cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aiming for the heart: targeted delivery of drugs to diseased cardiac tissue

Background: The development of a number of regenerative strategies in recent years for curing heart disease represents a paradigm shift away from conventional approaches which aim to manage heart disease. Effective administration of pharmaceutical agents targeted directly to the diseased tissue is the key to unlocking the potential of regenerative strategies, which could augment current conventional treatments. Objective: The authors review recent advances in targeted drug delivery to diseased cardiac tissue. Methods: Various therapeutic methodologies designed to selectively deliver pharmaceutical agents to diseased cardiac tissue are discussed in this review. Conclusion: Targeted delivery of survival and engraftment promoting factors to damaged cardiac tissue can be an important strategy, for example, in creating a suitable microenvironment encouraging the engraftment of stem cells. Further progress in this emerging field is contingent on the discovery of new biomarkers that are upregulated in damaged ca...
Optimal number of disc clock tracks for block-oriented rotating associative processors

Block-oriented rotating associative processors provide a highly cost-effective solution to the need for parallel processing of large volumes of data in information storage and retrieval applications. Such processors are implemented by incorporating some processing logic into each read/write head of a fixed-head (head-per-track) disc memory. With non-self-clocked data recording, which offers higher storage densities, the usual data storage format is to assign the fixed capacity dictated by the maximum bit density and the length of the innermost (shortest) track to all tracks, thus making it possible to use a single clock track for the synchronisation of read and write operations. In the paper, we note that with a single clock track about half of the total recording capacity of the disk surface is wasted. This leads to the proposal for dividing the tracks into groups, with one clock track for each group. It is shown that with optimal design, 90–95% of the useful disk capacity can be utilised. This represents a 70–90% improvement over the case of a single clock track and is achieved at virtually no extra cost.
Morphometric analysis of experimental spinal cord injury in the cat: The relation of injury intensity to survival of myelinated axons

The pattern of axonal destruction and demyelination that occurs in experimental contusion injury of cat thoracic spinal cord was studied by line sampling of axons in 1 micron thick plastic sections with the light microscope. Injuries were produced by a weight-drop apparatus, with the vertebral body (T9) below the impact stabilized by supports under the transverse processes. The effects of two combinations of weight and height were examined: 10 or 13 g dropped 20 cm onto an impact area of 5 mm diameter. Animals were kept for 3-5 months after injury, then fixed by perfusion for histological analysis. The number of surviving myelinated axons was found to vary both with the weight used and with the size of the spinal cord. A measure of impact intensity was derived from the calculated momentum of the weight at impact divided by the cross sectional area of the cord (interpolated from dimensions measured rostral and caudal of the lesion following fixation). At impact intensities greater than 0.02 kg-m/s/cm2 there was practically no survival of axons at the center of the injury site, combined with almost complete breakdown of the pial margin. Between 0.08 and 0.2 kg-m/s/cm2 the number of surviving axons varied between 100,000 and 2,000, approximating a negative exponential function (r = -0.88). The number of axons surviving in the outer 100 microns of the cord varied practically linearly (r = -0.82) between near normal and less than 1% of normal over the same range of injury intensity. The number of surviving axons decreased with depth from the pia, also approximating a negative exponential function, with a 10-fold decrease in density over approximately 500 microns. The average slope of this relation with depth remained similar over the range of injury intensity examined, though the slope appeared inversely related to variation in axonal survival for different individuals at a given intensity. It is argued that the loss of axons is probably determined primarily by mechanical stretch at the time of impact. Its centrifugal pattern may be explained by longitudinal displacement of the central contents of the cord, reflecting the viscoelastic "boundary layer" properties of parenchymal flow within the meningeal tube. This is illustrated with reference to the behavior of a gelatin model under compression. The preferential loss of large caliber axons and the characteristic shift to abnormally thin myelin sheaths (resulting from post-traumatic demyelination) both varied in extent independently of injury intensity and overall axonal survival.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Residential Mobility and Attempted Suicide Among Adolescents: An Individual-Level Analysis

Building on the Durkheimian legacy's emphasis on social integration as a determinant of suicidal behavior, many macrolevel studies have observed an association between aggregate rates of geographic...
Powered prosthesis control during walking, sitting, standing, and non-weight bearing activities using neural and mechanical inputs

Lower limb prostheses that can generate near physiological joint power have the potential to improve the way amputees go about their activities of daily living. Amputees who have lost both their knee and ankle would also benefit from a system that allowed them to easily perform sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit movements, reposition their prosthesis using neural control, and intuitively transition between these modes of operation and walking. In this study, we developed such a system and evaluated it with two transfemoral amputees. Both amputees were able to stand up and sit down comfortably using the powered prosthesis. Two neural control systems were configured using a linear discriminant analysis classifier trained from data recorded from eight residual thigh muscles. One classifier, trained to recognize when amputees sat down from walking mode, was on average 96.5% accurate. A second classifier, trained to recognize amputees' intent to reposition the knee and ankle joints, was on average 87.3% accurate. This integrated control system allowing transfemoral amputees to walk as well as perform weight transfers (sitting down and standing up) and seated non-weight bearing activities demonstrates an advancement towards improving the performance and viability of powered prostheses during daily use.
Identification of potential synthetic lethal genes to p53 using a computational biology approach

