cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Critical Exploration of Migraine as a Health Disparity: the Imperative of an Equity-Oriented, Intersectional Approach.

Despite recognition of rising prevalence and significant burden, migraine remains underestimated, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. This is especially true among groups who have been historically, socially, and economically marginalized such as communities of color, women, people experiencing poverty, people with lower levels of education, and people who hold more than one of these marginalized identities. While there is growing public and professional interest in disparities in migraine prevalence, there is a paucity of research focusing on racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities, and the social and structural determinants of health and equity that perpetuate these disparities. From a health equity perspective, migraine research and treatment require an examination not only of biological and behavioral factors, but of these identities and underlying, intersecting social and structural determinants of health. Significant disparities in migraine incidence, prevalence, migraine-related pain and disability, access to care, and quality of care persist among marginalized and underserved groups: African Americans, Hispanics, people experiencing poverty, un- or under-employment, the un- and under-insured, people who have been exposed to stressful and traumatic events across the lifespan, and people experiencing multiple, overlapping marginalized identities. These same groups are largely underrepresented in migraine research, despite bearing disproportionate burden. Current approaches to understanding health disparities in migraine largely assume an essentializing approach, i.e., documenting differences between single identity groups—e.g., race or income or education level—rather than considering the mechanisms of disparities: the social and structural determinants of health. While disparities in migraine are becoming more widely acknowledged, we assert that migraine is more aptly understood as a health equity issue, that is, a condition in which many of the health disparities are avoidable. It is important in research and clinical practice to consider perspectives that incorporate a cultural understanding of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic identity within and across all levels of society. Incorporating perspectives of intersectionality provides a strong foundation for understanding the role of these complex combination of factors on migraine pain and treatment. We urge the adoption of intersectional and systems perspectives in research, clinical practice, and policy to examine (1) interplay of race, gender, and social location as key factors in understanding, diagnosing, and treating migraine, and (2) the complex configurations of social and structural determinants of health that interact to produce health inequities in migraine care. An intentional research and clinical focus on these factors stands to improve how migraine is identified, documented, and treated among marginalized populations.
A Novel Role for PDZ-Binding Motif of Influenza A Virus Nonstructural Protein 1 in Regulation of Host Susceptibility to Postinfluenza Bacterial Superinfections.

Abstract Influenza A viruses (IAVs) have multiple mechanisms for altering the host immune response to aid in virus survival and propagation. While both type I and II interferons (IFNs) have been as...
Suppression of Host Resistance by Antigens of Cryptococcus Neoformans

Normal immune fonction is a critical factor in resistance to the opportunistic yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. Disseminated cryptococcosis is most commonly associated with underlying illness which predisposes to disease. Patients with neoplastic disease, particularly chronic lymphatic leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease, chronic myelogenous leukemia and multiple myeloma, are at particular risk. Other risk factors include collagen diseases, sarcoidiosis, and immunosuppression associated with organ transplantation. More recently, the Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease Syndrome (AIDS) has emerged as the most important predisposing condition for development of disseminated cryptococcosis. Patients with AIDS have a number of immunological defects; the specific deficiency that accounts for the high incidence of cryptococcosis in AIDS patient is not known. An area of current interest is the extent to which the yeast is able to modulate the host resistance. the effects of the yeast on host resistance may be a contributing factor to the progression of disease in immunocompromised individuals.
Neurological effects and mechanisms of blast overpressure injury

Abstract Explosive devices are common in modern warfare, leading to an increase in blast-induced traumatic brain injuries (bTBIs). bTBIs are almost identical to other TBIs in terms of neuropathology and clinical symptoms. Unique aspects of bTBIs arise from the injury setting and the behavior of explosive devices. bTBIs tend to occur in traumatic settings such as war zones or terrorist attacks, creating a strong negative emotional component. Explosive devices do not target the head specifically, leading to peripheral injuries. Both the emotional and peripheral aspects of bTBI can exacerbate symptoms. The majority of bTBIs are mild, and have good prognosis but can be difficult to diagnose as symptoms can be transient and mild. The inability to properly detect mild bTBI can expose victims to further injuries, worsening prognosis. This chapter describes the mechanism of injury, clinical features, neuropathology, animal models, and potential fluid biomarkers for bTBI.
Cold Compress for Intrauterine Device Insertional Pain: A Randomized Control Trial

Background: Pain with intrauterine device (IUD) insertion is identified as a barrier to uptake of this highly effective long-acting reversible contraceptive. Several studies have assessed the effic...
Examination of gene expression in saliva samples from COVID-19 patients to study the host defense response against SARS-CoV-2 in the oral cavity

Abstract Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which presents with respiratory symptoms including fever, sore throat, cough and congestion, suggesting that infection of the oral cavity and nasopharynx (ONP) is an obligate step in its pathogenesis Consistent with this role in the initial infection, oral and nasopharyngeal epithelial cells express the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) (1), and RT-PCR based testing can routinely detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA within both the nasal and buccal tissues Local innate and adaptive immune responses in the oral epithelia are almost certainly involved in the defense against SARS-CoV-2 infection, yet little is known about these defenses
Energy Drink Effects on Hemodynamics and Endothelial Function in Young Adults

