cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Controlled-Release Therapeutic Systems: Technology Applicable To the Treatment of Oral Disease

Controlled-release therapeutic systems are designed to deliver a pre-determined amount of drug to a specific anatomical site for an extended period of time. A single controlled-release delivery system no larger than an ordinary tablet or capsule and placed at the desired site of drug action can produce long-term therapeutic effects that previously could only be achieved through multiple administration of conventional dosage forms. Transient spikes in drug concentration seen with multiple dose regimens are eliminated, decreasing the chance of adverse reactions. Because they are effective for an extended period of time, controlled-release therapeutic systems minimize the involvement of the patient in drug administration , a factor which can increase both patient compliance with a prescribed regimen and patient satisfaction with the treatment schedule compared with conventional therapy. Controlled-release technology can be utilized to deliver therapeutic agents ranging in size from small ions to macromolecul...
Antagonist precipitated clonidine withdrawal in rat: Effects on locus coeruleus neurons, sympathetic nerves and cardiovascular parameters

Abstract The goal of the present study was to examine the effect of clonidine withdrawal on the neural control of blood pressure. Rats were treated for 7–13 days with clonidine via osmotic minipumps (200 μ g kg −1 day −1 , s.c.). Controls received saline or were sham operated. Withdrawal was precipitated by the α 2 -adrenergic receptor ( α 2 -AR) antagonist atipamezole. Most experiments were done under halothane anesthesia. Chronic treatment with clonidine did not change mean arterial pressure (MAP) or heart rate (HR) but raised femoral artery resistance and the activity of locus coeruleus neurons slightly. Atipamezole given to rats treated chronically with clonidine produced the following effects: no change in MAP, severe tachycardia, sustained increase in splanchnic sympathetic nerve discharge (SND; +75±13%), transient increase in lumbar SND (+23±7%), ON–OFF activity pattern in the locus coeruleus (LC). The ON phase of LC activity was synchronized with upswings of SND and with small changes in MAP. A second α 2 -AR antagonist, methoxyidazoxan, produced effects identical to those of atipamezole. Atipamezole given to control rats produced no effect on MAP, HR, SND or LC activity. Atipamezole reversed the hypotension, sympathoinhibition and bradycardia produced by acute administration of clonidine. In awake rats treated chronically with clonidine, atipamezole did not change MAP but produced arterial pressure lability and tachycardia. In conclusion, under anesthesia, selective α 2 -AR antagonists elicit a clonidine withdrawal syndrome that displays autonomic characteristics reminiscent of the spontaneous withdrawal syndrome found in awake rats. The most prominent features of this syndrome are tachycardia, sympathoactivation, lack of hypertension and an oscillating activity pattern of brainstem neurons leading to abrupt changes in SND and in MAP.
Origin of Reciprocal Translocations and Their Effect in Clarkia speciosa

Reciprocal translocations occur in high frequencies in Clarkia speciosa and closely related species. Observations from C. speciosa suggest this species is predisposed to translocations involving breaks in or adjacent to the centrochromatin (centromeric chromatin) due to the characteristic association of all nonhomologous centrochromatin in the genome during early meiotic prophase. Translocation heterozygote multiples involving six different breaks were examined for homologous pairing and in each case the euchromatic arms were completely paired, the change in homologous pairing occuring within the nonhomologous centrochromatic association. Such a proximal exchange point precludes the possibility of a structurally determined interstitial or differential region and, therefore, any genetically differential regions that might exist must be maintained solely by means of distal localization of crossing over. — The frequency of chromosomal nondisjunction (adjacent segregation) was found to be positively correlated with the number of chromosomes in the translocation multiple. Rings of four chromosomes had an average disjunction of over 99% and therefore had little affect on fertility whereas the largest multiples of 16 chromosomes had an average disjunction of about 10% and correspondingly low fertility.
Dramatic changes in DNA-binding specificity caused by single residue substitutions in an Arc/Mnt hybrid repressor

Arc and Mnt are homologous repressors which recognize operator sequences that differ at 8-10 important positions. Nevertheless, single residue changes in an Arc/Mnt hybrid protein can switch DNA-binding specificity between the two operators and even allow one particular hybrid to bind strongly to both operators. The ability of single residue changes to radically alter binding specificity involves: 'master' residues that mediate some base contacts directly and some base contacts indirectly through residue-residue hydrogen bonds; identical residues which can make alternative sets of DNA contacts in the two operators; and amplification of the effect of each mutation because the proteins bind operator DNA as tetramers.
Effect of liver transplantation on inflammatory bowel disease in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis

This report investigates the influence of liver transplantation and concomitant immunosuppression on the course of progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and discusses statistical methodology appropriate for such settings. The data on 303 patients who underwent liver transplantation for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) were analyzed using person-time analysis and Cox regression, with the duration of IBD as the time variable and transplantation as a segmented time-dependent covariate, to take into account both posttransplant and pretransplant history of IBD. The need for colectomy and appearance of colorectal cancer were taken as outcome measures. The only significant risk factor in the multivariate model for colectomy was transplantation itself, which increased the risk of colectomy due to intractable disease (Wald statistic; P = .001). None of the variables available for analysis were found to influence the risk of colon cancer significantly. Graphs showing the dependence of the instantaneous risk of cancer on the time from onset of IBD and its independence from the latter in the case of colectomy are presented. The use of a unique statistical methodology described for the first time in this setting led us to the somewhat surprising conclusion that transplantation and concomitant use of immunosuppression accelerate the progression of IBD. At the same time, transplantation does not affect the incidence of colorectal cancer. These results confirm the findings of some recent studies and can potentially shed new light on the disease pathogenesis.
Interactive dynamic influence diagrams

Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) emerged as the primary framework for decision-theoretic planning in single agent settings. Solutions to POMDPs are optimal plans which are conditional on future observations. Dynamic Influence Diagrams (DIDs) are computational representations of POMDPs which compute solutions for finite time horizons in an on-line fashion. Interactive POMDPs (I-POMDPs) [5] generalize POMDPs to multi-agent settings by including models of other agents in the state space. Interactive DIDs (I-DIDs), presented in this paper, are computational representations of I-POMDPs, and thus generalizations of DIDs. DIDs are themselves temporal generalizations of influence diagrams [6].
EEG seizure patterns during multiple unilateral and bilateral ECT.

Abstract One hundred sixty electrically induced seizures were recorded by EEG during 45 treatment sessions in 18 patients. Patients received three to four seizures each session, with unilateral or bilateral electrode placement. Records were examined visually for seizure duration, pattern, and type of post-seizure activity. Seizures with U/ECT were shorter than for B/ECT, and were less frequently followed by a period of electrical silence, tending to end in alpha/beta activity. These observations for U/ECT are similar to those reported in the past for lidocaine-modified seizures, which were noted to be less clinically effective than conventional bilateral-induced seizures. It is postulated that seizures with U/ECT are “incomplete”, accounting in part, for the reported reduced therapeutic efficacy for U/ECT.
Gas discharge visualization: an imaging and modeling tool for medical biometrics

The need for automated identification of a disease makes the issue of medical biometrics very current in our society. Not all biometric tools available provide real-time feedback. We introduce gas discharge visualization (GDV) technique as one of the biometric tools that have the potential to identify deviations from the normal functional state at early stages and in real time. GDV is a nonintrusive technique to capture the physiological and psychoemotional status of a person and the functional status of different organs and organ systems through the electrophotonic emissions of fingertips placed on the surface of an impulse analyzer. This paper first introduces biometrics and its different types and then specifically focuses on medical biometrics and the potential applications of GDV in medical biometrics. We also present our previous experience with GDV in the research regarding autism and the potential use of GDV in combination with computer science for the potential development of biological pattern/biomarker for different kinds of health abnormalities including cancer and mental diseases.
Knowledge of colon cancer screening in a national probability sample in the United States.

This study examined colon cancer screening knowledge and potential covariates (demographic, health, health care, and cancer information seeking) among adults of at least 45 years of age. Data were analyzed from the 2003 National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 2003), a U.S. random-digit dial study. Our sample consisted of 3,131 adults (53.6% female, 77.9% White). The colon cancer screening knowledge questions assessed whether participants had heard of the fecal occult blood test (FOBT; 73.7%), knew the recommended start age (26.1%), knew the frequency of FOBT (39.5%), had heard of flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy (84.3%), knew the start age (39.6%), and knew the frequency with which to test (12.8%). Factors associated with lower knowledge (all equal to p < .05 in a multivariate analysis) included being younger (45 to 49 years old) or older (70 years old or more), African American or non-Hispanic other, unmarried; had lower educational attainment; had not vi...
Racial/Ethnic Inequality in Wealth during Young Adulthood and Midlife A Social-psychological Perspective of the Middle Class

Our knowledge remains limited about why there are large racial/ethnic differences in wealth among the middle class in the United States. Owning a home and having positive net worth (i.e., more assets than debts) are important aspirations for the middle class because they signify wealth. This study uses a social-psychological perspective and data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to explore whether the effects of psychological dispositions on these indicators of wealth differ for Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites. Results reveal that having a stronger sense of personal control over life and higher self-esteem significantly increase the odds of achieving positive net worth and homeownership, independent of demographics, educational attainment, current employment, income, and the socioeconomic status of the family of origin. Moreover, interaction effects indicate that the influence of internal locus of control on wealth is stronger for Whites than Blacks. Overall, this study’s findings suggest that ...
Pyrrolidine Carboxamides as a Novel Class of Inhibitors of Enoyl Acyl Carrier Protein Reductase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

In view of the worldwide spread of multidrug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, there is an urgent need to discover antituberculosis agent with novel structures. InhA, the enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase (ENR) from M. tuberculosis, is one of the key enzymes involved in the mycobacterial fatty acid elongation cycle and has been validated as an effective antimicrobial target. We report here the discovery, through high-throughput screening, of a series of pyrrolidine carboxamides as a novel class of potent InhA inhibitors. Crystal structures of InhA complexed with three inhibitors have been used to elucidate the inhibitor binding mode. The potency of the lead compound was improved over 160-fold by subsequent optimization through iterative microtiter library synthesis followed by in situ activity screening without purification. Resolution of racemic mixtures of several inhibitors indicate that only one enantiomer is active as an inhibitor of InhA.
Thiobencarb-induced embryotoxicity in medaka (Oryzias latipes): stage-specific toxicity and the protective role of chorion.