Identification of genes that are synthetic lethal to p53 is an important strategy for anticancer therapy as p53 mutations have been reported to occur in more than half of all human cancer cases. Although genome-wide RNAi screening is an effective approach to finding synthetic lethal genes, it is costly and labor-intensive. To illustrate this approach, we identified potentially druggable genes synthetically lethal for p53 using three microarray datasets for gene expression profiles of the NCI-60 cancer cell lines, one next-generation sequencing (RNA-Seq) dataset from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project, and one gene expression data from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) project. We selected the genes which encoded kinases and had significantly higher expression in the tumors with functional p53 mutations (somatic mutations) than in the tumors without functional p53 mutations as the candidates of druggable synthetic lethal genes for p53. We identified important regulatory networks and functional categories pertinent to these genes, and performed an extensive survey of literature to find experimental evidence that support the synthetic lethality relationships between the genes identified and p53. We also examined the drug sensitivity difference between NCI-60 cell lines with functional p53 mutations and NCI-60 cell lines without functional p53 mutations for the compounds that target the kinases encoded by the genes identified. Our results indicated that some of the candidate genes we identified had been experimentally verified to be synthetic lethal for p53 and promising targets for anticancer therapy while some other genes were putative targets for development of cancer therapeutic agents. Our study indicated that pre-screening of potential synthetic lethal genes using gene expression profiles is a promising approach for improving the efficiency of synthetic lethal RNAi screening.
Calculations of many-particle-many-hole deformed state energies: Near degeneracies, deformation condensates

In deformed Hartree-Fock calculations with Skyrme interactions we observe a near degeneracy of the mean energies of many-particle--many-hole deformed intrinsic states. For example, in /sup 40/Ca the np-nh states with n = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are nearly degenerate. The deformation parameter ..beta.. increases steadily from n = 2 to 8. The intrinsic state energy of the 8p-8h state is lower than that of the 4p-4h state for the interactions used here: SK III, SK IV, and SK VI. The calculations are also performed with the Skyrme III interaction for the even-even calcium and titanium isotopes. For /sup 44/Ti there is a near degeneracy of 6p-2h and 8p-4h. For the N>Z isotopes above, the two protons excitation lies lowest. Whereas the intrinsic state energies are much higher than the observed energies of the lowest-lying deformed states, the results when projection of J = 0/sup +/ states is carried out and pairing effects are taken into account, are encouraging.
Ritual and conformity in soviet society

Many studies of ritual, especially Soviet rituals, tend to confuse the psychological attitudes of participants in the ritual with the independent social role of ritual in maintaining social order. ...
Intracellular replication of Edwardsiella ictaluri in channel catfish macrophages

Abstract The ability of Edwardsiella ictaluri to enter, survive, and replicate in head kidney−derived macrophages from channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus was investigated in vitro. Primary macrophage cultures were exposed to E. ictaluri and were sampled after 0 (90 min postinfection), 4, 8, and 12 h. The data indicated that bacterial numbers for E. ictaluri increased 2.6-, 5.1-, and 7.1-fold after 4, 8, and 12 h of incubation, respectively. Microscopic examination of infected cell cultures revealed numerous intracellular bacteria that were contained within clear, spacious vacuoles. Opsonization with normal serum resulted in significantly greater internalization of E. ictaluri at 0 h compared with pretreatment with heat-inactivated serum or no serum at the same time point, and bacteria pretreated with normal serum maintained significantly greater numbers than those in the other treatments after 4 and 8 h. Opsonization, however, did not affect the ability of E. ictaluri to replicate once the cell was enter...
An Exact Algebraic Solution for the Incubation Period of Superfill

Recent publications have used the impact of area change coupled with conservation of adsorbed catalyst to quantify the superfill effect of bottom-up feature filling during electrodeposition and chemical vapor deposition. This work describes how that superfilling process can be quantified using planar fronts that grow from corners where surfaces impinge. The results obtained apply only when catalyst is preadsorbed on the surface, with no subsequent accumulation or consumption. However, because they are exact solutions, they can also be used to check the accuracy of models and computer codes concerned with the more general problems of feature filling. Implications for sidewall deposition associated with the incubation period are discussed.
Clearing Murders Is It about Time

This study uses data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to explore the impact of model selection on determining the association of victim-level and incident-level factors to the likelihood of homicide clearance. We compare both traditional operationalizations of clearance rates as well as the time to clearance as dependent variables in examinations of correlates of solvability in homicide cases. Using a different approach than most other analyses of this problem, the results affirm the consistency of some effects but also reveal some important differences when the aspect of time is factored into the model. Implications for analyses of efficiency and effectiveness of police response to homicide, cold-case analyses, and other strategies for solving crime are discussed.
Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Head and Neck: A Selected Review with Emphasis on Terminology.

