cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular Epidemiology of Wild Poliovirus Transmission

Paralytic poliomyelitis is a serious and highly visible public health problem in most developing countries, where up to 400,000 children are stricken each year (Assaad and Ljungars-Esteves, 1984; Sabin, 1985). Large areas of Asia, Africa, North America, and South America are currently endemic for this disease. In many urban centers of the developing world, attack rates are particularly high. The epidemiologic situation in Bombay, where the annual incidence of poliomyelitis cases in that one city alone is over 100-fold higher than in the United States and Canada combined (Enterovirus Research Centre, Bombay, 1987; Pan American Health Organization, 1987; World Health Organization, 1988), underscores the magnitude of the problem that still awaits resolution.
A Brief History of Androgen Excess

Male-like hair growth and masculinization of women and the ambiguity of genders has fascinated mankind for millennia, frequently appearing in mythology and the arts. The earliest reports of androgen excess, beginning 400 years BC, focused on the appearance of male-like hair growth and features in women, often accompanied by menstrual cessation. The first etiologies identified as a cause of androgenization in the female were adrenal disorders, primarily adrenocortical neoplasms, but also eventually adrenal hyperplasia. The first report of a patient with nonclassic adrenal hyperplasia (NCAH) was made in 1957. The Achard-Thiers syndrome, which was originally reported in 1921 and was felt to primarily affect postmenopausal women, included the development of diabetes mellitus, hirsutism, and menstrual irregularity or amenorrhea in conjunction with adrenocortical disease. Androgen production by the ovary was not recognized until the early 1900s, with the first case of a patient with glucose intolerance, hirsutism, and ovarian pathology reported by Tuffier in 1914. As early as the mid-18th century, the presence of sclerocystic or multicystic ovaries was recognized, although this pathology was felt to be primarily associated with pelvic pain and/or menorrhagia. It was not until the seminal report of Drs. Stein and Leventhal of 1935 that the association of polycystic ovaries and amenorrhea, and possibly obesity and/or hirsutism, was noted. Subsequent investigations have elucidated the ovarian source of the androgens the gonadotropic abnormalities, the insulin resistance, and the high prevalence of the disorder, currently known as the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This syndrome was initially treated by ovarian wedge resection, but subsequent ovulatory therapies, including clomiphene citrate, menopausal gonadotropins, and most recently insulin sensitizers, have replaced this surgery as the treatment of choice for fertility improvement in PCOS. Notwithstanding, laparoscopic ovarian drilling retains a place in our current therapeutic armamentarium for these patients.
A Commentary on “Problems Inherent in Assessing Biofeedback Efficacy Studies”

This manuscript comments on the problems identified by Dr Yucha in biofeedback efficacy studies in the treatment of hypertension. In general, Dr Yucha's points are well taken. Further considerations, though, are raised with respect to choice of studies, long-term follow-up, confounding factors, and dropouts.
The influence of voltage‐gated sodium channels on human gastrointestinal nociception

Background Abdominal pain is a frequent and persistent problem in the most common gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. Pain adversely impacts quality of life, incurs significant healthcare expenditures, and remains a challenging issue to manage with few safe therapeutic options currently available. It is imperative that new methods are developed for identifying and treating this symptom. A variety of peripherally active neuroendocrine signaling elements have the capability to influence gastrointestinal pain perception. A large and growing body of evidence suggests that voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) play a critical role in the development and modulation of nociceptive signaling associated with the gut. Several VGSC isoforms demonstrate significant promise as potential targets for improved diagnosis and treatment of gut-based disorders associated with hyper- and hyposensitivity to abdominal pain. Purpose In this article, we critically review key investigations that have evaluated the potential role that VGSCs play in visceral nociception and discuss recent advances related to this topic. Specifically, we discuss the following: (a) what is known about the structure and basic function of VGSCs, (b) the role that each VGSC plays in gut nociception, particularly as it relates to human physiology, and (c) potential diagnostic and therapeutic uses of VGSCs to manage disorders associated with chronic abdominal pain.
Risk of mortality in adult cancer febrile neutropenia patients with a machine learning approach.

e13562Background: Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a major dose-limiting toxicity of myelosuppressive therapy in cancer patients and impose substantial morbidity and mortality risks. We analyzed Nationa...
Dip1 Co-opts Features of Branching Nucleation to Create Linear Actin Filaments that Activate WASP-Bound Arp2/3 Complex.

