cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced macrophage inflammation by 4 compounds in Hypericum perforatum extract is partially dependent on the activation of SOCS3

Our previous studies found that 4 compounds, namely pseudohypericin, amentoflavone, quercetin, and chlorogenic acid, in Hypericum perforatum ethanol extract synergistically inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced macrophage production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Microarray studies led us to hypothesize that these compounds inhibited PGE2 production by activating suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3). In the current study, siRNA was used to knockdown expression of SOCS3 in RAW 264.7 macrophages and investigated the impact of H. perforatum extract and the 4 compounds on inflammatory mediators and cytokines. It was found that the SOCS3 knockdown significantly compromised the inhibition of PGE2 and nitric oxide (NO) by the 4 compounds, but not by the extract. The 4 compounds, but not the extract, decreased interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), while both lowered interleukine-1β. SOCS3 knockdown further decreased IL-6 and TNF-α. Pseudohypericin was the major contributor to the PGE2 and NO inhibition in cells treated with the 4 compounds, and its activity was lost with the SOCS3 knockdown. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible NO synthase protein expression were not altered by the treatments, while COX-2 activity was decreased by the extract and the 4 compounds and increased by SOCS3 knockdown. In summary, it was demonstrated that the 4 compounds inhibited LPS-induced PGE2 and NO through SOCS3 activation. The reduction of PGE2 can be partially attributed to COX-2 enzyme activity, which was significantly elevated with SOCS3 knockdown. At the same time, these results also suggest that constituents in H. perforatum extract were alleviating LPS-induced macrophage response through SOCS3 independent mechanisms.
The Road Not Taken: SFX, ILLiad, and Interlibrary Loan Submission Methods

In Fall 2008, the interlibrary loan office at the College of Staten Island began to use ILLiad and SFX OpenURL to fulfill borrowing requests. Four years later a review showed that patrons used SFX to submit borrowing requests less than half the time. The majority of patrons’ borrowing request submissions were still being entered manually. We decided to review patron submission methods and see what impact this was having on transactions. We also explored possible patterns in order to encourage SFX usage and improve patron services. Reasons for this behavior are suggested and future solutions are explored.
Differential reproductive maturity between geographically separated populations of Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar) in California

Abstract The glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar), is native to the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico. It was detected in southern California in the late 1980s and in the San Joaquin Valley in 1999, where it transmits the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa to grapevines and other crops. The reproductive success of hybrid and pure line H. vitripennis from two geographically separated populations in California (Riverside (RIV) and Bakersfield (BAK)) was evaluated under identical conditions. The RIV and BAK populations had different preoviposition periods that persisted through the second generation of each lineage. From adult molt, the preoviposition period in both female generations was significantly shorter for RIV (F 0 = 28.2 days and F 1 = 62.3 days) than BAK females (F 0 = 46.1 days and F 1 = 170.4 days). After a 21-day mating period, F 0 and F 1 females deposited on average 391 (range, 21–967) and 196 (range, 0–755) eggs, respectively, without significant differences in fecundity among the F 0 and F 1 mating pair treatments. Egg accumulation rates among F 1 treatments showed that females in the RIV groups rapidly deposited their eggs within the first 120 days after adult molt while BAK females maintained a steady accumulation rate during their life. The performance of both hybrid lines was intermediate between the pure lineages. The F 0 mating pairs: ♀RIV × ♂RIV, ♀RIV × ♂BAK, ♀BAK × ♂RIV, and ♀BAK × ♂BAK produced on average 185, 94, 79, and 0 viable eggs, respectively, which suggested a delayed sexual maturity of BAK males and females. The proportion of viable eggs deposited decreased gradually, which suggests that females completely exhausted sperm reserves. From a management perspective, delayed reproductive maturity and polyandry are weak links in H. vitripennis ’ biology that may be exploited through mating disruption or insect sterilization strategies to reduce population growth and augment pressure by natural enemies.
Peripheral serotonin is an incomplete signal for eliciting satiety in sham-feeding rats.

Abstract Peripheral administration of serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] to rats equipped with gastric cannulae reduced their 30-min consumption of sweetened milk after overnight deprivation whether the cannulae were closed (real feeding) or open (sham feeding). The anorectic action of 5-HT (1.6, 4.0, and 10.0 μmol/kg, IP) in sham feeding was dose-related, rapid in onset, and persisted during the 30-min testing session. However, 5-HT failed to elicit resting—the terminal behavioral phase of satiety—in sham-feeding rats. Direct comparison of the effects of 4.0 μmol/kg 5-HT under both feeding conditions established that this dose promoted resting only when rats fed with their cannulae closed. The actions of 5-HT on feeding and resting were behaviorally selective because serotonergic treatment did not retard the beginning of feeding, alter sham drinking of water, or reduce investigation by food-deprived rats of a novel object in an open field. Together, the results suggest that 5-HT exerts separate actions to inhibit feeding and accelerate the process of satiation as marked by resting. However, peripheral 5-HT is inadequate as a signal for modulating satiety in the absence of postingestive stimuli.
Bromocriptine associated with postpartum hypertension, seizures, and pituitary hemorrhage

