 37° but does not rapidly exchange at 0°. At 0° preferential binding of the aminoacyl-tRNA moiety of the complex to ribosomes can be demonstrated in the presence of free aminoacyl-tRNA. These data provide evidence that the aminoacyl-tRNA-GTP-FIu complex is an intermediate in the GTP-dependent binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to ribosomes. The binding of the aminoacyl-tRNA moiety of the complex to ribosomes is inhibited by chlortetracycline but not by deacylated tRNA. In contrast, nonenzymatic binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to ribosomes is inhibited by deacylated tRNA but not by chlortetracycline. The binding of the aminoacyl-tRNA moiety of the complex to ribosomes occurs with the concomitant formation of Pi and a third complex composed of FIu and GDP. This FIu-GDP complex is retained by a nitrocellulose filter but does not appear to be bound to the ribosomal complex.
The Evolution of FMVSS 213: Child Restraint Systems

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213 specifies requirements for child restraint systems used in motor vehicles and was first introduced by the National Highway Safety Bureau in 1971. In 1981, the standard was modified to require dynamic testing of child restraints. Over the following 21 years, Standard No. 213 was modified on numerous occasions, most recently in June of 2003. This paper outlines the history of Standard No. 213 with a discussion of the changes that have been proposed, the comments submitted to NHTSA in response to these proposed changes, and NHTSA's final decision (rule making) regarding which changes to adopt. Detailed discussion is included regarding NHTSA's May 2002 proposal to change the crash pulse, test dummies, injury criteria, and test bench required as part of the dynamic testing. The 2002 proposal also included expansion of the standard to cover child restraints for children weighing up to 65 pounds. Before issuing a final rule, NHTSA reviewed numerous comments from industry, academia, professional societies, special interest groups, and private citizens. In addition, both NHTSA and the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association conducted extensive test programs to evaluate NHTSA's proposed changes to Standard No. 213. In June 2003, NHTSA issued a final rule that adopted the revised crash pulse, test dummies, and test bench. The final rule also adopted the proposal to cover child restraints for children weighing up to 65 pounds. However, the standard did not adopt the proposed modifications to the injury criteria, with the exception of a modification to the way that the head injury criterion (HIC) is calculated. This paper discusses the reasons that NHTSA adopted the modifications to the crash pulse, test dummies, and test bench, yet did not adopt the revised injury criteria.
Enhanced residential building code for tornado safety

AbstractThe EF5 tornado that occurred in Moore, Oklahoma on May 20, 2013, provided a rare opportunity to study the effects of multiple major tornadoes on a single community in a relatively short timeframe. Data collected immediately after the tornado indicate an ordered progressive collapse mechanism for residential wood-frame structures with slightly different progressions for low-pitch and high-pitch roofs. This failure progression indicates that a continuous load path from the roof to the foundation is the most important aspect of design and construction for tornado resistance of residential structures. Performance of homes in a neighborhood constructed using more-robust methods indicates that the damage path caused by an major tornado can be narrowed by improving the overall structural system with a series of relatively simple items. Twelve code modifications proposed by the authors to create a more-robust structural system intended to withstand winds up to 60 m/s (135 mph), or an EF2 rating, are pre...
The Cause of All Paraguayans? Defining and Defending Hydroelectric Sovereignty

Resumen Aunque el Paraguay produce y exporta mas energia hidroelectrica per capita que cualquier otro pais de la region, estos recursos estan colocados en sus fronteras con Argentina y Brasil, complicando asuntos nacionales con complejidades transnacionales. Sectores populares en el Paraguay denotan a las represas binacionales Itaipu (con Brasil) y Yacyreta (con Argentina) como la depredacion imperialista. En la ultima decada, la nacion paraguaya se convirtio en el poseedor de una ‘‘soberania hidroelectrica,’’ que siempre esta amenazada. Expertos en energia de la izquierda han conceptualizado la soberania hidroelectrica como la relacion entre ‘‘nacion’’ y ‘‘territorio" mediada por el "estado,’’ a traves de las luchas populares para recuperar el control de los recursos hidraulicos del Paraguay. Formando parte de una etica de la energia renovable, la soberania hidroelectrica resulta en un nuevo tipo de territorialidad. A traves de la creacion discursiva y civica de la soberania en una campana electoral para ‘‘recuperar la soberania hidroelectrica,’’ muestro como la ‘‘naturaleza’’ y ‘‘nacion’’ han sido cambiados por estructuras politico-economicas y simbolicas que emanan de la hidroelectricidad.
A high energy, small phase-space volume muon beam☆

