cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic management of refractory leaks and fistulas after bariatric surgery with long-term follow-up

In selected cases of post-bariatric leaks and fistulas, endoscopy is an initial treatment modality. Management can be complex and require multiple endoscopic sessions with varying degrees of success. Our aim was to describe our tertiary care experience on endoscopy management of refractory post-bariatric leaks and fistulas. Patients with post-bariatric leaks and/or fistulas who failed an initial endoscopic intervention were included. Endoscopic treatments were classified into four strategies: (1) closure management, (2) active drainage, (3) passive drainage, and (4) plugging. Clinical success and adverse events were assessed. A total of 25 patients (mean age = 45.3 ± 11.8 years and 56% female) were included. Clinical success was achieved in 20 patients (80%) with a mean of 3.0 ± 1.5 procedures and a median time to healing of 114.5 (53–210.3) days. Closure and plugging were the main successful strategies used for early and acute leaks/fistulas, while drainage was for late and chronic leaks/fistulas. Adverse events were observed in 13 patients (52%) with one serious adverse event. Patients with fistulas had a lower success rate (72.2% vs. 100%, P = 0.052). Of those with clinical failure (n = 5), four underwent reconstructive surgery, eventually led to success in 3 patients. The other one died of septic shock related to a complicated fistula. Complex multi-modality endoscopic management ultimately achieved clinical success in most cases of refractory leaks/fistulas post-bariatric with an acceptable safety profile. However, a close follow-up to detect the development of long-term failure is warranted. These patients should be referred to a specialized bariatric center with expertise in bariatric endoscopy and surgery.
Applications of open innovation to the supply chain system in the SMEs

The close-knitted structure of a supply chain seems to leave no room for the word 'open'. Closeness builds trust, enables information sharing, benefits transportation and more. Somehow, openness started to benefit supply chain management recently, through a trend called 'open innovation'. Based on gathered anecdotes and our interviews of industry professionals, we attempted to present a more complete picture of open innovation in supply chain management, including its potential benefits, major concerns, adoption hurdles, and future solutions. Our findings identified current perceptions of supply chain practitioners on open innovation and major hurdles and difficulties of implementing open innovation in supply chain functions other than just product development. Our research contributed to the current literature of open innovation by updating its implementation status, identifying adoption and implementation issues, and proposing strategic considerations within the context of supply chain management.
Sensing of inorganic ions in microfluidic devices

Abstract The past two decades witnessed the widespread adoption of microfluidics for miniaturized and automated chemical analysis. Microfluidic techniques require less sample, consume less reagents, and may enhance the sensitivity, precision, response time, and throughput of the analytical methods. The integration of multiple components and functionalities in microfluidic chips can further lead to fully automated Micro Total Analysis Systems (Lab-on-a-Chip). This review focuses on chemical and biochemical sensing of inorganic ions including electrolyte cations, heavy metal ions, and small anions in microfluidic devices. We provide an overview on how different optical and electrochemical ion sensing schemes based on liquid sensing phases or solid sensing phases can be coupled with microfluidics. Various microfluidics platforms including continuous-flow microfluidics, droplet microfluidics, digital microfluidics, centrifugal microfluidics, cell-based microfluidics, paper-based microfluidics, and wearable microfluidics are covered. The sensing principle, chip material, device fabrication, detector configuration, and analytical performance are presented for selected systems. This review concludes with a brief outlook on how microfluidic ion sensors may be further advanced.
A physical interpretation of regularization for optical flow methods in fluids

This Letter establishes a physical interpretation of the regularization process that occurs as part of the solution to an optical flow problem within fluids. In doing so, a new regularization scheme for optical flow velocimetry (OFV) methods is developed through direct inspection of the Navier–Stokes equations. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that a regularization scheme has been derived using the governing fluid transport equations for viscous fluids. The current regularization scheme is based on the insight that regularization in OFV should play the same role as viscosity in fluid dynamics. Evaluation on synthetic particle image data from 2D and 3D direct numerical simulations of nonreacting and reacting flows show that the proposed regularization scheme reduces the absolute error and leads to enhanced robustness with respect to the choice of the strength of regularization.
Anomalous low impedance for small platinum microelectrodes

Abstract Electrical measurement of the activity of individual neurons is a primary goal for many invasive neural electrodes. Making these “single unit” measurements requires that we fabricate electrodes small enough so that only a few neurons contribute to the signal, but not so small that the impedance of the electrode creates overwhelming noise or signal attenuation. Thus, neural electrode design often must strike a balance between electrode size and electrode impedance, where the impedance is often assumed to scale linearly with electrode area. Here we test this assumption by measuring the impedance at 1 kHz for differently sized electrodes. Surprisingly, we find that for Pt electrodes (but not Au electrodes) this assumption breaks down for electrodes with diameters of less than 10 microns. For these small sizes, Pt electrodes have impedance values that are up to 3-fold lower than expected. By investigating the impedance spectrum of Pt and Au electrodes we find a transition between planar and spherical diffusion for small electrodes combined with the pseudo-capacitance of proton adsorption at the Pt surface can explain this anomalous low impedance. These results provide important intuition for designing small, single unit recording electrodes. Specifically, for materials that have a pseudo-capacitance or when diffusional capacitance dominates the total impedance, we should expect small electrodes will have lower-than-expected impedance values allowing us to scale these devices down further than previously thought before thermal noise or voltage division limits the ability to acquire high-quality single-unit recordings.
Risk Management by the Basel Committee: Evaluating Progress Made from the 1988 Basel Accord to Recent Developments