Abstract Thiobencarb ( S -(4-chlorobenzyl)- N , N -diethyl thiol carbamate) has been one of the herbicides previously associated with fish kills in agricultural drains near the Sacramento/San Joaquin rivers and their Delta. This area is an important spawning ground for fish, and thus there are concerns over possible toxic effects on early life stages of fishes. To define targets of thiobencarb embryotoxicity and to determine the degree of protection afforded by the chorion, medaka ( Oryzias latipes ) embryos were exposed under static nonrenewal conditions. Responses to exposures initiated at blastula or at initiation of heart beat (stages 10 and 23, respectively) were assessed. In addition, enzymatically dechorionated embryos (stage 13, gastrula) were exposed and compared to responses in embryos with intact chorions. Embryos were observed daily for development and for gross abnormalities including: bradycardia, pericardial edema, hemostasis, poor yolk resorption, cephalic and spinal deformities, and abnormal hatching. A subset was also evaluated for histologic alterations. Based on gross abnormalities, the concentration of thiobencarb affecting 50% (EC 50 ) of embryos exposed at blastula was 3.6 mg/l, while the putative no observable effect concentration (NOEC) was 1.0 mg/l. For embryos exposed at onset of heart beat (stage 23), these values were 4.1 and 2.5 mg/l, respectively. Dechorionated embryos tended to be more sensitive than their chorionated cohorts (LC 50 =2.5 vs. 1.0 mg/l). Liver histologic alterations were seen in chorionated embryos at EC 50 levels and higher. Stage-specific toxicity was evident; nevertheless, the EC 50 and NOEC values for embryos treated at stage 10 and stage 23 were similar.
Nuclear spin relaxation, hybridization, and low-temperature 4f spin fluctuations in intermediate-valent SmB6

Abstract 11 B spin-lattice relaxation measurements have been carried out in SmB 6 samples with large low-temperature resistivities. Above 15 K the relaxation is activated, with approximately the same gap (≈6 meV) as found previously in transport and optical measurements. 4f spin fluctuations apparently dominate the relaxation, so that these results give strong evidence for 4f-conduction band hybridization at the gap edge. An anomalous peak in the relaxation rate was observed at ≈5 K, which is tentatively attributed to fluctuations of “remagnetized” Sm 3+ ions near Sm-site vacancies.
The role of meaning in past-tense inflection: evidence from polysemy and denominal derivation.

Abstract Although English verbs can be either regular (walk–walked) or irregular (sing–sang), “denominal verbs” that are derived from nouns, such as the use of the verb ring derived from the noun a ring, take the regular form even if they are homophonous with an existing irregular verb: The soldiers ringed the city rather than *The soldiers rang the city. Is this regularization due to a semantic difference from the usual verb, or is it due to the application of the default rule, namely VERB + -ed suffix? In Experiment 1, participants rated the semantic similarity of the extended senses of polysemous verbs and denominal verbs to their central senses. Experiment 2 examined the acceptability of the regular and irregular past tenses of the different verbs. The results showed that all the denominal verbs were rated as more acceptable for the regular inflection than the same verbs used polysemously, even though the two were semantically equally similar to the central meaning. Thus, the derivation of the verb (nominal or verbal) determined the past-tense preference more than semantic variables, consistent with dual-route models of verb inflection.
Measuring efficiency and identifying dynamic efficiency changing patterns of technology licensing of U.S. research institutions using time-lag factored data

This study evaluates efficiencies and their changes of technology licensing practices of 46 U.S. research institutions using licensing data of the association of university technology manager (AUTM) survey from 1991 to 2007. Data envelopment analysis and Malmquist Index are well-known methods evaluating relative performance of service organizations where widely recognized standard evaluation structures do not exist. However, while Malmquist Index provides insight efficiency changes from one period to the following period, it has limitations of non-circularity and infeasibility. Therefore, this study reviews and compares the current approaches addressing these issues and adopts them to evaluate efficiency changes of licensing practices. Also, time-lag effects of the licensing variables are examined based on the findings form authors previous study and applies time-lag incorporated licensing data to the evaluation. The result presents dynamic changes and changing patterns of licensing performance.
Interactions Between the γ Subunit and the ε Subunit Mediate Inhibition and Coupling in Escherichia Coli F1-ATPase