Bromocriptine, an ergot alkaloid dopamine agonist, is a recent common treatment for suppression of lactation in postpartum women. A case is presented of a postpartum woman prescribed bromocriptine for suppression of lactation who developed hypertension, headaches, blurry vision, seizures, and pituitary hemorrhage. Differential diagnosis and a literature review are considered.
Disruption of transient receptor potential canonical channel 1 causes incomplete cytokinesis and slows the growth of human malignant gliomas

Despite decades of research, primary brain tumors, gliomas, lack effective treatment options and present a huge clinical challenge. Particularly, the most malignant subtype, Glioblastoma multiforme, proliferates extensively and cells often undergo incomplete cell divisions, resulting in multinucleated cells. We now present evidence that multinucleated glioma cells result from the functional loss of transient receptor potential canonical 1 (TRPC1) channels, plasma membrane proteins involved in agonist-induced calcium entry and reloading of intracellular Ca(2+) stores. Pharmacological inhibition or shRNA mediated suppression of TRPC1 causes loss of functional channels and store-operated calcium entry in D54MG glioma cells. This is associated with reduced cell proliferation and, frequently, with incomplete cell division. The resulting multinucleated cells are reminiscent of those found in patient biopsies. In a flank tumor model, tumor size was significantly decreased when TRPC1 expression was disrupted using a doxycycline inducible shRNA knockdown approach. These results suggest that TRPC1 channels play an important role in glioma cell division most likely by regulating calcium signaling during cytokinesis.
Preserving Data Query Privacy in Mobile Mashups through Mobile Cloud Computing

Mobile mashups promise great data aggregation and processing capabilities for all end users. During the data collection procedures, some data providers fail to protect confidentiality and privacy of user queries and transmit information in plain text. This enables attackers to eavesdrop on networks and compromise user information. Since mobile mashups can adopt server-side, client-side, or hybrid architectures, no one-size-fits-all solutions can be designed to solve this problem. In this paper, we propose to design two mechanisms using mobile clouds to preserve data query privacy in mobile mashups. For server-side mashups, we propose to use dynamically created virtual machines as proxies to process data collection and aggregation in order to prevent information leakage through eavesdropping. For client-side mashups, we propose to use live migration of the application level virtual machines into mobile cloud to hide the data collection and aggregation procedures from attackers. We will evaluate the proposed approaches through both analysis and experiments on real platforms.
Peculiar pitch angle distribution of relativistic electrons in the inner radiation belt and slot region

The relativistic electrons in the inner radiation belt have received little attention in the past due to sparse measurements and unforgiving contamination from the inner belt protons. The high-quality measurements of the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer instrument onboard Van Allen Probes provide a great opportunity to investigate the dynamics of relativistic electrons in the low L region. In this letter, we report the newly unveiled pitch angle distribution (PAD) of the energetic electrons with minima at 90° near the magnetic equator in the inner belt and slot region. Such a PAD is persistently present throughout the inner belt and appears in the slot region during storms. One hypothesis for 90° minimum PADs is that off 90° electrons are preferentially heated by chorus waves just outside the plasmapause (which can be at very low L during storms) and/or fast magnetosonic waves which exist both inside and outside the plasmasphere.
“Starting Life Again”: School and Community at Arthurdale (U.S. 1934–1936)

In the 1930s, American educators and policymakers created Arthurdale, West Virginia as a resettlement community for miners and their families who had been driven into poverty by declining coal production. Arthurdale was a landmark in efforts to bring Deweyan ideals of progressive education to bear on community life and in so doing to revitalize the lives of the victims of economic collapse. By focusing students’ lessons on the ongoing life of the emerging community, Arthurdale’s schools offered a rich and humane education in which collective problem solving was the essence of democratic learning and life. Still, this chapter argues, the very way progressive educators focused on the problems of daily living obscured the class and race divisions that shaped Arthurdale and American society in general. In this Arthurdale epitomized wider contradictions in community-centered progressive pedagogy as of form of liberatory education for working-class youth.
Hepatocellular ATP-binding Cassette Protein Expression Enhances ATP Release and Autocrine Regulation of Cell Volume