This paper traces developments from the inception of the 1988 Basel Capital Accord to its present form (Basel II). In highlighting the flaws of the 1988 Accord, an evaluation is made of the Basel Committee's efforts to address such weaknesses through Basel II. Whilst considerable progress has been achieved, the paper concludes, based on one of the principal aims of these Accords, namely the management of risk, that more work is still required particularly in relation to hedge funds and those risks attributed to non bank financial institutions.
Microbicides: molecular strategies for prevention of sexually transmitted viral disease.

This chapter provides an overview on molecular strategies for prevention of sexually transmitted viral disease. The chapter focuses on the perceived need, basic research challenges, and scientific grounds for confidence in the development of anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) microbicides with emphasis on viral/pathogen synergies and mucosal factors of susceptibility. Synergistic mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of "amplified transmission" are discussed in the chapter. Mathematical modeling predicts that even a partial protection would substantially relieve the burden of the HIV pandemic. Nevertheless, because of the viral diversity and the complexity and redundancy of the viral mucosal penetration routes, it is unlikely that a single microbicide or multiple microbicides inhibiting acquisition via a single target would prove to be fully efficient. The major mechanisms of action targeted by microbicides, so far, are degrading or neutralizing the virus before it reaches its target cells, blocking the viral entry and intercellular passage, as well as attacking the intra-cellular steps of the viral cycle, mainly the reverse transcription and viral integration processes. The mechanism of action of the antiretroviral drugs nucleoside and non-nucleoside RT inhibitors (NRTIs and NNRTIs) is discussed in detail. The development of prevention strategies and tools to encompass the global diversity of HIV-1, to be holistically compatible with the wide range of age and multicultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, is a colossal international undertaking that has mobilized scientists, advocates, philanthropists, and policy makers around the world.
Psychological Treatments, Empirically Supported

The last decade has witnessed efforts to bring findings from clinical research on psychosocial interventions into everyday clinical practice. These efforts have sought to identify treatments for specific diagnoses that have shown efficacy through empirical study. The identified therapies have been termed empirically supported treatments. In this article, the forces that are driving the move toward empirically supported treatments will be discussed. In addition, the specific criteria used to determine empirically supported treatments will be presented and links to an up-to-date list of these treatments will be provided. Finally, several prominent controversies and criticisms of the move toward empirically supported treatments will be reviewed.
Discourses of global competition

Challenges the notion that “global competition” is at the root of the changing fortunes of large American corporations, and that it is the reason for the recent trend to downsize/ rightsize/re‐engineer white‐collar staffs. Argues that the change in employment relations can be explained by understanding capital′s view of the micro‐economics of the firm, as posed by transaction cost economics and the intentional implementation of particular types of information technology consistent with that understanding. Argues also that current praxis is consistent with, and a continuation of, a long‐term capitalist project to wrest control of the labour process away from as many types of workers as possible.
Proteins of green leaves: IX. Enzymatic properties of fraction-1 protein isolated by a specific antibody

Abstract 1. 1. Enzymatic studies with Fraction-I protein prepared by differential ultracentrifugation suggested that Fraction-I protein may contain the three-enzyme sequence: phosphoriboisomerase ( d -ribose-5-phosphate ketol-isomerase, EC 5.3.1.6), phosphoribulokinase (ATP: d -ribulose-5-phosphate 1-phospho-transferase, EC 2.7.1.19) and carboxydismutase (ribulose-1,5-diphosphate carboxylase). 2. 2. A protein fraction containing the “ribose-5-phosphate sequence” and Fraction-I protein was obtained from tobacco leaves by using gel filtration and diethylamino-ethyl-cellulose chromatography. The advantages of this method over that of differential centrifugation are indicated. 3. 3. A rabbit antibody specific to tobacco Fraction-I protein was developed. 4. 4. The quantitative precipitin relation between Fraction-I protein and the specific antibody was established. 5. 5. Fraction-I protein from the cellulose-chromatographic peak which contained the “ribose-5-phosphate sequence” enzymes was isolated by using the quantitative precipitin relationship. 6. 6. Fraction-I protein precipitated by the specific antibody contains carboxydismutase but not phosphoriboisomerase or phosphoribulokinase.
Radioautographic Study of Experimental Sporotrichosis After the Administration of Radioactive Iodine1