Introduction Cardiovascular side effects associated with energy drink consumption may be related to effects on vascular endothelial function, heart rate, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram parameters. We sought to measure them following energy drink consumption. Methods Forty-four healthy non-smoking young volunteer medical students, at an average age of 24.7 years (range 23-27 years, 34 males), with an average BMI of 23.4, received electrocardiograms and had their heart rates and blood pressures taken. Subjects then underwent baseline testing of endothelial function using the technique of endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) with high-resolution ultrasound. The subjects then drank an energy drink (24 oz Monster Energy Drink®). Hemodynamic measurements were repeated 15 and 90 min later. FMD and the electrocardiogram were repeated 90 min later. The FMD was calculated as the ratio of the post-cuff release and the baseline diameter. Results Energy drink consumption resulted in a significantly attenuated peak FMD response (mean ± SD): baseline 5.1 ± 4.1% versus post-energy drink (2.8 ± 3.8%; p = 0.004). In addition, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate increased after 15 min. Diastolic blood pressure and heart rate remained increased 90 min following energy drink consumption. There were no significant changes in electrocardiogram parameters. Conclusion Energy drink consumption was associated with an acute significant impairment in endothelial function in young healthy adults as well as with significant hemodynamic changes. As energy drinks are becoming more popular, it is important to study their effects to better determine safe consumption patterns.
A Customized Market Response Model: Development, Estimation, and Empirical Testing

A customized, stepwise, log-linear, distributed lag, restricted market response model is proposed to estimate the effects of various elements of promotion expenditures on sales in the presence of potentially significant effects due to trend and/or seasonality when using time-series data. As distinct from standardized software packages, the customization offers management several benefits: (a) an (optional) imposition of prior restrictions on the directions of the coefficient variables; (b) an empirical determination of the lag structure for selected variables; (c) the detrending of the data to allow for the assessment of incremental marketing mix effects above trend; and (d) a simplified sensitivity analysis. The model is empirically tested and validated using sales data for a brand where the impact of several marketing mix variables is estimated and investigated via policy simulations. A comparison of these results with those obtained from a corresponding unrestricted model illustrates the advantages of this approach. Finally, the limitations of this procedure and directions for future research are discussed.
Hardware Efficient Quantum Search Algorithm

Quantum computing has noteworthy speedup over classical computing by taking advantage of quantum parallelism, i.e., the superposition of states. In particular, quantum search is widely used in various computationally hard problems. Grover's search algorithm finds the target element in an unsorted database with quadratic speedup than classical search and has been proved to be optimal in terms of the number of queries to the database. The challenge, however, is that Grover's search algorithm leads to high numbers of quantum gates, which make it infeasible for the Noise-Intermediate-Scale-Quantum (NISQ) computers. In this paper, we propose a novel hardware efficient quantum search algorithm to overcome this challenge. Our key idea is to replace the global diffusion operation with low-cost local diffusions. Our analysis shows that our algorithm has similar oracle complexity to the original Grover's search algorithm while significantly reduces the circuit depth and gate count. The circuit cost reduction leads to a remarkable improvement in the system success rates, paving the way for quantum search on NISQ machines.
Molecular dynamics simulations of a hydrophilic MIL-160-based membrane demonstrate pressure-dependent selective uptake of industrially relevant greenhouse gases

Continued integration of technologies capable of achieving higher degrees of sustainability while meeting global material and energy demands is of singular importance in halting human-caused climate change. Gas separation membranes composed of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are considered promising candidates for such integration; owing to their modular, scalable nature and high degree of tunability they are seen essential to maintain separation functionality. However, prior to sustainable implementation, both an evaluation of MOF characteristics and an intensive examination of MOF–gas molecule interactions are necessary to fully understand the fundamental separation criteria as well as to define suitable ranges of gas separation conditions. Herein, we present our findings on the greenhouse gas separation capabilities of the hydrophilic, Al-based MIL-160 in the selective uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from other relevant greenhouse gases, i.e., methane (CH4), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitric oxide (NO), including gravimetric solubility, permeability, and diffusivity calculations. We found that a MIL-160 membrane has excellent applicability in the separation of gases of varying electronegativities, with a diffusivity selectivity of 72.0, 9.53, and 13.8 for CH4, NO2, and NO, respectively, relative to CO2. Further, we demonstrate that the selectivity at which gas molecules diffuse through the MIL-160 membrane varies strongly with the simulation pressure, suggesting that such membrane system is potentially an ideal candidate for the development of pressure-swing adsorption processes that achieve gas separations efficiently while mitigating the emission of greenhouse gases.
Principles of Integrating Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in Primary Care