Summary When activated by Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome proteins (WASP), Arp2/3 complex nucleates branched actin filaments important for processes like cellular motility and endocytosis [ 1 ]. WASP-mediated activation of Arp2/3 complex requires a preformed actin filament, ensuring that activation by WASP creates branched instead of linear filaments. However, this biochemical requirement also means that assembly of branched actin networks must be primed with an initial seed filament [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]. We recently described a class of activators called WISH/DIP/SPIN90 (WDS) proteins, which, unlike WASP, activate Arp2/3 complex without a preformed filament [ 4 ]. Although this property may allow WDS proteins to serve as seed filament generators, it is unknown whether actin filaments nucleated by WDS-activated Arp2/3 complex can activate WASP-bound Arp2/3 complex. Further, despite their potential importance as branched actin network initiators, little is known about how WDS proteins turn on Arp2/3 complex. Here, we use two-color single-molecule total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy to show that Dip1, the S. pombe WDS protein [ 5 ], co-opts features of branching nucleation to activate Arp2/3 complex. Specifically, it activates Arp2/3 complex to nucleate linear filaments analogous to the branch created by WASP-mediated activation. The barbed ends of Dip1-Arp2/3 nucleated filaments are free to elongate, and their pointed ends remain anchored to Dip1-bound Arp2/3 complex. The linear filaments nucleated by Dip1-bound Arp2/3 complex activate WASP-bound Arp2/3 complex as potently as spontaneously nucleated or branched actin filaments. These observations provide important insights into the regulation of Arp2/3 complex by its activators and the molecular basis for initiation of branched actin networks.
The concept of natural capital

The natural environment is now commonly viewed as a form of capital asset, or natural capital. Also included are ecosystems that provide important goods and services to the economy. Managing natural capital has consequences for sustainable development. However, there are contrasting weak versus strong sustainability views, which in turn have implications for ‘green’ accounting. Natural resource-based sovereign wealth funds have emerged as key financial instruments for compensating resource depreciation with greater economy-wide investments. Recent scientific evidence recommends demarcating ‘safe operating spaces’ to limit exploitation of critical global biophysical subsystems or processes. These challenges suggest that the concept of natural capital is pivotal to sound policy.
Accuracy of telephone reference service in health sciences libraries.

Six factual queries were unobtrusively telephoned to fifty-one U.S. academic health sciences and hospital libraries. The majority of the queries (63.4%) were answered accurately. Referrals to another library or information source were made for 25.2% of the queries. Eleven answers (3.6%) were inaccurate, and no answer was provided for 7.8% of the queries. There was a correlation between the number of accurate answers provided and the presence of at least one staff member with a master's degree in library and information science. The correlation between employing a librarian certified by the Medical Library Association (MLA) and providing accurate answers was significant. The majority of referrals were to specific sources. If these "helpful referrals" are counted with accurate answers as correct responses, they total 76.8% of the answers. In a follow-up survey, five libraries stated that they did not provide accurate answers because they did not own an appropriate source. Staff-related problems were given as reasons for other than accurate answers by two of the libraries, while eight indicated that library policy prevented them from providing answers to the public.
Speech-Language Pathologists' Clinical Decision Making for Children With Specific Language Impairment

Purpose The speech-language pathologist's (SLP's) role for the specific language impairment (SLI) population is to provide specialized intervention targeting underlying deficits. However, children ...
Effects of experimentally induced respiratory disease on the pharmacokinetics and tissue residues of tulathromycin in meat goats

Tulathromycin is a macrolide antibiotic commonly used for the treatment of respiratory disease in food animal species including goats. Recent research in pigs has suggested that the presence of disease could alter the pharmacokinetics of tulathromycin in animals with respiratory disease. The objectives of this study were (a) compare the plasma pharmacokinetics of tulathromycin in healthy goats as well as goats with an induced respiratory disease; and (b) to compare the tissue residue concentrations of tulathromycin marker in both groups. For this trial, disease was induced with Pasteurella multocida. Following disease induction, tulathromycin was administered. Samples of plasma were collected at various time points up to 312 hr posttreatment, when study animals were euthanized and tissue samples were collected. For PK parameters in plasma, Vz (control: 28.7 ± 11.9 ml/kg; experimental: 57.8 ± 26.6 ml/kg) was significantly higher (p = 0.0454) in the experimental group than the control group, and nonsignificant differences were noted in other parameters. Among time points significantly lower plasma concentrations were noted in the experimental group at 168 hr (p = 0.023), 216 hr (p = 0.036), 264 hr (p = 0.0017), 288 hr (p = 0.0433), and 312 hr (p = 0.0486). None of the goats had tissue residues above the US bovine limit of 5 µg/g at the end of the study. No differences were observed between muscle, liver, or fat concentrations. A significantly lower concentration (p = 0.0095) was noted in the kidneys of experimental goats when compared to the control group. These results suggest that the effect of respiratory disease on the pharmacokinetics and tissue residues appear minimal after experimental P. multocida infection, however as evidenced by the disparity in Cmax , significant differences in plasma concentrations at terminal time points, as well as the differences in kidney concentrations, there is the potential for alterations in diseased versus clinical animals.
Discrimination of duration ratios by native English and Estonian listeners