In a model liver cell line, recovery from swelling is mediated by a sensitive autocrine pathway involving conductive release of ATP, P2 receptor stimulation, and opening of membrane Cl- channels (Wang, Y., Roman, R. M., Lidofsky, S. D., and Fitz, J. G. (1996) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 93, 12020-12025). However, the mechanisms coupling changes in cell volume to ATP release are not known. Based on evidence that certain ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins may function as ATP channels or channel regulators, we evaluated the potential role of ABC proteins by comparing ATP release and volume regulation in rat HTC and HTC-R hepatoma cells, the latter of which overexpress Mdr proteins. In both cell types, Cl- current activation (ICl-swell) and volume recovery following swelling were dependent on conductive ATP efflux. The rate of volume recovery was approximately 6-fold faster in HTC-R cells compared with HTC cells. This effect is likely due to enhanced ABC protein-dependent ATP release since (i) ICl-swell and cell volume recovery were eliminated by inhibition of P-glycoprotein transport (20 microM verapamil and 15 microM cyclosporin A); (ii) swelling-induced Cl- current density was similar in both cell types (approximately -50 pA/pF; not significant); and (iii) ATP conductance measured by whole-cell techniques was increased approximately 3-fold in HTC-R cells compared with HTC cells. Moreover, HTC-R cells exhibited enhanced survival during hypotonic stress. By modulating ATP release, hepatic ABC proteins may play a key role in the cellular pathways coupling changes in cell volume to ion permeability and secretion.
Interleukin-10 gene therapy-mediated amelioration of bacterial pneumonia

Respiratory infection by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae causes a highly pathogenic necrotizing pleuropneumonia with severe edema, hemorrhage and fever. Acute infection is characterized by expression of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6 and IL-8. To determine if high level production of inflammatory cytokines contributed to disease pathogenesis, we investigated if inhibiting macrophage activation with adenovirus type 5-expressed IL-10 (Ad-5/IL-10) reduced the severity of acute disease. Porcine tracheal epithelial cells infected with Ad-5/IL-10 produced bioactive human IL-10. When pigs were intratracheally infected with A. pleuropneumoniae, pigs pretreated with Ad-5/IL-10 showed a significant reduction in the amount of lung damage when compared to adenovirus type 5-expressing β-galactosidase (Ad-5/β-Gal)-treated and untreated pigs. In addition, serum zinc levels were unchanged, the lung weight/body weight ratio (an indicator of vascular leakage) was significantly reduced, and lung pathology scores were reduced. Myeloperoxidase activity in lung lavage fluid samples, an indicator of neutrophil invasion, was decreased to levels similar to that seen in pigs not infected with A. pleuropneumoniae. Reduction in inflammatory cytokine levels in lung lavage fluid samples correlated with the clinical observations in that pigs pretreated with Ad-5/IL-10 showed a corresponding reduction of IL-1 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) compared with untreated and Ad-5/β-Gal-treated pigs. IL-6 levels were unaffected by pretreatment with Ad-5/IL-10, consistent with observations that IL-6 was not derived from alveolar macrophages. Since inflammatory cytokines are expressed at high levels in acute bacterial pleuropneumonia, these results indicate that macrophage activation, involving overproduction of IL-1 and TNF, is a prime factor in infection-related cases of massive lung injury.
Intramyocardial Pacing and Sensing for the Enhancement of Cardiac Stimulation and Sensing Specificity

Background:Intracardiac electrodes create an “antenna” capable of unintentionally recording and stimulating tissue beyond the chamber in which they are positioned, resulting in far-field R wave oversensing in pacemakers and inappropriate detection in defibrillators. This feasibility study sought to determine whether a specially constructed lead with two distal totally intramyocardial electrodes could overcome these limitations. Methods:Two mongrel dogs were anesthetized and a median sternotomy performed. Epicardial intramyocardial pacing and sensing function was assessed and compared to standard active fixation pacing and sensing placed at the same atrial and ventricular sites. Right ventricular pacing was also assessed. Results:For the novel intramyocardial lead, the average R wave amplitude was 7.2 mV, compared to an average R wave of 8.4 mV for the standard active fixation lead placed at identical ventricular sites; P-waves were also similar. Cross-chamber sensing was present in the ventricle and atrium with the standard lead, and absent with the intramyocardial lead. The average pacing threshold was 0.7 mA at 0.2 ms for the novel lead compared to 1.1 mA for the standard lead. With the standard lead, phrenic stimulation was seen at threshold (cathode distal) and at 3 mA (cathode proximal electrode). No phrenic stimulation was seen with the novel intramyocardial lead despite outputs up to 20 mA at sites located 3–5 mm from the phrenic nerve. Conclusion:Totally intramyocardial pacing is feasible, and results in site-specific pacing and sensing function. This may eliminate far-field signal oversensing and phrenic stimulation in future devices.
Dietary fatty acids affect plasma markers of inflammation in healthy men fed controlled diets: a randomized crossover study