Integration of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in primary care is crucial for expanding access to care. The availability of medications for OUD – in particular, buprenorphine – is the starting point for OUD treatment. Multidisciplinary treatment teams that consist of waivered primary care providers and care coordinators are common to integration. Initial assessments are anchored in confirming a diagnosis of OUD, determining patient readiness and goals for treatment, and planning for the care of comorbid conditions. Polysubstance use is not a contraindication to OUD treatment in primary care. Sublingual buprenorphine, the most widely used medication for OUD in primary care, can be safely initiated in patients using unobserved treatment initiation strategies. Maintaining patients in OUD treatment entails modifying or intensifying treatment according to patient needs. Additional psychosocial counseling beyond the scope of primary care–based OUD treatment should be offered but not required. Finally, a patient-centered approach to utilizing toxicology tests and addressing diversion is essential to integrating OUD treatment in primary care.
Phase imaging using the incoherent lattice light-sheet (IHLLS) detection module

We present phase images of neuronal structures within a biological test sample using the incoherent holography lattice light-sheet (IHLLS) microscope detection methodology.
Global Media: The Television Revolution in Asia

This book is about the processes of globalization, demonstrated through a comparative study of three television case histories in Asia. Also illustrated are different approaches to providing television services in the world: public service (NHK in Japan), state (CCTV in China) and commercial (STAR TV, based in Hong Kong). Through its focus, Global Media addresses a considerable lacuna in the media studies literature, which tends to have a heavy Western bias. It provides an original addition to the literature on globalization, which is often abstract and anecdotal, in addition to making a major contribution to comparative research in Asia. Finally, it offers a thoughtful causal layered analysis, with a concluding argument in favor of public service television.
Trophic Cascades and Biodiversity in Grand Teton National Park

The reintroduction of wolves into Grand Teton National Park has the potential of affecting species distribution patterns from the large ungulates down to the insect and plant communities. Trophic cascades, as these effects are called, epitomize the interconnectedness of ecological communities. My research team has been studying montane meadow biodiversity of plants, birds, and butterflies in the Grand Teton National Park since 1996. We have used satellite imagery to classify meadows along a moisture gradient into six categories (Ml-M6). Hydric meadows are dominated by willows and sedges, mesic meadows have a diversity of grasses and flowering plants, and xeric meadows are dominated by sagebrush and grasses. These meadows are important reservoirs of biodiversity in the arid Rocky Mountain ecosystems. We have identified a suite of species in each taxonomic group that are tightly linked with each of the meadow types. We expect that as wolves move into Grand Teton National Park and the surrounding areas, there will be changes in herbivory and species distribution patterns that will cascade through the system. This research will focus on monitoring montane meadow communities to test for trophic cascades in the willow and bird communities.
Risk, Charity, and Miscellaneous Aspects of Social Security

So far, except in the very simplest version of the Samuelsonian model, we have not talked about aiding the poor quae poor. In this chapter we will discuss the social security system as a way of aiding at least some of the poor, and also, to reinforce what was said before, as a way of making the poor “save” for their own retirement. Before doing so, however, it is necessary to look at a few special aspects of the scheme. Firstly, when the program was introduced in the United States, it did not have the direct tax transfer characteristic that it now does. The money collected from the early contributors to social security was, in fact, invested in government bonds. There was a reduction in the federal deficit in 1937 because of the new social security taxes and, as yet, no benefit payments. It has been suggested by some economists that this reduction in the federal deficit is one of the major causes of the 1937 depression.149
Peer Review-Peering Over Its Shoulder

Unless you are over 90 you probably cannot recall a time when peer review was not regarded as an essential qualitative process in the evaluation of manuscripts for inclusion in medical journals. It was and is still believed that peer review ensures that presentations of putative scientific merit will be carefully assessed by disinterested yet committed and qualified experts whose judgments enhance the quality of published papers.
Tolerant Linearity Testing and Locally Testable Codes

We study tolerant linearity testing under general distributions. Given groups G and H , a distribution μ on G , and oracle access to a function f :G ***H , we consider the task of approximating the smallest μ -distance of f to a homomorphism h :G ***H , where the μ -distance between f and h is the probability that $f(x) \ne h(x)$ when x is drawn according to the distribution μ . This question is intimately connected to local testability of linear codes. In this work, we give a general sufficient condition on the distribution μ for linearity to be tolerantly testable with a constant number of queries. Using this condition we show that linearity is tolerantly testable for several natural classes of distributions including low bias, symmetric and product distributions. This gives a new and simple proof of a result of Kaufman and Sudan which shows that sparse, unbiased linear codes over are locally testable.
The Stock Price Reaction to the Challenger Crash: Information Disclosure in an Efficient Market