It has been suggested that Estonian has a three-way quantity distinction among disyllabic word structures in terms of the ratio of the duration of first syllable compared to the duration of the second syllable. The present study examines the ability of Estonian speakers and American English speakers to discriminate among a set of duration ratios independent of other phonetic factors such as fundamental frequency or segmental variations. Subjects were required to discriminate among pairs of noise bursts whose durations were in the ratios of 1 : 2, 2: 3, 3: 2 and 2 : 1. In half the noise sequences the combined duration of noise 1 + noise 2 was 350ms, in the other half the combined duration was 450 ms. The results obtained show that both groups of listeners clearly recognized only two contrastive patterns: 1 : 2 and 2 : 3 vs. 3 : 2 and 2 : 1. In addition, overall sequence duration had a significant effect upon duration ratio discrimination. In terms of a language group difference, the Estonian and English groups differed only in terms of responses to very different ratios (e.g. 1 : 2 vs. 2 : 1; 2 : 3 vs. 2 : 1), in particular, the Estonian group produced fewer errors. The data support a reanalysis of the three-way quantity contrast into two distinct binary decisions: one based on quantity (short–long vs. long–short disyllabic structures) and one possibly based on fundamental frequency differences.
Metacarpal Position and Lunate Facet Screw Fixation in Dorsal Wrist-Spanning Bridge Plates for Intra-Articular Distal Radial Fracture: A Biomechanical Analysis.

BACKGROUND A dorsal wrist-spanning plate (DWSP) can be affixed to the second or third metacarpal, depending on the morphology of the distal radial fracture (DRF) and on surgeon preference, but comparative biomechanical analyses between these methods are limited. This biomechanical study compared fixation to the second metacarpal versus the third metacarpal as measured by lunate facet fragment displacement in a cadaveric model of an axially loaded intra-articular DRF. The construct rigidity with the addition of an intrafragmentary lunate facet locking screw was also evaluated. METHODS A sample size of 14 cadaveric matched pairs was calculated to achieve 81.7% power. The 28 limbs were randomized to DWSP fixation to the second metacarpal (Group 1) or third metacarpal (Group 2); each wrist underwent an osteotomy simulating an unstable intra-articular DRF. Limbs were tested at axial loads of 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 N. Lunate facet displacement from the metaphyseal fragment at each load was measured with use of differential variable reluctance transducers. After initial testing, a locking screw was placed through the plate into the lunate facet fragment in the third metacarpal group (Group 3). Displacement measurements were repeated for all loads. Paired 2-tailed t tests with Bonferroni correction (significance, p < 0.008) were performed to assess differences in fragment stability between groups. RESULTS The average fracture displacement at 300 N was 0.8 mm in Group 1, 0.4 mm in Group 2, and 0.2 mm in Group 3. Plating to the third metacarpal more effectively resisted displacement compared with the second metacarpal at all axial loads (p < 0.008). The addition of a lunate facet screw further stiffened the construct at loads of ≥200 N (p < 0.008). CONCLUSIONS Plate fixation to the third metacarpal with an intrafragmentary screw was the most biomechanically favorable construct, although other factors may favor an alternative distal fixation site. Mean displacement of the lunate facet fragment at 300 N was <1 mm in all groups. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The present study demonstrated that a DWSP affixed to the third metacarpal with an intrafragmentary screw provides the most effective stabilization of the lunate facet fragment in intra-articular DRFs. This study validates the use of intrafragmentary screws to increase stability in DWSP fixation.
CHAPTER 7 – Cannabinoids

Publisher Summary This chapter outlines the history of cannabinoid use, abuse, and addiction patterns. Preparations of marijuana have a rich history in terms of medical use and myth, with the fiber of the plant having a major use in rope and the more psychoactive varieties having medicinal and intoxicating effects. The chapter discusses the medicinal uses and behavioral mechanisms of cannabinoids and explores the neurobiology at three levels: neurocircuitry, cellular, and molecular. Tolerance develops to the intoxicating and physiological effects of cannabis, and a withdrawal syndrome has been defined in humans and animals. In addition, acute withdrawal from cannabinoids is associated with an activation of the corticotropin-releasing factor in the extended amygdala as with other drugs of abuse. Cannabinoids acting through the cannabinoid receptor inhibit adenylate cyclase, which in turn inhibits protein kinase A leading to an activation of A-type potassium channels but at the same time inhibiting P/Q-type voltage-dependent calcium channels directly. Such combined inhibition has been hypothesized to lead to a presynaptic long-term depression in the basal ganglia that may be of significance for neuroadaptive plasticity at the cellular level in this system.
Bibliotherapy and Group Counseling with African-American College Students: A Case Study Approach

Many African Americans students face numerous challenges on today’s college campuses. As such, non-traditional therapeutic interventions and group work have emerged in counseling literature to assi...
Tertiary Amine-Ethylene Glycol Based Tandem CO2 Capture and Hydrogenation to Methanol: Direct Utilization of Post-Combustion CO2.

