cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultrasonic agglomeration of model flour systems: Process parameter-product physico-thermal property relationships

Ultrasonic compression was applied to wheat flour to create an agglomerated and compacted model food system. This novel process combines physical compression with ultrasonic vibration to permanently weld particles together, thereby producing a robust compact. Fundamental relationships among operating parameters, energy imparted to the specimens, and physical properties of the agglomerated products were developed. Integrated agglomeration energy was determined to be a linear function of percent maximum horn amplitude and ultrasonication time, and integrated energy in turn influenced product physical properties, such as density and fracture strength, in highly significant linear relationships. Microscopic, computer tomographic, and differential scanning calorimetric analyses confirmed progressive compaction of and thermal stability changes in the flour matrix with increased processing energy. Specimens agglomerated at higher energy levels were furthermore demonstrated to have higher fracture strength than conventionally (pressure-only) compressed specimens despite similar densities, due to the robust interparticle bridging produced by agglomeration. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Ultrasonic agglomeration represents a potential improvement over standard compression in the manufacturing of meal-supplementing energy bars. Ultrasonic agglomeration effectively adheres particles together without incorporation of low-nutrient- density syrups and binders. Agglomerated and compacted products also have superior mechanical stability, which can improve texture and physical stability during product handling.
Isolation of myeloid cells from mouse brain tumors for single-cell RNA-seq analysis.

Current single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) protocols are limited by the number of cells that can be simultaneously sequenced, restricting the ability to resolve heterogeneity of rare cell types. We describe here a protocol for rapid isolation of myeloid cells from tumor-harboring mouse cerebellum without cell sorting to minimize cell damage for scRNA-seq. This protocol includes the procedures for further enrichment of myeloid cells using CD11b+ magnetic beads, followed by the generation of scRNA library and sequencing analysis. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Dang et al. (2021).
A Review of Corporate Communication Practices and Trends in the USA and China

For almost two decades, CCI (Corporate Communication International) has conducted research on practices and trends in the field in the USA, Europe, South Africa, and China. This chapter reviews the results of those studies done in the USA and China (www.corporatecomm.org/studies).
Pathophysiology of myeloma kidney

Renal failure occurs commonly in the setting of multiple myeloma, with nearly half of these patients presenting with renal failure or developing this complication over time1,2. The underlying etiology of renal failure is cast nephropathy in nearly two-thirds, with the remainder related largely to AL-type amyloidosis and monoclonal light chain deposition disease3. Of important clinical relevance is that cast nephropathy, or myeloma kidney, represents a potentially reversible form of renal failure. The immunoglobulin light chain takes the ‘center stage’ in discussions of the pathophysiology of cast nephropathy and other renal lesions that develop in multiple myeloma.
Epidemiology of Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Despite increasing recognition of the importance of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction (RVD) in the pathophysiology of left heart disease, our understanding of its epidemiology in heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains incomplete. In part, this is due to complex RV geometry and challenging and inconsistent assessment of RV function . Consequently, the prevalence of RVD in HFpEF varies widely depending on study design and population characteristics; however, on average is observed in one third of HFpEF subjects. In these patients, RVD is most commonly associated with an advanced HF state, pulmonary hypertension, atrial fibrillation, right ventricular pacing, and tricuspid valve regurgitation. Whether these associations are causal remains uncertain.Right ventricular dysfunction is recognized to confer poor outcomes in patients with HFpEF, including increased HF hospitalization and higher overall and cardiovascular mortality. Moreover, the prognostic significance of RVD in HFpEF is independent of, and additive to, the severity of pulmonary hypertension. As greater emphasis is placed on phenotyping subgroups of patients with HFpEF in order to tailor therapeutic strategies, improved characterization of the large subset of HFpEF patients with RVD, with and without antecedent pulmonary hypertension may yield critical insights, which inform novel therapeutic interventions.
Human disc cells in monolayer vs 3D culture: cell shape, division and matrix formation.

The relationship between cell shape, proliferation, and extracellular matrix (ECM) production, important aspects of cell behavior, is examined in a little-studied cell type, the human annulus cell from the intervertebral disc, during monolayer vs three-dimensional (3D) culture.
Abstract 648: Semi-synthetic peptibodies are a novel personalized therapeutic with activity against lymphomain vitroandin vivo