In this paper, we provide clinical evidence on market efficiency by studying stock price movements around a particular event--the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Our work is motivated by the continuing debate on whether the market quickly and accurately processes information. A group of researchers have long argued that stock prices exhibit excess volatility and anomalous patterns that cannot be explained only by information. We provide contradictory evidence. We study an event in which investor panic could easily lead to initial overreaction, and because the government investigation of the cause of the crash took five months, one might expect a delayed stock market reaction to the crash. What we find is that the market pinpointed the guilty party within minutes, and while there was some "excess volatility" associated with trading in the non-culpable firms, this provided little or no profit to traders with inside information.
The Misapprehension of Moral Damages in Investor-State Arbitration

This chapter summarizes the investment caselaw involving moral damages and explores various unresolved practical and conceptual difficulties that remain in assessing and awarding moral damages. As revealed by careful analysis of these decisions, the crux of the problem is a pervasive failure to grasp the singularly compensatory nature of moral damages awarded to investors, and the far-reaching consequences it has for their articulation and assessment. That moral damages awarded to investors are categorically compensatory in kind is firmly established in the International Law Commission in Article 31 of its Draft Articles on Responsibility of States for International Wrongful Acts (ILC Draft Articles), and the Lusitania decision, and accordingly to be distinguished from other forms of reparation such as satisfaction and restitution, and a fortiori punitive damages. Keywords: civil law jurisprudence; International Law Commission (ILC); investor-state arbitration; Lusitania decision; moral damages; public international law
The effects of copper and titanium on silicon solar cells

Copper-doped N/P silicon solar cells fabricated from the Czochralski grown single-crystal wafers were found to have good electrical characteristics, but the titanium-doped N/P silicon solar cells has considerably lower conversion efficiency. However, in the copper/titanium-doped solar cells, copper seems to mitigate the unfavorable effects of titanium. To explain this behavior, microstructural tests were performed on silicon wafers and solar cells doped with copper, titanium and copper/titanium. Dark forward and reverse I-V measurements were performed on the solar cells to correlate the microstructural defects with the p-n junction properties. It was found that copper precipitates were formed in the copper-doped and copper/titanium-doped wafers and cells. There was a significant voltage drop in the dark reverse I-V measurements of the titanium solar cells. Also, there were some electronically active defects in the depletion region of some titanium-doped cells. Reasons that lead to the above results are given in detail.
An evaluation of the rate of absorption of solar radiation in the O2(X3Sigma-g - b1Sigma-g) transition

The rate at which molecular oxygen absorbs radiation in the O2(X3Sigma-g - b1Sigma-g) transition is calculated using a line-by-line radiative transfer model. This rate is critical to the determination of the population of the O2(b1Sigma-g) state required for studies of the O2(b1Sigma-g - X3Sigma-g) dayglow, the O2(a1Delta-g - X3Sigma-g) dayglow, and possibly the rates of oxidation of H2 and N2O. Previous evaluations of this rate (which is sometimes called the g-factor) have significantly overestimated its value. The rate is tabulated as a function of altitude, pressure, and solar zenith angle.
Evidence that acetaminophen and N-hydroxyacetaminophen form a common arylating intermediate, N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine.

Adding ascorbic acid to microsomal incubations containing acetaminophen inhibited covalent binding of the reactive metabolite. Adding ascorbic acid to incubations containing acetaminophen and cysteine markedly decreased acetaminophen-cysteine adduct formation. Ascorbic acid addition to aqueous incubations containing N-hydroxyacetaminophen and cysteine similarly inhibited the nonenzymatic formation of an acetaminophen-cysteine adduct. Therefore, the chemical reactions responsible for the nonenzymatic decomposition of N-hydroxyacetaminophen to yield acetaminophen-cysteine adducts were examined. In aqueous solutions above pH 7, N-hydroxyacetaminophen rapidly dehydrated to N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine. In the absence of reducing compounds N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine reacted with another molecule of N-hydroxyacetaminophen to give equal amounts of nitrosophenol and acetaminophen. The addition of cysteine or ascorbic acid slowed the decomposition of N-hydroxyacetaminophen and inhibited the formation of nitrosophenol. Cysteine effected these changes through decreasing the concentration of N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine, primarily by reducing it to acetaminophen at low pH (5.5-7.0) or by conjugating with it to yield an acetaminophen-cysteine adduct at high pH (7.5-11.0). Ascorbic acid produced its effects only through reduction of the N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine intermediate; thus acetaminophen was the only product. These observations provide strong evidence that the reactive intermediate formed in microsomes from acetarninophen and in solution from N-hydroxyacetaminophen is N-acetyl-p-benzoquinoneimine.
Priming-induced shift in synaptic plasticity in the rat hippocampus.