Although the administration systemically of compounds containing iodine is recognized as being therapeutically useful in several granulomatous diseases, the mode of action remains obscure. A helpful clue to the solution of this problem would be the knowledge of whether or not there is a specific site of action of iodide within the various types of cells found in the area of granulomatous inflammation. This report concerns an attempt to demonstrate, by the technic of autoradiography, whether or not such a specific localization of systemically administered radioactive iodine (1-131) exists within the lesions of sporotrichosis experimentally produced in mice. Since localized sporotrichosis is the disease that is most specifically responsive to iodide therapy, it seemed to be the disease best suited to such an investigation.
Chapter 7 Interaction of Natural and Model Peptides with Membranes

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses a study on interaction of natural and model peptides with membranes. The chapter describes recent work that is aimed at investigating the energetics of peptide–membrane interactions, focusing on interactions that are mediated by electrostatic interactions between peptides and the membrane interface. It also discusses factors that determine the position and conformation of peptides on membrane surfaces and discusses several classes of membrane-active peptides. Peptide–membrane interactions are important to characterize, but these interactions, as well as the behavior of bilayer, are influenced by a large number of relatively weak intermolecular forces. As a result, developing a molecular understanding of biological membranes and membrane–protein function has been challenging. Membrane–peptide interactions also provide information on critical protein–membrane electrostatic interactions. The de novo design of membrane-active peptides is a powerful approach to directly access the importance of peptide sequence and structure in membrane–peptide interactions. Work on peptide–membrane interactions has progressed rapidly in recent years, partly as a result of the success of a number of experimental approaches, including magnetic resonance (NMR and EPR spectroscopy), vibrational and optical spectroscopies, and the continued development of methodologies for peptide synthesis and purification.
Electrocardiographic data recorded with Frank leads in subjects without cardiac disease and those with left ventricular overload.

Abstract Amplitudes and durations of scalar deflections were measured in Frank lead electrocardiograms from 505 men without clinical evidence of cardiac disease. Amplitudes of the major QRS deflections and of T waves were significantly correlated with age; they were also correlated to a lesser degree with chest diameter and relative body weight. The results indicate that normal limits for some Frank lead electrocardiographic variables should be stratified by age. Discrimination between normal subjects and cases with left ventricular overload was not so good with selected Frank lead variables as with standard lead electrocardiographic criteria.
Safe Sound Exposure in the Fetus and Preterm Infant

Exposure to sound can have beneficial and harmful effects on the developing fetus and preterm infant. Although recommendations for safe exposure to sound have existed for more than three decades, reports indicate that these recommendations are not being followed. Recommendations are made to promote attention to the problem of unsafe exposure to sound in early development, and a multidisciplinary team, including representatives from disciplines beyond medicine and nursing, must readdress safe exposure.
A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS OF RITUXIMAB IN ANTIBODY-MEDIATED RENAL ALLOGRAFT REJECTION

Background: The standard treatment of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) consists of antilymphocyte antibody, intravenous immunoglobulin, and plasmapheresis. This treatment is associated with a high rate of resistance and refractory AMR. Recent interest has focused on use of rituximab (RTX), a chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. Objective: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of RTX in AMR of the renal allograft. Methods: Combining two comprehensive search themes (AMR and RTX), we searched electronic databases from 1969 through 2010, supplemented by a manual review of abstracts from nephrology and transplant meetings, and reference lists of review articles. All studies evaluating explicit response of patients with AMR to RTX were included. The outcome was pooled odds ratio (OR) of response to RTX. Results: A total of 114 studies were identified, 94 of which were excluded on initial screening. Analysis of the 10 studies (249 patients) showed an OR of 3.16 (95% CI: 1.75–5.70) for response to RTX. Reported adverse effects included BK virus nephropathy, cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia, pneumonia, herpes zoster, and septic shock. Conclusion: This study suggests that RTX is a reasonable therapeutic option in the treatment of AMR. Further randomized studies are necessary to establish its efficacy and safety.
The Telomerase Inhibitor MST-312 Interferes with Multiple Steps in the Herpes Simplex Virus Life Cycle

