cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bacterial Sample Concentration and Culture Monitoring Using a PEG-Based Osmotic System with Inline Impedance and Voltammetry Measurements

Impedance measurements using graphite electrodes were used to detect the increase in culture medium conductivity due to bacteria growth in real time along with simultaneous voltammetric monitoring of pyocyanin concentration. Electrochemical methods were compared to conventional continuous monitoring of bacterial cultures using turbidity measurement at an optical density of 600 nm (OD600). A practical osmotic system was further designed for concentrating bacterial cultures during growth to enable earlier detection using the electrochemical methods. Bacterial cultures, starting from an initial culture density of 1 × 108 cells/mL, were grown inside a sealed cellulose ester dialysis membrane, while polyethylene glycol in LB medium was used as the draw solution outside the membrane to gradually concentrate the growing cultures. 0.7-mm-diameter graphite for mechanical pencils was utilized as working and counter electrodes with a platinum wire reference electrode for electrochemical measurements with and without the osmotic system. In the absence of forward osmosis, impedance measurements detected culture growth ~ 1 h faster than conventional OD600. Integrating osmosis showed a twofold decrease in the time to detect pyocyanin production as an indicator for bacterial growth. For impedance monitoring, removal of water by osmosis was conflated with the impedance decrease due to cell growth; however, the results show a promising ability to detect bacteria growth via an observed shift in osmotic impedance profile when bacteria are present in a sample. By monitoring the deviation in the impedance profile, a threefold improvement in detection time was achieved when compared to conventional OD600 measurements.
Five-Year Experience with Fifth-to-Seventh Nerve Transfer for Smile.

Background Masseteric- or deep temporal-to-facial nerve transfer (five-to-seven nerve transfer) is increasingly used in facial reanimation; however, the indications and clinical variables affecting outcomes for five-to-seven nerve transfer have not been defined. The authors describe their early experience with five-to-seven nerve transfer, reporting function and patient-reported outcomes, to identify potential parameters that are predictive of outcome. Methods The authors conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients who underwent five-to-seven nerve transfer for smile reanimation from 2012 to 2017. Age, sex, cause of facial paralysis, onset and duration of paralysis, history of adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy, donor nerve used, adjunctive procedures, and final excursion were recorded. Standard photographs and videos, and data regarding clinical facial nerve function and patient-reported quality of life, were obtained preoperatively and postoperatively. Results Sixty patients were identified. Forty-seven had flaccid facial paralysis and 13 had postparalysis facial palsy. Among flaccid facial paralysis patients, masseteric nerve transfer was successful in 30 patients (88 percent) and deep temporal nerve transfer was successful in three cases (60 percent). Among postparalysis facial palsy patients, five-to-seven nerve transfer was successful in two patients (20 percent). Average quality-of-life scores improved significantly from preoperatively (46) to postoperatively (59) among flaccid facial paralysis patients with successful five-to-seven nerve transfer. Conclusions Five-to-seven nerve transfer is a viable option in facial reanimation. Shorter denervation times and preoperative flaccidity are favorable predictors of outcome. Five-to-seven nerve transfer as an adjunct to primary repair appears highly effective for enhancing smile function. Five-to-seven nerve transfer results are not reliable in patients with postparalysis facial palsy. Clinical question/level of evidence Therapeutic, IV.
Position Is Destiny: Metabolism and Cell Identity.

CTNNB1, encoding β-catenin, is frequently mutated in hepatocellular carcinoma, the most rapidly growing solid cancer in the US, and activating mutations in this gene are associated with increased expression of glutamine synthetase. A new report by Adebayo Michael et al. (2019) identifies mTOR as a direct target of WNT/β-catenin signaling through increased production of glutamine, which is required for the carcinogenic effects of WNT/β-catenin activity in the liver.
Two new neptunyl(V) selenites: a novel cation-cation interaction framework in (NpO2)3(OH)(SeO3)(H2O)2 3H2O and a uranophane-type sheet in Na(NpO2)(SeO3)(H2O)

Dark green crystals of (NpO2)3(OH)(SeO3)(H2O)2·H2O (1) have been prepared by a hydrothermal reaction of neptunyl(V) and Na2SeO4 in an aqueous solution at 150 °C, while green plates of Na(NpO2)(SeO3...
A Neural Network Surrogate Model for Structural Health Monitoring of Miter Gates in Navigation Locks

Structural health monitoring (SHM) of miter gates of navigation locks is crucial for facilitating cargo ship navigation. Closure of these inland waterway structures causes considerable economical loss to the marine cargo and associated industries. In practice, strain gauges are often mounted in many of these miter gates for data collection, and various inverse finite element techniques are used to convert the strain gauges data to damage-sensitive features. Arguably, these models are computationally expensive and sometimes they are not suitable for real-time health monitoring or for monitoring confounding environmental effects. In this work, a Multi-Layer Artificial Neural Network (MANN) is designed to serve as a “run time” surrogate model that links data (from the strain gages) to damage classification (gaps in the miter gate contact). Three cases of complexity, combining hydrostatic and thermal loading scenarios with varying gap scenarios, are considered to design the MANN. A confusion matrix is used to evaluate the performance of the networks and derive probabilities. Results show the potential of MANNs as a reliable surrogate model for computationally expensive inverse finite element modeling in damage classification for this application.
Fremanezumab in the treatment of migraines: evidence to date