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA The complementarity determining region, or idiotype, of the surface immunoglobulin receptor is a true tumor-specific marker on B-cell lymphomas unique to each patient. Antibodies against idiotype can induce complete regression of lymphoma in patients, but since this requires the generation of a custom monoclonal antibody for each patient, it has not been practical. We have developed a method for targeting idiotype using a novel construct that we refer to as a “semi-synthetic peptibody”. It consists of a synthetic peptide ligand for idiotype that is covalently linked to the amino terminus of a recombinant IgG Fc domain. Peptide ligands for idiotype can be identified by high throughput screens of random peptide libraries and produced inexpensively by solid-phase synthesis. Linkage of these idiotype ligands to the Fc domain enhances their pharmacokinetics and augments their anti-tumor effect by activating innate immune effectors. Since each patient-specific synthetic peptide can be chemically linked to a common IgG Fc domain, this modular design yields a custom therapeutic that may be more practical to produce than a unique biologic monoclonal antibody. We demonstrate that semi-synthetic peptibodies bind specifically to the idiotype of tumor cells and induce apoptosis by crosslinking surface immunoglobulin. Additionally, they trigger antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity, antibody mediated phagocytosis, and complement-mediated lysis of opsonized lymphoma cells in vitro. They possess a favorable pharmacokinetic profile and are sufficient to clear tumor in SCID mice challenged intravenously with a luciferase-labeled human lymphoma cell line. Tumor clearance in vitro and in vivo mediated by peptibody was superior to that achievable with an anti-idiotype monoclonal antibody. Thus, semi-synthetic anti-idiotype peptibodies demonstrate multimodal activity against lymphoma cells in vitro and clear human lymphoma in a disseminated xenograft model. This modular, semi-synthetic design may enable a personalized and targeted therapy that is feasible to produce for patients with B-cell lymphoma. Citation Format: James Torchia, Patrick Ng, Homer Chen, Kipp Weiskopf, Ronald Levy. Semi-synthetic peptibodies are a novel personalized therapeutic with activity against lymphoma in vitro and in vivo . [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 648. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-648
Environmental Protection by One or Both Trading Partners in a Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson Model

In this Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model, production of a pollutive good damages production of another good within the same country. Unilateral and bilateral shifts from laissez faire to Pigouvian policy are numerically simulated for cases of low emissions and a high volume of trade, high emissions and a high volume of trade, and finally, high emissions and a low volume of trade. A country can be worse off when it becomes Pigouvian and it can be worse off when its trading partner becomes Pigouvian. Nevertheless, a simple game theory version of the model suggests a “race to the top”, in which all countries become Pigouvian.
χ2 production in polarized pp collisions at RHIC: measuring ΔG and testing the color octet model

Abstract We consider the production and decay of the χ 2 charmonium state in polarized and unpolarized pp collisions at RHIC in the framework of an effective theory based on the QCD multipole expansion. We find that the angular distribution in the decay of the produced charmonium, χ 2 → J / ψ + γ , in the unpolarized case allows us to distinguish clearly between the color singlet and color octet production mechanisms. Once the production mechanism is known, the angular distribution in the polarized case can be used to measure the polarized gluon distribution in the proton, ΔG ( x ).
Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa: Tribal Affiliations of Parliamentary Candidates

Many of the analyses reported in this book involve comparing the tribal backgrounds of parliamentary candidates with the tribal demographics of the constituencies in which they competed. Undertaking these analyses required collecting information about candidates' tribal affiliations. Due to the very large number of candidates whose tribal backgrounds I was interested in ascertaining, it was impossible to contact each candidate or, when they were deceased, their living family members directly. Instead, I took advantage of the fact that a person's tribal affiliation can be discerned from their name with a high degree of accuracy in Zambia, particularly by those who come from the same part of the country. I began by drawing up a list of every candidate who had run in the elections of 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1991, and 1996, as well as in all Third Republic by-elections held through the end of 1999. I then sorted this master list by district, generating 57 separate worksheets containing inventories of every candidate that had ever run for Parliament in that district. These worksheets contained a total of 2,231 different candidates. The data-collection exercise took place during July and August 1999. My strategy was to track down, in Lusaka, people from each district who could serve as informants on the tribal backgrounds of the candidates from their district. I especially sought out older men or women who had spent a major portion of their lives in the district in question.
Performance analysis of fault tolerant algorithms for the heat equation in three space dimensions

Publisher Summary Based on distributed and uncoordinated check pointing, numerical methods presented in this chapter can reconstruct a consistent state in parallel application, despite storing checkpoints of various processes at different time steps. The main purpose of these algorithms is to avoid the expensive rollback operation to the last consistent distributed checkpoint, losing all the subsequent work and adding a significant overhead for applications running on thousands of processors because of coordinated checkpoints. The first method, the forward implicit scheme, requires for the reconstruction procedure, the boundary variables of each time step to be stored along with the current solution; the second method, based on explicit space/time marching, requires check pointing the solution of each process every time step. To stabilize the scheme, a hyperbolic regularization such as the telegraph equation that is a perturbation of the heat equation may be added. Performance results comparing both methods with respect to the checkpoints overhead have been presented. The checkpointing infrastructure implemented in the 3D-heat equation uses two groups of processes a solver group composed by processes that will solve the problem itself and a spare group of processes whose main function is to store the local data from solver processes.
Polarization preservation gate-a tool for optical mammography