The e subunit of the F1 sector of the Escherichia coli ATP synthase is part of the rotor complex (γ-e-c10). The e subunit has been implicated in coupling, as its presence allows for the maintenance of the proper rate limiting transition state structure necessary for coupling of proton transport to ATP hydrolysis or synthesis (Peskova, Y.B. and Nakamoto, R.K., Biochemistry 39: 11830-11836, 2000). The e subunit has also been shown to inhibit ATP hydrolysis. The two structural domains of the e subunit have been thought to play different roles: the N-terminal β-sandwich domain plays a structural role in attaching the F1 complex to the membrane-bound FO and is sufficient for coupling between the two domains, while the C-terminal α-helical domain plays a role in the inhibition of hydrolysis activity. By characterizing steady state ATPase activity and isokinetic analysis of a series of mutant enzymes of F1 and FOF1, including point mutants, site-directed disulfide cross-linked mutants, and truncation mutants that disrupt or stabilize the interactions of the two e subunit domains with the γ subunit, we show that two functions of the e subunit are separable. The proper interaction of the N-terminal domain with γ is necessary not only for structural attachment but also to achieve the optimal transition state structure required for coupling, while the C-terminal domain interactions with γ and the αβ hexamer modulate hydrolysis activity. Furthermore, we show that the conformation of the e subunit C-terminal domain in the active state of the enzyme changes upon binding of F1 to FO, resulting in the observed increase in hydrolysis activity.
The Political Economy of Chinese “Federalism”: New Analytical Directions

Abstract Decentralized politico-administrative structures may be dissected and assessed by employing a variety of conceptual tools. In the case of China, researchers have displayed a distinct preference for operating within a framework grounded in political sociology. Substantial insights have been generated in the process, but it may be argued, and empirically demonstrated, that a complementary approach, seeking inspiration from political economy, may shed additional light on the functioning of the Chinese quasi-federal system.
American Botanic Laboratory in Jamaica

THE Director of Kew presents his compliments to the Editor of NATURE and requests the favour of his publishing the enclosed letter.
Women's autonomy, women's status and fertility-related behavior in Zimbabwe

Women's household decision-making autonomy is a potentially important but less studied indicator of women's ability to control their fertility. Using a DHS sample of 3,701 married black African women from Zimbabwe, I look at women who have no say in major purchases, whether they should work outside the home,and the number of children. When men dominated all household decisions, women were less likely to approve of contraceptive use, discuss their desired number of children with their spouse, report ever use of a modern method of contraception, and to intend to use contraception in the future. However, women's decision-making autonomy was not associated with current modern contraceptive use. Women who had no decision-making autonomy had 0.26 more children than women who had some autonomy. These autonomy measures provide additional independent explanatory power of fertility-related behavior net of traditional measures of women's status such as education and labor force participation.
Transient Dehumidification Characteristics of a Heat Pump in Cooling Mode

This paper reports that much of the seasonal cooling operation of the heat pump occurs at part-load conditions when the unit cycles on and off to meet the cooling load. The seasonal efficiency under part-load conditions of the heat pump is typically estimated from a laboratory measurement of the degradation coefficient (C{sub D}). Manufacturers are only required to estimate C{sub D} at a single test condition where the indoor coil performs sensible cooling only. The effects of transient dehumidification losses are not accounted in estimating the seasonal efficiency. In hot and humid climates, dehumidification performance of a heat pump is as important as the sensible cooling performance. Therefore, a series of tests were designed to quantify the part-load dehumidification characteristics of a three ton residential air-to-air heat pump. The tests include: cycling rates from 0.8 to 10 cycles per hour (cph), percent on-times of 20, 50, and 80 percent, indoor dry-bulb temperature between 22.2{degrees}C and 26.7{degrees}C, and indoor air flow rate were constant for all test runs. All experiments were performed in psychrometric chambers under controlled conditions. The dehumidification process started between 60 to 150 seconds after start-up depending on the test conditions. During start-up, the losses in the latentmore » capacity were greater than the losses in the sensible capacity. The dehumidification response increased with indoor dry-bulb temperature at constant relative humidity and decreased with indoor temperature at constant dew-point temperature.« less
Computational Approach and Cognitive Assistant for Evidence-Based Reasoning in Intelligence Analysis

This paper presents a computational approach to intelligence analysis and its current implementation into a cognitive assistant called Disciple-CD. Intelligence analysis is viewed as ceaseless discovery of evidence, hypotheses, and arguments in a non-stationary world, involving cooperative processes of evidence in search of hypotheses, hypotheses in search of evidence, and evidentiary tests of hypotheses. Disciple-CD helps intelligence analysts formulate hypotheses, develop arguments that reduce complex hypotheses to simpler and simpler ones, collect evidence to evaluate the simplest hypotheses, assess the relevance, believability, and inferential force of evidence, and finally the likeliness of the hypotheses.
Aggressive Surgical Management of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis With Low Mortality in a High-Volume Tertiary Cancer Center