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a major player in migraine pathophysiology, and CGRP monoclonal antibodies including fremanezumab may be a safe effective preventive therapy. Phase IIb studies in episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM) demonstrated efficacy at both the monthly 225 mg and quarterly 675 mg doses. The Phase III trials for EM and CM both showed a reduction in the primary endpoint of monthly migraine days (MMD). In the EM trial, the baseline MMD of 8.9 days was reduced to 5.3 at 12 weeks and to 4.0 days in the 6-month open-label extension (OLE) for monthly dosing. In the quarterly dosing, the baseline was 9.2 days reduced to 5.3 at 12 weeks and to 4.2 days in the OLE. In the CM data for monthly dosing, the baseline was 16.2 days decreased to 11.4 at 12 weeks then to 8.3 in the OLE. In the CM quarterly dosing, the baseline of 16.4 days was reduced to 11.9 at 12 weeks and 9.9 days in the OLE. Randomized controlled trials of fremanezumab in both episodic cluster and post-traumatic headache are underway, but the trial for chronic cluster headache was stopped for futility. The most common adverse events are injection site pain (24% vs 22% for placebo), induration (17% vs 13% for placebo), and erythema (16% vs 12% for placebo). Severe adverse events were reported in 3.9% of the fremanezumab vs 3.7% of the placebo. No changes in vitals or ECG were reported. The long-term effects are not known, but the American Headache Society recommends that CGRP monoclonal antibodies be considered in EM or CM depending on previous medication trials and headache disability/frequency. Further, post-market studies are required, but for EM and CM fremanezumab is a new option for migraine preventive treatment.
What do adolescent parents need to prevent repeat pregnancy? A qualitative investigation

Adolescent mothers and their families are vulnerable to a range of problematic outcomes, including the public health problem of repeat adolescent pregnancy. Repeat adolescent pregnancy can cause re...
“What Don’t We Do?”: The Experiences of School Counseling Directors in Relation to Leadership and Job Satisfaction:

Limited research has explored the experiences of school counseling directors, defined in this study as school counselors who are the designated department leaders and school counseling supervisors ...
Beyond Institutional Competence: Congressional Efforts to Legislate United States Foreign Policy toward Nicaragua - The Boland Amendments

Since his inauguration, President Ronald Reagan articulated a consistent foreign policy concerning Nicaragua. He sought to enforce promises made by the Sandinistas in June, 1979, to "support a democratic, pluralistic and nonaligned Nicaragua," and to prevent the export of revolution to neighboring Central American nations. Although Congress agreed in principle with the president's objectives, it refused to provide him with the means necessary to accomplish them. Instead of providing the funds needed to effectively implement the president's foreign policy, Congress enacted legislation that restricted the president's ability to implement those foreign policy objectives. This Article briefly examines the constitutional roots of the "foreign affairs power" of the executive branch and the tension between the two branches over the conduct of that power, originally created by the framers. It will explore how in the early 1970's, as a result of the Vietnam War and Watergate, the tensions between the executive and legislative branches over the proper exercise of that power reached its apex. The difficulty in defining the scope of that authority continued into the 1980s and was manifested in the Boland prohibitions. This Article will outline the development of the Boland prohibitions, and congressional funding of the president's policy of assisting the Contras. The Article then presents problems of statutory interpretation implicated in the construction of the Boland legislation. It also examines the separation of powers question raised by the enactments. The Article concludes that legislation such as the Boland prohibitions is ultimately harmful because it prevents the United States from speaking with one voice in foreign affairs. Moreover, any inconsistency between branches undermines the credibility of the United States with foreign governments. Finally, it recommends that in order to properly conduct foreign policy there must be more interbranch cooperation, without resort to legislation to cure every encountered disagreement.
Lead decreases cell survival, proliferation, and neuronal differentiation of primary cultured adult neural precursor cells through activation of the JNK and p38 MAP kinases

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis is the process whereby adult neural precursor cells (aNPCs) in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus (DG) generate adult-born, functional neurons in the hippocampus. This process is modulated by various extracellular and intracellular stimuli, and the adult-born neurons have been implicated in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory. However, studies on how neurotoxic agents affect this process and the underlying mechanisms are limited. The goal of this study was to determine whether lead, a heavy metal, directly impairs critical processes in adult neurogenesis and to characterize the underlying signaling pathways using primary cultured SGZ-aNPCs isolated from adult mice. We report here that lead significantly increases apoptosis and inhibits proliferation in SGZ-aNPCs. In addition, lead significantly impairs spontaneous neuronal differentiation and maturation. Furthermore, we found that activation of the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) and p38 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling pathways are important for lead cytotoxicity. Our data suggest that lead can directly act on adult neural stem cells and impair critical processes in adult hippocampal neurogenesis, which may contribute to its neurotoxicity and adverse effects on cognition in adults.
The effect of acute and chronic food shortage on human population equilibrium in a subsistence setting