ABSTRACT The life cycle of herpes simplex virus (HSV) has the potential to be further manipulated to yield novel, more effective therapeutic treatments. Recent research has demonstrated that HSV-1 can increase telomerase activity and that expression of the catalytic component of telomerase, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), alters sensitivity to HSV-dependent apoptosis. Telomerase is a cellular enzyme that synthesizes nucleotide repeats at the ends of chromosomes (telomeres), which prevents shortening of the 3′ ends of DNA with each cell division. Once telomeres reach a critical length, cells undergo senescence and apoptosis. Here, we used a cell-permeable, reversible inhibitor of the telomerase enzyme, MST-312, to investigate telomerase activity during HSV infection. Human mammary epithelial cells immortalized through TERT expression and human carcinoma HEp-2 cells were infected with the KOS1.1 strain of HSV-1 in the presence of MST-312. MST-312 treatment reduced the number of cells displaying a cytopathic effect and the accumulation of immediate early and late viral proteins. Moreover, the presence of 20 μM to 100 μM MST-312 during infection led to a 2.5- to 5.5-log10 decrease in viral titers. MST-312 also inhibited the replication of HSV-2 and a recent clinical isolate of HSV-1. Additionally, we determined that MST-312 has the largest impact on viral events that take place prior to 5 h postinfection (hpi). Furthermore, MST-312 treatment inhibited virus replication, as measured by adsorption assays and quantification of genome replication. Together, these findings demonstrate that MST-312 interferes with the HSV life cycle. Further investigation into the mechanism for MST-312 is warranted and may provide novel targets for HSV therapies. IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections can lead to cold sores, blindness, and brain damage. Identification of host factors that are important for the virus life cycle may provide novel targets for HSV antivirals. One such factor, telomerase, is the cellular enzyme that synthesizes DNA repeats at the ends of chromosomes during replication to prevent DNA shortening. In this study, we investigate role of telomerase in HSV infection. The data demonstrate that the telomerase inhibitor MST-312 suppressed HSV replication at multiple steps of viral infection.
Facility‐based treatment for medical complications resulting from unsafe pregnancy termination in the developing world, 2012: a review of evidence from 26 countries

With changing conditions affecting receipt of postabortion care, an updated estimate of the incidence of treatment for complications from unsafe pregnancy termination is needed to inform policies and programmes. National estimates of facility-based treatment for complications in 26 countries form the basis for estimating treatment rates in the developing world. An estimated seven million women were treated in the developing world for complications from unsafe pregnancy termination in 2012, a rate of 6.9 per 1000 women aged 15–44 years. Regionally, rates ranged from 5.3 in Latin America and the Caribbean to 8.2 in Asia. Results inform policies to improve women's health. Tweetable abstract An estimated 7 million women were treated in the developing world for complications of unsafe TOP in 2012.
Catalase-Aminotriazole Method for Measuring Secretion of Hydrogen Peroxide by Microorganisms

A new method for measuring the secretion of H(2)O(2) has been based upon an H(2)O(2)-dependent inhibition of catalase by 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole. The conversion of an H(2)O(2)-secretion rate into a catalase inhibition rate amplified a relatively small molar concentration of H(2)O(2) and provided a highly specific and sensitive method for quantitatively measuring H(2)O(2). A major advantage of this approach is that it does not require extensive accumulation of H(2)O(2) in the environment. The method was successfully employed to measure H(2)O(2) secretion by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which possesses a peroxidase-like activity that limits the accumulation of H(2)O(2) in the environment.
Anthropology: For Whom and What?

the Vietnam War, credulous American social scientists were forced to consider the implications of their researches on the peoples they study. The publication by the Student Mobilization Committee of the minutes of the secret meetings sponsored by the Department of Defense have convinced many EuroAmerican anthropologists that the discipline is one of the many tools in the arsenal of the United States government. The use of anthropology and anthropologists for colonialist and imperialist ventures is well documented. In 1919 Franz Boas, the father of American anthropology, published a letter denouncing the use of anthropologists as spies by the United States government.
Fast Excitatory Nicotinic Transmission in the Chick Lateral Spiriform Nucleus

The lateral spiriform nucleus (SpL) in the chick mesencephalon contains functional nicotinic receptors and receives a cholinergic fiber projection. We now use double-label immunohistochemistry to demonstrate that choline acetyltransferase-immunopositive fibers in the SpL and in the cholinergic fiber tract lateral to the nucleus are associated with fibers expressing the α5 and/or α3 nicotinic receptor subunits as determined by mAb35 immunoreactivity. This morphological evidence suggests that there might be synapses between the cholinergic fibers and the dendrites of SpL neurons. Whole-cell recordings from SpL neurons in current-clamp mode revealed EPSPs evoked by stimulation of the cholinergic fiber tract lateral to the SpL. These EPSPs increased in amplitude in the presence of bicuculline. Further addition of the nicotinic antagonist dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHβE) to the buffer significantly attenuated them. Almost all of the remaining EPSP was blocked by 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione. In the presence of an antagonist cocktail that isolated the nicotinic responses, a fast, monosynaptic nicotinic EPSP or EPSC was evoked. In some neurons, the nicotinic EPSP resulted in the generation of an action potential. The nicotinic nature of the evoked response was confirmed by blockade of the EPSPs or EPSCs with nicotinic antagonists, including DHβE, d-tubocurare, and mecamylamine. The nicotinic response was insensitive to low concentrations (10–100 nm) of methyllycaconitine, indicating that typical α7-containing receptors were not involved. The results demonstrate that endogenously released acetylcholine generates EPSPs that can elicit action potentials by acting at postsynaptic nicotinic receptors on SpL neurons.
An energy decomposition analysis for second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory based on absolutely localized molecular orbitals