Summary form only given. We demonstrate that light propagating through tissue, within a time gate, retains its polarization to a different degree depending on the type of tissue. This observation provides a way to improve optical imaging in turbid media. The polarization-preserving photons belong to the group of early arriving image-carrying photons.
Vitamin D in Adipose Tissue and Serum 25‐Hydroxyvitamin D After Roux‐en‐Y Gastric Bypass

Vitamin D is stored in body fat. The purpose of this study was to determine vitamin D concentration in abdominal fat of obese patients who underwent roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), and to describe changes in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels in relation to loss of body fat. Subjects from a single clinic who were scheduled for RYGB were invited into the study. Abdominal subcutaneous, omental, and mesenteric fat were obtained at time of surgery. Adipose vitamin D(2) and vitamin D(3) concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Weight and serum 25(OH)D were assessed at baseline and every 3 months up to 1 year. Seventeen subjects were included, and fat samples were available from eleven. Total vitamin D content in subcutaneous abdominal fat was 297.2 ± 727.7 ng/g tissue, and a wide range was observed (4-2,470 ng/g). Both vitamin D(2) and vitamin D(3) were detected in some of the fat samples. At baseline, 25(OH)D was 23.1 ± 12.6 ng/ml. Average weight loss was 54.8 kg at 12 months, of which ~40 kg was fat mass. Despite daily vitamin D intake of ≥2,500 IU throughout the study, no significant increase in serum 25(OH)D was observed, with mean serum concentration of 25(OH)D at 1 year of 26.2 ± 5.36 ng/ml (P = 0.58). We conclude that vitamin D in adipose tissue does not significantly contribute to serum 25(OH)D despite dramatic loss of fat mass after RYGB.
Description of local and global shape properties of protein helices.

A new method, dubbed “HAXIS” is introduced to describe local and global shape properties of a protein helix via its axis. HAXIS is based on coarse-graining and spline-fitting of the helix backbone. At each Cα anchor point of the backbone, a Frenet frame is calculated, which directly provides the local vector presentation of the helix. After cubic spline-fitting of the axis line, its curvature and torsion are calculated. This makes a rapid comparison of different helix forms and the determination of helix similarity possible. Distortions of the helix caused by individual residues are projected onto the helix axis and presented either by the rise parameter per residue or by the local curvature of the axis. From a non-redundant set of 2,017 proteins, 15,068 helices were investigated in this way. Helix start and helix end as well as bending and kinking of the helix are accurately described. The global properties of the helix are assessed by a polynomial fit of the helix axis and the determination of its overall curving and twisting. Long helices are more regular shaped and linear whereas short helices are often strongly bent and twisted. The distribution of different helix forms as a function of helix length is analyzed.
Predicaments of history and mimetic agency: Postcolonial return, repetition and remediation in Rang De Basanti

The intersecting of time, history, narrative and subjectivity unfolds an intermeshed trajectory of notions about history's role in shaping views about nationalism and identity in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's popular film, Rang De Basanti (2006). This article addresses a confluence of the pedagogic and the performative modes of history in relation to nationalism and modernity in the film. History, taught via return, is experienced as otherness and eventually performed via a remediation of this otherness, thereby making it relevant to contemporary times. Offering diverse theoretical arguments about history and its narration, I also propose that history, although laden with mimetic impulses and desires for the male characters, excludes the women from mimetic agency. A Levinasian reading of the film's conclusion ultimately resolves the confines of historical determinism and reveals an aesthetic of mimeticism premised on ethical desire for transformative imperative that effectively displays history's otherness as...
Phosphate transfer to myofibrils by ATP-creatine transphosphorylase.

Abstract The following reaction cycle is observed in myofibrils from rabbit muscle treated with deoxycholate: In the absence of added nucleotides, ADP bound to myofibrils is phosphorylated in the presence of creatine phosphate and ATP-creatine trans-phosphorylase, resulting in the liberation of free creatine, and the ATP produced is hydrolyzed by the Mg-activated ATPase activity of the myofibrils. The same phenomenon also occurs with myofibrils isolated from glycerinated psoas fibers.
An INAR(1) negative multinomial regression model for longitudinal count data

This paper discusses a regression model for the analysis of longitudinal count data observed in a panel study. An integer-valued first-order autoregressive [INAR(1)] Poisson process is adapted to represent time-dependent correlations among the counts. By combining the INAR(1)-representation with a random effects approach, a new negative multinomial distribution is derived that includes the bivariate negative binomial distribution proposed by Edwards and Gurland (1961) and Subrahmaniam (1966) as a special case. A detailed analysis of the relationship between personality factors and daily emotion experiences illustrates the approach.
Acceptability Bias: The Effects of Treatment Acceptability on Visual Analysis of Graphed Data