World population is projected to reach 9–11 billion by 2050, raising concerns about food system security and sustainability. Modeling food systems are often a way to understand current and future dynamics. The most common model, first articulated by Malthus (Malthusian), shows population growth as an exponential function and food production as a linear function, concluding that human carrying capacity will be reached leading to mass starvation. Another prominent model was introduced by Boserup (Boserupian), which explains increases in food production as a function of population growth. Here, we explore which food systems dynamics exist at equilibrium and after perturbation. The model introduced explores food availability in an isolated village and then in a line of villages. The isolated village model includes three key parameters: maximum calorie production (a), food production resilience (b), and minimum calorie requirement per person (c). The multiple village model adds an additional parameter for trade. Isolated village populations are more resilient to famine than Malthusian theory predicts, suggesting that Malthus’ premise may be inaccurate. Predictably, across multiple villages increasing access and production reduce famine. However, under certain conditions large amounts of transport can lead to antagonist relationships leading to rapid changes in population. Food systems under both production and access scenarios proved to be resilient to small perturbations, requiring a large catastrophe to induce mortality; this appeared to discount the Malthusian model. This model can create dynamics where different modes of famine relief apply, but here we see that a balanced approach of both access and production appears to be the most resilient to famine.
Fat girls in black bodies: creating communities of our own: by J. A. R. Cox, North Atlantic Books, 2020

Fat, Black, and thriving. These three words are not typically packaged together. However, in Fat Girls in Black Bodies: Creating Communities of Our Own, Dr. Cox just does that. She takes the audien...
Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Nsp3 macrodomain structure with insights from human poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) structures with inhibitors.

Arrival of the novel SARS-CoV-2 has launched a worldwide effort to identify both pre-approved and novel therapeutics targeting the viral proteome, highlighting the urgent need for efficient drug discovery strategies. Even with effective vaccines, infection is possible, and at-risk populations would benefit from effective drug compounds that reduce the lethality and lasting damage of COVID-19 infection. The CoV-2 MacroD-like macrodomain (Mac1) is implicated in viral pathogenicity by disrupting host innate immunity through its mono (ADP-ribosyl) hydrolase activity, making it a prime target for antiviral therapy. We therefore solved the structure of CoV-2 Mac1 from non-structural protein 3 (Nsp3) and applied structural and sequence-based genetic tracing, including newly determined A. pompejana MacroD2 and GDAP2 amino acid sequences, to compare and contrast CoV-2 Mac1 with the functionally related human DNA-damage signaling factor poly (ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG). Previously, identified targetable features of the PARG active site allowed us to develop a pharmacologically useful PARG inhibitor (PARGi). Here, we developed a focused chemical library and determined 6 novel PARGi X-ray crystal structures for comparative analysis. We applied this knowledge to discovery of CoV-2 Mac1 inhibitors by combining computation and structural analysis to identify PARGi fragments with potential to bind the distal-ribose and adenosyl pockets of the CoV-2 Mac1 active site. Scaffold development of these PARGi fragments has yielded two novel compounds, PARG-345 and PARG-329, that crystallize within the Mac1 active site, providing critical structure-activity data and a pathway for inhibitor optimization. The reported structural findings demonstrate ways to harness our PARGi synthesis and characterization pipeline to develop CoV-2 Mac1 inhibitors targeting the ADP-ribose active site. Together, these structural and computational analyses reveal a path for accelerating development of antiviral therapeutics from pre-existing drug optimization pipelines.
Consumer Perceptions of Financial Advisory Titles and Implications for Title Regulation

Many professionals in the financial services industry refer to themselves as financial advisers despite tremendous variation in business practices, compensation methods, and duties to act in the best interest of their clients. As a result, both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and state securities regulators have considered title regulation aimed at promoting consumer clarity. While a recent SEC proposal was ultimately discarded, there is little empirical evidence to inform how consumers actually perceive the use of such titles. This study examines consumer perceptions via a survey of US consumers conducted using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (n = 665). Findings suggest that consumers perceive common industry titles as different from one another in a manner that is consistent with the differentiation of advice professions (e.g., financial adviser, financial planner, financial consultant, investment consultant, investment adviser) from sales professions (e.g., investment salesperson, stockbroker, life insurance agent). Implications regarding the potential efficacy of proposed regulatory frameworks are discussed.
In vivo assay and modelling of protein and mitochondrial turnover during aging

To maintain homoeostasis, cells must degrade damaged or misfolded proteins and synthesize functional replacements. Maintaining a balance between these processes, known as protein turnover, is neces...
Stock Return Comovement in the New Millennium