Carbon dioxide capture using tertiary amines in ethylene glycol solvent was performed under ambient conditions. Subsequently, the CO2 captured as alkyl carbonate salts was successfully hydrogenated to methanol, in the presence of H2 gas and Ru-Macho-BH catalyst. A comprehensive series of tertiary amines were selected for the integrated capture and conversion process. While most of these amines were effective for CO2 capture, tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) and tetramethylbutanediamine (TMBDA) provided the best CH3 OH yields. Deactivation of the base due to side reactions was significantly minimized and substantial base regeneration was observed. The proposed system was also highly efficient for CO2 capture from a gas mixture containing 10 % CO2 , as found in flue gases, followed by tandem conversion to CH3 OH. We postulate that such high boiling tertiary amine-glycol systems as dual capture and hydrogenation solvents are promising for the realization of a sustainable and carbon-neutral methanol economy in a scalable process.
Applications to Data Analytics and Modeling

In this chapter is exclusively devoted to data analytics. The topics from previous chapters are invoked to make connections to hypothesis testing (chi-square tests), parameter estimation, ROC, and performance analysis with the aim of developing data analytic approaches. Instead of presenting hypothesis testing and parameter estimation as theoretical topics, they are offered as tools in the context of data analytics, and examples reflect this paradigm shift. ROC analysis is revisited to understand the statistics of the area under the ROC curve through the study of bootstrapping. Examples of bootstrapping are given which examine the method of comparing the areas under the ROC curves generated from data from identical subject pools. A modeling example is presented by examining the statistics of signal fluctuations in wireless channels demonstrating the genesis of several densities. Diversity is introduced as a means to mitigate signal strength fluctuations in wireless channels. All the exercises involve data analytics.
Educational Meaning Making and Language Learning: Understanding the Educational Incorporation of Unaccompanied, Undocumented Latinx Youth Workers in the United States.

Immigration scholars agree that educational attainment is essential for the success of immigrant youth in U.S. society and functions as a key indicator of how youth will fare in their transition in...
Abstract P741: Elemental Calcium Influx Through Endothelial N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptors is Impaired by Acute Amyloid-β(1-40)in Cerebral Arteries

Introduction: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), the accumulation of amyloid-β(1-40) (Aβ) around cerebral arteries, impairs endothelial function. Endothelium-dependent dilation is a consequence of ...
Improved thermal conductivity of fluids and composites using boron nitride (BN) nanoparticles through hydrogen bonding

Abstract A new method, which utilized hydrogen bonding to enhance the effective thermal conductivity of materials is presented and discussed. Spherical boron nitride (BN) nano particles were mixed and exfoliated to form hydrogen bonds between the particles, fluids, and polymer solutions containing glycerol, water, krytox oil, polyurethane solutions, and other similar substances. The resulting long chain carbon fibers were found to significantly enhance the thermal conductivity of these substances, due to increases in the contact and interfacial surface area. The experimental results indicated that a 35 wt% BN loading in polyurethane could increase the effective thermal conductivity of the base polyurethane composite to a value of 1.78 W/mK, which is a 390 % increase over the base polyurethane composite. In addition, a 20 wt% BN loading in polyurethane with a 5 wt% carbon fiber loading, was found to increase the effective thermal conductivity to a value of 2.10 W/mK, or a 480 % increase over the base polyurethane composite. These results are among the highest values ever reported and can in part, be attributed to the three roll-milling technique utilized to enhance the contact. This work may open the way to further explore enhanced thermal materials with numerous and significant potential commercial applications.
The Growth of Business Education

When the history of the first century of business education is eventually written, historians will probably identify two significant industry turning points, demarcating three stages in the development of business education. At each turning point, major reports on the industry were commissioned that, although not necessarily responsible for initiating change, nonetheless served to consolidate and develop information and analysis on the preceding stage and point the way to the future.
Aligning transcripts to automatically segmented handwritten manuscripts

Training and evaluation of techniques for handwriting recognition and retrieval is a challenge given that it is difficult to create large ground-truthed datasets. This is especially true for historical handwritten datasets. In many instances the ground truth has to be created by manually transcribing each word, which is a very labor intensive process. Sometimes transcriptions are available for some manuscripts. These transcriptions were created for other purposes and hence correspondence at the word, line, or sentence level may not be available. To be useful for training and evaluation, a word level correspondence must be available between the segmented handwritten word images and the ASCII transcriptions. Creating this correspondence or alignment is challenging because the segmentation is often errorful and the ASCII transcription may also have errors in it. Very little work has been done on the alignment of handwritten data to transcripts. Here, a novel Hidden Markov Model based automatic alignment algorithm is described and tested. The algorithm produces an average alignment accuracy of about 72.8% when aligning whole pages at a time on a set of 70 pages of the George Washington collection. This outperforms a dynamic time warping alignment algorithm by about 12% previously reported in the literature and tested on the same collection.
The behavior of viscoelastic squeeze films subject to normal oscillations, including the effect of fluid inertia