Background: The effect of individual dietary fatty acids on emerging risk factors for cardiovascular disease that are associated with subclinical inflammation is unknown. Objective: The goal was to evaluate the role of dietary fat and specific fatty acids, especially trans fatty acids, in altering concentrations of markers of inflammation in humans fed controlled diets. Design: In a randomized crossover design, 50 men consumed controlled diets for 5 wk that provided 15% of energy from protein, 39% of energy from fat, and 46% of energy from carbohydrate. Eight percent of fat or fatty acids was replaced across diets with the following: cholesterol, oleic acid, trans fatty acids (TFAs), stearic acid (STE), TFASTE (4% of energy each), and 12:0 –16:0 saturated fatty acids (LMP). Results: Fibrinogen concentrations were higher after consumption of the diet enriched in stearic acid than after consumption of the carbohydrate diet. C-reactive protein concentrations were higher after consumption of the TFA diet than after consumption of the carbohydrate diet, but were not significantly different after consumption of the TFA and TFASTE diets than after consumption of the LMP diet. Interleukin 6 concentrations were lower after consumption of the oleic acid diet than after consumption of the LMP, TFA, and STE diets. E-selectin concentrations were higher after consumption of the TFA diet than after consumption of the carbohydrate diet. Consumption of the TFA but not the TFASTE diet resulted in higher E-selectin concentrations than did the LMP diet. Conclusions: These data provide evidence that dietary fatty acids can modulate markers of inflammation. Although stearic acid minimally affects LDL cholesterol, it does appear to increase fibrinogen concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;79:969 –73.
Efficient Positivity Test Algorithms for Parametric and Nonparametric Sequences of Covariance Estimates

In statistical signal processing problems involving second-order information of data such as covariance estimation, spectral factorization, and optimal filtering, one often needs to test positivity of a real sequence obtained from the finite length of data as covariance estimates. In this correspondence, we present efficient time-domain algorithms for testing nonnegativity of real finite nonparametric and linearly parametric sequences as valid covariance estimates. For a parametric sequence, the algorithm searches entire parameter space to find a unique set of parameters for which the sequence is positive-definite. Examples show performance of the proposed algorithms versus direct use of DFT/FFT.
Working memory overload: fronto-limbic interactions and effects on subsequent working memory function

The human working memory system provides an experimentally useful model for examination of neural overload effects on subsequent functioning of the overloaded system. This study employed functional magnetic resonance imaging in conjunction with a parametric working memory task to characterize the behavioral and neural effects of cognitive overload on subsequent cognitive performance, with particular attention to cognitive-limbic interactions. Overloading the working memory system was associated with varying degrees of subsequent decline in performance accuracy and reduced activation of brain regions central to both task performance and suppression of negative affect. The degree of performance decline was independently predicted by three separate factors operating during the overload condition: the degree of task failure, the degree of amygdala activation, and the degree of inverse coupling between the amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that vulnerability to overload effects in cognitive functioning may be mediated by reduced amygdala suppression and subsequent amygdala-prefrontal interaction.
Making Smart Investments In Health Information Technology: Core Principles

Over the past five years, thousands of public- and private-sector employees, many volunteering their time, have worked to advance the cause of interoperable, certified, secure electronic health records. As new federal funds become available, should we invest right away or wait for technology and policy perfection? Do we leverage the accomplishments of existing national organizations, or do we start from scratch? The time to invest is now, building on the organizations we already have. To ensure wise investment, I suggest guiding principles assembled from the input of hundreds of providers, patients, payers, vendors, government employees, and standards-development organizations.
Microdenticles on naturally weathered hornblende

Abstract Microdenticles (with lengths in the micron-submicron range rather than tens of microns) are developed on the lateral surfaces of larger “classic” denticles on naturally weathered hornblende from weathered amphibolite of the Carroll Knob Complex in western North Carolina. Microdenticles share the shape and orientation of the larger more typical denticles, producing arrays of microdenticles that give the larger host denticle the appearance of a surface covered with imbricate pointed or rounded scales. The arrays of imbricate microdenticles are formed by low-temperature aqueous alteration during weathering of the Carroll Knob Complex hornblende; they are later-stage corrosion forms on already-corroded surfaces of hornblende that show larger-scale evidence of typical weathering. In the Carroll Knob occurrence, hornblende microdenticles are associated with dilute weathering solutions, suggesting possible control by extreme undersaturation of solutions with respect to hornblende.
DESIGN OF DISTRIBUTED LAYOUTS