An energy decomposition analysis (EDA) of intermolecular interactions is proposed for second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) based on absolutely localized molecular orbitals (ALMOs), as an extension to a previous ALMO-based EDA for self-consistent field methods. It decomposes the canonical MP2 binding energy by dividing the double excitations that contribute to the MP2 wave function into classes based on how the excitations involve different molecules. The MP2 contribution to the binding energy is decomposed into four components: frozen interaction, polarization, charge transfer, and dispersion. Charge transfer is defined by excitations that change the number of electrons on a molecule, dispersion by intermolecular excitations that do not transfer charge, and polarization and frozen interactions by intra-molecular excitations. The final two are separated by evaluations of the frozen, isolated wave functions in the presence of the other molecules, with adjustments for orbital response. Unlike previous EDAs for electron correlation methods, this one includes components for the electrostatics, which is vital as adjustment to the electrostatic behavior of the system is in some cases the dominant effect of the treatment of electron correlation. The proposed EDA is then applied to a variety of different systems to demonstrate that all proposed components behave correctly. This includes systems with one molecule and an external electric perturbation to test the separation between polarization and frozen interactions and various bimolecular systems in the equilibrium range and beyond to test the rest of the EDA. We find that it performs well on these tests. We then apply the EDA to a halogen bonded system to investigate the nature of the halogen bond.
Engineering education: Where we are and where we go from here

While MOOC-s (massively open on-line courses) are getting a lot of attention in the press, many other interesting developments have been happening in the field of engineering education. It can be argued that many of the problems, perceived or real, have had solutions for quite some time and that problem is not in the development of new, effective and efficient instructional techniques but that the problem lies in the implementation of the known techniques. This paper will attempt to briefly summarize the current state of engineering education in the US, perceived problems, and potential solutions. As an example of what can be accomplished by a switch to more research-based instructional strategies we will discuss our experience in introducing active learning technique in microwave circuit design course. It is hoped that this will in some small way contribute to the discussion on the direction of engineering education in Croatia.
Simulated space environmental exposure of optical coatings for spacecraft solar rejection

Dielectric multilayers composed of niobium pentoxide and silicon dioxide, designed for broadband solar rejection, were exposed to a simulated space environment of ultraviolet light and low-energy (10-20-keV) electron radiation. Samples exhibited various degrees of exposure-induced absorption extending from the ultraviolet to the infrared. Processing variations were correlated to damage susceptibility, and methods were identified that produced parts that exhibited no degradation even though the same materials and coating design were used. Coatings prepared under energetic deposition conditions that provided the densest and most moisture-stable coatings exhibited the best stability to the exposure conditions used.
Estimating the Number of Men Who Have Sex with Men by Race/Ethnicity at the County Level in Texas

This analysis presents a method for estimating the population of men who have sex with men (MSM) at the county and metropolitan area level in Texas. Surveillance data consistently demonstrate that MSM experience a high burden of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Numerous studies have shown that MSM are also vulnerable to many other health concerns such as suicide, substance abuse, domestic violence and assault, homelessness, and mental illness. However, compilation of rates of HIV, STIs, and other health issues is dependent on estimation of population denominators. In the absence of systematic, consistent, and direct assessment of sexual orientation and gender identity in national surveys, it is difficult to estimate the size of at-risk populations. Previous estimates at the national and state level have been calculated using varied methodologies. However, to date, statewide estimates at the county level have only been produced for the state of Florida. County-level and metropolitan area estimates of MSM population were produced using three modified models developed by Lieb et al. These models used data on population and same-sex households from the US Census, along with estimates of sexual behavior from the National Survey on Family Growth. These models produce an estimate of 599,683 MSM in Texas (6.4 % of the adult male population). Metropolitan areas with the highest percentage of MSM population include Dallas and Austin (10.3 and 9.8 %, respectively). County-level estimates of MSM population range from 1.0 to 12.9 %. These local estimates are critical to targeting vulnerable populations and effective allocation of resources for prevention and treatment programs.
Effect of three insecticides on growth rates of soil fungi.

Examen des effets de 3 insecticides (carbofuran, chlorpyrifos et lindare) sur les vitesses de croissance du diametre des colonies de 5 champignons communs du sol (Aspergillus giganteus, Penicillium vermiculatum, Rhizopus stolonifer, Trichoderma viride et Trichoderma reesei
Pulmonary Hypertension Is a Probable NO/ONOO− Cycle Disease: A Review

The NO/ONOO− cycle is a primarily local biochemical/physiological vicious cycle that appears to cause a series of chronic inflammatory diseases. This paper focuses on whether the cycle causes pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) when located in the pulmonary arteries. The cycle involves 12 elements, including superoxide, peroxynitrite (ONOO−), nitric oxide (NO), oxidative stress, NF-κB, inflammatory cytokines, iNOS, mitochondrial dysfunction, intracellular calcium, tetrahydrobiopterin depletion, NMDA activity, and TRP receptor activity. 10 of the 12 are elevated in PAH (NMDA?, NO?) and 11 have documented causal roles in PAH. Each stressor that initiates cases of PAH acts to raise cycle elements, and may, therefore, initiate the cycle in this way. PAH involves a primarily local mechanism as required by the cycle and the symptoms and signs of PAH are generated by elements of the cycle. Endothelin-1, which acts as a causal factor in PAH, acts as part of the cycle; its synthesis is stimulated by cycle elements, and it, in turn, increases each element of the cycle. This extraordinary fit to the principles of the NO/ONOO− cycle allows one to conclude that PAH is a NO/ONOO− cycle disease, and this fit supports the cycle as a major paradigm of chronic inflammatory disease.
Neuroimaging findings in children with benign focal epileptiform discharges