The activity history of a given neuron has been suggested to influence its future responses to synaptic input in one prominent model of experience-dependent synaptic plasticity proposed by Bienenst...
Vascular Pathology of Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome

Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) is now recognized as a systemic vasculopathy involving complex interactions between endothelial cells, platelets, and inflammation and coagulation cascades [1–3]. Vasculopathy is a term often equated with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) but unfortunately continues to be used or confused with vasculitis (where inflammatory cells are present throughout the vessel wall) or perivasculitis (where the infiltrate is adventitial but the vessel wall is intact) [4–14]. The identification of TMA is dependent on many factors: (a) time course from symptomaticity to biopsy, (b) action of naturally occurring anticoagulants, or (c) time course of institution of antithrombotic treatments. TMA may involve changes on the intra-luminal side, through the vessel wall, and into the adventitia. At the light microscopic level, this spectrum involves endothelial cell swelling, thrombosis that is usually bland, but occasionally associated with a reactive cellular infiltrate as part of neoangiogenesis (reactive angioendotheliomatosis). Varying degrees of recanalization, fibrin, and/or platelet deposition in the vessel wall, proliferation of myointimal cells with attendent luminal decrease, medial thickening, and hyalinization usually with preservation of the internal elastic lamina occur, but in some instances discrete vasculitis or perivasculitis is present [1–14]. Limited electron microscopic studies have in some vessels identified indistinct electron dense deposits in sub-endothelial areas that have not yet been fully characterized as representative of antiphospholipid (aPL) antibodies but have been identified as immunoglobulin [2, 4, 6–12]. Some of the confusion in the APS literature is attributable to (a) poor differentiation of perivasculitis versus panvasculitis, (b) misinterpretation of positive fluorescent antibody (FA) studies for immunoglobulins and complement components as definitive of an immune complex vasculitis, when complement and markers of endothelial cell activation have new effector functions [1, 3, 9], (c) occurrence of co-existing vasculitis in secondary APS, most often in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and (d) anatomic differences between arteries and veins versus capillaries, with their lack of limiting vascular smooth muscle cells and attendant inflammatory cell extravasation or spillage beyond capillary network without identifiable capillary necrosis (capillaritis) [4, 6–8, 12].
Carbonic anhydrase in the midgut of larval Aedes aegypti: cloning, localization and inhibition

The larval mosquito midgut exhibits one of the highest pH values known in a biological system. While the pH inside the posterior midgut and gastric caeca ranges between 7.0 and 8.0, the pH inside the anterior midgut is close to 11.0. Alkalization is likely to involve bicarbonate/ carbonate ions. These ions are produced in vivo by the enzymatic action of carbonic anhydrase. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of this enzyme in the alkalization mechanism, to establish its presence and localization in the midgut of larval Aedes aegypti and to clone and characterize its cDNA. Here, we report the physiological demonstration of the involvement of carbonic anhydrase in midgut alkalization. Histochemistry and in situ hybridization showed that the enzyme appears to be localized throughout the midgut, although preferentially in the gastric caeca and posterior regions with specific cellular heterogeneity. Furthermore, we report the cloning and localization of the first carbonic anhydrase from mosquito larval midgut. A cDNA clone from Aedes aegypti larval midgut revealed sequence homology to α-carbonic anhydrases from vertebrates. Bioinformatics indicates the presence of at least six carbonic anhydrases or closely related genes in the genome of another dipteran, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Molecular analyses suggest that the larval mosquito may also possess multiple forms.
Consistent nonparametric regression from recursive partitioning schemes

Abstract We here extend our results on asymptotically Bayes risk efficient classification to the general regression scenario. More precisely, we find Lp consistent estimators for an arbitrary regression function provided only that the dependent variable has a finite absolute pth moment. The estimators are truncated and untruncated local means derived from recursive partitioning schemes.
Hypocomplementemia in a newborn infant caused by placental transfer of C3 nephritic factor

as a cause of vaginal discharge, septic arthritis, conjunctivitis, brain abscess, and bacterial endocarditis in man. 7 They are nonmotile, nonencapsulated, catalase negative, gram-negative diplobacilli; the majority of species are sensitive to penicillin. Many strains of Moraxella kingii have been cultured from the human throat and are considered to have low pathogenicity." We are unaware of a previous report o f intervertebral disk infection secondary to this species.
Dental and Other Aspects of a Possible Association Between Cerebrovascular Ischemia and Chronic Infection

To the editor: I believe that the report of Grau and colleagues1 concerning acute cerebrovascular ischemia and infections has diagnostic, statistical, dental, and terminological aspects worthy of comment. This letter will address them sequentially. All possible participants with two or more episodes of “cough with phlegm” during 3 or more months in each of 2 years were said to have “frequent or chronic bronchitis.” In addition, Table 2 tabulated people who had “two or more episodes in life so far.” That might not be too unusual in a middle-aged population. Even if major causes of cough such as tuberculosis or heart failure are ruled out, morning “cigarette cough”2 or postnasal drip syndrome, allergy, environmental irritants, vasomotor rhinitis, and sinusitis3 rather than true bronchitis quite possibly were present in some participants. Therefore, perhaps not all of the study’s productive coughers merited such classification. Although multiple statistical methods were used, no probability value for significance was stated. This unusual omission is important because it was written that “…patients with cerebrovascular ischemia tended to have a worse dental status than the control group ( P =.070 and P =.062, respectively).” By customary statistical criteria those differences, which are greater than .05, are not significant. Do the authors believe those larger probability values indicate meaningful differences? If not, their paper is largely based on that tendency rather than a significant association, despite use of the latter word in the title. This could well mislead the casual reader. Regarding the dental aspects, the discussion states, “…periodontitis and periapical lesions but not caries contributed to differences between groups.” That conclusion, apparently based on Table 5, which indicates the difference in periapical lesions between the two groups to be more significant ( P =.027) than the caries (NS) or the periodontitis ( P =.047) scores, must be …
Estrous cycle differences in cocaine-induced stereotypic and locomotor behaviors in Fischer rats.