Cytoreductive surgery (CS) combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC) traditionally involves high perioperative morbidity and mortality. We report our experience performing CS-HIPEC in a high-volume regional perfusion program designed to limit morbidity and mortality. A total of 122 patients underwent 124 CS-HIPEC procedures. Common tumors treated with CS-HIPEC included appendiceal (38.5%), colorectal (24.6%), and ovarian cancers (13.1%), and peritoneal mesothelioma (12.3%). Complete cytoreduction was performed in all patients, with organ resections performed as necessary. R0 resection was achieved in 28.7% of cases, R1 in 54.9%, and R2 in 16.4%. Median operative time was 460 minutes (range, 250–840 minutes), and median blood loss was 1150 mL (range, 10–14,000 mL). Median hospital and intensive care unit stays were 12 days (range, 6–50 days) and 3 days (range, 0–41 days), respectively. Grade 3 or 4 morbidity by National Cancer Institute criteria (major morbidity) was seen in 29.8% of cases, with overall morbidity 56.5%. Independent prognostic variables for major morbidity included number of anastomoses and degree of cytoreduction. In-hospital and 30-day mortality rates were 0% and 1.6%, respectively. The most favorable diagnosis was appendiceal cancer, for which 2-year survival was 66.7%, with lower-grade histologic subtypes of appendiceal cancer reaching 85.7% 2-year survival. Colorectal cancer had 2-year survival of 36.7%. In a high-volume center with extensive experience treating peritoneal malignancies, perioperative mortality can be lowered to nearly zero, although morbidity remains high. CS-HIPEC procedures should be studied further in a controlled manner to help define their important role in the care of patients with PC.
Collision orbits of a swinging Atwood's machine

The motion of a nonlinear mechanical system is analysed in the neighbourhood of a singularity using a simple geometrical technique due to McGehee. The analysis can prove useful in determining the existence of integrable or chaotic behaviour On analyse le mouvement d'un systeme mecanique non lineaire au voisinage d'une singularite en utilisant une technique geometrique simple due a McGehee. Cette analyse peut se reveler utile dans la determination de l'existence d'un comportement integrable ou chaotique
Comparison of HapMap data on Affymetrix and Illumina platforms: expanding the power of studies and a not so unexpected synergy

Pe’er I, de Bakker PIW, Maller J, Yelensky R, Altshuler D, Daly MJ: Evaluating and improving power in whole-genome association studies using fixed marker sets. Nat. Genet. 38(6), 663–667 (2006) [1]. This study compares and contrasts three different high-density single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping platforms using data generated on the 270 HapMap samples. The differences in minor allele frequencies are evaluated, coverage across the entire genome using r2 and then the coverage of the ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE) regions is compared using both a single- and multi-point evaluation. All of these analyses are carried out on the three HapMap populations.
Spatial Line Nodes and Fractional Vortex Pairs in the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov Vortex State of Spin-Singlet Superconductors

A Zeeman magnetic field can induce a Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) phase in spin-singlet superconductors. Here we argue that there is a nontrivial solution for the FFLO vortex phase that exists near the upper critical field in which the wave function has only spatial line nodes that form intricate and unusual three-dimensional structures. These structures include a crisscrossing lattice of two sets of nonparallel line nodes. We show that these solutions arise from the decay of conventional Abrikosov vortices into pairs of fractional vortices. We propose that neutron scattering studies can observe these fractional vortex pairs through the observation of a lattice of 1/2 flux quanta vortices. We also consider related phases in noncentrosymmetric superconductors.
Multi-fluid subdued boiling; theoretical analysis of multi-fluid interface bubbles

The recently discovered boiling phenomenon called "multi-fluid subdued boiling" is discussed. It has been observed that when a beaker containing two immiscible liquids of dissimilar densities is heated at the bottom, the vapobr ubbles rise in the lower liquid until they reach the liquid-liquid interface. There the bubbles are trapped, and after a short period of time they collapse. As the heat transfer is increased, however, the bubbles begin to coalesce to form a new set of "interface bubbles," and the latter eventually become large enough to break away from the interface and rise into the upper liquid layer. Upon reaching the liquid-air interface most of the bubbles do not escape into the ambient but suddenly condense, contract and drop back toward the lower liquid level. "Boiling off," or net vapor generation, is subdued. The prediction of the interface bubble sizes is also discussed. Analysis shows that the properties of the fluids used can be included mathematically in nondimensional parainetric forms, by means of which the shapes and sizes of the interface bubbles can be found.
An IRAS Atlas of YSOS in Nearby Dark Clouds

We are using the new IRAS Sky Survey Atlas to construct a catalog of Galactic dark clouds and their associated Young Stellar Objects (YSOs). From IRAS 100 and 60pm data we calculate images of the 100pm optical depth distribution in the clouds. Using the IRAS Faint Source Catalog we identify sources which have colors indicative of YSOs and have positions that lie inside cloud boundaries in the optical depth images. Here we present some preliminary results of applying this analysis to the Chamaeleon dark cloud complex.
Neovascularization after transmyocardial laser revascularization in a model of chronic ischemia