Virtually every variant of neuroendocrine neoplasia can occur, at least rarely, in the head and neck region. This review focuses on the terminology surrounding neuroendocrine carcinomas of the larynx and their distinction from morphologically similar but biologically distinctive neoplasmas. It is suggested that rare typical laryngeal carcinoids be labeled as such. There is little evidence that these lesions are part of a morphologic continuum. In contrast, more common “carcinoid-like” carcinomas, previously referred to as “atypical carcinoids” are more appropriately labeled as “moderately differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas”. These neoplasms should, in turn, be distinguished from “small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas,” although these latter two neoplasms do represent a morphologic and behavioral spectrum. Light microscopic and immunohistochemical features distinguishing neuroendocrine carcinomas of the larynx from paraganglioma, metastatic medullary carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and basaloid squamous cell carcinoma are presented. The second portion of this review outlines the clinicopathologic features of two head and neck neoplasms exhibiting varying degrees of neuroendocrine differentiation. Olfactory neuroblastomas have well-developed neuroendocrine differentiation, almost invariably arise from the olfactory mucosa, typically exhibit low-grade cytologic features, and may have protracted clinical course with an approximately 50% overall 5-yr survival. In contrast, sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma is a microscopically high-grade neoplasm with minimal, abortive neuroendocrine features, a highly aggressive clinical course, and virtually 100% mortality. They can arise throughout the sinonasal region.
A CONCENTRIC SHOCK ELECTRODE FOR PAIN STIMULATION.

Shock electrode of concentric design successfully eliminates burning of skin, provides for increased subject mobility, delimits area of stimulation, and reduces unwanted muscle action.
Proton-neutron mass difference and the pion mass in a gauge model

In a variation of the Weinberg SU(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}SU(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}U(1) gauge model of the weak and electromagnetic interactions, we study the proton-neutron mass difference, which is calculable, and investigate the appearance of pions as part of the Higgs system. We find that the proton-neutron mass difference is a function of the way in which the symmetry is broken. We exhibit a possible symmetry breaking which produces the correct sign for the mass difference. In the Higgs sector, we have a mass-degenerate pseudoscalar triplet which interacts with nucleons as pions do in the SU(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}SU(2) $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ model. Therefore we identify this triplet with pions. They are massive in zeroth order, but we can calculate the mass difference $\ensuremath{\delta}{m}^{2}$. We find that $\ensuremath{\delta}{m}^{2}$ is of order $\ensuremath{\alpha}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{2}$ which is too large. If we impose a reflection symmetry on the Lagrangian, the symmetry group of the potential is enlarged and we find that the theory contains three pseudo-Goldstone bosons. These are the pion triplet, which are now massless in zeroth order. When we calculate the pion mass in the one-loop approximation, the ${\ensuremath{\Pi}}^{0}$ remains massless while the charged pions pick up mass of order ${m}^{2}\ensuremath{\sim}\ensuremath{\alpha}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{2}$. This may perhaps be damped numerically to give a suitable estimate of the pion mass, but the mass difference is still too large.
The Comparative Validity of 11 Modern Personality Inventories: Predictions of Behavioral Acts, Informant Reports, and Clinical Indicators

In science, multiple measures of the same constructs can be useful, but they are unlikely to all be equally valid indicators. In psychological assessment, the many popular personality inventories available in the marketplace also may be useful, but their comparative validity has long remained unassessed. This is the first comprehensive comparison of 11 such multiscale instruments against each of three types of criteria: clusters of behavioral acts, descriptions by knowledgeable informants, and clinical indicators potentially associated with various types of psychopathology. Using 1,000 bootstrap resampling analyses from a sample of roughly 700 adult research participants, we assess the relative predictability of each criterion and the comparative validity of each inventory. Although there was a wide range of criterion predictability, most inventories exhibited quite similar cross-validities when averaged across all three types of criteria. On the other hand, there were important differences between inventories in their predictive capabilities for particular criteria. We discuss the factors that lead to differential validity across predictors and criteria.
Acyl-CoA synthetase activity associated with microsomal and mitochondrial contaminants of isolated rat liver nuclei

Abstract Nuclei from rat livers were isolated by differential centrifugation. Activities of acyl-CoA synthetase (palmitoyl-CoA synthetase, EC 6.2.1.3) and of marker enzymes for mitochondria and microsomes were measured. The results indicate that acyl-CoA synthetase activity previously reported to be associated with nuclei (W.A. Creasey, Biochim. Biophys. Acta , 64 (1962) 559) is probably due to activity contained in microsomal and mitochondrial membrane fragments that contaminate nuclear preparations.
Application of a graphite furnace atomic absorption detector automatically coupled to a high-performance liquid chromatograph for speciation of metal-containing macromolecules