This study was conducted to characterize female behavioral response to acute 'binge' pattern cocaine administration (15 mg kg(-1) i.p., three times a day, at 1 h intervals) during the different stages of the estrous cycle in Fischer rats. Cocaine administration significantly increased stereotypic behavior and locomotion in females. Animals in estrus showed significantly higher cocaine-induced stereotypic and locomotive behavioral responses than those in other stages of the cycle. Plasma levels of the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine during metestrus diestrus were significantly higher than during estrus and proestrus probably reflecting more rapid biotransformation of cocaine. Therefore, it is likely that the hormonal fluctuations associated with the estrous cycle modulate both cocaine metabolism and the behavioral responses to cocaine in female rats. This in turn may have important implications in gender differences in behavioral responses to cocaine.
Applications of a generalized data-management language in medicine: Some recent experience at Stanford university

Um den Zugang zum Computer auch fur den Nichtfachmann moglichst einfach und effektiv zu gestalten, mussen neue Programmiertechniken entwickelt werden. Ein Teil dieser Neuentwicklungen beschaftigt sich mit dem Aufbau und dem Gebrauch von Computer-Dateien. Zu diesem Zwecke wurde DIRAC an der Stanford-University entwickelt und getestet. Diese Sprache ist die erste einer ganzen Familie von Prototypen, welche eingesetzt werden, um die organisatorischen Probleme der Speicherung und Wiederauffindung wissenschaftlicher Information zu losen. Die Sprache ist so konstruiert, dass die Benutzer via einen Fernschreiber, der weit von der Computer-Zentrale entfernt aufgestellt sein kann, mit Hilfe einfacher Schlusselworter ihren Zwecken angepasste Kartotheken aufbauen konnen («create»), die einmal gespeicherte Information erganzen, zerstoren oder modifizieren konnen («up date»), die Kartothek nach fast beliebigen Kriterien abfragen und gesuchte Informationen heraussortieren konnen («query») sowie den Inhalt der ganzen Kartothek herausdrucken und einfach statistisch bearbeiten lassen konnen («status»). Ein kurzer Uberblick uber den Sprachaufbau von DIRAC und Beispiele fur den Gebrauch von DIRAC durch verschiedene medizinische Abteilungen der Stanford-University sind beschrieben.
Recommended Readings Age and Gender in Hausa Society Socio-economic Roles of Children in Urban Kano

Enid Schildkrout is Curator for African Ethnology in the Division of Anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History; she is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University and at the City ...
Reduction of random seams in hot rolling through FEM based sensitivity analysis

In hot rolling, the thermomechanical design of the rolling sequence is often based on the design of the roll grooves and the selection of processing parameters. The sensitivity of this design to the variations in the processing parameters often results in the formation of random defects such as rolled seams. In this paper, a unique minimum sensitivity design approach is proposed that eliminates the formation of seams without affecting the finishes microstructure. Central to this approach is a microstructure based finite element model for simulating hot rolling, a seam formation criteria based on the groove underfill, and the manipulation of least constrained passes to find the design that least sensitive to process variations. The approach is applied to an industrial roll-pass design to demonstrate its efficacy. It is seen that the new robust design provides a wide working window for the roll-pass settings for seamless rolling of bars, and at the same time provides for acceptable microstructure.
Solid-phase synthesis of fluorescent heparin

Abstract A method for linking heparin via its reducing terminus to a fluorescent ligand, 3-aminotyramine, is described. The procedure is such that all of the isolated product is labeled and each polysaccharide chain contains a single label. The derivatized heparin has a fluorescence excitation maximum at 330 nm and an emission maximum at 406 nm. Application of the procedure to heparin fractions with defined molecular-weight ranges yielded products in which the relative emission intensities for equimolar solutions were essentially the same. These preparations should be very useful in defining the molecular weight of fractionated heparin and for studies on heparin-protein interactions.
Hindered Molecular Reorientation of Lithium Ion Doped Succinonitrile in the Terahertz Range

The THz range permittivity of succinonitrile exhibits Debye-like behavior in its plastic-crystal phase, with a characteristic Cole-Cole relaxation time of 65ps p17ps which increases considerably in the presence of ionic dopants.
Strumal carcinoid of the ovary: An analysis of 50 cases of a distinctive tumor composed of thyroid tissue and carcinoid