Abstract The design and performance of a high-momentum, small phase-space volume muon beam is described. The muons are photo-produced by the bremsstrahlung of electrons incident on a thick target. Pion contamination is reduced to 3 × 10 −6 of the muon flux by a 5.5 m beryllium filter placed immediately after the target. The optical system has two stages of momentum analysis to give an almost dispersion free beam, and a final imaging stage to clean up the tails of the beam distribution. Standard BNL 8Q48 and 18D72 magnets are used throughout. At 10 GeV/ c , the beam yields 1.0 × 10 5 μ ± /sec in a phase-space volume of 3 × 10 −3 cm 2 · sterad and a momentum band of ±1.5%.
Quark loop model of vector meson mixing and radiative meson decays

Abstract We consider the one quark loop contributions to ω - φ mixing and radiative meson decays. With three triplets of colored quarks, we obtain a number of relations (some old and some new) which are in excellent accord with experiment.
The cellular nature of confined spherical propane-air flames

Abstract The transitions of initially smooth spherical laminar flames to polyhedral&cellular flames were observed in propaneair mixtures ignited at the center of a 260-mm-diam constant-volume vessel. Experiments were conducted for initital pressure in the range of 200–500 kPa, equivalence ratio in the range of 0.7-1.0, and initial temperature near 300K. Measurements of flame propagation velocity, burning velocity, and cell size are reported. In contrast to most cellular flames reported in the literature, those in this study had stoichiometric or fuel-lean mixture compositions, with the fuel having a diffusivity less than oxygen for diffusion in air. A diffusional-thermal theory, developed by Sivashinsky to include the relative diffusion of reactants, predicts flame stability. The flame Reynolds number at the onset of the cells was found to correlate in a nearly linear manner with the flame expansion ratio. This behavior is in qualitative agreement with theoretical predictions by Istratov and Librovich based on Markstein's first-order perturbation treatment, which considers the flame to be a hydrodynamic discontinuity in the gas density profile. The cellular flames observed in this study are produced by a hydrodynamic instability mechanism.
Selective inhibition of MAO-A, not MAO-B, results in antidepressant-like effects on DRL 72-s behavior.

The effects of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) that selectively inhibit the MAO-A or MAO-B forms of MAO were studied in rats performing under a differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate 72-s (DRL 72-s) schedule of reinforcement. Clorgyline and CGP11′305A, irreversible and reversible MAO-A inhibitors, respectively, increased the reinforcement rate, decreased the response rate, and enhanced temporal discrimination. The irreversible MAO-B inhibitor (−)-deprenyl did not produce similar effects. Pargyline did not increase the reinforcement rate at low doses that selectively inhibit MAO-B, but did increase the reinforcement rate at doses that inhibit MAO-A by more than 90%. The present results are in accord with clinical data demonstrating that MAO-A inhibitors are effective therapeutic agents in treating depression while MAO-B inhibitors are of questionable antidepressant efficacy. The present findings provide further evidence that the DRL 72-s schedule may be useful both as a screen for identifying new antidepressants and for investigating the neurochemical effects of antidepressant drugs that are responsible for their therapeutic effects.
Nerve growth factor mRNA in brain: localization by in situ hybridization

Nerve Growth Factor is a 118 amino acid polypeptide that plays an important role in the differentiation and survival of neurons. The recent discovery that a mRNA that encodes beta Nerve Growth Factor is present in brain suggests that the Nerve Growth Factor gene may not only regulate gene expression of peripheral but also of central neurons. To identify the site(s) of Nerve Growth Factor mRNA production in the brain and to determine which cells express the Nerve Growth Factor gene, the technique of in situ hybridization was employed. A 32P-labeled RNA probe complementary to Nerve Growth Factor mRNA hybridized to cells in the stratum granulosum of the dentate gyrus and the stratum pyramidale of the hippocampus. These observations identify for the first time cellular sites of Nerve Growth Factor gene expression in the central nervous system, and suggest that Nerve Growth Factor mRNA is produced by neurons.
Efficacy of multispecies pheromone lures for Carpophilus davidsoni Dobson and Carpophilus mutilatus Erichson (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)