Long run dynamics in stock return comovement, their causes and consequences, are hotly debated topics in Financial Economics. Average return correlation, or comovement, is a widely used market efficiency indicator. I study the times series characteristics in US comovement during the 1926- 2010 period and find a significant break in the series’ trend in January of 1997. After the break, the negative comovement trend previously documented for most of the 20th century reverts to strongly positive. In addition, I find a decline in the importance of firm-specific volatility after the break and no evidence of a trend reversal in the correlation structure of firm cash flows. This suggests that higher return comovement is the result of correlated trading unrelated to firm fundamentals. I discuss several potential explanations for this increase, cause by technological change in the financial sector.
Glass Bangles in South Asia: Production, Variability and Historicity

The glass bangle in South Asia is a widely distributed artefact with recognized spatio-temporal variation. Often considered only as an addendum to widely traded glass beads, it remains an understudied class of archaeologically recovered glass objects. This paper argues there is much to be learnt from the historicity of glass bangles beyond the present debate that has dwelled on their ‘antiquity’. Towards this end, the paper provides a review of the techniques by which bangles were produced in South Asia. It argues that markedly different sociologies of artisan-group organization, scale of production, patron-craftsmen relations, and workshop location including itinerant production, distinguish the two major techniques, namely: the ‘Khalbut’ and the ‘two-mandrel’ methods. Building on this discussion, the paper provides a short archaeological history of the glass bangle up to the early medieval Period. It highlights the historically specific nature of marked patterns of regional, typological and chemical variation each indicating shifts in glass bangle production, use and valuation.
Stochastic Excited Hamiltonian Systems

The method of generalized stationary potential is applied to obtain exact probability densities for multi-degree-of-freedom nonlinear Hamiltonian systems excited by Gaussian white noises. The excitations can be additive, or multiplicative, or both, and governing equations are more general than those previously reported in the literature. Further extension is made to a still more general class, which include the Hamiltonian systems as special cases.
Discriminant laplacian embedding

Many real life applications brought by modern technologies often have multiple data sources, which are usually characterized by both attributes and pairwise similarities at the same time. For example in webpage ranking, a webpage is usually represented by a vector of term values, and meanwhile the internet linkages induce pairwise similarities among the webpages. Although both attributes and pairwise similarities are useful for class membership inference, many traditional embedding algorithms only deal with one type of input data. In order to make use of the both types of data simultaneously, in this work, we propose a novel Discriminant Laplacian Embedding (DLE) approach. Supervision information from training data are integrated into DLE to improve the discriminativity of the resulted embedding space. By solving the ambiguity problem in computing the scatter matrices caused by data points with multiple labels, we successfully extend the proposed DLE to multi-label classification. In addition, through incorporating the label correlations, the classification performance using multi-label DLE is further enhanced. Promising experimental results in extensive empirical evaluations have demonstrated the effectiveness of our approaches.
Dynamic network traffic assignment and simulation methodology for advanced system management applications

Evaluation and operation of intelligent transportation system technologies in transportation networks give rise to methodological capabilities that require description of the dynamics of network traffic flows over time and space. Both descriptive and normative dynamic traffic assignment capabilities are required in this environment. Several dynamic network flow modeling problem formulations that arise in this context are discussed, and simulation-assignment procedures are described for these problems. A dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) system for advanced traffic network management is described. It is built around a traffic simulation-assignment modeling framework, which describes the evolution of traffic patterns in the network for given traffic loading under particular control measures and route guidance information supply strategies to individual motorists. The simulator is also embedded in an interactive search algorithm to determine optimal route guidance instructions to motorists. Numerical experiments with the model illustrate the relative effectiveness of different information supply strategies under different user behavior response rules.
Simulation of defect nucleation in a crystal

Nanoindentation is the penetration of a surface to nanometre depths using an indenting device. It can be simulated using the Bragg bubble-raft model1, in which a close-packed array of soap bubbles corresponds to the equilibrium positions of atoms in a crystalline solid. Here we show that homogeneous defect nucleation occurs within a crystal when its surface roughness is comparable to the radius of the indenter tip, and that the depth of the nucleation site below the surface is proportional to the half-width of the contact. Our results may explain the unusually high local stress required for defect nucleation in nano-indented face-centred cubic crystals.
The utility of the potassium titanyl phosphate laser in modulating vocal fold scar in a rat model.