Strumal carcinoid of the ovary is a type of germ-cell tumor characterized by an intimate mixture of thyroid tissue and carcinoid. Fifty patients with this type of tumor ranged in age from 21 to 77 years. The tumors measured up to 26 cm in diameter and were always unilateral. In 10% of the cases, the contralateral ovary contained another type of neoplasm, usually a dermoid cyst. Three-fifths of the strumal carcinoids arose in dermoid cysts or in mature solid teratomas. Birefringent calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals were commonly identified in the thyroid colloid, and argentaffin granules, in the carcinoid cells, thus substantiating the identity of the neoplastic components. Although 31% of the tumors were accompanied by focal stromal luteinization, only 8% of the cases exhibited clinical signs of steroid hormone production (endometrial hyperplasia, hirsutism, or virilism). In 8% of the cases, there was evidence suggesting functioning of the thyroid component, but no patient had the carcinoid syndrome. Only one woman died of tumour; five others died of unrelated causes. The remaining patients remained alive and well; 23, for at least five years, and 15, for at least ten years postoperatively. Although the carcinoid component of the strumal carcinoid has been considered a malignant transformation of struma ovarii, it is almost always benign, and treatment with a simple oophorectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy is effective.
Purification and properties of mycobacterial GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylase.

The enzyme that catalyzes the formation of GDP-d-mannose from GTP and alpha-d-mannose-1-P was purified about 2300-fold to near homogeneity from the soluble fraction of Mycobacterium smegmatis. At the final stage of purification, a major protein band of 37 kDa was observed and this band was specifically labeled, and in a concentration-dependent manner, by the photoaffinity probe 8-N3-GDP[32P]-d-mannose. The purified enzyme was stable for several months when kept in the frozen state. The 37-kDa band was subjected to protein sequencing and one peptide sequence of 25 amino acids showed over 80% identity to GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylases of pig liver and Saccharomyces cerevesiae. In contrast to some other bacterial GDP-mannose pyrophosphorylases, the mycobacterial enzyme was not multifunctional and did not have phosphomannose isomerase or phosphoglucose isomerase activity. Also, in contrast to the pig liver enzyme which uses mannose-1-P or glucose-1-P plus GTP to synthesize either GDP-mannose or GDP-glucose, the mycobacterial enzyme was specific for mannose-1-P as the sugar phosphate substrate. The enzyme was also relatively specific for GTP as the nucleoside triphosphate substrate. ITP was about 18% as effective as GTP, but ATP, CTP, and UTP were inactive. The activity of the enzyme was inhibited by GDP-glucose and glucose-1-P, although neither was a substrate for this enzyme. The pH optimum for the enzyme was 8.0, and Mg2+ was the best cation with optimum activity at about 5 mM. This enzyme is important for producing the activated form of mannose for formation of cell wall lipoarabinomannan and various mannose-containing glycolipids and polysaccharides.
Technical Note-Parameter Estimation from Cross-Sectional Observations on an Elementary Queuing System

This note reports on and compares the asymptotic sampling properties of several alternative estimators for the parameters of a simple M/M/1 queuing system, assuming that data are available on a random sample of identical systems.
Overexpression of nPKC θ is permissive for myogenic differentiation

Although protein kinase C (PKC) has been shown to participate in skeletal myogenic differentiation, the functions of individual isoforms of PKC in myogenesis have not been completely elucidated. These studies focused on the role of nPKC θ, an isoform of the PKC family whose expression has been shown to be regulated by commitment to the myogenic lineage, myogenic differentiation and innervation. We used the myogenic cell line C2C12 as a tissue culture model system to explore the role of nPKC θ in the formation of multinucleated myotubes. We examined endogenous levels of nPKC θ in C2C12 cells and showed that it is expressed at low levels in myoblasts compared to mouse skeletal muscle and that expression is maintained in myotubes. We overexpressed nPKC θ in C2C12 myoblasts and examined the ability of overexpressing cells to differentiate into myotubes. Using an nPKC θ - green fluorescent protein (GFP) chimera to detect transfected myoblasts, we showed that overexpressed nPKC θ-GFP translocates to the plasma membrane in response to phorbol ester treatment of myoblast cultures in situ. nPKC θ-GFP was found to be completely extracted into the detergent-soluble fraction of cell lysates and was stably expressed throughout the extent of differentiation into myotubes. No difference was seen in the ability of myoblasts either overexpressing nPKC θ - GFP or GFP alone to form myotubes. These studies demonstrate that overexpression of nPKC θ does not interfere with fusion of myoblasts into myotubes suggesting that nPKC θ activity is not inhibitory for myogenesis. These studies also demonstrate a method for transfecting myoblasts and identifying differentiated cells that overexpress nPKC θ-GFP for investigating the function of nPKC θ in living myotubes. J. Cell. Biochem. 79:71–79, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
AXICRP — Finite element computer code for creep analysis of plane stress, plane strain and axisymmetric bodies