Vignettes depicting a mildly or severely self-abusive child with profound mental retardation who received either a differential reinforcement of other behavior or a contingent electric shock treatment were presented to 161 undergraduates. After subjects rated the acceptability of the given treatment on the Treatment Evaluation Inventory (TEI), they evaluated the efficacy of the given treatment based upon six AB data graphs. Visual analytic judgments were not significantly effected by type of treatment, severity of self-injurious behavior (SIB), or the treatment × SIB interaction. TEI scores differed significantly according to type of treatment. Simple and multiple correlations computed between TEI scores and graph evaluations provided evidence ofacceptability bias, such that more favorable appraisals of treatment acceptability were related to perceptions of greater treatment effectiveness.
The Isotopes of Nitrogen, Mass 15, and Oxygen, Mass 18 and 17, and Their Abundances

I. The isotopes of nitrogen and oxygen.---The absorption spectrum of the NO $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ bands, in particular that of the (0, 0) band at $\ensuremath{\lambda}2269$, the (1, 0) band at $\ensuremath{\lambda}2154$ and of the (2, 0) band at $\ensuremath{\lambda}2052$ was studied in search of isotopes of nitrogen and in order to verify the recently discovered isotopes of oxygen of mass 18 and 17.
Duplication of packets and their detection in X.25 communication protocols

In the context of X.25 communication protocols, this paper is concerned with the process of duplication of packets at the frame level, and with their detection at the packet level. With suitable constraints involving (i) the window sizes used at both the frame and packet levels to flow control, and (ii) the numbering scheme used to number User Data packets, it is possible to detect and discard all duplicate copies thereof. Further, it is argued that duplication of 'messages' by a particular layer be detected at the level where these messages are generated and interpreted. Deferring this detection to higher levels is unnecessary and more difficult.
Oxidation of medium chain fatty acids by the ruminant mammary gland.

Abstract Sodium (1- 14 C) decanoate and sodium (1- 14 C) dodecanoate were administered via intramammary infusion into two healthy lactating goats. Milk samples were collected from each side of the gland at specified intervals, and the lipids were extracted. In the decanoate experiment, the esterified short chain acids (butyrate through caprylate) contained approximately 6% of the radioactivity in the milk lipids isolated from the infused side of the gland, and the short chain acids from the noninfused side contained 20% of the radioactivity. Following the infusion of labeled dodecanoate, 2 and 5% of the lipid radioactivity was accounted for in the short chain fatty acids from the infused and non-infused side. Esterified butyrate was isolated and decarboxylated to determine the radioactive labeling pattern. Fifty-six percent of the butyrate label from the infused decanoate was in the carboxyl carbon whereas 65% from the dodecanoate was in the carboxyl carbon. These data indicate oxidation of the medium chain fatty acids in the mammary gland and subsequent contribution to the short chain fatty acids of milk lipids. The contribution of a four carbon unit is evident rather than exclusively a two carbon unit as expected from β -oxidation.
Coordinate repression of cholesterol biosynthesis and cytoplasmic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A synthase by glucocorticoids in HeLa cells

Abstract Studies designed to identify the site(s) of inhibition of cholesterogenesis by glucocorticoids in HeLa cells have been carried out. As reported earlier (Cavenee, W. K. and Melnykovych, G., 1977, J. Biol. Chem.252, 3272–3276), the increase in cholesterol synthesis from acetate after serum removal from the medium was partially suppressed by dexamethasone. However, this suppression was not accompanied by an expected decrease in activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase (EC 1.1.1.34), the enzyme identified as the rate-limiting step in the biosynthetic sequence from acetate to cholesterol. Instead, HMG-CoA reductase activity became significantly higher in response to dexamethasone treatment. The present results show that dexamethasone-induced inhibition of sterol synthesis was not accompanied by any significant alteration in fatty acid synthesis. Acetyl-CoA synthetase (EC 6.2.1.1) and cytosolic acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (EC 2.3.1.9) activities were also unchanged. In contrast, activity of cytosolic HMG-CoA synthase (EC 4.1.3.5) decreased in parallel to the inhibition of sterol synthesis by dexamethasone. A concentration-dependent inhibition of this enzyme by dexamethasone and a correlation with the 11β,17α,21-trihydroxy structure of C21 steroids were demonstrated. These results suggest that HMG-CoA synthase is controlling the rate of cholesterogenesis when cholesterol synthesis is partially suppressed by glucocorticoids.
Batch data warehouse maintenance in dynamic environments

Data warehouse view maintenance is an important issue due to the growing use of warehouse technology for information integration and data analysis. Given the dynamic nature of modern distributed environments, both data updates and schema changes are likely to occur in different data sources. In applications that the real-time refreshment of data warehouse extent under source changes is not critical, the source updates are usually maintained in a batch fashion to reduce the maintenance overhead. However, most prior work can only deal with batch source data updates. In this paper, we provide a solution strategy that is capable of batching both source data updates and schema changes. We propose techniques to first preprocess the initial source updates to summarize delta changes for each source. We then design a view adaptation algorithm to adapt the warehouse view under these delta changes. We have implemented our solutions and incorporated into an existing data warehouse prototype system. The experimental studies demonstrate excellent performance achievable by our batch techniques.
On synthesizing and identifying stuck-open testable CMOS combinational circuits (extended abstract)