Orchard experiments were conducted in southern New South Wales to evaluate the efficacy of multispecies pheromone lures in trapping two economically important species of Carpophilus. Captures of Carpophilus davidsoni Dobson and Carpophilus mutilatus Erichson in traps baited with aggregation pheromones of both species or a three-way lure that also included the pheromone of Carpophilus hemipterus (L.) were not significantly different from captures in traps baited with conspecific pheromones. Carpophilus davidsoni and C. mutilatus were cross-attracted to traps baited with the pheromone of the other species, but numbers were significantly reduced compared with traps baited with conspecific or heterospecific pheromones. Multispecies lures will improve prospects for the commercial use of synthetic aggregation pheromones in Carpophilus beetle management in stone-fruit orchards.
Anti-estrogenic effects of conjugated linoleic acid through modulation of estrogen receptor phosphorylation.

We previously showed that conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) can inhibit transcriptional activation mediated by estrogen response elements (EREs) and that this activity can, at least in part, account for the reported anti-tumor effects of these compounds on breast cancer cells. Using estrogen receptor positive (ER+) MCF-7 cells, we now demonstrate that CLA inhibited both the transactivation of artificial reporter constructs driven by canonical EREs, and the expression of endogenous progesterone receptors, a gene which is transcriptionally regulated by estrogen through novel ER-binding sites. This inhibition was accompanied by downregulation of ERα expression and decreased ERα–ERE binding activity. These effects on ERα were not causally linked since transfection of an ERα expression plasmid in MCF-7 cells failed to antagonize CLA downregulation of ERα–ERE binding. Immunoprecipitation/Western blot studies revealed that CLA dose-dependently suppressed the degree of phosphorylation of ERα, a modification known to inhibit receptor–ERE interactions. As a mechanism that may account for this induced dephosphorylation of ERα in MCF-7, we found that CLA specifically stimulated protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity. Experiments using the PP2A inhibitor okadaic acid (OA) showed that OA antagonized both the dephosphorylation effects of CLA on ERα and its inhibition of ERα–ERE binding. These results provide evidence that the anti-estrogenic activity of CLA is caused by inducing the dephosphorylation of ERα through stimulation of PP2A activity.
HO-1-STAT3 axis in mouse liver ischemia/reperfusion injury: regulation of TLR4 innate responses through PI3K/PTEN signaling.

Background & Aims Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), a key mediator of anti-inflammatory cytokine signaling, is essential for heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1)-induced cytoprotection. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/phosphatase and tensin homolog delete on chromosome 10 (PTEN) pathways regulate diverse innate immune responses. This study was designed to investigate the role of STAT3 in the regulation of PI3K/PTEN cascade after HO-1 induction in a mouse model of innate immune-dominated liver ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI). Methods Partial warm ischemia was produced in the left and middle hepatic lobes of C57BL/6 mice for 90min, followed by 6h of reperfusion. Results Mice subjected to Ad-HO-1 transfer were resistant to liver IRI, and this cytoprotective effect correlated with increased intrahepatic PI3K/Akt and diminished PTEN expression. In contrast, mice undergoing adjunctive Ad-HO-1 treatment and STAT3 knockdown (siRNA) remained susceptible to IR-mediated local inflammatory response and hepatocellular damage. Consistent with decreased cell apoptosis and inhibited TLR4 expression after PI3K/Akt activation, treatment with specific PI3k inhibitor increased local inflammation and recreated liver IRI despite Ad-HO-1 gene transfer. Parallel in vitro studies with bone marrow derived-macrophages have confirmed that HO-1–STAT3 axis-induced PI3K/Akt negatively regulated PTEN expression in TLR4-dependent fashion. Conclusions These findings underscore the role of HO-1 induced STAT3 in modulating PI3K/PTEN in liver IRI cascade. Activating PI3K/Akt provides negative feedback mechanism for TLR4-driven inflammation. Identifying molecular pathways of STAT3 modulation in the innate immune system provides the rationale for novel therapeutic approaches for the management of liver inflammation and IRI in transplant patients.
T-tubule formation in cardiacmyocytes : two possible mechanisms?