Objectives/Hypothesis We hypothesize that the KTP laser has the potential to augment wound healing in a rat model, and this modality may serve as a therapeutic tool for the management of vocal fold fibrosis. Study Design Prospective, laboratory animal study. Methods Rats were subjected to either vocal fold injury ± KTP laser treatment at low energy to simulate clinically relevant endpoints. In addition, cohorts were subjected to therapeutic KTP laser alone. Endpoints included the analyses of gene expression data related to the acute inflammatory response and extracellular matrix deposition and organization. Results Therapeutic KTP treatment was associated with an additive effect on inflammatory gene expression in the context of the injured rat vocal fold mucosa. A similar additive effect was observed for matrix metalloproteinase gene expression, similar to data previously reported in the dermatology literature. However, histologically, the KTP had little effect on established vocal fold fibrosis. Conclusions These data are the first to attempt to provide mechanistic insight into the clinical utility of angiolytic lasers for vocal fold scar. Similar to previous data obtained in the skin, it appears that these effects are mediated by MMPs. Level of Evidence NA. Laryngoscope, 123:2189–2194, 2013
LMS Design Method

This chapter contains sections titled: Finite Impulse Response (FIR) Synthesis Least-Squares Method Least-Squares FIR Design MATLAB LMS Design MATLAB Design Comparisons Prony's Method ]]>
Behavior of simple salts on silica and C18 columns : Retention dynamics of cations, anions and ion pairs

Abstract The retention behavior of simple inorganic salts on silica and ODS columns was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography with methanol-water (80:20, v/v) as the mobile phase. Both a major (dissolved salt) and a minor (ion pair) peak were observed on the ODS columns; only the major peak was present on silica columns. The retention time of the major peak was a function of the number of moles of salt placed on the column and was sigmoidal with respect to the logarithm of the number of moles analyzed. The retention time of the minor peak was dependent upon the composition of the mobile phase. It disappeared in a mobile phase of water and was absent on a silica column. The general behavior was independent of the anion or cation being analyzed. The sigmoidal behavior of salt retention was attributed to both cationic and anionic exchange at the silica surface: the ion pair retention was attributed to solubility in the C 18 phase of the ODS columns. The areas under the major peak and the minor peak were used to calculate ion pair formation constants. For sodium nitrate, K = 15 · 10 −3 M −1 , for sodium nitrite, K = 2.0 · 10 −3 M −1 . The ion pair formation constants were used to calculate the theoretical distance of closest approach between the ions based on Bjerrum theory. For sodium nitrate, the distance calculated between center of Na + and NO − 3 in the ion pair was 6.5 A.
Heavy quarks in hadronic collisions

Charmed hadron production as observed at the ISR has several remarkable features: (1) The total cross section for open charm production in pp- collisions at \( \sqrt s = 63 \) GeV is at the 1 mb level.1 (2) Charmed hadrons are abundantly produced in the forward region of phase space. The pp → ΛcX distribution is roughly flat in xL;2 $$ \frac{{d\sigma }} {{dx_L }}\left( {pp \to \Lambda _c X} \right) \sim \left( {1 - x_L } \right)^{0.4} \cdot $$ (1)
A Genetic Algorithm for Optimizing Throughput in Non-broadcast WDM Optical Networks

We apply a genetic algorithm approach to a virtual topology design of a Wide-Area WDM Optical Network. Based on a given physical topology (existing optical cables) a virtual topology consisting of a set of optical lightpaths is constructed. The objective is to minimize the maximal throughput, which implies balancing the traffic loads on network links and accommodating on-growing traffic requirements in a timely fashion. A heuristic algorithm based on genetic strategy is developed and applied to an instance of the traffic through the T1 NSFNET. A nonlinear mixed-integer programming formulation is linearized by fixing up-front the variables representing wavelengths used by optical paths. Integer matrices representing the allocation of wavelengths are iterated through the generations using an appropriate crossover function. We start with a large number of wavelengths to assure the intermediate feasibility. The final solution is obtained by means of a wavelength reduction heuristic procedure. A comparison with results from the literature is performed based on several solution quality measures. In particular, if compared with the result for a 14-dimensional NSFNET data instance from the literature, we have improved the scale factor by 74%.
Exploration of individual differences in preferences for humor.

Liking scores for hostile, sexual, and nontendentious cartoons were correlated with personality factor scores of 20 female and 19 male college students. Sexual cartoons were liked more by males, es...
The sialic acid residue is a crucial component of C. jejuni lipooligosaccharide ganglioside mimicry in the induction Guillain-Barré syndrome

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune neuropathy that often follows C. jejuni infection. Sialic acid (N-acetylneuraminic acid, NANA) is a common constituent of lipooligosaccharide (LOS). The molecular mimicry between C. jejuni LOS and human peripheral nerve gangliosides is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of GBS. The neuB1 encodes NANA synthetase, required for the synthesis of NANA of C. jejuni LOS. A neuB1 mutant was constructed from a C. jejuni HS:19 wild strain. Mutant LOS could not bind the cholera toxin B subunit, failed to induce anti-GM1 antibodies, and did not cause pathological changes in the peripheral nerves. These data suggest that the NANA residue in LOS is a crucial epitope in realization of ganglioside molecular mimicry.
Helicobacter pylori breath testing in an open access system has a high rate of potentially false negative results due to protocol violations.