We show that a class of CMOS circuits is a testable realization and static CMOS circuits synthesized by some existing synthesis systems belongs to this class. We propose a more “direct” solution to the problem of computing robust test-pairs for stuck-open faults by defining a new six-valued logic. This in turn gives us a solution to the problem of identifying stuck-open testable circuits.
Robotic approach to catheter ablation

Purpose of review The aim of this review is to introduce two novel techniques for catheter ablation of various arrhythmias in a remote-controlled fashion. Recent findings The electromechanical system Sensei consists of two steerable sheaths that navigate conventional catheters via a ‘master-slave’ input device. The magnetic navigation system Niobe consists of two outer permanent magnets that cause a uniform magnetic field in which a specialized magnetically equipped catheter has to align in parallel. Both systems can interact with three-dimensional mapping systems and several reports on the clinical effectiveness of the systems have been published, which will be critically discussed in this review. Summary These two novel technologies offer the fascinating option of performing catheter ablation in a remote-controlled fashion. Future studies and head-to-head comparisons with conventional ablation techniques will prove the impact of remote navigation, which hopefully will remove invasive electrophysiologists away from patients without the risks of reduced efficacy or increased procedural risks.
Interleukin-1 and thromboxane release after skeletal muscle ischemia and reperfusion.

Interleukin-1 and thromboxane are known to mediate the host response to sepsis, trauma, and myocardial ischemia. A well-established model of canine isolated gracilis muscle was used to evaluate whether cytokine (interleukin-1) played a role in skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion injury. Six adult mongrel dogs (25–30 kg) were subjected to six hours of muscle ischemia followed by reperfusion. Gracilis venous samples were collected pre-ischemia and at one hour of reperfusion. Systemic (arterial) blood samples were taken at one hour of reperfusion. Sera were analyzed for interleukin-1 by bioassay and thromboxane (B2) by radio-immunoassay. The gracilis muscle of the operated limb was harvested in all the animals for assessment of the percentage of muscle necrosis. This was found to be 56.2±14.8% by serial transections, nitroblue tetrazolium staining, and computerized planimetry. Interleukin-1 levels in the gracilis venous effluent increased from 21.88±7.13 units/ml during pre-ischemic baseline to 50.42±9.12 units/ml after six hours of ischemia followed by one hour of reperfusion (p<0.04). Thromboxane B2 levels were 2983±1083 pg/ml and 9483±2218 pg/ml at pre-ischemia and at one hour of reperfusion respectively (p<0.04). Systemic levels of both interleukin-1 and thromboxane B2 at one hour of reperfusion were 0 units/ml and 1584±520 pg/ml respectively, which were significantly lower than the one hour reperfusion gracilis venous effluent levels (p<0.04). This is the first report in which cytokines have been implicated in skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion injury. Modulation of interleukin-1 may impact positively on muscle necrosis and systemic manifestations of reperfusion injury.
Fabrication of refractive microlens arrays

Fabrication issues of microlens arrays, made by first forming photoresist microlenses, by patterning and reflowing photoresist islands under temperature, and then transferring this into the substrate by a dry etch process, were studied. Photoresist microlenses were reliably fabricated within a range of aspect ratios. The desired sag of the microlenses in the substrate was controllably achieved by adjusting the etch selectivity. Etching behavior of fused silica in mixtures of fluoroform with oxygen or sulfur hexafluoride was studied in detail. High quality microlens arrays were fabricated in fused silica, silicon and germanium, and selected lenses were characterized.
Random Vibration of Damped Modified Beam Systems

In the work presented here, a method is developed to predict the stationary random response of a beam which has been modified by the attachment of a damped, lumped assembly of linear mechanical elements. The initial development treats a general beam system with attached linear elements. Two examples are presented with a cantilever beam modified, respectively, by a tip damper and a damped vibration absorber attached at the tip. The attached vibration absorber presents an interesting optimization problem to find the damping that minimizes the mean-square motion at the beam tip.
Mechanical properties of polycrystalline praseodymium from 78 to 525K

Abstract The flow stress temperature dependence, strain rate sensitivity, strain hardening exponent and ductility of praseodymium were determined from 78 to 525 K at strain rates of 0.005, 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 min−1. The results are presented and the similarity of the properties of praseodymium to those of neodymium is discussed.
Pharmacologic consequences of the vascular permeability of chromaffin cell transplants in CNS pain modulatory regions