Summary Purpose To determine reasons for neuroimaging and neuroimaging findings in children with benign focal epileptiform discharges (BFEDs). Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of children who had BFEDs on routine EEG and underwent brain MRI. Results We identified 97 patients with BFEDs and MRI. Forty-five of these 97 patients also had seizures consistent with benign focal epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS). Rationale for imaging in the 45 BECTS patients included historical features such as headaches (14), increase in seizure frequency (5), and new events (5). Nine MRIs were obtained prior to referral and 12 for unspecified reasons. MRI findings were not significantly different between BECTS and BFEDs patients. Fourty-one patients (42%) had abnormal findings on MRI, including T2 hyperintensities (10), hippocampal atrophy (6), malformation of cortical development (4), volume loss (5), Chiari malformation (4), and others (18). Conclusion MRIs are not routinely recommended in patients with BECTS unless atypical features are present. Atypical features which may prompt MRI include change in clinical seizure types or frequency, historical features such as headaches, abnormal neurological exam, and atypical EEG features. 42% of our selected patients had intracranial abnormalities, most of which were of unclear clinical significance. Remote infarcts and early lesions accounted for most MRI findings suggesting they may be related to BFEDs.
Pattern recognition processor and its application to straight line reconstruction of spark chamber data

Abstract A general purpose hardware processor is described for use in conjunction with a digital computer to speed up reconstruction of straight line tracks from data generated in wire spark chamber experiments. The processor receives both data and operating instructions from the computer. With a 50 ns cycle time it executes a search algorithm which simultaneously tests many possible combinations of data. It quickly sorts out the points that are likely candidates for straight lines; the computer makes the final decision. 100 spark chamber events taken at the Argonne National Laboratory were analyzed using a pure software approach and compared with an analysis using responses from the Pattern Recognition Processor as simulated by a separate program. For equivalent operations the latter performed approximately four times as fast. The expectation that the Pattern Recognition Processor will do even better as the complexity of the events increases is discussed.
Phonon description and the Euler buckling instability of a mesoscopic bar at fixed strain

Abstract The quantum theory of a mesoscopic beam subjected to fixed compressional strain is discussed from the perspective of phonons and other excitations that emerge from the buckling instability. It is argued that despite the anharmonicity inherent in this instability, elementary excitations maintain their integrity because (i) modes higher than the fundamental remain harmonic through the instability, and (ii) the quantum vibrational frequency of the fundamental, ( E 1 − E 0 )/ℏ, does not vanish. It is determined by a Landau-like effective potential which is quartic at critical strain. Beyond the buckling instability, phonons recover their harmonic character while a distinct form of excitation evolves associated with the broken symmetry. For a beam of rectangular cross-section these are tunneling modes; for a tube of circular cross-section they are rotational.
Transient acoustic cavitation in gallstone fragmentation: A study of gallstones fragmented in vivo

Abstract The mechanism of gallstone fragmentation by shock waves in vivo is uncertain. We used scanning electron microscopy to study 9 partially fragmented stones obtained from 6 patients who underwent lithotripsy and subsequently had surgery because of incomplete fragmentation. Surface characteristics of the stone were studied using scanning electron microscopy and compared to gallstones fragmented in degassed water in vitro and to control stones obtained from patients with uncomplicated cholelithiasis. Characteristic damage caused by transient acoustic cavitation was visible in all stones fragmented in vivo and in vitro as pits 10–100μm diameter. In these pits, cholesterol crystals were fractured, and the symmetry of crystal boundaries was damaged. In areas of more severe damage, individual pits coalesced to form craters on the stone surface. High magnification of the pit walls revealed cracks, which in some instances radiated out onto the unpitted surface of the stone. We conclude that transient acoustic cavitation plays a role in gallstone fragmentation in vivo through the mechanism of surface pitting and the formation of cracks that radiate outward from the surface pits. Measures to enhance cavitation may improve the results of gallstone lithotripsy.
Synthesis, sar and pharmacology of CP-293,019: A potent, selective dopamine D4 receptor antagonist

A series of novel, potent and selective pyrido[1,2-a]pyrazine dopamine D4 receptor antagonists are reported including CP-293,019 (D4 Ki = 3.4 nM, D2 Ki > 3,310 nM), which also inhibits apomorphine-induced hyperlocomotion in rats after oral dosing.
Electrical relaxations: Simple versus complex ionic systems