The problem of the squeeze film flow of a viscoelastic fluid between parallel, circular disks is analyzed. The upper disk is subject to small, axial oscillations. Lodge's “rubber-like liquid” is used as the viscoelastic fluid model, and fluid inertia forces are included. An exact solution to the equations of motion is obtained involving in-phase and out-of-phase components of velocity field and load, with respect to the plate velocity. Peculiar resonance phenomena in the load amplitude are exhibited at high Deborah number. At certain combinations of Reynolds number and Deborah number, the in-phase and/or out-of-phase velocity field components may attain an unusual circulating type of motion in which the flow reverses direction across the film. In the low Deborah number limit, and in the low Reynolds number limit, the results of this study reduce to those obtained by other workers.
Achieving operability via the mission system paradigm

In the past, flight and ground systems have been developed largely-independently, with the flight system taking the lead, and dominating the development process. Operability issues have been addressed poorly in planning, requirements, design, I&T, and system-contracting activities. In many cases, as documented in lessons-learned, this has resulted in significant avoidable increases in cost and risk. With complex missions and systems, operability is being recognized as an important end-to-end design issue. Never-the-less, lessons-learned and operability concepts remain, in many cases, poorly understood and sporadically applied. A key to effective application of operability concepts is adopting a "mission system" paradigm. In this paradigm, flight and ground systems are treated, from an engineering and management perspective, as inter-related elements of a larger mission system. The mission system consists of flight hardware, flight software, telecom services, ground data system, testbeds, flight teams, science teams, flight operations processes, procedures, and facilities. The system is designed in functional layers, which span flight and ground. It is designed in response to project-level requirements, mission design and an operations concept, and is developed incrementally, with early and frequent integration of flight and ground components.
Nutritional and endocrine modulation of intracellular calcium: implications in obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension.

Regulation of intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) plays a key role in obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension, and [Ca2+]i disorders may represent a fundamental factor linking these three conditions. We have shown insulin to be a direct vasodilator, attenuating voltage-gated Ca2+ influx and stimulating Ca2+-ATPase transcription via a glucose-6-phosphate response element. These result in a net decrease in [Ca2+]i and thereby decrease vascular resistance, while these effects are blunted in insulin resistance, leading to increased vascular resistance. Consistent with this concept, pharmacological amplification of peripheral insulin sensitivity results in reduced arterial pressure. While insulin regulates [Ca2+]i, Ca2+ also regulates insulin signaling, as increasing [Ca2+]i impairs insulin signaling in some systems, possibly due to Ca2+ inhibition of insulin-regulated dephosphorylation. Finally, in recent studies of the mouse agouti gene, we have also demonstrated increased [Ca2+]i to play a key role in adipocyte lipogenesis, as follows. We have found dominant agouti mutants to exhibit increased [Ca2+]i in most tissues, leading to increased vascular reactivity and insulin resistance in vascular smooth muscle and skeletal muscle cells, respectively. Further, we have found recombinant agouti protein to directly increase [Ca2+]i in a variety of cells, including murine and human adipocytes, and to stimulate both the expression and activity of adipocyte fatty acid synthase and increase triglyceride accumulation in a Ca2+-dependent manner. These effects can be mimicked by stimulation of Ca2+ influx and blocked by Ca2+ channel inhibition, while treatment of mice with a Ca2+ antagonist attenuates agouti-induced obesity. Since humans express agouti in adipose tissue, it may similarly exert paracrine effects on [Ca2+]i and thereby stimulate de novo lipogenesis and promote obesity. Thus, Ca2+ signaling represents a target for therapeutic intervention in obesity as well as hypertension and insulin resistance. (Mol Cell Biochem 188: 129–136, 1998)
Semisynthetic Analogues of an Enzymically Active Complex Formed between Two Overlapping Fragments of Staphylococcal Nuclease

Abstract It has been shown previously that a cyanogen bromide fragment of staphylococcal nuclease (149 residues) containing the COOH-terminal portion of the molecule (residues 99 to 149) can undergo noncovalent interaction with a product of limited trypsin digestion of nuclease (residues 1 to 126) to yield a complex with approximately 10% the enzymic activity of the native protein. The two interacting fragments, when alone in solution, appear to be essentially structureless while the active complex exhibits much of the ordered structure of nuclease itself. The studies reported here have investigated, in a qualitative manner, the minimum structural requirements of the (99-149) fragment for productive complementation. The single tryptophan residue of nuclease, at position 140, may be replaced with phenylalanine and the fragment may be shortened at the NH2 terminus to the region of residues 116 to 117 and at the COOH terminus to position 140 without elimination of capacity to support the formation of a complex with at least partial activity.
Motor evoked potentials from external anal and urethral sphincter muscles by transcranial cortical stimulation during surgery

Publisher Summary This chapter addresses stimulation and recording techniques, and validates the use of the ring electrodes in repetitive transcranial electrical stimulation (rTES) studies of the external urethral sphincter (EUS). This technical report is useful, since complex spinal instrumentation can potentially endanger sacral nerve roots leading to bowel and bladder dysfunction after surgery. The chapter discusses that bowel function is maintained through voluntary contraction of anorectal musculature that is under descending control from the cerebral cortex. Cortical mapping studies demonstrate the anal response to be bilaterally represented on the superior motor cortex of both cerebral hemispheres. The chapter reviews that the external anal sphincter (EAS) muscle differs from the muscles in the limbs both physiologically and anatomically. There is a lesser degree of voluntary control over the EAS muscle than over other skeletal muscles. The EAS and the external urethral sphincter (EUS) are driven from lower motor neurons residing in the pudendal nerve.
Inexact inference for rule-based damage assessment of existing structures