Abstract Distributed layouts are layouts where multiple copies of the same department type may exist and may be placed in non-adjoining locations. In this paper, we present a procedure for the design of distributed layouts in settings with multiple periods where product demand and product mix may vary from period to period and where a relayout may be undertaken at the beginning of each period. Our objective is to design layouts for each period that balance relayout costs between periods with material flow efficiency in each period. We present a multi-period model for jointly determining layout and flow allocation and offer exact and heuristic solution procedures. We use our solution procedures to examine the value of distributed layouts for varying assumptions about system parameters and to draw several managerial insights. In particular, we show that distributed layouts are most valuable when demand variability is high or product variety is low. We also show that department duplication (e.g., through the...
A KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION LANGUAGE FOR NATURAL LANGUAGE PROCESSING, SIMULATION AND REASONING

OntoAgent is an environment that supports the cognitive modeling of societies of intelligent agents that emulate human beings. Like traditional intelligent agents, OntoAgent agents execute the core functionalities of perception, reasoning and action. Unlike most traditional agents, they engage in extensive "translation" functions in order to render perceived inputs into the unambiguous, ontologically-grounded knowledge representation language (KRL) that is used to model their knowledge, memory and reasoning. This paper describes the KRL of OntoAgent with a special focus on the many runtime functions used to translate between perceived inputs and the KRL, as well as to manipulate KRL structures for reasoning and simulation.
Remote Environmental Monitoring Units: An Autonomous Vehicle for Characterizing Coastal Environments*

Abstract In oceanography, there has been a growing emphasis on coastal regions, partially because of their inherent complexity, as well as the increasing acknowledgment of anthropogenic impacts. To improve understanding and characterization of coastal dynamics, there has been significant effort devoted to the development of autonomous systems that sample the ocean on relevant scales. Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are especially well suited for studies of the coastal ocean because they are able to provide near-synoptic spatial observations. These sampling platforms are beginning to transition from the engineering groups that developed and continue to improve them to the science user. With this transition comes novel applications of these vehicles to address new questions in coastal oceanography. Here, the relatively mature Remote Environmental Monitoring Units (REMUS) AUV system is described and assessed. Analysis of data, based on 37 missions and nearly 800 km of in-water operation, shows that the...
C-Reactive Protein, the Metabolic Syndrome, and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Events An 8-Year Follow-Up of 14 719 Initially Healthy American Women

Background—The metabolic syndrome describes a high-risk population having 3 or more of the following clinical characteristics: upper-body obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL, hypertension, and abnormal glucose. All of these attributes, however, are associated with increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). Methods and Results—We evaluated interrelationships between CRP, the metabolic syndrome, and incident cardiovascular events among 14 719 apparently healthy women who were followed up for an 8-year period for myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization, or cardiovascular death; 24% of the cohort had the metabolic syndrome at study entry. At baseline, median CRP levels for those with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 characteristics of the metabolic syndrome were 0.68, 1.09, 1.93, 3.01, 3.88, and 5.75 mg/L, respectively (Ptrend 0.0001). Over the 8-year follow-up, cardiovascular event-free survival rates based on CRP levels above or below 3.0 mg/L were similar to survival rates based on having 3 or more characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. At all levels of severity of the metabolic syndrome, however, CRP added prognostic information on subsequent risk. For example, among those with the metabolic syndrome at study entry, age-adjusted incidence rates of future cardiovascular events were 3.4 and 5.9 per 1000 person-years of exposure for those with baseline CRP levels less than or greater than 3.0 mg/L, respectively. Additive effects for CRP were also observed for those with 4 or 5 characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. The use of different definitions of the metabolic syndrome had minimal impact on these findings. Conclusions—These prospective data suggest that measurement of CRP adds clinically important prognostic information to the metabolic syndrome. (Circulation. 2003;107:391-397.)
The Many Flavors of Temporal Coding in Gustatory Cortex

Environmental stimuli are temporally extensive. They typically (at the very least) wax and wane, and their time-varying aspects are further shaped by the behavioral responses they engender, as animals engage in approach or avoidance. Thus, neural activity related to sensation must be intrinsically time varying as well. Even if sensory stimuli were somehow punctate and static, however, neural activity would still be dynamic, because it is the job of neural brain systems to transform responses to those stimuli into activity appropriate for driving behavior, which itself unfolds as a function of time. These statements, true in general, are particularly true of the gustatory system, where the coupling between perception and action is virtually unbreakable: it is impossible for an awake animal to passively observe a taste stimulus (Grill and Norgren, 1978a; Travers and Norgren, 1986). This fact, and the purely neural evidence of functional feedback and convergence in forebrain and brainstem taste relays (Smith and Li, 2000; Lundy and Norgren, 2004), should lead researchers to expect some sort of temporal coding in gustatory activity. But to say that gustation involves temporal coding is to say little, because the term ‘temporal coding’ means many things to many researchers. To some the phrase connotes ‘fast’ dynamics: the synchronous firing of neurons (e.g. deCharms and Merzenich, 1996; Hatsopoulos et al., 1998; Christensen et al., 2000; Steinmetz et al., 2000) or neural oscillations in the ~10, ~20, or ~40 Hz range (e.g. Eckhorn, 1994; MacLeod et al., 1998). To others, it refers to ‘slower’ rate changes, either in single neurons or among coherent groups of neurons (Seidemann et al., 1996; Friedrich and Laurent, 2004). What shall we say about temporal coding in the gustatory system? Several labs including mine are currently seeking answers to this question. Thus far, the data tell the story of temporal coding being apparent mostly (but not solely) at the level of coherent rate changes among neural ensembles, perhaps driving the system toward (or reflecting) response specification. Gustatory cortical (GC) involvement in this process may extend to preparatory coding that develops across trials in learning situations.
Screening for Corneal Topographic Abnormalities before Refractive Surgery