Complex materials are known to show two regions of ac electrical behavior. In the high-temperature/low-frequency domain, they show power-law frequency dependence of the conductivity known as ``universal dielectric response,'' or UDR, while at low temperatures/high frequencies they show ``nearly constant loss,'' or NCL behavior, which persists down to cryogenic temperatures. The present paper seeks to examine the corresponding behaviors of ``simple'' systems, i.e., dilute systems of the classical type in which a relatively small number of defects are involved. Three systems studied here are oxygen-ion conductors: ${\mathrm{CeO}}_{2}$ doped with ${\mathrm{Gd}}^{3+}$ and with ${\mathrm{Y}}^{3+},$ as well as ${\mathrm{CaTiO}}_{3}$ doped with ${\mathrm{Al}}^{3+}.$ In each case, we proceed from dilute to concentrated doping levels. Also studied in very dilute concentrations are ${\mathrm{N}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{C}\mathrm{l}:\mathrm{S}\mathrm{m}}^{3+}$ (a ${\mathrm{Na}}^{+}$ conductor) and ${\mathrm{KTaO}}_{3}{:\mathrm{C}\mathrm{u}}^{2+}{,\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ (a protonic conductor). It is found that in the UDR regime, the simple materials show very much the same behavior as the complex, suggesting that UDR relaxation is intrinsic to the hopping process. A striking result is that the onset frequency of dispersive conductivity corresponds to the mean jump frequency of all carriers, both bound and free. In contrast to the UDR regime, NCL behavior is only shown by complex materials; simple materials show discrete (Debye-type) relaxations that are due to off-center configurations that relax by small rocking-type motions. As the concentrations increase, these relaxations smear out into a broad distribution that gives rise to NCL behavior.
The Search for Supernova Grains in an Ice Core

A search was conducted for grains of the potential core-collapse supernova (SN) condensate minerals corundum (Al2O3), hibonite (CaAl12O19), and spinel (MgAl2O4) among grains filtered from the 308.6 m Guliya ice core recovered from the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau in China. Simple models are developed and calculations are presented to estimate the number of Al2O3 grains that would be deposited per cm2 on the Earth by a nearby core-collapse SN and to estimate the number of presolar oxide grains that could be contained in micrometeorite (MM) grains that are accreted by the Earth. A total of 698 candidate SN condensate grains were identified in six Guliya ice core grain samples from the following time periods: ~2-10, ~25-27, ~34-36, ~53-57, ~59-62, and ~68-72 kyr. A procedure developed at the University of Chicago to identify presolar grains in meteoric samples was used to find these candidate grains. Nanometer-scale secondary ion mass spectrometry (NanoSIMS) analysis, performed at Washington University on 37 grains from the ~34-36, ~53-57, and ~59-62 kyr samples, indicated that none possessed the extreme oxygen-16 enhancements expected from a SN source. However, nine of the 37 grains did possess the oxygen-16 enhancements consistent with calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs).
Multifrequency electron spin resonance and electron nuclear double resonance studies of metal cations in perfluorinated ionomers

Multifrequency electron spin resonance (ESR) and electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) have been applied to the study of cation salvation and to the formation of cation dimers and larger aggregates. The spectra indicated that the paramagnetic cation can be a probe for the process of membrane solvation by one solvent or by a mixture of solvents. The results present conclusive proof for the formation of cation dimers and larger cation aggregates only in perfluorinated ionomers swollen by water. For methanol, dimethylformamide (DMF), and tetrahydrofuran (THF) there is no indication of cation aggregation, even in membranes that have been fully neutralized by cupric ions. Detection of a small amount of cation dimers, and determination by ENDOR of a distance of 8Abetween Ti3+ and fluorine, indicate that the size of the solvent clusters in these solvents is less than about 20A. A model for the cation dimer is proposed, and appears to explain the increase of the glass transition temperature Tg due to ionic cross-links. An ESR probe for the solvation of ionomer membranes by various solvents has been developed, and has been used to study preferential salvation of Sephadex and silica gel by various solvents.
Increase in bilirubin binding to albumin with correction of neonatal acidosis.

Twenty-six serial measurements of free bilirubin concentration and apparent association constant of bilirubin for albumin (Ka) at a bilirubin: albumin molar ratio of 0.8 were performed and compared with baseline values in 11 newborn infants with acidosis before treatment and during recovery from acidosis. When arterial pH was corrected from 7.12 +/- 0.02 (Mean +/- S.EM.) to 7.34 +/- 0.02, there was a significant decrease in serum free bilirubin concentration and a significant increase in the Ka at molar ratio 0.8. The data offer in vivo evidence that correction of acidosis in the neonate results in an improvement of the apparent bilirubin binding affinity of albumin.
Ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity of amikacin: an overview of phase II and phase III experience in the United States.