Abstract Background . The mechanism of clinical improvement after transmyocardial laser revascularization (TMR) is unknown. One hypothesis holds that TMR causes increased myocardial perfusion through neovascularization. This study sought to determine whether angiogenesis occurs after TMR in a porcine model of chronic myocardial ischemia. Methods . Six miniature pigs underwent subtotal left circumflex coronary artery occlusion to reduce resting blood flow to 10% of baseline. After 2 weeks in the low-flow state, dobutamine stress echocardiography and positron emission tomography were performed to document ischemic, viable myocardium. The animals then underwent TMR and were sacrificed 6 months later for histologic and immunohistochemical analysis. Results . Histologic analysis of the lased left circumflex region demonstrated many hypocellular areas filled with connective tissue representing remnant TMR channels. Histochemical staining demonstrated a highly disorganized pattern of neovascularization consistent with angiogenesis located predominantly at the periphery of the channels. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the presence of endothelial cells within neovessels. Vascular density analysis revealed a mean of 29.2 ± 3.6 neovessels per high-power field in lased ischemic myocardium versus 4.0 ± 0.3 ( p Conclusions . This study provides evidence that neovascularization is present long term in regions of ischemic, viable myocardium after TMR. Angiogenesis may represent the mechanism of clinical improvement after TMR.
METHODS---One-Switch Conditions for Multiattribute Utility Functions

We introduce a variety of new independence conditions for multiattribute utility functions that permit preference dependencies among the attributes of a decision problem. The hierarchy of new conditions varies in the degree to which it specifies the functional form, ranging from more general solutions with weaker constraints, to more specific solutions with stronger constraints. This formulation provides a wealth of new functional forms that a decision maker may use in a multiattribute decision problem. In addition, it may be used to tailor the utility elicitation process to the comfort level of the decision maker. The new conditions, and the corresponding functional forms, are based on the idea of limiting the number of switches that a decision maker may make between two decision alternatives as a parameter of the problem varies. We show how this formulation also relates many widely used concepts in single and multiattribute utility theory.
Identifying Medical Students Likely to Exhibit Poor Professionalism and Knowledge During Internship

CONTEXT Identifying medical students who will perform poorly during residency is difficult.
Time series modeling of human operator dynamics in manual control tasks

A time-series technique is presented for identifying the dynamic characteristics of the human operator in manual control tasks from relatively short records of experimental data. Control of system excitation signals used in the identification is not required. The approach is a multi-channel identification technique for modeling multi-input/multi-output situations. The method presented includes statistical tests for validity, is designed for digital computation, and yields estimates for the frequency response of the human operator. A comprehensive relative power analysis may also be performed for validated models. This method is applied to several sets of experimental data; the results are discussed and shown to compare favorably with previous research findings. New results are also presented for a multi-input task that was previously modeled to demonstrate the strengths of the method.
Glucagon: a new agent in cardiac therapy.

Abstract Glucagon is a polypeptide which represents a new class of cardiotonic compounds, being neither a catecholamine nor a digitalis glycoside. Its positive inotropic actions are independent of catecholamines or their receptors, are additive to full digitalization and are apparently associated with little or no arrhythmogenic potential. Although its value in acute heart failure has been demonstrated, its usefulness in chronic congestive heart failure may be variable. Glucagon may be the drug of choice to restore the failing myocardium in beta blockade (propranolol) toxicity. Most important, modification of the basic polypeptide structure may provide additional drugs of this kind which will be even more beneficial than glucagon in the treatment of congestive heart failure. Thus, although glucagon continues to undergo further clinical trial and application, other studies are required to define its mode of action and to develop other polypeptides with similar potential.
Growth characteristics of reovirus type 2: Ultraviolet light inactivated virion preparations and cell death

Ultraviolet light inactivated preparations of purified reovirus type 2 when added to monolayers of HeLa cells have been found to cause a cytotoxic effect (CTE). At multiplicities of 80–100 infectious units per cell (IU/cell) cellular death due to CTE was initially observed at 3–4 hours post infection and reached maximum 9–10 hours after infection. The cell survival curves suggest that the rate of cell killing was dependent upon the multiplicity of infection and exhibited multiple hit type of kinetics. The CTE was preceded by marked alterations in the synthesis of cellular RNA, DNA, and protein, and not produced by UV-irradiated preparations of uninfected HeLa cell homogenates nor by UV-R2 preparations heated at 56°C for 30 minutes. When UV-R2 preparations were subjected to ultracentrifugation (45,000 r.p.m., 1.5 hours), activity was restricted to the sediment only. In addition, CTE could not be serially transferred and could be prevented by addition of reovirus type 2 antiserum. The data strongly suggest that the toxic factor is an intimate part of the UV-inactivated viral particle.
Customer self-efficacy and response to service.