Purpose: The purpose of this prospective study is to evaluate the corneal topography of patients who sought an opinion regarding refractive surgery for the correction of myopia. Methods: Both eyes of 53 patients were evaluated with a topographic modeling system. Forty-two patients wore contact lenses (84 eyes: 36 rigid contact lenses and 48 soft contact lenses). Ten patients (20 eyes) wore glasses alone and one patient (2 eyes) wore neither glasses nor contact lenses for correction of myopia. Results: Thirty-five (33%) of 106 eyes were found to have abnormal corneal topography. Of the 42 patients (84 eyes) who wore contact lenses, 32 eyes (38%) had irregular astigmatism, loss of radial symmetry, or absence of the normal progressive flattening from the center to the periphery of the cornea, consistent with contact lensinduced corneal warpage. Alterations were more frequent and severe in rigid contact lens wearers. Three patients (5.7%) received a diagnosis of definite keratoconus, a higher incidence than has been reported in the general population. Topographic abnormalities in most, if not all, of the eyes would not have been detected by visual inspection of the photokeratoscopic images alone. Conclusions: Appropriate preoperative detection and management of corneal topographic abnormalities are essential steps in every refractive surgical procedure. The overall efficacy and safety of procedures such as radial keratotomy and photorefractive keratectomy likely will be improved once the unpredictable variables of contact lensinduced warpage and occult ectatic disease are eliminated by topographic screening before surgery. Patients with keratoconus may be over-represented in the refractive surgery population due to self-selection.
Automated parameter derivation for power plant models based on staged tests

This paper describes an approach for automated parameter derivation of models for synchronous generators, their excitation system and the turbine-governor. The methodology is based on performing and collecting data from a series of staged tests (mainly off-line). This data is then used in an automated routine to fit parameters to selected standard model structures. The results of this work have provided some quite significant insight into the process, strengths and weaknesses of field testing and generator model validation.
Effects of an Electrolyte Additive on Hydration and Drinking Behavior During Wildfire Suppression

Abstract Objective.—The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a water + electrolyte solution versus plain water on changes in drinking behaviors, hydration status, and body temperatures during wildfire suppression. Methods.—Eight participants consumed plain water, and eight participants consumed water plus an electrolyte additive during 15 hours of wildfire suppression. Participants wore a specially outfitted backpack hydration system equipped with a digital flow meter system affixed inline to measure drinking characteristics (drinking frequency and volume). Body weight and urine-specific gravity were collected pre- and postshift. Ambient, core, and skin temperatures were measured continuously using a wireless system. Work output was monitored using accelerometry. Results.—There were no differences between groups for body weight, drinking frequency, temperature data, activity, or urine-specific gravity (1.019 ± 0.007 to 1.023 ± 0.010 vs. 1.019 ± 0.005 to 1.024 ± 0.009 for water and water + e...
Transfer of a Learned Relational Response in Monkeys and Children