Background Among available tests to detect Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), urea breath test (UBT) is the most accurate when performed correctly in research protocols with unknown validity in clinic settings. Material and Methods A total of 595 subjects at a gastroenterology clinic were tested 620 times with UBT. Detailed information about three known factors (recent proton-pump inhibitors (PPI), antibiotics, or bismuth, H. pylori eradication treatment finished <4 weeks ago, and gastric resection) to make UBT unreliable were prospectively recorded before each test. Results Twenty-three percent (120 of 526) of all negative tests fell in one or more of the three categories, which had the potential to make UBT unreliable. Of those carried out on persons without being treated before, the potential false negative rate was 15%. Among those with previous eradication treatment, the rate was around 45%. Conclusions If a negative UBT could be false negative in up to 23% of cases, then it has a serious lack of negative predictive value. A negative UBT should be considered false negative until potential protocol violations are excluded.
Distribution of macromolecular dyes in brain using positive pressure infusion: a model for direct controlled delivery of therapeutic agents

Abstract Background Direct infusion of therapeutic agents into the brain is a novel technique that has the potential for bypassing the blood-brain barrier and delivering high concentrations of therapeutic agents into the brain parenchyma. We have developed a model to characterize the distribution of Evans Blue (MW 960) and Blue Dextran (MW 2 × 10 6 ) in rat brain using a positive pressure infusion system. Methods Evans Blue and Blue Dextran were infused in volumes of 20, 40, 60, 100, 140, and 180 μL into the caudate putamen of female Fischer rats over a period of 2 h with rates of infusion varying between 0.167 μL and 1.5 μL/min. During the infusions, the pressure generated in the infusion system and intracranial pressure were measured using a fiberoptic pressure monitoring system. After infusions, the volumes of distribution of the dye molecules were measured from 3-mm thick sections using video microscopy and computer image analysis. Histologic changes during the infusion were studied using snap freezing and hematoxylin/eosin staining of cryosections. Results Volumes of distribution for Evans Blue were greater than those for Blue Dextran. There was extensive spread of each dye in the ipsilateral hemisphere and also across the corpus callosum to the opposite hemisphere. Infusion/interstitial pressures peaked during the first 5 min of the infusion period, after which pressures dropped to a plateau value that remained relatively constant during the remainder of the infusion. Histologic findings suggest that this phenomenon is an important transition process that is likely to play a role in the pattern of distribution of macromolecules infused by this technique. No marked changes in intracranial pressure were noted during the infusion procedure. Conclusions Direct positive pressure infusion into the brain has great potential in the treatment of brain tumors and other central nervous system disorders using both high and low molecular weight compounds (immunotoxins, protein conjugates, pharmacologic agents, oligonucleotides, and viral vectors).
Isotope Fractionation: Why Aren't We What We Eat?

The isotopic composition of an element records information about its history. Given a fossil, it is possible to analyse the isotopic composition of the elements in the fossil and to use this to reconstruct the diet that the animal consumed. The process of dietary reconstruction, however, is far from simple. Biological systems are quite complex and can themselves introduce isotopic fractionations that may distort the dietary information. The aim of this paper is to review the concepts of isotope fractionation under steady-state conditions to provide a framework for discussion of dietary reconstruction. Among the elements of interest for dietary reconstruction, nitrogen bears a distinct role. This is because nitrogen is almost unique to protein. A secondary aim of this paper is then to review nitrogen metabolism. The final aim is to combine these in postulating a simple isotopic model of nitrogen metabolism.
The inducement of meaningful work: a response to Anderson and Weijer.

James A. Anderson and Charles Weijer take the wage payment model proposed by Neil Dickert and Christine Grady and extend the analogy of research participation to unskilled wage labor to include just working conditions. Although noble in its intentions, this moral extension generates unsavory outcomes. Most notably, Anderson and Weijer distinguish between two types of research subjects: occasional and professional. The latter, in this case, receives benefits beyond the moral minima in the form of “the right to meaningful work.” The problem is that meaningful work can itself be a form of inducement, and consequently, may in fact increase the incidence of inducement contrary to the intentions of the wage payment model.
Cytopathology of the Head and Neck

Author: Lester J. Layfield, M.D., ASCP Theory and Practice of Cytopathology Series, Volume 7. Series Editor: William W. Johnston, M.D., American Society of Clinical Pathologists, Chicago, 1997
Irwin Receives 2008 Charles S. Falkenberg Award

I am deeply honored and humbled today to receive the Charles S. Falkenberg Award. Without a doubt, this is the greatest honor of my professional career and a testament to the hard work of so many people who have contributed to SERVIR over the past few years. I'm fortunate to have been able to work with such incredible talent throughout NASA; the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Agency for International Development; University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH); the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC), in Panama; the Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development, in Kenya; and the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD), among others. I also thank AGU and Earth Science Information Partners Federation for the opportunity to be here.
Fercolide, a type of sesquiterpene lactone from Ferula communis subsp. communis and the correct structure of vaginatin

Abstract Together with the known daucene ester 14- p -anisoyloxy-dauc-4,8-diene, a new ester, fercomin and the first known daucane-γ-lactone, fercolide, were isolated from Ferula communis subsp. communis . Structures for these compounds were elucidated on the basis of their spectral properties and the structure of fercomin was confirmed by X-ray analysis. A revised structure of vaginatin is discussed.
Identification of Aggressive and Asocial Victims and the Stability of Their Peer Victimization.