The customers’ role is significant in the delivery and consumption of many types of services. This study examines customers’ beliefs about their ability to participate in a service (service use self-efficacy) and its effect on response to service. A theoretical model is proposed that explains how self-efficacy affects customers’ perceptions of service value and complaint intentions (“voice”). These factors, in turn, predict exit intentions and positive word of mouth. The model is tested on a sample of 444 members of a group insurance plan. The results of a structural equation model confirm the hypothesized relationships. The findings suggest that service managers should take steps to increase customer service use self-efficacy, such as providing training with feedback, vicarious experiences (e.g., print or video portrayals of successful service experiences), verbal persuasion (e.g., “You can do this”-type coaching), and a low-stress environment. It is also important to develop varied opportunities for cus...
Differences between children with attention deficit disorder, children with specific learning disabilities, and normal children

Abstract The study investigated the power of five measures to differentiate between children with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), children with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), and normal children. The measures employed were the Conners Parent Questionnaire (CPQ), the Conners Teacher Questionnaire (CTQ), the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT), the Porteus Mazes Test (PMT), and the Jumbled Numbers Game (JNG). The results indicated that the Conners Parent Questionnaire, Conners Teacher Questionnaire, Matching Familiar Figures Test, and the Porteus Mazes Test significantly discriminated between groups. The Conners Questionnaires were able to discriminate between all three groups and the MFFT and PMT were able to discriminate between ADD and normal children. A discriminant analysis indicated that the CPQ was the best predictor of group membership, followed in order by the CTQ PMT, and MFFT.
Fear of Negative Evaluation Influences Eye Gaze in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

Social anxiety is common among adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this modest-sized pilot study, we examined the relationship between social worries and gaze patterns to static social stimuli in adolescents with ASD (n = 15) and gender-matched adolescents without ASD (control; n = 18). Among cognitively unimpaired adolescents with ASD, self-reported fear of negative evaluation predicted greater gaze duration to social threat cues (i.e., faces depicting disgust and anger). By comparison, there was no relationship between self-reported social fears and gaze duration in the controls. These findings call attention to the potential import of the impact of co-occurring psychopathology such as social anxiety, and particularly fear of negative evaluation, on social attention and cognition with adolescents who have ASD.
An autoradiographic study of the role of satellite cells and myonuclei during myogenesis in vitro

Satellite cells and myonuclei of neonatal rat muscles were differentially labeled with3H-thymidine according to the procedure of Moss and Leblond (1971). Minced muscle fragments containing either labeled satellite cells or labeled myonuclei were cultured until multinucleated myotubes grew out from the explants. Reutilization of isotope released from degenerating nuclei was competitively inhibited by using a culture medium containing excess (0.32–0.41 mM) cold thymidine. After an 8–10 day growth period, the expiants were fixed and prepared for autoradiographic (ARG) examination to determine whether labeled satellite cells or myonuclei had contributed to the myonuclear population of the developing myotubes. Counts were made of the number of labeled myotubes in the expiants and compared with the number of labeled satellite cells and myonuclei in samples of the original muscle tissues fixed at the time of explantation. The original muscles showed a mean satellite cell labeling index of 51.7% and gave rise to myotubes with a mean labeling incidence of 40%. In contrast, myonuclear labeling in the original muscle tissues showed no correlation with subsequent myotube labeling. Only 3.4% myotube labeling was found in expiants in which over 30% of the original tissue myonuclei had been labeled. Under conditions controlled for isotope reutilization, these observations confirm results of in vivo ARG studies indicating that satellite cells are the only significant source of regenerating myoblasts in injured muscle tissue.
Molecular Cloning and Expression of Human cGMP-Binding cGMP-Specific Phosphodiesterase (PDE5)☆☆☆★

Abstract A human PDE5 cDNA has been isolated which contains an open reading frame encoding an 875 amino acid, 100,012 Da polypeptide, the expression of which yields a protein of the predicted size and is capable of hydrolyzing cGMP. The deduced amino acid sequence is very similar (95%) to that of bovine PDE5, and comprises a conserved cGMP-binding domain and catalytic domain. Northern analysis reveals a major and minor transcript of ∼9 kb and ∼8 kb respectively, thus indicating the existence of at least two splice variants, the major form being readily detected in bladder, colon, lung, pancreas, placenta, prostate, small intestine, and stomach.
Reaction with fructose detoxifies fumonisin B1 while stimulating liver-associated natural killer cell activity in rats

Fumonisin B1 (FB1) was reacted with fructose in an attempt to detoxify this mycotoxin. Fischer 344/N rats were initiated with diethylnitrosamine (15 mg/kg body weight) and then fed 69.3 μmol FB1/kg diet or 69.3 μmol FB1 reacted with fructose (FB1−fructose)/kg diet for 4 weeks. In comparison with the rats fed basal diet or FB1−fructose, the FB1-fed rats had significantly increased plasma cholesterol (P < 0.01), plasma alanine aminotransferase activity (P < 0.05), and endogenous hepatic prostaglandin production (P < 0.05). Placental glutathione S-transferase-positive and γ-glutamyl transferase-positive altered hepatic foci occurred only in the FB1-fed rats. Liver-associated natural killer (NK) cell activity was significantly decreased in the FB1-fed rats and increased in the group fed FB1-fructose, as compared with the basal group (P < 0.03). Therefore, modifying FB1 with fructose seems to prevent FB1-induced hepatotoxicity and promotion of hepatocarcinogenesis while stimulating liver-associated NK cell act...
Development and reliability of an observational gait analysis tool for children with Down syndrome.