Abstract High-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with graphite furnace atomic absorption (GFAA) is capable of sensitive, nearly non-destructive, element-specific separation and detection of a wide range of molecular species containing metals or metalloids. Applications of HPLC—GFAA techniques are discussed, including size exclusion chromatography for the analysis of experimental organometallic polymers containing chemically bonded biocidal organotin moieties, and reversed bonded phase chromatography for analysis of novel organotin silicates. In conjunction with variably sensitive optical refractive index/ultra violet absorption detection, GFAA demonstrates separation of the polymers into at least two tin-containing fractions of widely different molecular weight (MW). The relative proportions of high- and low-MW fractions have important implications with respect to performance specifications for these and similar controlled release materials. Tin-specific and silicon-specific analysis of an organotin silicate demonstrates co-elution of species containing each element. Future off/on-line 29Si and 119Sn Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy will demonstrate whether each element is bonded to the same molecular species.
Operative surgical education: results of a society of surgical oncology fellowship survey and proposal for an operative database.

Background: Preparation of surgical trainees for oncological operative procedures is challenging. The purpose of this survey was to focus on identifying methods and resources used by trainees to prepare for procedures and to ascess the need for additional educational tools. Methods: A 34-item survey was mailed electronically to 97 surgical oncology fellows at 14 Society of Surgical Oncology–approved training programs. General surgery residents at an affiliate training program (n = 65) and residents attending an American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination review course (n = 129) were polled via hard-copy mailings. The survey was distributed with the Dillman method. Self-education practices, factors influencing operative education, and strengths/weaknesses of available resources were identified. Results: Response rates were 56% and 78% for fellows and residents, respectively. Trainees prepare for more than 50% of cases they perform (82%; 169 of 205), devoting up to 1 hour (87%; 178 of 205) in review the evening before a procedure (64%; 131 of 205). Time availability and attending of record were dominant factors influencing resident preparation, whereas case complexity was the most important variable motivating fellows. Surgical atlases, texts, anatomical references, and case discussion with attending staff were the most useful and available resources rated by trainees. Skills stations were recognized as the least valuable. Critical assessment of six educational resources identified no one particular area for improvement. Conclusions: There is a need for contemporary operative educational tools, incorporating time-sensitive and procedure-specific needs of surgical trainees preparing for oncological operative procedures.
Energy and mass balance in the three-phase interstellar medium

Details of the energy and mass balances are considered in the context of a three-phase interstellar medium. The rates of mass exchange between the different phases are derived based on the pressure variations created by supernova remnant expansions. It is shown that the pressure-confined warm and cold gases have stable temperatures under a variety of interstellar conditions. The three-phase quasi-static configuration is found to be a natural outcome, and both warm and cold phases generally contribute about half of the total mass density to the diffuse interstellar gas. The model is also likely to be self-regulatory in the sense that variations of the input parameters do not strongly alter the general result, which is consistent with most current observations. The consequences of extreme conditions on this model are considered, and the possible implications for interstellar medium in other galaxies are briefly discussed.
Increased serum glycosidase activity in human hypertension

Compared to values obtained in healthy normotensive control subjects, the serum activity of the lysosomal enzymes N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and β-glucuronidase, was found to be elevated in patients with mild or borderline hypertension. The serum activity of the cytosolic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase was the same in the two groups. Serum NAG activity in hypertension was inversely correlated with glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow. Because of the greater variability of β-glucuronidase activity, there were no such correlations between the serum levels of this enzyme and the measurements of renal function.
Therapy for postmenopausal osteoporosis based on fundamental disease etiology and pathophysiology

For the postmenopausal and/or ovariectomized woman, osteoporosis is part of an estrogen deficiency syndrome that also increases risk for coronary heart disease. Hormone replacement therapy directly addresses this syndrome from etiological and pathophysiological grounds, but has poor compliance because of potential side effects and risk/benefit ratio. We describe in this issue a non-steroidal molecule, Raloxifene, that acts as a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). Thus, raloxifene is, at the same time and in the same treated subject, an estrogen receptor agonist that stops bone loss and lowers cholesterol and an estrogen receptor antagonist that represses the adverse effects of estrogen on uterine endometrium and breast tissue. This compound is therefore an excellent candidate for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the estrogen deficiency syndrome.
α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonism confers neuroprotection through GSK-3β inhibition in a mouse model of intracerebral hemorrhage.

Background and Purpose—Perihematomal edema formation and consequent cell death contribute to the delayed brain injury evoked by intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). We aimed to evaluate the effect of α7...
Calpactin I in the differentiating embryonic chicken lens: mRNA levels and protein distribution.