Abstract This paper describes and shows application of the finite element computer code “AXICRP” developed for the purpose of solving creep problems for plane stress, plane strain, and axisymmetric bodies of revolution. The code represents an extension of an elastic finite element code to include the nonlinear effects arising from creep by the use of an incremental procedure. This procedure permits the utilization of any creep law expressible in the general functional form Δϵ e c = F(σ e , ϵ e c , T, t) . Principal application has been to obtain the creep solution for a Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) hexagonal flow duct. Other applications to a thick-walled cylinder and a rectangular beam demonstrate the variety of structural geometries which can be analyzed by the program.
Briefly delayed reinforcement: An interresponse time analysis.

Key-peck responding of pigeons was compared under VI or DRL schedules arranging immediate reinforcement and briefly (.5 sec) delayed reinforcement. Delays were either signaled by a blackout in the chamber, unsignaled, or unsignaled with an additional requirement that responding not occur during the .5 sec interval immediately preceding reinforcement (response delay). Relative to the immediate reinforcement condition, response rates increased during the unsignaled delay, decreased during the signaled delay, and were inconsistent during the response delay condition. An analysis of interresponse times (IRTs) under the different conditions revealed a substantial increase in the frequency of short (0 to .5 sec) IRTs during the unsignaled condition and generally during the response delay conditions compared to that during the immediate reinforcement baseline. Signaled delays decreased the frequency of short (0 to .5 sec) IRTs relative to the immediate reinforcement condition. The results suggest that brief unsignaled delays and, in many instances, response delays increase the frequency of short IRTs by eliminating constraints on responding.
Improved EXAFS Analysis Program for Alternative Pair Distribution Functions

A curve fitting approach has been developed which permits correct treatment of both anharmonicity and curved-wave and multiple scattering effects in XAFS. This approach has been tested on a dinuclear Rh system and was found to yield better results than ad hoc approaches to incorporating asymmetry into atomic distribution function.
Prediction of hysteretic effects in PZT stack actuators using a hybrid modeling strategy

In this paper, concepts associated with the Preisach model and nonlinear mapping functions (neural networks) are coupled to model the hysteretic behavior of piezoceramic actuators. Preisach concepts are utilized in choosing the initial data points and calculating the final displacements having nonlocal memory. In a traditional Preisach model generalization is typically handled by interpolation functions. These functions can lead to significant errors unless the number of data points is considerably high. In this study the generalization of all first order reversal curves is provided by a single neural network. The goal of this work was to enable real-time implementation and learning with a "limited" number of variables. Finally, a novel on-line training approach was developed to account for errors caused by frequency dependency and large variations of the input of the actuator. Results show excellent agreement between simulated and experimental results.
The relationship between cheating behavior and sensation-seeking

Abstract Academic dishonesty is a problem in academia and cheating is a problem in society at large. Sensation-seeking was proposed as a personality trait that is positively related to one’s likelihood to cheat. A sample of 105 undergraduates participated in a research activity for course credit where cheating on a trivia game to win a cash prize by taking answers from a sealed folder was an option. As anticipated, sensation-seeking predicted cheating. Consistent with previous research, males were also more likely to cheat than females. Targeted interventions are suggested as a possible remedy.
Gluconeogenesis in rat liver parenchymal cells in primary culture: Permissive effect of the glucocorticoids on glucagon stimulation of gluconeogenesis

Primary cultures of parenchymal cells isolated from adult rat liver by a collagenase perfusion procedure and maintained as a monolayer in a serum-free culture medium were used to study gluconeogenesis and the role that the glucocorticoids play in the control of this pathway. These cells carried out gluconeogenesis from three-carbon precursors (alanine and lactate) in response to glucagon and dexamethasone added alone or in combination. Maximum glucose production was observed with cells pretreated for several hours with dexamethasone and glucagon prior to addition of substrate and glucagon (8- to 12-fold increase over basal glucose production). Half-maximum stimulation of gluconeogenesis was seen with 3.6 X 10(-10) M glucagon and 3.6 X 10(-8) M dexamethasone. Maximum stimulation was observed with 10(-7) M glucagon and 10(-6) M dexamethasone. The length of time of dexamethasone pretreatment was found to be important in demonstrating the effect of glucocorticoids on glucagon-stimulated gluconeogenesis. Treatment of cells with dexamethasone for 2 hours did not result in an increase in glucose production over identical experimental conditions in the absence of dexamethasone, whereas pretreatment for 5 hours (1.2-fold increase) or 15 hours (1.7-fold increase) did result in an increase in glucose production. The results establish that the adult rat liver parenchymal cells in primary culture are a valid model system to study hepatic gluconeogenesis. In addition, we have established directly that the glucocorticoids amplify the glucagon stimulation of gluconeogenesis.