Abstract The transplantation of peripheral neural tissue into the CNS has been shown to alter blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability to intravascularly injected proteins such as horseradish peroxidase. The pharmacological consequences of such BBB alterations following the transplantation of adrenal medullary tissue, isolated bovine chromaffin cell suspensions, or PC12 cell suspensions into the pain modulatory regions of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) or subarachnoid space of the lumbar spinal cord were studied using agents that normally do or do not readily pass the BBB. The injection of nicotine in animals with adrenal medullary or chromaffin cell transplants produces potent analgesia, most likely due to the stimulated release of opioid peptides and catecholamines from the transplanted cells. This analgesia could be blocked by nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine, which normally passes the BBB, but not by nicotinic antagonist hexamethonium, which normally does not readily pass the BBB. Furthermore, quaternary nicotinic agonists tetramethylammonium and 1,1-dimethyl-phenyl-piperazinium had no effect on pain sensitivity in animals with adrenal medullary implants. The Met-enkephalin peptide analog, d -Ala-Met-enkephalinamide, which normally does not alter pain sensitivity when injected systemically due to limited penetration to the CNS, produced analgesia in animals with adrenal medullary, bovine chromaffin cell, and PC12 cell implants in the PAG, but not in control gelfoam-implanted animals. This analgesia, as well as analgesia induced by nicotine, was completely blocked by naloxone pretreatment, but not by naloxone methobromide, a quaternary derivative of naloxone that does not normally pass the BBB. Results of this study indicate that while CNS permeability to peptides and proteins is altered by peripheral neural transplants, CNS exclusion of highly charged molecules may be intact. The vasculature of such transplants may retain some characteristics of both the in situ peripheral graft tissues and the host CNS.
Symmetrical and segmented variation of physical and geochemical characteristics of the central american volcanic front

Abstract The regional variation of physical and geochemical characteristics of Central American volcanoes occurs in two fundamentally different patterns. The first pattern is symmetrical about Nicaragua. Crustal thickness, silica contents of mafic lavas and volcanic edifice heights are lowest in Nicaragua and increase smoothly toward Costa Rica to the south and Guatemala to the north. Magma density is maximum in Nicaragua and decreases smoothly outward. The regional variation in crustal thickness is just enough so that magma densities, calculated at appropriate Moho pressures, are the same at the base of the crust throughout the region. This is consistent with magma ponding at the base of the crust. The bulk compositions of Central American basalts show the same symmetrical variation. Suites of Nicaraguan basalts plotted in pseudo-ternary CMAS projections indicate large olivine and plagioclase primary-phase volumes. Toward Costa Rica and Guatemala the olivine and plagioclase fields inferred from suites of basaltic lavas are smaller, which is consistent with fractionation at increasing depth. The second pattern is the segmentation of the volcanic front and the plate margin in general. The segmentation strongly affects the spacing and size of volcanic centers. At segment boundaries volcanic centers are generally small and unusually widely spaced. Toward segment interiors volcano spacing and size increase systematically. The LIL element contents of lavas strongly reflect this pattern. For lavas with similar silica contents the larger the volcano, the higher the LIL element contents. The relationships between segmentation, volcano spacing and volcano size are compatible with diapiric rise of magma accumulated in narrow ribbons near the upper surface of the underthrust slab. The relationship between volcano volume and LIL element content is qualitatively in agreement with an open-system fractionation model.
Concerning interval leslie matrix calculations

This paper gives computable bounds on population distributions obtained in demographic calculations using the Lesile matrix. Of particular interest is the case where the Leslie matrix varies with time.
Novel technology for treating individuals with aphasia and concomitant cognitive deficits

AbstractPurpose: This article describes three individuals with aphasia and concomitant cognitive deficits who used state-of-theart computer software for training conversational scripts. Method: Participants were assessed before and after 9 weeks of a computer script training program. For each participant, three individualized scripts were developed, recorded on the software, and practiced sequentially at home. Weekly meetings with the speech-language pathologist occurred to monitor practice and assess progress. Baseline and posttreatment scripts were audiotaped, transcribed, and compared to the target scripts for content, grammatical productivity, and rate of production of script-related words. Interviews were conducted at the conclusion of treatment. Results: There was great variability in improvements across scripts, with two participants improving on two of their three scripts in measures of content, grammatical productivity, and rate of production of scriptrelated words. One participant gained more th...
Characterization and testing of FLAMINGOS-2: the Gemini facility near-infrared multi-object spectrometer and wide-field imager

FLAMINGOS-2 is a near-infrared wide-field imager and fully cryogenic multi-object spectrometer for Gemini Observatory being built by the University of Florida. FLAMINGOS-2 can simultaneously carry 9 custom cryogenic multi-object slit masks exchangeable without thermally cycling the entire instrument. Three selectable grisms provide resolving powers which are ~1300 to ~3000 over the entire spectrograph bandpass of 0.9–2.5 microns. We present and discuss characterization data for FLAMINGOS-2 including imaging throughput, image quality, spectral performance, and noise performance. After a lengthy integration process, we expect that FLAMINGOS-2 will be in the midst of commissioning at Gemini South by the fall of 2008.
Factor analysis of the Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale in a family study of obsessive–compulsive disorder