Purpose To develop an observational gait analysis tool for children with Down syndrome and to examine its reliability. Methods Two physical therapists and 5 physical therapy students participated in this study. Sixty videos were examined to determine interrater reliability. Four months later, 15 of those 60 videos were reexamined twice (2 weeks apart) by the students for intrarater reliability. Intraclass correlation coefficients for interrater and intrarater reliability, percentage of agreement, and standard error of measurement were calculated. Results Interrater reliability was 0.663, intrarater reliability was 0.616-0.877, standard error of measurement was 1.89, and absolute agreement was found for 35.56% of the trials. Conclusion Good reliability was found, but further study is needed to determine validity and clinical relevance.
Marine bacterial biofilm formation and its responses to periodic hyperosmotic stress on a flat sheet membrane for seawater desalination pretreatment

Abstract Cartridge and membrane biofouling is a significant challenge for the seawater desalination industry. Current cleaning methods remain inefficient or potentially damaging to the membrane. This research characterized marine bacterial biofilm formation and further examined if periodic hyperosmotic shocks to the surface of a filter membrane would reduce bacterial biofilm and prevent membrane fouling. A lab-scale biofouling detector system was developed using an eight-channel pump to deliver simultaneous flow rates through eight 5 μm pore size, 25 mm diameter nitrocellulose membrane filters. A marine Alteromonas strain isolated from a desalination pilot plant was used as the model biofouling agent. The results showed the 30% NaCl shock produced a hyperosmotic stress that maintained the membrane permeability and flow rate while the control and DI H2O treated filters did not. Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy results illustrated that the periodic 30% NaCl shocks slowed the biofilm maturation process by inducing cell mortality and reducing the biofilm thickness. Scanning Electron Microscopy results showed the salinity shock also reduced the coverage of extracellular polysaccharides in the treated biofilm matrix.
Induced ovulation: effects of sexual behavior and insemination on ovulation and progesterone levels in Taricha granulosa.

Abstract Gravid female rough-skinned newts ( Taricha granulosa ) were captured prior to contact with males and maintained in simulated pond conditions. Only females exposed to male courtship and insemination ovulated during the experiments, as indicated by ova in the oviducts. Ovulation was not observed in females that were prevented from being inseminated by nuptial males. None of the females isolated from males exhibited signs of ovulation. Progesterone concentrations were highest at the onset of the breeding season. Among the inseminated females, plasma progesterone concentrations were highest in those females that possessed oviducal eggs. In addition to documenting induced ovulation in these newts, this study clarified several aspects of the reproductive pattern in T. granulosa .
Distribution of serotonin 2A, 2C and 3 receptor mRNA in spinal cord and medulla oblongata

It is known that 5-HT receptors have significant roles in nociceptive and motor functions. We have compared the cellular localization of the mRNAs encoding serotonin 5-HT(2A,) 5-HT(2C,) 5-HT(3) receptor subtypes within different levels of the rat spinal cord and medulla. In the spinal cord, 5-HT(2C) receptor mRNA is expressed at high levels in most of the gray matter, except for lamina II. In contrast, 5-HT(2A) receptor mRNA is expressed exclusively in lamina IX. 5-HT(3) receptor mRNA has a low level and diffuse pattern of expression increasing towards the ventral horn. In both gray and white matter, there is a characteristic presence of a few highly stained cells. For each subtype, the expression pattern is similar in all four levels of the spinal cord. In the medulla, 5-HT(2C) receptor mRNA is at high levels in many nuclei including the hypoglossal nucleus, the gigantocellular reticular nucleus alpha and the parvocellular reticular nucleus alpha, the spinal nucleus of the trigeminal tract, the facial, and the dorsal medullary reticular field. Moderate to low levels of expression are seen in the spinal vestibular nucleus, the vagus, the solitary nuclei and the raphe. 5-HT(2A) receptor is expressed at high levels in some nuclei such as the hypoglossal nucleus, the intercalate nucleus, the inferior olive and the lateral reticular nucleus. Moderate to low levels of expression are seen in the facial, the medial vestibular nuclei, the nucleus ambiguous, the vagus, and the gigantocellular reticular nucleus. 5-HT(3) receptor mRNA is present at low levels in most of the nuclei examined, with a few scattered strongly labeled cells. The results show a distinct distribution of the three subtypes of receptors supporting their physiological roles and will help to understand the mechanisms of nociception and motor function.
Notes from a White Researcher in Black Society

A practicing white investigator reports reflexively on his experiences in conducting research in black communities, complementing in a more specific sense the comments made by the various black authors in this issue. The established set of beliefs, or ideology, possessed by many “lower class” blacks is seen as important inasmuch as many researchers tend to operate on the assumption that their subjects do not have a set of logically related beliefs about their life in this country. The adequacy of traditional academic training for the conduct of research in black communities is also questioned.