Despite the awareness that victims of peer aggression are a behaviorally heterogeneous group of children, current classification procedures limit the number of variables that may be used to identify victim subtypes. Findings from this study, which followed 379 racially diverse children (50% female) from kindergarten to 3rd grade, demonstrated the utility of cluster analysis to classify children using several criteria: teacher-rated aggressiveness and asocial tendencies and self-reported peer victimization. Specifically, four subtypes of victims were identified: nonaggressive nonasocial; aggressive; asocial; and both aggressive and asocial. Group differences in the stability of victimization are discussed. Moreover, early levels of aggression predicted increases in victimization and chronicity; the role of asocial behavior was less clear. While more aggressive victims were rejected by their peers than nonaggressive nonasocial victims, victims who were rejected, regardless of behavioral tendencies, were more likely to remain victimized than their better accepted counterparts. Developmental trends are discussed.
The Use of Isoproterenol (Isuprel) in the Evaluation of Congenital Cardiac Defects

Isoproterenol was infused intravenously at a rate of 0.03 to 0.07 µg. per Kg. per minute in 38 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization to evaluate the routine postoperative condition of 19 patients and to support or confirm the clinical diagnosis in 19 others. A steady response was obtained in 2 to 4 minutes, and no toxic effects were observed. During the infusion the heart rate increased an average of 55 per cent; the respiratory rate, 23 per cent. The right atrial pressure fell. In general the pulmonary and systemic arterial pressures also decreased. Limited observations on the cardiac output confirmed the previously reported increase. Ten patients developed a significant systolic gradient between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery (greater than 20 mm. Hg) during the infusion. Four of these were postoperative patients, three of whom were considered completely corrected prior to infusion of the isoproterenol. Four patients with aortic stenosis were studied, and the systolic gradient increased i...
The effect of voice and place among aphasic, nonaphasic right-damaged, and normal subjects on a metalinguistic task

Abstract Aphasic, nonaphasic right-damaged, and normal subjects sorted triads of stop consonants into pairs adjudged most similar. All groups sorted on the basis of linguistic features, but differed in their use of place versus voice: Normal and right-damaged subjects used place and voice equally often; aphasics relied significantly more upon voice than upon place. These results are interpreted to reflect an alteration at the level of linguistic representation in aphasics and not simply a perceptual difficulty. It is suggested that this altered representation stems from aphasics' extended use of normal linguistic capacities of the right hemisphere.
Inference of equivalence for the ratio of two normal means with unspecified variances.

Equivalence trials aim to demonstrate that new and standard treatments are equivalent within predefined clinically relevant limits. We focus on when inference of equivalence is made in terms of the ratio of two normal means. In the presence of unspecified variances, methods such as the likelihood-ratio test use sample estimates for those variances; Bayesian models integrate them out in the posterior distribution. These methods limit the knowledge on the extent to which equivalence is affected by variability of the parameter of interest. In this article, we propose a likelihood approach that retains the unspecified variances in the model and partitions the likelihood function into two components: F-statistic function for variances, and t-statistic function for the ratio of two means. By incorporating unspecified variances, the proposed method can help identify a numeric range of variances where equivalence is more likely to be achieved, which cannot be accomplished by current analysis methods. By partition...
Investigation of the secondary phases of Alloy 617 by Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscope

Abstract Alloy 617 (nickel based austenitic alloy) is a candidate structural material for next generation high temperature nuclear reactor. The secondary phases present in the Alloy 617 has been identified as TiN and M 23 C 6 by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). Surface potentials of these phases have been evaluated by Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscope (SKPFM). SKPFM investigation showed higher surface potential of the secondary phases than that of the austenite matrix. The surface potential of the TiN was nobler than that of M 23 C 6 indicating that these precipitates could act as cathodic sites during oxidation reaction. Difference in the local chemistry of these phases results in variation of the chemical potentials, which in turn could lead to enhanced oxidation at localized areas in the vicinity of the secondary phase precipitates that act as cathodic sites.
Difference of fibromyalgia symptom scale between the Japanese version of the 2010 ACR preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia and the modification of the ACR preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia.