St6mmary.-Two experiments are reported, the first with 30 young test-wise rhesus monkeys and the second with 30 first grade children, on transfer of relational responding on a series of discrimination learning and transposition prob!erns which varied in degree of stimulus similarity across problems. In the first, monkeys showed superior transfer and transposition when problems contained common stimulus elements and when the stimuli were highly discriminable. Transfer across problems which did not contain common stimulus elements in the first two problems resulted in the most errors and did not yield significant proportions of transposers. In the second, the children also showed enhanced transfer and transposition to the highly discriminable dimensions but there were significant reductions in errors and significant proportions of transposers to all stimulus combinations on the second problem. Ninety percent of the children did not make any errors in either phase of the third and fourth problems. The results were interpreted in terms of the acquisition of abstract or nonspecific perceptual learning sets. In a previous experiment (Ackles, Zimmermam, Manning, & Kazarian, 1974) transposition performance of 2-yr.-old test-wise rhesus monkeys and first grade children was compared across stimulus dimensions (volume, brightness, and volume plus brightness), test stimuli position, order of transposition testing, and stimulus similarity. The results were consistent with previous findings reviewed by Reese (1968). The most salient stimulus dimension (volume plus brightness) enhanced transposition in both species; the less salient brightness and far-test conditions produced the most errors in both species. Phylogenetic differences in transposition performance were limited to complex interaction effects. Monkeys tested on the far test first made fewer errors on subsequent tests and the magnitude of the reduction was the greatest in the brightness condition. The children did not show any significant interaction effects. Although the experiment was not designed to test any particular theory of transposition and was not interpreted as resolving any of the traditional controversies, the data suggested that transposition might involve a primitive perceptual learningset mechanism. The interpretation Ackles, et al. ( 1974) offered was in terms of stimulus differentiation in perceptual learning (e.g., Gibson, 1969). The principal 'Portions of this article were presented by the first author at the meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, April, 1975. The research with monkeys was supported by Grant M-4516 from the National Institutes of Health while the second author was at Cornell University. The research with the children and the analysis of the data from both studies were supported by a grant from the-Central Michigan University Creative Endeavors program.
The Skin as a Neurotrophic Organ

The ability of the skin to serve as a protective shield against environmental challenges and as a sensitive detector and responder to thermal, chemical, and mechanical stimuli speaks to its exquisite design. A central feature of this design is the diverse array of neuronal afferents that convey and respond to sensory stimuli that the skin encounters. Cutaneous neuron development, form, and function are highly dependent on communication with the skin through its production of multiple growth factor proteins that modulate afferent development, maturation, and function. Production by the skin of neurotrophin growth factors and members of the glial cell line—derived neurotrophic factor family are particularly important for support of specific subsets of sensory neurons with unique phenotypic and functional properties. Although these proteins have central roles in afferent development and function, challenges remain in identifying specific molecular mechanisms of growth factor communication and understanding h...
Resonance Raman and vibrational mode analysis used to predict ligand geometry for docking simulations of a water soluble porphyrin and tubulin

The ability to modify the conformation of a protein by controlled partial unfolding may have practical applications such as inhibiting its function or providing non-native photosensitive properties. A water-soluble porphyrin, meso-tetrakis (p-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin (TSPP), non-covalently bound to tubulin can be used as a photosensitizer, which upon irradiation can lead to conformational changes of the protein. To fully understand the mechanism responsible for this partial unfolding and determine the amino acid residues and atoms involved, it is essential to find the most likely binding location and the configuration of the ligand and protein. Techniques typically used to analyze atomic position details, such as nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray crystallography, require large concentrations, which are incompatible with the dilute conditions required in experiments for photoinduced mechanisms. Instead, we develop an atomistic description of the TSPP-tubulin complex using vibrational mode analysis from density functional theory calculations correlated to resonance Raman spectra of the porphyrin paired with docking simulations. Changes in the Raman peaks of the porphyrin molecule correlate with changes in its structural vibrational modes when bound to tubulin. The data allow us to construct the relative geometry of the porphyrin when bound to protein, which are then used with docking simulations to find the most likely configuration of the TSPP-tubulin complex.
BEYOND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY: IMPROVING QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH CROHN'S DISEASE

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a lifelong, incurable illness that typically requires decades of medical care. Patients with CD experience high rates of surgery, significantly impaired quality of life, depression, and economic hardship. Immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory agents have long been used for the treatment of CD, but are often of limited efficacy in patients with moderate-to-severe disease, or are associated with significant safety and tolerability problems. Surgery and nutrition therapy are also important components of the management of patients with CD. Inhibition of the inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α has recently emerged as an important therapeutic option for patients with CD, as demonstrated by the clinically significant impr ovement in symptoms with the anti-TNF therapy infliximab. A number of newer anti-TNF therapies have been evaluated in recent clinical trials. Some of these agents, including adalimumab and certolizumab pegol, have been shown to improve the symptoms of CD in initial clinical studies and are currently being evaluated in large randomized trials. Although these therapies are expected to be more expensive than conventional therapies for initial treatment, it is possible that newer treatments may reduce overall long-term treatment costs by reducing the need for hospitalization and surgical expenses, which account for more than 80% of CD-related healthcare costs. Economic analyses of clinical trial data for newer CD therapies have demonstrated reduced medical resource use, including the need for hospitalization and surgery, among patients who received anti-TNF therapies. Patient education and effective patient-physician communication are essential to maintain patient adherence to treatment and to identify and manage psychological consequences of CD and CD therapy. (Adv Stud Med. 2005;5(9C):S860-S867)
Positive and Negative Transcriptional Elements in the Chicken Na + /K + -ATPase α1-Subunit Gene