The knowledge organization of a rule-based damage assessment system of existing structures subjected to earthquake excitation is outlined in this paper. A principle of inexact inference to obtain a rational solution is presented. The fuzzy set theory and the production system with certainty factor are employed jointly in the inexact inference to deal with the continuous nature of the damage state and to attain the modularity of uncertain knowledge, respectively.
Prognostic relevance of lymph node ratio and total lymph node count for small bowel adenocarcinoma.

Background Nodal metastasis is a known prognostic factor for small bowel adenocarcinoma. The goals of this study were to evaluate the number of lymph nodes (LNs) that should be retrieved and the impact of lymph node ratio (LNR) on survival. Methods Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results was queried to identify patients with small bowel adenocarcinoma who underwent resection from 1988 to 2010. Survival was calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate analysis identified predictors of survival. Results A total of 2,772 patients underwent resection with at least one node retrieved, and this sample included equal numbers of duodenal ( n = 1,387) and jejunoileal ( n = 1,386) adenocarcinomas. There were 1,371 patients with no nodal metastasis (N0, 49.4%), 928 N1 (33.5%), and 474 N2 (17.1%). The median numbers of LNs examined for duodenal and jejunoileal cancers were 9 and 8, respectively. Cut-point analysis demonstrated that harvesting at least 9 for jejunoileal and 5 LN for duodenal cancers resulted in the greatest survival difference. Increasing LNR at both sites was associated with decreased overall median survival (LNR = 0, 71 months; LNR 0–0.02, 35 months; LNR 0.21–0.4, 25 months; and LNR >0.4, 16 months; P Conclusion LNR has a profound impact on survival in patients with small bowel adenocarcinoma. To achieve adequate staging, we recommend retrieving a minimum of 5 LN for duodenal and 9 LN for jejunoileal adenocarcinomas.
Geometric Interpretation of Surface Tension Equilibrium in Superhydrophobic Systems

Surface tension and surface energy are closely related, although not identical concepts. Surface tension is a generalized force; unlike a conventional mechanical force, it is not applied to any particular body or point. Using this notion, we suggest a simple geometric interpretation of the Young, Wenzel, Cassie, Antonoff and Girifalco–Good equations for the equilibrium during wetting. This approach extends the traditional concept of Neumann’s triangle. Substances are presented as points, while tensions are vectors connecting the points, and the equations and inequalities of wetting equilibrium obtain simple geometric meaning with the surface roughness effect interpreted as stretching of corresponding vectors; surface heterogeneity is their linear combination, and contact angle hysteresis is rotation. We discuss energy dissipation mechanisms during wetting due to contact angle hysteresis, the superhydrophobicity and the possible entropic nature of the surface tension.
Circadian Rhythm of Output from Neurones in the Eye of Aplysia : II. Effects of Cold Pulses on a Population of Coupled Oscillators

1.The circadian clock that controls CAP frequency was stopped at or near its lowest phase point by long duration cold pulses of 6 °C. On return to normal recording temperature (15 °C), the rhythm was always reinitiated from this phase point. 2.Following long cold pulses, there was often a transient peak of CAP activity lasting 2-6 h. It is thought that this was an effect of rise in temperature after prolonged cooling and not an effect on the clock itself. 3.Twelve h cold pulses, spanning the rhythm peak, caused phase delays. 9 °C pulses caused small delays (e.g. 1.7 h) while large phase delays (e.g. 6.7 h) followed pulses of 5 °C. Some pulses at an intermediate temperature (8.5 °C) caused abnormal post-pulse cycles lasting several days, and resulting in very large phase delays (10–14 n). 4.The abnormal CAP frequency curves following 12 h cold pulses of 8.5 °C spanning the rhythm peak are interpreted as rhythm splits. It is postulated that part of the population of coupled oscillators comprising the circadian clock was slightly delayed by the cold pulse, while the other part was driven further towards the “stopped” state, thus producing a large phase angle difference between the two subpopulations. These drew one another back into phase during several cycles to reform a normal circadian rhythm. 5.It is hypothesized that the circadian oscillations of the two subpopulations did not sum to produce the observed CAP frequency curve; rather the level of CAP output was controlled by whichever subpopulation was discharging at the higher frequency. Note: Laboratory of Sensory Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1993 East-West Road, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, U.S.A.
Techniques and Significance of Threshold Measurement for Cardiac Pacing: Relationship to Output Circuit of Cardiac Pacemakers