Abstract Calpactin I, one of the EDTA-extractable proteins of the lens membrane, binds phospholipid and actin in a calcium-dependent manner. It is also a known substrate of the pp60 src kinase. Analysis of embryonic chicken lens RNA with a bovine calpactin I-specific cDNA probe revealed the presence of a ∼1.8 Kb calpactin mRNA in the lens cells. Six-day embryonic chicken lenses were microdissected into central epithelium, equatorial epithelium, and fiber cells. Total cytoplasmic RNA was isolated from these samples and calpactin I mRNA levels were determined by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) following reverse transcription (RT). Quantitative PCR indicates that the calpactin I mRNA levels in the equatorial epithelium are greater than in the central epithelium by a factor of 12.7 ± 2.7. Calpactin I mRNA in fiber cells is an additional 3.5 ± 1.5 times greater than in the equatorial epithelium. Whole mounts of embryonic chicken lens epithelia and histological sections of whole lenses were also examined with an antibody directed against chicken calpactin I. Calpactin I was predominantly localized in a punctate distribution in equatorial epithelial cells and near the plasma membrane of elongate fiber cells. The elevated levels of calpactin I mRNA observed in the equatorial epithelium and fiber cells and the immunological localization of the protein suggest a possible role of calpactin I in the elongation of fiber cells during lens differentiation.
Mediators present in the nematocyst venoms of the sea nettle, sea wasp and Portuguese man-o'war.

Abstract 1. The nematocyst venoms of the sea nettle, sea wasp and Portuguese man-o'war were found to contain a gut-contracting principle possessing kinin-like properties as well as dermonecrotic and mouse lethality factors. 2. The sea nettle also contained a fibrinolysin in the extra-nematocyst tissue of the mensenteric tentacles. 3. The sea nettle contractile activity was limited to the nematocyst of the fishing tentacle. 4. The contractile, fibrinolytic, lethal and dermonecrotic principles of the sea nettle could be disassociated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation or isoelectric focusing and therefore represent separate molecular entities. 5. The fibrinolysin was inhibited by human α-2 macroglobulin but was unaffected by epsilon aminocaproic acid, thereby distinguishing it from human plasmin.
Cognitive Dissonance under Food-Borne Risk: A Lab Experiment

Abstract An experiment is conducted to identify cognitive dissonance and subsequent responses in eating behaviour under food-borne risk. Results show that the existence of cognitive dissonance depends on the familiarity with the food. With common food (beef sausage), participants tend to bid a higher price, report lower risk assessment and neglect risk information, suggesting cognitive dissonance and confirmatory bias. In contrast, with less familiar food (smoked salmon), participants are more cautious. However, subjects still tend to over-justify their eating behaviour by reporting higher willingness to pay (WTP). In summary, the effectiveness of public information depends on people's initial knowledge and perception.
Duality of salience in dopamine neurons

Brischoux et al. (1) may have finally provided the evidence necessary to bridge a recent, but well developed controversy between dopamine (DA) theories. Major theories of DA have described functional correlates for both appetitive (2, 3) or aversive outcomes (4, 5) but have fallen short at the crossroads of these concepts. DA neurons clearly exhibit phasic increases in firing rate in response to rewards (2), which presumably increases DA in mesolimbic regions. Although DA is increased by footshock in mesocortical and mesolimbic regions (4, 5), phasic increases in firing rate of ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons in response to footshock have not been demonstrated (2). Brischoux et al. (1) demonstrate that, in the sparsely researched ventral portion of the VTA, neurochemically identified DA neurons exhibit phasic increases in firing rate in response to footshock, suggesting that mesencephalic outcome prediction might function using distinct modalities.
Contingent contracts and educational screening

Abstract This paper is concerned with a world where firms initially do not know workers' productivity and workers do not know the level of match specific job satisfaction at any firm. We find that, even if firms will not default on contingent contracts, there is generally a positive private and social return to educational screening. Contingent contracts do not prevent some screening. In general, some screen efficiently and others screen when it is inefficient to do so. However, if screening cost is either very small or very large there may be too little screening.
Fungal infections in patients with AIDS and AIDS-related complex.

Persons with AIDS are predisposed to a variety of previously rare bacterial and fungal infections. Improvement in the quality and duration of survival of AIDS patients depends on the efficacy of treatment for these infections. Between 58-81% of AIDS patients contract fungal infections at some time and 10-20% of AIDS patients die as a direct consequence of such infections. Oral candidiasis commonly known as thrush is the most common fungal infection among AIDS and AIDS Related Complex patients occurring in 80-90% of cases. In a recent U.S. study 59% of persons with oral candidiasis who were at high risk of contracting AIDS went on to develop Kaposis sarcoma and other life- threatening infections. The most common life-threatening fungal infection experienced by AIDS patients is cryptococcosis a disease occurring among 6% of American AIDS patients and having a mortality rate of 17% during initial infections and 75-100% on relapse. Other opportunistic infections associated with AIDS and AIDS Related Complex are bronchial candidiasis invasive aspergillosis disseminated histoplasmosis and disseminated coccidioidomycosis. All are treatable but eradication i s difficult and relapse common.
Predicting Perinatal Mortality in Preterm Intrauterine Growth Restriction