We have followed the differentiation of transverse (T) tubules and of the associations between sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and either the plasmalemma (peripheral couplings) or the T tubules (dyads) in postnatal rat ventricular myocytes using electron microscopy. Dyads and peripheral couplings are collectively called Ca(2+) Release Units (CRUs) because they are the sites at which Ca(2+) is released from the SR. Profiles of T tubules, caveolae and dyads are mostly at the cell edge in early postnatal days and are found with increased frequency in the cell interior during the first two postnatal weeks. Using ferritin to trace continuity of T tubules lumen with the extracellular space, we find that some of T tubules (between approximately 6 and 25%), either singly or within dyads, lack ferritin in their lumen. The percentage of tubules that do not contain ferritin decreases slightly during postnatal differentiation and is not very different at the cells' edges and interior. We propose that T tubules form as invaginations of the plasmalemma that penetrate inward driven by accrual of membrane lipids and specific proteins. This occurs by a dual mechanism: either by the independent flow of SR and T tubule proteins into the two separate membranes or by the fusion of preformed vesicle tandems into the dyads. Most of the CRUs (approximately 86%) are constituted by peripheral couplings and ferritin containing dyads, thus constituting CRUs in which Ca(2+ )release from the SR is initiated by a membrane depolarization. In the remaining CRUs, activation of Ca(2+) release must be dependent on some other mechanisms.
Compliance during sessions and homework in exposure-based treatment of agoraphobia

The relationship between compliance with cognitive-behavioral treatment instructions and outcome was examined for 56 agoraphobic clients treated with in vivo exposure and training in anxiety management strategies. Clients who complied more often with anxiety management instructions during treatment sessions tended to improve more on a behavioral avoidance test than those who were less compliant, but did not differ on three other outcome variables. Compliance with instructions for self-directed exposure between sessions was examined in a subset of 28 of these Ss. Clients who spent more time doing homework reported significantly greater decrements in fear of fear than less compliant clients and also tended to report larger changes on avoidance behavior. However, a quasi-experimental comparison of homework vs no-homework treatment protocols yielded no difference in outcome. Less compliant clients were more symptomatic pretreatment and rated their therapists as less caring and less self-confident.
Toward More Effective Parent Involvement.

How would you like to get parents more actively involved in your school? Scores of articles have been written, speeches given, and consultants hired in recent years to help schools do just that, involve parents. But working with parents is a little like flossing one's teeth or eating in moderation at Thanksgiving-we know we ought to do it, yet, down deep, we're not so certain we really want to do it. Gorton (1977), a former principal, questioned whether many principals truly wanted parents to become active in school affairs. After all, Gorton concluded, involving parents is a demanding, time-consuming, and, at times, frustrating undertaking. As a case in point, Brown (1977) reported that parent interactions increased from 92 to more than 2400 per year following the establishment of a comprehensive parent involvement program. No matter what we may think about working with parents, there is considerable evidence to support the contention that opening lines of communication with parents pays handsome dividends for everyone-teachers, administrators, parents, and pupils (Lyons, Robbins, & Smith, 1983; Brown, 1977; Cox & Matthews, 1977). In a recent article (Beale, 1982) a three-step planning process for parent involvement was presented. Beginning with defining needs and concluding with an evaluation plan, the process allows you to assess parent involvement activities in terms of their relative ease of implementation in your school. But before parent involvement planning takes place, there are two central questions that must be addressed: (1) Do you and your staff really want parents engaged in school affairs? and (2) Are you and your staff willing to devote the time and energy to see that a meaningful parent involvement program is initiated and followed through with for at least one school year? Only if these two questions receive an unqualified "yes," should you proceed to the planning stage.
Induction of a substrate for casein kinase II during lymphocyte mitogenesis

Abstract Particulate fractions prepared from concanavalin A-activated murine T lymphocytes contain an endogenous protein kinase that phosphorylates an endogenous protein substrate of M r 112000. The phosphorylation of 112 kDa protein is greatly reduced or absent in unstimulated T cells. Phosphoamino acid analysis indicates that 112 kDa protein is labeled on a serine. Add-back experiments using purified protein kinases indicate that 112 kDa protein serves as a substrate for casein kinase II. Phosphorylation of 112 kDa protein by the endogenous kinase is inhibited by heparin, a known casein kinase II inhibitor. The site or sites modified by the endogenous kinase and exogenous casein kinase II appear identical by peptide-mapping experiments. A time-course of the appearance of phosphorylated 112 kDa protein following stimulation with concanavalin A, measured in the presence or absence of added casein kinase II, suggests that 112 kDa protein is induced in activated T cells. Subcellular localization studies suggest that 112 kDa protein is a nuclear protein. Silver-binding and purification studies suggest that 112 kDa protein is of the nucleolar organizing region.
Characterization of uniaxially oriented isotactic polypropylene films using sonic velocity measurements