Because it determines the "reserve" of the pacemaker's output circuit, threshold measurement remains the single most important factor that will ultimately ensure successful pacing. In this review, we describe the various techniques and significance of threshold measurement in relation to the property of pacemaker output circuits. There are two basic types of pacing circuits: (1) those with constant current, as in most external (temporary) pulse generators, and (2) those with constant voltage, as in many implantable pulse generators. Current-limited pulse generators have features of both constant-current and constant-voltage circuitry. The current threshold is helpful in determining the integrity of the electrode-tissue interface and reflects the density of the current, which is the prime factor responsible for successful stimulation. Voltage thresholds are useful for information on lead position and integrity, especially when voltage and current are measured simultaneously. Impedance (calculated from voltage and current during stimulation) can be helpful in the diagnosis of lead fractures, insulation breaks, and position problems. Threshold and impedance are entirely unrelated factors, each providing specific and different information about a pacing system. Threshold may also be measured in terms of charge and energy and in relation to the width of the pulse (at a constant impulse amplitude). The concept of safety margins is important when measuring long-term threshold at the time of replacement of a pulse generator. We have analyzed this problem and have attempted to make acceptable recommendations in the absence of clear information in the literature about this subject.
Effect of amiloride on the apical cell membrane cation channels of a sodium-absorbing, potassium-secreting renal epithelium.

The effect of the K-sparing diuretic amiloride was assessed electrophysiologically in the isolated cortical collecting tubule of the rabbit, a segment which absorbs Na and secretes K. Low concentrations of amiloride in the perfusate caused a rapid, reversible, decrease in the magnitude of the lumen negative transepithelial potential difference,V te, transepithelial conductanceG te, and equivalent short-circuit current,I sc, with an apparentK 1/2 of approximately 7×10−8 m. The effects of a maximum inhibitory concentration of amiloride (10−5 m) were identical to those observed upon Na removal from lumen and bath (Na removal from the bath alone has no effect). Removal of Na in the presence of 10−5 m amiloride had no affect onV te,G te, orI sc, and is consistent with the view that amiloride blocks the Na conductive pathways of the apical cell membrane. Further, in the absence of Na, the subsequent addition of amiloride had no influence. In tubules where active Na absorption was either spontaneously low, or abolished by removal of Na from lumen and bath, the elevation of K from 5 to 155 meq/liter in the perfusate caused a marked change of theV te in the negative direction and an increase in theG te. These effects could be attributed to a high K permeability of the apical cell membrane and not of the tight junctions. Amiloride (10−5 m) had no effect on these responses to K. It is concluded that amiloride selectively blocks the apical cell membrane Na channels but has no effect on the K conductive pathways(s). This selective nature of amiloride may indicate that Na and K are transported across the apical cell membrane via separate conductive pathways.
Effect of carbohydrate on age-related feeding behaviors and longevity in adult black cutworm,Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Age-related consumption and longevity were monitored in the laboratory for adultA. ipsilon fed either a 1M sucrose solution or water. An additional group was completely starved. Adults consumed sucrose solution and water just after eclosion; the percentage feeding daily and the mean daily consumption for females and males fed sucrose solution declined with time, whereas the percentage feeding daily and the mean daily consumption of those fed water increased with time. Total consumption was significantly higher for those fed sucrose solution (P 0.05). Mean longevity was significantly extended for females and males fed sucrose solution over those fed water or starved (P<0.01). Moreover, consumption of either fluid was significantly correlated with extended longevity in all groups (P<0.05). These data on fluid consumption by adultA. ipsilon are discussed relative to posteclosion migratory activities.
Responses of male white ibises to their mate's extra-pair copulations

I intensively observed the mating behavior of 134 pairs of white ibises for over 15 000 pair hours to examine the responses of males to extrapair copulations (EPC) involving their mates. Females often cooperated completely in apparently fertile EPCs. Male mate-guarding was vigorous and effective. Males did not respond to apparent sperm competition with forced-pair copulation, physical punishment, or abandonment of their mates. I found no negative correlation between degree of female promiscuity and the amount of parental care her mate gave to the entire brood. Males also did not reduce paternal care given to the young most likely to be the result of an EPC. I hypothesize that males are constrained in the behaviors they can use to avoid misplaced paternity in this species. While male mate-guarding reduces the opportunities for female involvement in EPC, the behaviors used by males to protect paternity apparently have not prevented the evolution of female receptiveness during EPC attempts.
Suppression of chondrogenic expression in mixtures of normal chondrocytes and BUDR-altered chondrocytes grown in vitro.