We evaluated if maternal demographic and ultrasound parameters predict perinatal mortality in preterm intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Retrospective cohort study of preterm IUGR (delivery gestational age <35 weeks and birth weight <10th percentile for gestation). We excluded twins and fetuses with aneuploidy, intrauterine infection, or major congenital malformations. Information collected included maternal demographic and medical information, estimated fetal weight, oligohydramnios (amniotic fluid index <5), abnormal umbilical artery Dopplers (absent or reverse end-diastolic flow), and abnormal biophysical score (score <6). Our outcome was perinatal mortality, which was defined as in utero death or neonatal death within the first 28 days of life. Statistical analysis included bivariate and multivariable techniques as well as receiver operator characteristic analysis. Two hundred thirty singleton pregnancies with preterm IUGR meeting the inclusion criteria were identified. Variables associated with perinatal mortality included oligohydramnios and abnormal umbilical artery Dopplers. These two variables had modest predictive value for perinatal mortality. In cases of preterm IUGR, only the presence of abnormal umbilical artery Dopplers or oligohydramnios predicts perinatal mortality.
Increased Numbers of Coassembled PSD-95 to NMDA-receptor Subunits NR2B and NR1 in Human Epileptic Cortical Dysplasia

Summary: Purpose: Glutamatergic transmission between neurons occurs at chemical synapses. The N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor subclass of ionotropic glutamate receptors has been implicated in the epileptogenic mechanisms in human cortical dysplasia (CD). NMDA receptors are clustered at the postsynaptic membrane by anchoring to the postsynaptic density protein PSD-95, a putative ion channel–clustering protein. In this study, we quantitatively investigated the coassembly of PSD-95 to NR2B and NR1 in human epileptogenic cortex as compared with nonepileptic cortex. Methods: We used coimmunoprecipitation and immunoblotting techniques to quantify and compare the numbers of coassembled PSD-95 with NR2B, PSD-95 with NR1, and NR2B with NR1 in the membrane proteins of brain tissues resected from four patients (aged 3.5, 6, 14, and 18 years) with medically intractable neocortical epilepsy associated with CD. The resected cortical tissues were grouped into epileptic and nonepileptic, as determined by prolonged subdural electrode recordings in three patients and direct intraoperative electrocorticographic recording in one patient. Results: In all patients, the amounts of immunoprecipitated complexes, which reflect the numbers of coassembled PSD-95 proteins to NR2B subunits, were increased in epileptic cortex as compared with nonepileptic cortex. Conclusions: These results suggest that increased coassembly of NR2B and NR1 with PSD-95 may underlie one of the cellular mechanisms that contribute to the in situ increased hyperexcitability, leading to seizure generation in focal CD.
Getting More Bang for Our R&D Bucks

While some may want to argue the point, many believe it is innovation and the resulting technology that provides society with the impetus to advance and to provide the greatest value to the members of that social order. Some would also argue that advanced or advancing technologies provide the fastest way to improve the health, wealth, and well being of the individual. Independent of these arguments, it is clear that innovation, particularly the game-changers, has had an accelerating impact on the development of almost every social order on this planet. It is through the creativeness of the individual, plus the organized efforts of research and development programs that have allowed the fostering of ever-growing numbers of new innovations in every aspect of society: agriculture, medicine, transportation, communication, etc. What may be of particular note is that some of the earlier and most contributive to the innovation race are currently less than effective than they once were, or possibly others are simply out-running them. The United States, plus several others, was one of the earlier contributors to the technology revolution. By most of the standard global measures it is clear the US has not maintained the edge in technology and innovation that was, for many decades, the beacon to a large portion of the rest of the world. While the US is not the only country that has allowed the innovation gap to slip and in some cases to reverse, it may be very representative of the reason the rest have also slowed their progress. More importantly, the reasons may have very little to do with capabilities, resources, education, manpower, etc. It may simply be managed expectations, thus the purpose of this paper.
A method to accurately predict the position of the maxillary incisor in two-jaw surgery