Our objective in this study was to determine whether symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) cluster into groups that can usefully subclassify OCD. Psychiatrists or psychologists interviewed 221 subjects using the Lifetime Anxiety Version of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS-LA) for the diagnosis of DSM-IV disorders, and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) for OCD symptoms. We analyzed 16 symptom categories from the Y-BOCS using exploratory factor analysis to identify latent symptom dimensions. The relationship between these symptom dimensions and clinical characteristics and familiality was investigated. A four-factor model emerged as the best classification of OCD symptoms in the Y-BOCS. These factors were labeled Pure Obsessions, Contamination, Symmetry/Order, and Hoarding. The contamination factor was least likely to be associated with other Axis I disorders. Whereas no significant relationship was found between the factor scores of probands and the presence of OCD in their first-degree relatives, the Symmetry/Order and Hoarding factors did breed true. Hoarding was found to predict poorer treatment response. A four-factor classification of OCD features best describes the symptom patterns of a sample of patients with OCD. There were specific clinical correlates for these factors, and significant intrafamilial sib-sib correlations were found for the Symmetry/Order and Hoarding factors.
Trans-interface diffusion-controlled coarsening

Accurate theoretical predictions of the volume-fraction dependence during diffusion-controlled coarsening of a polydisperse assembly of particles have proved difficult. Here, a new model of coarsening is presented, involving diffusive transport through the coherent interface between ordered and disordered phases, which atomistic calculations show has a ragged structure. The interface is a diffusion bottleneck when the ordered phase is dispersed. It is predicted that the square of the average radius grows linearly with time, that the depletion of solute decreases as the inverse square-root of time, and that there is no effect of volume fraction on kinetics and the scaled particle-size distributions. These differ dramatically from predictions of modern theories of diffusion-controlled coarsening. Data on coarsening in Ni-Al alloys is examined. We show that no other theory is consistent with the experimentally observed absence of an effect of volume fraction on coarsening of ordered γ′ (Ni3Al) precipitates in a disordered Ni-Al (γ) matrix, and the strong volume-fraction dependence of coarsening of γ precipitates in an ordered γ′ matrix.
Chemical Composition of Sawdust from Lunar Rock 12013 and Comparison of a Java Tektite with the Rock

Abundances of 11 major and minor elements and 11 trace elements have been determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis of two Apollo 12013 rock fragments, a sample of rock 12013,17 sawdust, and a Java tektite (J2). Although the abundances of major elements in tektite J2 are similar to those of rock 12013, comparison of the minor and trace elements shows that no fragment or sawdust of rock 12013 that has been analyzed to date is chemically similar to tektite glass. Rock sawdust is representative of "whole rock" composition only if the amount of contamination from the sawing process is known. After appropriate correction for saw wire contamination, analyses of sawdust yield fairly accurate averaged elemental compositions of complex clastic lunar and other rocks.
A Course in Microeconomic Theory by David Kreps

(1991). A Course in Microeconomic Theory by David Kreps. The Journal of Economic Education: Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 391-393.
Laparoscopic colectomy decreases the time to administration of chemotherapy compared with open colectomy.

Minimally invasive colon surgery (MIS) has been shown to minimize pain and decrease overall recovery time. No studies have shown a clear oncologic benefit. Some literature suggests that the time to administration of chemotherapy can be important to improve outcomes for advanced colon cancer. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of minimally invasive surgery on the timing of chemotherapy administration. This was a retrospective review of all patients undergoing surgery for colon cancer at a tertiary institution between 2004 and 2013. A total of 668 partial colectomies for cancer were performed; 241 were stage III and above and deemed appropriate for chemotherapy. Eighty-five patients did not receive chemotherapy (patient’s wishes, age/comorbidities or lost to follow-up). Of the 156 patients who received chemotherapy, 57 underwent MIS and 99 had open colectomy. Average time to chemotherapy after MIS colectomy was 42.9 versus 60.3 days for open surgery (p < 0.001). In the open group, 52 (53 %) people had postoperative complications and readmissions versus 24 (39 %) in the MIS group. Postoperative complications increased the time to chemotherapy for all patients. However, among patients with complications, patients in the MIS group were still able to start chemotherapy earlier (p < 0.05) than open colectomy patients. Multivariate analysis revealed the MIS approach as the only factor lowering time between surgery and chemotherapy. Laparoscopic colectomy decreases the time interval from surgery to the start of chemotherapy compared with open colectomy. Postoperative complications increase the time to chemotherapy for both open and MIS surgery.
Transient Growth of Three-Dimensional Vortex Perturbations During Near-Parallel Collision With a Circular Cylinder