Dear Sirs, Usui et al. [1] have reported the Japanese version of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia (2010-J criteria) based on the 2010 American College of Rheumatology preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia (2010 criteria). In the 2010-J criteria, the best cutoff score was 10, while in a previous study (modified 2010 criteria) [2] it was found to be 13. In the modified 2010 criteria, Wolfe et al. [2] created a fibromyalgia symptom scale (FS) of 0–31. In the modified 2010 criteria, the FS arguably consists of a widespread pain index (WPI) of 0–19, a fatigue score of 0–3, a waking unrefreshed score of 0–3, and a cognitive symptoms score of 0–3, as well as a number of the following symptoms (headache, abdominal pain, and depression). However, in the 2010-J criteria, the FS consists of a WPI of 0–19 and a fatigue score of 0–3, a waking unrefreshed score of 0–3, and a cognitive symptoms score of 0–3, as well as the extent (severity) of somatic symptoms in general (such as muscle pain, irritable bowel syndrome, and fatigue/tiredness) [1]. Therefore, the FS of the 2010-J criteria is different from the FS of the modified 2010 criteria. I am afraid that it is very difficult to compare the cutoff score between the 2010-J criteria and the modified 2010 criteria. If Usui et al. would like to compare the cutoff score between the 2010-J criteria and the modified 2010 criteria, they should compare the same FS. Wolfe et al. [3] reported a modification of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia in 2011 (2011 criteria). In the 2011 criteria, the FS consists of a WPI of 0–19 and a fatigue score of 0–3, a waking unrefreshed score of 0–3, and a cognitive symptoms score of 0–3, as well as a number of the following symptoms (headaches, pain or cramps in lower abdomen, and depression) [3]. Fortunately, Usui et al. have data about the extent (severity) of somatic symptoms in general. The somatic symptoms include headache, pain/cramps in the abdomen, and depression. They could determine an FS that would be nearly identical to the FS of the 2011 criteria. They could then compare cutoff scores between the 2010-J criteria and the 2011 criteria. If possible, could Usui et al. compare the cutoff scores between the 2010-J criteria and the 2011 criteria?
Digital image processing of intracellular pH in gastric oxyntic and chief cells

Cytosolic pH (pHi) is a critically regulated determinant of intracellular function. Several mechanisms for pHi regulation in different tissues have been found, such as direct proton pumping, Na/H exchange, Cl/HCO3 exchange, NaHCO3 cotransport, and Na/H/Cl/HCO3 obligatorily linked. All these studies have used either single cells or cell populations assumed to be behaving homogeneously. Most tissues consist of more than one cell type, so it would be desirable to examine pHi regulation simultaneously in many identified individual cells, particularly in epithelia where disaggregation and purification of isolated cells destroys the normal distinction between luminal and serosal environments. We have used a pH-sensitive fluorescent dye, BCECF (2',7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein) and digital image processing to study pHi regulation simultaneously in the oxyntic cells (OC) and chief cells (CC) of gastric glands isolated from rabbit stomach. CCs become markedly more acidic upon removal of external Na (Nao), but pHi is restored rapidly on return to normal Nao, with or without Cl. Oxyntic cell pHi is much less affected by Nao. Conversely, OCs become strongly more alkaline on removal of external Cl (Clo), pHi being restored when Clo is replaced with or without Na, whereas CCs are relatively insensitive to Clo. Therefore, Na/H exchange is dominant over Cl/HCO3 exchange in CCs, but in the neighbouring OCs, Cl/HCO3 outweighs the Na/H mechanism, a heterogeneity that correlates with the functions of the two cell types.
Longitudinal mapping of mouse cerebral blood volume with MRI

MRI estimations of cerebral blood volume (CBV), useful in mapping brain dysfunction, typically require intravenous (IV) injections of contrast agents. Transgenically engineered mice have emerged as the dominant animal model with which to investigate disorders of the brain and novel therapeutic agents. The difficulty in gaining IV access in mice prohibits repeated administration of contrast in the same animal, limiting the ability to map CBV changes over time. Here we address this limitation by first optimizing an approach for estimating CBV that relies on intraperitoneal (IP) rather than IV injections of the contrast agent gadodiamide. Next, we show that CBV maps generated with IP or IV injections are quantitatively comparable. Finally, we show that CBV maps generated with IP gadodiamide can be acquired repeatedly, reliably and safely over time. Although this approach has certain limitations, estimating CBV with IP injections is well-suited for mapping the spatiotemporal pattern of brain dysfunction in mice models of disease, and for testing pharmacological agents.
A complex with chromatin modifiers that occupies E2F- and Myc-responsive genes in G0 cells

E2F-6 contributes to gene silencing in a manner independent of retinoblastoma protein family members. To better elucidate the molecular mechanism of repression by E2F-6, we have purified the factor from cultured cells. E2F-6 is found in a multimeric protein complex that contains Mga and Max, and thus the complex can bind not only to the E2F-binding site but also to Myc- and Brachyury-binding sites. Moreover, the complex contains chromatin modifiers such as a novel histone methyltransferase that modifies lysine 9 of histone H3, HP1gamma, and Polycomb group (PcG) proteins. The E2F-6 complex preferentially occupies target promoters in G0 cells rather than in G1 cells. These data suggest that these chromatin modifiers contribute to silencing of E2F- and Myc-responsive genes in quiescent cells.