Coordinate gene regulation may be achieved by the action of trans-acting factors with multiple DNA-binding sites within a given gene. These DNA-protein interactions can occur in several different ways. Some act in a relatively constitutive manner (28), while others are tissue specific (25,17) and are subjected to regulation by environmental signals such as metal ions (8), serum (20), mitogens (5), and phorbol esters (1). Although much is known about cis elements which interact with trans factors and stimulate transcription, there are some cis elements that are responsible for negative regulation (2,7,14,15,16). Recently two DNA-binding proteins which repress transcription have been cloned and characterized. A Drosophila homeodomain protein (eve) has been shown to repress transcription of Ultrabithorax gene (4). A protein GCF that binds to G/C-rich sequences has been found to repress transcription in the promoters of several genes (12). Such negative factors may interact with the same or overlapping DNA sequences that bind activating transcription factors including Sp1. In this report, we characterize the positive and negative regulatory mechanisms involved in a chicken house keeping gene encoding the Na+/K+-ATPase α1-subunit.
Collaborative disaster management in local governments: perception, performance, and challenges

By using a sample of the State of Georgia local government managers, this study examines the attitude, behaviour, and perception of local managers in collaborative disaster management within the local dimension. The results show that local managers want more collaboration with other local governments than with federal/state or non-governmental organisations; and Georgia managers, on average, collaborate with five other organisations for disaster management, mostly focusing on local organisations through face-to-face meetings. Despite strong support for collaboration among local managers, the biggest concern is with the chain of command in actual emergency situations. Other findings and significant implications are provided.
Obesity, Labeling, and Psychological Distress in Late-Childhood and Adolescent Black and White Girls The Distal Effects of Stigma

The stigma of childhood obesity has the potential to affect psychological development during the early life course, but few studies examine whether experiencing stigma in childhood and adolescence ...
Microstructures of Si(111) on Ion Sputtering and Electron Annealing

The microstructure evolution during preparation of thin Si(111) samples for surface sensitive imaging has been studied using ultra-high vacuum (UHV) transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of ion beam sputtering and electron annealing have been investigated. A unique and routine sample preparation method for surface sensitive TEM imaging that combines TEM sample preparations with surface science sample preparation was developed. The microstructure evolution during the sample preparation process was studied in detail.
Institutions and Legislative Incumbency Advantage: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis of Legislative Elections in Africa

Why are legislative incumbents in most emerging democracies disadvantaged? Existing evidence shows that, unlike their counterparts in advanced democracies, incumbents in emerging democracies are disadvantaged. Current research attributes this to structural conditions that have led to endemic voter discontent. The argument is that the preponderance of venal and low quality incumbents incentivizes voter preference for high turnovers. This paper challenges this view on both theoretical and empirical grounds. Exploiting an exogenous shock and with original data comprising 13,932 candidate-level observations in legislative elections in Kenya and Zambia, a regression discontinuity analysis of the election results shows increases in incumbency advantage after transition from single party rule to multiparty politics. The explanation for this counter-intuitive finding is that institutions condition incumbents' ability to cultivate a personal vote, and as a result determine incumbency effects. These findings have important implications for our understanding of institutional change and horizontal accountability in emerging democracies.
Optimal multi-vehicle adaptive search with entropy objectives

The problem of searching for an unknown object occurs in important applications, ranging from security, medicine and defense. Modern sensors have significant processing capabilities that allow for in situ processing and exploitation of the information to select what additional information to collect. In this paper, we discuss a class of dynamic, adaptive search problems involving multiple sensors sensing for a single stationary object, and formulate them as stochastic control problems with imperfect information. The objective of these problems is related to information entropy. This allows for a complete characterization of the optimal strategies and the optimal cost for the resulting finite-horizon stochastic control problems. We show that the computation of optimal policies can be reduced to solving a finite number of strictly concave maximization problems. We further show that the solution can be decoupled into a finite number of scalar concave maximization problems. We illustrate our results with experiments using multiple sensors searching for a single object.
Effect of general anesthesia on fertilization and cleavage of human oocytes in vitro.

To determine whether anesthesia affects in vitro fertilization (IVF), the authors examined 3½ years' experience with IVF. Anesthesia length significantly predicted fertilization and cleavage at stage 0 of stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis, but not at the final step. Oocyte grade, retrieval order, and a quadratic term for grade remained significant for fertilization; cleavage, order, the interaction of order and grade, and the quadratic term for grade remained significant. Order correlated with anesthesia ( r =0.675, P 2 pneumoperitoneum, increased prolactin, decreased gonadotropins, ovarian trauma, and time. First oocytes of equivalent grade from contralateral ovaries were compared. Fertilization rates were equivalent, but significantly fewer mature oocytes from the second ovary cleaved. Anesthetic agents and CO 2 appear to adversely affect fertilization and cleavage in vitro.