A simple and useful experimental method has been developed for obtaining shear compliance properties for film samples using sonic velocity measurements at room temperature. In this method, the transmit and receive transducers were aligned in such a way that a shear wave was generated and transmitted through the sample. The method was used to determine the in-plane shear compliance properties of three well characterized uniaxially oriented isotactic polypropylene films with draw ratios of 1.2, 4, and 6 respectively. It was observed that shear velocities at angles 0 through 45° were symmetrical to those from 90 through 45°. Further, as the draw ratio of these film samples increases, the determined sonic shear compliance in the draw direction decreased linearly. In addition to he shear data, the in-plane tensile compliance data were also determined for these three films for comparison. Collectively, these sonic tensile and shear data were analyzed to evaluate the four in-plane material compliance constants, S33, S22, S44, and S23, required to characterize a film in plane stress. Finally, a previously developed two parameter model was used to predict both the shear and tensile sonic modulus properties based on orientation parameters and intrinsic properties of isotactic polypropylene. The predicted properties agreed reasonably well to the experimental data generated for these film samples in spite of the fact that the two parameter model assumes the in-plane shear compliance to be a constant independent of the test angle.
Three-component tracer model for stormflow on a small Appalachian forested catchment

Abstract A three-component 18 O tracer model recognizing contributions of groundwater, soil water and channel precipitation was used to represent stormflow in Fish Run, a small Appalachian Plateau forest stream. The traditional two-component model recognizing “old” and “new” water stormflow sources failed to explain runoff events in Fish Run, often giving “old” water percentages of stormflow exceeding 100%. With the three-component model, channel precipitation contributions were computed from measured throughfall intensity and channel area. Example computations for a low-intensity frontal rainfall event using the three-component model gave stormflow contributions of 0.9% for channel precipitation, 24.1% for soil water and 75% for groundwater. Contributions of soil water to stormflows may explain levels of dissolved aluminum toxic to fish found in several Appalachian Plateau streams.
Relativistic nucleon-nucleus optical model

Abstract A microscopic relativistic optical model is developed and compared with the empirical optical model at low energies.
Plasma sphingomyelin is associated with cognitive progression in Alzheimer's Disease

Plasma sphingolipids have been shown to predict cognitive impairment and hippocampal volume loss, but there is little research in patients with Alzheimer’s disease dementia (AD). In this study we sought to determine whether plasma ceramides, dihydroceramides (DHCer), sphingomyelins (SM), or dihydrosphingomyelin (DHSM) levels and ratios of SM/ceramide or DHSM/DHCer were predictive of progression in AD. Probable AD patients (n=120) were enrolled in the Alzheimer’s Disease and Memory Disorders Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Plasma sphingolipids were assessed using ESI/MS/MS. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the relation between baseline plasma sphingolipid levels and cross-sectional and longitudinal performance on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-Cog), and Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-Sum). Participants were followed a mean of 4.2 visits and 2.3 years. There were no crosssectional associations. In longitudinal analyses, high levels of DHCer and ceramide were associated with greater progression, but findings did not reach significance (p>0.05). In contrast, higher plasma levels of SM, DHSM, SM/ceramide and DHSM/DHCer ratios were associated with less progression on the MMSE and ADAS-Cog; the ratios were the strongest predictors of clinical progression. Compared to the lowest tertiles, the highest tertiles of DHSM/DHCer and SM/ ceramide ratios declined 1.35 points (p=0.001) and 1.19 (p=0.004) less per year on the MMSE and increased 3.18 points (p=0.001) and 2.42 (p=0.016) less per year on the ADAS-Cog. These results suggest that increased SM/ceramide and DHSM/DHCer ratios dose-dependently predict slower progression among AD patients and may be sensitive blood-based biomarkers for clinical progression.