A computational study is reported that examines the transient growth of three-dimensional flow features for nominally parallel vortex-cylinder interaction problems. We consider a helical vortex with small-amplitude perturbations that is advected onto a circular cylinder whose axis is parallel to the nominal vortex axis. The study assesses the applicability of the two-dimensional flow assumption for parallel vortex-body interaction problems in which the body impinges on the vortex core. The computations are performed using an unstructured finite-volume method for an incompressible flow, with periodic boundary conditions along the cylinder axis. Growth of three-dimensional flow features is quantified by use of a proper-orthogonal decomposition of the Fourier-transformed velocity and vorticity fields in the cylinder azimuthal and axial directions. The interaction is examined for different axial wavelengths and amplitudes of the initial helical waves on the vortex core, and the results for cylinder force are compared to the two-dimensional results. The degree of perturbation amplification as the vortex approaches the cylinder is quantified and shown to be mostly dependent on the dominant axial wavenumber of the perturbation. The perturbation amplification is observed to be greatest for perturbations with axial wavelength of about 1.5 times the cylinder diameter.© 2006 ASME
Pharmacist Instruction of Physical Assessment for Pharmacy Students

Objective. To assess the impact of a change from nurse to pharmacist instructors and a new curriculum intended to encourage students’ use of physical assessment skills.Design. Pharmacist faculty members redesigned the physical assessment curriculum to focus on those assessment skills most likely to be performed by practicing pharmacists. The 5 focus areas were general assessment skills, gastrointestinal system, pulmonary system, central and peripheral nervous system, and cardiovascular system. Instructional methods used included prelaboratory assignments, brief introductory lectures, demonstration of assessment techniques, application of techniques with a laboratory partner, and demonstration of competence using a mannequin.Assessment. A 16-item survey instrument was administered to determine students’ perceptions of the revised curriculum. Students who received instruction from pharmacist faculty members used their physical assessment skills more, especially during advanced pharmacy practice experiences ...
LIMIT TO SPACE-TIME MEASUREMENT

Applying simultaneously the principles of quantum mechanics and general relativity we find an intrinsic limitation to quantum measurements of space-time distances. The intrinsic uncertainty of a length is shown to be proportional to the one third power of the length itself. This uncertainty in space-time measurements implies an intrinsic uncertainty of the space-time metric and yields quantum decoherence for particles heavier than the Planck mass.
Fast interval-valued statistical interconnect modeling and reduction

Correlated interval representations of range uncertainty offer an attractive solution for approximating computations on statistical quantities. The key idea is to use finite intervals to approximate the essential mass of a pdf as it moves through numerical operators; the resulting compact interval-valued solution can be easily interpreted as a statistical distribution and efficiently sampled. This paper describes improved interval-valued algorithms for AWE/PRIMA model order reduction for tree-structured interconnect with correlated $RLC$ parameter variations. By moving to a faster interval-valued linear solver based on path-tracing ideas, and making more optimal trade-offs between interval- and scalar-valued computations, we can extract delay statistics roughly 10X faster than a classical Monte Carlo simulation loop, with accuracy to within 5%.
Neurocognitive function and insight in schizophrenia : support for an association with impairments in executive function but not with impairments in global function

It remains unclear how impaired insight and neurocognitive impairment are related to one another in schizophrenia. In order to examine this relationship, subjects with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were classified as having 'impaired' (n=38) or 'unimpaired' (n=43) insight based on their insight rating on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Their performance on neuropsychological tests of global function, executive function, memory and vigilance was then compared. Multivariate analyses followed by Scheffe tests indicated that subjects with impaired insight performed less well on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, demonstrating poorer abstract flexibility and heightened perseveration. No differences were found between the groups with regard to global cognitive function, memory or vigilance. This suggests that insight is closely linked to deficits in executive function, and that it may be associated with the compromise of frontal lobe function.
Single step thin-layer chromatographic method for quantitation of enzymatic formation of fatty acid anilides

The activity of the enzyme involved in catalyzing the formation of fatty acid anilides can be measured by quantitating the fatty acid anilides formed. We have shown earlier that oleic acid is the most preferred substrate among other fatty acids studied for the conjugation with aniline. The reaction product (oleyl anilide) could be separated by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and then quantified by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Using [1-14C]oleic acid as substrate, the fatty acid anilide forming activity can be determined in a single step by TLC analysis. The conventional TLC methods used for the separation of the fatty acid esters, however, could not resolve oleyl anilide from the residual [1-14C]oleic acid. Therefore, a simple and reliable TLC method was developed for the separation of oleyl anilide from oleic acid using a freshly prepared solvent consisting of petroleum ether–ethyl acetate–ammonium hydroxide (80:20:1, v/v). Using this solvent system the relative flow (Rf) values were found to be 0.54 for oleyl anilide and 0.34 for aniline, whereas oleic acid remained at the origin. The TLC procedure developed in the present study could be used to determine the fatty acid anilide forming activity using [1-14C]oleic or other fatty acids as substrate and was also found suitable for the analysis of fatty acid anilides from the biological samples.
High Resolution Neutron Imaging of Water in the Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Membrane

Water transport in the ionomeric membrane, typically Nafion{reg_sign}, has profound influence on the performance of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell, in terms of internal resistance and overall water balance. In this work, high resolution neutron imaging of the Nafion{reg_sign} membrane is presented in order to measure water content and through-plane gradients in situ under disparate temperature and humidification conditions.