Oral and maxillofacial surgeons now have the ability to alter the maxillomandibular complex in all three planes of space with the performance of maxillary and mandibular osteotomies during the same surgical operation. To increase accuracy and improve treatment results, many surgeons advocate first performing model surgery and fabricating an intermediate (transitional) splint to be used for the actual operation. Insertion of the splint ensures that the maxilla is in its correct mediolateral and anteroposterior position if the mandibular condyles are seated in their fossae. 1 To fabricate the transitional splint, the dental casts of the patient are first mounted on a semior fully adjustable articulator using a centric relation interocclusal registration. The maxillary model is repositioned on the articulator to a planned location determined by preoperative clinical and cephalometric analyses. This may involve translational and rotational movements in all three planes of space. The transitional splint is then fabricated, relating the repositioned maxilla to the unoperated mandible. To determine the actual movements of the maxilla on the articulator, most surgeons score or draw reference lines on the base of the maxillary dental cast. After repositioning, the lines serve to indicate the amount and direction of maxillary movement along the proposed osteotomy site. One pitfall of using these lines to quantify the movement of the maxillary model is that they may not accurately reflect the movement of the dentition. Figure I is a preoperative tracing of a patient whose case demonstrates this problem. The patient had maxillary retrusion, vertical maxillary deficiency in the incisor area, anterior open-bite, mandibular prognathism, and macrogenia. Cephalorne-
Correction and supplement: An elementary approach to Hecke operators

A relationship between local Hecke series ofSp(ν, ℚ p ) for ν=1, 2, and 3 is given.
Management of biliary strictures following liver transplantation.

A 55-year-old man with end-stage liver disease due to chronic hepatitis C and alcohol abuse underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Six weeks later, he developed a sudden rise in liver enzyme level. He underwent a liver biopsy that revealed acute cellular rejection and was treated with anti-thymocyte globulin. Although his aminotransferase levels declined over the following weeks, total bilirubin remained elevated over 5 mg/dl. Hepatic sonography and color Doppler imaging were normal. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) revealed a stricture at the biliary anastomosis (Fig. 1), which was treated with balloon dilation and biliary stent placement. The patient presented four months later with fever, sweats, and enterococcal bacteremia. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan with intravenous contrast revealed a 6-cm right hepatic lobe fluid collection communicating with dilated intrahepatic bile ducts, consistent with a biloma. Altered hepatic perfusion was also seen, manifested by heterogeneous attenuation in the right hepatic lobe (Fig. 2a–b). Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) with biliary drainage was performed, followed by internal-external biliary drain placement over the next several weeks. Follow-up hepatic sonography showed interval development of low resistance within the hepatic artery and tardus-parvus waveforms, suggesting proximal occlusion. A CT angiogram demonstrated complete occlusion of the common hepatic artery (Fig. 3a–b). Over the following weeks, the patient developed multifocal intrahepatic biliary strictures with recurrent bilomas requiring percutaneous drainage. Because of subsequent progressive graft failure, he ultimately underwent a second liver transplantation.
CFD analysis of micromixing effects on polymerization in tubular low-density polyethylene reactors

A novel multi-environment CFD micromixing model is used to describe the small-scale mixing of chemical species inside a tubular low-density polyethylene (LDPE) reactor under different operating conditions. The model is coupled with a comprehensive kinetic scheme describing ethylene polymerization that includes kinetic mechanisms describing polymer properties and ethylene decomposition. The simulation results show that imperfect mixing between initiator and monomer reduces monomer conversion and increases the polydispersity index. Insufficient micromixing also causes local hot spots, which may lead the reactor to thermal runaway. Thus, the small-scale mixing has a significant impact on the reactor stability. The study not only illustrates the importance of mixing effects on LDPE polymerization but also provides important insights into the physical phenomena occurring inside the reactor, which are extremely helpful in evolving a criteria for stable operation of the reactor while controlling the product quality in the plant-scale tubular LDPE reactor. Compared to full probability density function (PDF) methods used in the literature for similar studies, the multi-environment CFD micromixing model offers a computationally highly efficient description of the turbulent reacting flow inside the LDPE reactor.
Decreased Bile Acid Pool in Neonates of Guinea Pigs Fed Cholesterol during Pregnancy

Feeding 0.25% cholesterol-containing chow to guinea pigs during pregnancy resulted in a ) significantly higher plasma cholesterol in the neonates, b ) a striking decrease in the total bile acid pool of the neonatas, with a significant reduction in the pool of chenodeoxycholic acid, and c) an increase in the proportion of bile acids associated with the neonatal liver. These results suggest that feeding cholesterol to guinea pigs during pregnancy has undesirable effects in the neonate in terms of the development of cholesterol degradation mechanisms. J. Nutr. Ill: 2030-2033, 1981.
Theoretical analyses of O2/H2O systems under normal and supercritical conditions

Abstract We show that a solution of O 2 in supercritical water at 850 K and 250 bar is a ‘weakly attractive’ system, in terms of the classification scheme of Debenedetti et al. This means that some solvent enrichment around the solute does occur but the partial molar volume of the latter is positive. We have investigated the interaction of individual O 2 and H 2 O molecules by both ab initio and non-local density functional methods, and confirmed that the O 2 · H 2 O complex is weak (binding energy ⩽ 1.3 kcal/mol) and loose. The molecular electrostatic potentials of O 2 and H 2 O show the former to have extremely weak negative regions. Molecular dynamics simulations for water and for O 2 /H 2 O solutions under both normal (300 K, 1 bar) and supercritical (850 K, 250 bar) conditions show that O 2 expands the volume of the supercritical water and decreases the extent of clustering of the water molecules.
COMPARISON OF RAPID TECHNIQUES FOR THE DETECTION OF ESCHERICHIA COLI O157:H7