Abstract The case records of 1,548 patients, obtained during phase II and phase III studies with amikacin, were reviewed for evidence of eighth cranial nerve or renal aberrations. High frequency hearing loss was reported by the field investigators in 71 patients (4.59 per cent) and conversational hearing loss in a separate group of eight patients (0.52 per cent). Ten patients (0.65 per cent) showed vestibular alterations. An analysis of audiograms of 328 patients obtained before (pre) and after (post) treatment revealed 11 (3.35 per cent) which demonstrated a 15 decibel (dB) hearing deficit or greater after a course of amikacin therapy. An arbitrary definition of renal function deterloration sufficiently conservative to include any true nephrotoxicity was adopted and applied to 1,154 (75 per cent) of the 1,548 case records, i.e., those which recorded pre- and post-treatment serum creatinine values. Using these criteria, 8.7 per cent of the patient records demonstrated changes consistent with impairment of renal function during a course of amikacin therapy. These changes were more frequently seen in patients whose initial serum creatinine values were high, in those of older age, in those receiving a larger total dose of amikacin and in those receiving aminoglycoside plus other nephrotoxic agents, either previously or concurrently. Difficulties associated with comparing incidence figures for "toxicity" from the literature were examined. The need for assessing relative toxicity among aminoglycosides through prospective comparative clinical studies was emphasized.
Support for a stable late Wisconsin ice margin (14,000 to ∼9000 B.P.): A test based on glacial rebound

Three alternative hypotheses for the timing and rate of deglaciation in the outer fiords and coasts of the eastern Canadian Arctic are tested by a computer program that provides information on the amount and form of crustal deflection according to a two-layer geophysical model. The three alternative hypotheses are (1) a glacial advance that started about 20,000 B.P. and reached a maximum at the outer coast at 18,000 B.P. and a slow glacial retreat that began at 14,000 B.P., (2) a glacial advance about 20,000 B.P. with the glacial margin stabilized along the Cockburn moraines near the fiord heads from 15,000 to 8000 B.P., and (3) a glacial advance to the coast from 20,000 to 19,000 B.P. with the glacial margin stabilized until 9000 B.P. and then a rapid glacial retreat to the fiord heads. The derived-deflection and relative-sea-level curves, for a position equivalent to the outer coast of Baffin Island, indicate that the results from hypotheses 1 and 3 are incompatible with the observed distribution of raised Holocene and late Pleistocene marine sediments and their associated 14 C dates. In contrast, the curve for relative sea level from hypothesis 2 explains significant elements of the distribution of radiocarbon dates and suggests that a marine transgression affected the outer coast until about 8500 B.P. The marine transgression was not caused by the peak in eustatic sea level but by the glacio-isotatic depression of the coast maintained by the stable mass of the northeastern sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.
The Problem of the Teacher

HE new or rejuvenated interest in biblical theology seems to be only one phase of a far larger consideration in the field of religion today. That consideration involves the vitality of religious faith and conviction itself. We are seeking religious insight and spiritual maturity that can cope with our world wide dilemma. The teacher of Bible is invariably confronted with this larger problem because his efforts are seldom confined to the area of the Bible alone. In recent
Flux gain for a next-generation neutron reflectometer resulting from improved supermirror performance

Next-generation spallation neutron source facilities will offer instruments with unprecedented capabilities through simultaneous enhancement of source power and usage of advanced optical components. The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), already under construction at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and scheduled to be completed by 2006, will provide greater than an order of magnitude more effective source flux than current state-of-the-art facilities, including the most advanced research reactors. An additional order of magnitude gain is expected through the use of new optical devices and instrumentation concepts. Many instrument designs require supermirror neutron guides with very high critical angles for total reflection. In this contribution, we will discuss how the performance of a modern neutron-scattering instrument depends on the efficiency of these supermirrors. We summarize current limitations of supermirror coatings and outline ideas for enhancing their performance, particularly for improving the reflectivity at the critical wave-vector transfer. A simulation program has been developed which allows different approaches for supermirror designs to be studied. Expected instrument performance gains are calculated for the example of the SNS reflectometer.
Clinical evaluation of automated processing of electrocardiograms by the Veterans Administration program (AVA 3.4).

Abstract Automated processing of electrocardiograms by the Veterans Administration program was evaluated for both agreement with physician interpretation and interpretative accuracy as assessed with nonelectrocardiographic criteria. One thousand unselected electrocardiograms were analyzed by two reviewer groups, one familiar and the Other unfamiliar with the computer program. A significant number of measurement errors involving repolarization changes and left axis deviation occurred; however, interpretative disagreements related to statistical decision were largely language-related. Use of a printout with a more traditional format resulted in agreement with physician interpretation by both reviewer groups in more than 80 percent of cases. Overall sensitivity based on agreement with nonelectrocardiographic criteria was significantly greater with use of the computer program than with use of the conventional criteria utilized by the reviewers. This difference was particularly evident in the subgroup analysis of myocardial infarction and left ventricular hypertrophy. The degree of overdiagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy and posteroinferior infarction was initially unacceptable, but this difficulty was corrected by adjustment of probabilities. Clinical acceptability of the Veterans Administration program appears to require greater physician education than that needed for other computer programs of electrocardiographic analysis; the flexibility of interpretation by statistical decision offers the potential for better diagnostic accuracy.