Abstract When normal chondrocytes are mixed with suspended liver, or kidney, or muscle cells and reared in monolayers in vitro , the heteretypic cells suppress the synthesis of chendroitin sulfate by adjacent chondrecytes. Chondrecytes grown in BudR, though replicating normally, do not synthesize chondroitin sulfate. BudR-altered chondrocytes exhibit cell surface properties very different from those exhibited by functional chondrecytes. BudR-altered cells do not adhere to one another and they are amoeboid. In mixtures of BudR-altered chondrocytes and normal chondrecytes, the former cells function as heterotypic cells: BudR-altered cells suppress chondreitin sulfate synthesis by contiguous normal chondrecytes.
The Value of Bronchial Washings and Bronchoalveolar Lavage in the Diagnosis of Lymphangitic Carcinomatosis

This study examines the value of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in diagnosing lymphangitic carcinomatosis. A retrospective analysis of fiberoptic bronchoscopic records at a tertiary referral hospital was performed. Twelve patients with neoplastic disease and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates compatible with lymphangitic carcinomatosis who underwent diagnostic fiberoptic bronchoscopy were identified. Bronchoalveolar lavage correctly identified five (100 percent) out of five patients, bronchial washings identified four (57 percent) of seven patients and either procedure identified nine (75 percent) of 12 patients. Bronchial brushings were positive in two (40 percent) of five patients, and transbronchial lung biopsy confirmed the diagnosis in only four (44 percent) of nine patients. Transbronchial lung biopsy was uniquely positive in only one patient. One patient had a significant pulmonary hemorrhage following transbronchial lung biopsy, while no complications of BAL occurred. Two patients had significant coagulopathy, and one patient was severely agitated precluding transbronchial lung biopsy, and all three were positive by BAL. This study suggests that BAL should be performed to confirm the diagnosis of lymphangitic carcinomatosis before proceeding to a biopsy, especially when the risks of pneumothorax and hemorrhage are excessive.
The rubber hand illusion and the tactile Simon effect

We examined the effects of the rubber hand illusion on representing tactile stimuli using the Simon effect. In a tactile Simon effect task, participants are instructed to make intensity judgments (using foot pedal responses) to tactile stimuli presented to the hands. Participants are faster when the tactile stimulus and response foot are on the same versus opposite side of the body, regardless of whether the limbs are crossed or uncrossed. Furthermore, participants are faster overall when the hands are crossed versus uncrossed. In this study, participants engaged in a tactile Simon effect experiment with rubber hands positioned directly above the participants’ hidden hands, and with real and rubber hands stroked before each experimental block. Each participant was tested in four blocks, manipulating real and rubber hand position (crossed or uncrossed). First, we found that participants responded faster with real or rubber hands crossed, demonstrating that crossing the hands (real or rubber) can hasten tactile intensity judgments. Furthermore, on trials when the rubber hands were crossed, high ownership ratings for the rubber hand were significantly correlated with faster reaction times. Finally, we found a significantly more robust Simon effect when the rubber hands (but not real hands) were crossed. We discuss these findings with reference to how integration of rubber hands into the body schema influences how we represent the location of tactile stimuli.
Expectancies for the Effectiveness of Different Tobacco Interventions Account for Racial and Gender Differences in Motivation to Quit and Abstinence Self-Efficacy

INTRODUCTION Racial and gender disparities for smoking cessation might be accounted for by differences in expectancies for tobacco interventions, but few studies have investigated such differences or their relationships with motivation to quit and abstinence self-efficacy. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, 673 smokers (African American: n = 443, 65.8%; women: n = 222, 33.0%) under criminal justice supervision who enrolled in a clinical smoking cessation trial in which all received bupropion and half received counseling. All participants completed pretreatment measures of expectancies for different tobacco interventions, motivation to quit, and abstinence self-efficacy. The indirect effects of race and gender on motivation to quit and abstinence self-efficacy through expectancies for different tobacco interventions were evaluated. RESULTS African Americans' stronger expectancies that behavioral interventions would be effective accounted for their greater motivation to quit and abstinence self-efficacy. Women's stronger expectancies for the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy accounted for their greater motivation to quit, whereas their stronger expectancies for the effectiveness of behavioral treatments accounted for their greater abstinence self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS Findings point to the mediating role of expectancies for treatment effectiveness and suggest the importance of exploring expectancies among African Americans and women as a way to augment motivation and self-efficacy.
Génie-civil et protection de l’environnement : exigences en matière de confinement, mesures prises à la conception, surveillance dans le temps de la conformité, remise en conformité, surveillance complémentaire de l’environnement

La fonction confinement est la seule des trois fonctions de surete assuree directement par les ouvrages de genie-civil. Les exigences liees a cette fonction ont ete prises en compte a la conception. Une surveillance periodique des installations est exercee qui conduit a des remises en etat de defauts constates. Le retour d'experience montre que les materiaux participant au confinement gazeux presentent peu de defauts. En revanche, ceux qui assurent le confinement liquide concentrent l'essentiel des degradations. Des developpements de ces materiaux ont ete entrepris. En complement de la surveillance des installations, une surveillance de l'environnement est aussi effectuee afin de s'assurer de l'absence d'impact.
Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Studies of DDT-Type Compounds

Recently, increasing attention has been given to the ecological significance of DDT-type compounds. This growing concern is generally attributed to their stability and their subsequent persistence in the environment. Owing to the large number of such compounds and because of the difficulties of their isolation, it is important to have fundamental information dealing with methods and possibilities for their identification.