Four different commercial kits (EHEC-TEK of Organon Teknika, Durham, NC; HEC O157 of 3M, St. Paul, MN; and Coline dipstick and Coline one-step of AMP-COR Inc., Camden, NJ) were evaluated for the detection and recovery of E. coli O157:H7from 75 fresh meat samples and 23 artificially inoculated beef and pork samples. Of the total 75 samples tested, 21 (28%) were presumptive positive by HEC O157 and Coline dipstick, 18 (24%) by Coline one-step, and 12 (16%) by EHEC-TEK. None of the presumptive positive samples by any of the methods was confirmed as E. coli O157:H7 (false positive). Of the 23 positive spiked samples tested, 23 were recovered by Coline dipstick and one-step (100%), 22 (95.6%) by HEC O157, and 20 (86.9) were recovered by EHEC-TEK. In the confirmation step 17 of the 23 spiked samples produced characteristic colonies on MacConkey sorbitol agar (Difco) with 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indoxy-β-D-glucuronide (Biosynth International) (MSA-BCIG) and were confirmed as E. coli O157:H7. No characteristic colonies on MSA-BCIG were detected for 6 of the spiked samples with initial inoculum levels of between 2 to 70 cells/g and, therefore, were not confirmed as E. coli O157:H7. A better enrichment medium, as well as improved selective plating and confirmation techniques, are needed to enhance the selective growth of E. coli O157:H7 and provide lower detection levels.
Verbal learning differences in chronic mild traumatic brain injury.

Following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI), a percentage of individuals report chronic memory and attention difficulties. Traditional neuropsychological assessments often fail to find evidence for such complaints. We hypothesized that mild TBI patients may, in fact, experience subtle cognitive deficits that reflect diminished initial acquisition that can be explained by changes in cerebral white matter microstructure. In the data presented here, a sample of nonlitigating and gainfully employed mild TBI patients demonstrated statistically significant differences from age and education matched control participants in performance on the first trial of a verbal learning task. Performance on this trial was associated with reduced fractional anisotropy in the uncinate fasciculus and the superior longitudinal fasciculus providing an anatomical correlate for the cognitive findings. Mild TBI patients were not impaired relative to control participants on total learning or memory composite variables. Performance on the first learning trial was not related to any psychological variables including mood. We concluded that patients with mild TBI demonstrate diminished verbal learning that is not often interpreted in standard neuropsychological assessment. (JINS, 2010, 16, 506–516.)
Autism Spectrum Disorder Screening Refusal Rates: Findings from a Statewide Early Intervention Program

Emerging evidence of the efficacy of early intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has focused attention on the need for early identification of young children suspected of having ASD and thus on the implementation of routine ASD screenings. This study examined the refusal rates of ASD screening among infants and toddlers enrolled in EarlySteps, the State of Louisiana’s early intervention program. Participants (n = 4,296) were children aged from birth to 36 months who were enrolled in EarlySteps. The Battelle Developmental Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-2) and demographic section of the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtism Traits- Part 1 (BISCUIT: Part 1) were administered to a parent or caregiver as part of the EarlySteps assessment protocol. ASD screenings were refused by 23.3 % of children sampled. Females were found to be at greater risk for screening refusal (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.338, 95 % CI 1.106–1.618). African American children were less likely to have screening refused than other ethnicities (OR = .746, CI 95 % .609–.915). Previous diagnoses of Down syndrome (OR = 3.934, 95 % CI 1.785–6.462), cerebral palsy (OR = 2.744, 95 % CI 1.436–5.243), seizure disorders (OR = 2.271, 95 % CI 1.208–3.638), and other genetic conditions (OR = 2.271, 95 % CI 1.273–4.052) were also found to increase risk of refusal. Children with a family history of ASD were less likely to have screening refused (OR = .351, 95 % CI .244–.505). Clinical applications and the need for more research on factors related to ASD screening refusal are highlighted.
A current-mode CMOS algorithmic analog-to-quaternary converter circuit

A current-mode CMOS algorithmic analog-to-quaternary data converter circuit has been realized in a standard polysilicon-gate CMOS technology. This circuit accepts an analog current input and uses current comparators and pass gates to develop a set of quaternary, base-four, output currents. A single type of converter cell may be cascaded to the desired number of quaternary output digits. The reference current that defines the full scale input range may be set externally. This circuit is input-output compatible with other previously described VLSI-compatible current-mode CMOS quaternary threshold logic and memory circuits. The current-mode CMOS algorithmic analog-to-quaternary data converter circuit is presented, and its experimental and simulated performances are described. >