cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract P4-02-05: Diagnostic value of breast MRI in evaluating total extent of disease when non-calcified DCIS is present in stereotactic core biopsy samples

PURPOSE To compare the extent of disease as seen on mammography, breast MRI and final surgical pathology in all patients with non-calcified DCIS identified on stereotactic core biopsy. Can MRI provide useful diagnostic information to the surgeon when mammographically occult DCIS is present. METHOD AND MATERIALS All patients with stereotactic core biopsies performed at the University of Chicago from 2010 to 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with pathology demonstrating DCIS in non-calcified cores on stereotactic biopsy were further selected based on whether they had a subsequent breast MRI and definitive surgical treatment. A total of 76 patients met these criteria. All patients undergoing stereotactic core biopsy had at least six 9-gauge cores removed, all of which were radiographed and separated based on whether calcifications were present or absent. Select patients with documented DCIS in the non-calcified cores had a MRI. All patients with MRI underwent a routine diagnostic protocol consisting of one pre- and five post-contrast bilateral, fat suppressed T1 sequences along with a non-fat suppressed T2 sequence. Final surgical treatment was subsequently determined and performed by the breast surgeon. RESULTS 76 women met all criteria for this study. In 16/76 (21%) of the cases, MRI revealed greater extent of disease than was detected via mammography, and led to change in management in half of those cases (8/76 - 11%). In all 16 of these cases, final surgical pathology confirmed the MRI-detected extent of disease. In 52/76 (68%) of the cases, MRI confirmed the extent of disease detected on mammography and final surgical pathology. In 8/76 (11%) of the cases, MRI showed little to no abnormal enhancement at site of mammographically detected calcifications, even though final surgical pathology confirmed presence of residual disease. CONCLUSION The presence of non-calcified DCIS in stereotactic core biopsy samples raises the suspicion for the presence of mammographically occult disease. Breast MRI performed in this setting shows that in majority (82% -68/76) of the cases, MRI can either confirm or even advantageously reveal greater extent of disease than was initially detected on mammography. Furthermore, there can be a change in management due to the breast MRI findings. CLINICAL RELEVANCE/APPLICATION Breast MRI can be a useful diagnostic tool for the surgeon when non-calcified DCIS is present in stereotactic core biopsy samples. Citation Format: Sheth D, Bao J, Abe H, Jaskowiak N. Diagnostic value of breast MRI in evaluating total extent of disease when non-calcified DCIS is present in stereotactic core biopsy samples [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-02-05.
5 – Ecology of Bacteriophages in Nature

This chapter deals with the ecology of bacteriophages in nature. Viruses are known to be the most numerically abundant form of life in the surface waters of this planet. Viruses contribute approximately 25% of total bacterial mortality. Differences in phage morphology are reflected in differences in DNA hybridization or restriction patterns for phages sharing a common host. There is also conservation of blocks of viral DNA in morphologically variable phage isolated on the same host. Lysogeny is a common occurrence among marine bacteria, and estimates in natural populations based on mitomycin C induction indicate that less than 10% of the population contains inducible prophage. The ability to detect prophage induction in natural populations has been shown to have a seasonal pattern, with little induction capability in the winter. A variety of environmentally significant pollutants can cause prophage induction, and it may be that during summer months a proportion of the population undergoes induction by indigenous factors. Induction of only a portion of the indigenous bacterial population could result in a doubling of the phage population. Non-indigenous phages play important roles in the study of aquatic microbial ecology.
Core Modeling Team Planning, Training, and Capacity Building

This chapter provides an overview of the second phase of community-based system dynamics (CBSD) where the initial core modeling team (CMT) begins the process of designing and planning the group model building workshops with communities. The chapter describes the content of each of the roughly five 2-h meetings needed to plan a group model building workshop with a community and stresses the importance of having a rehearsal for the CMT as a way to both prepare for the workshop and identify potential problems that might arise in the room.
Holding Accountants Accountable: The Liability of Accountants to Third Parties

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 enhances criminal penalties for accounting and auditing improprieties as part of an overall effort to prevent a repetition of the considerable harm caused by inaccurate and fraudulently prepared corporate financial statements. This paper focuses on the liability of accountants in situations where third parties are harmed by reliance on financial statements that are negligently, albeit not fraudulently, prepared. A review of legal theory is followed by a description of other trends influencing the accountability of the accounting profession.
The first Philippine species of Loeblites Franz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae)

Loeblites Franz, 1986 is a genus of Glandulariini with adults sharing a very similar body form and most taxonomically important structures with Syndicus Motschulsky, 1851. One of the most conspicuous differences between these genera is the antennal structure. In Syndicus, the antennomere XI is strongly reduced, much shorter than X and lacks the basal stalk, so that the two terminal antennomeres are compactly assembled. They either form one oval structure that appears as a single antennomere because the base of subconical antennomere XI is as broad as apex of X (Syndicus s. str.) or the antennomere XI forms a distinct small 'papilla' on top of X (subgen. Semisyndicus Jaloszynski, 2004) because the base of antennomere XI is much narrower than apex of X. Adults of Loeblites have unmodified antennae, with the antennomere XI strongly elongate and with a narrow basal stalk; additionally the antennae are strikingly slender, nearly filiform. Morphological structures of both genera were described and illustrated by Jaloszynski (2004, 2005). While Syndicus is species-rich, often abundant in leaf litter and under bark in subtropical forests (Jaloszynski 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014; Jaloszynski Nomura 2006; Yin Li 2015; Yin et al. 2014; Yin Zhou 2016; Zhou Yin 2017), and broadly distributed from southeastern Australia, through Southeast Asia, Yunnan (China) and Ryukyus (Japan), up to Sri Lanka, India and the Himalayas, Loeblites comprises merely four species known to occur in Malaysia, Thailand and China (Jaloszynski 2005; Zhou Li 2015). Loeblites mastigicornis Franz, 1986 is known to occur in Chiang Mai (northern Thailand), L. sabahensis Franz, 1992 and L. minor Jaloszynski, 2005 in Sabah (northern Borneo), and L. chinensis Zhou Li, 2015 in Yunnan (southwest China). Two females representing an undescribed species were also recorded from Yunnan by Zhou Li (2015). Specimens of this interesting genus are found rarely, in small numbers and they are typically sifted from leaf litter in subtropical forests.
Translating the atypical dopamine uptake inhibitor hypothesis toward therapeutics for treatment of psychostimulant use disorders

Medication-assisted treatments are unavailable to patients with cocaine use disorders. Efforts to develop potential pharmacotherapies have led to the identification of a promising lead molecule, JJC8-091, that demonstrates a novel binding mode at the dopamine transporter (DAT). Here, JJC8-091 and a structural analogue, JJC8-088, were extensively and comparatively assessed to elucidate neurochemical correlates to their divergent behavioral profiles. Despite sharing significant structural similarity, JJC8-088 was more cocaine-like, increasing extracellular DA concentrations in the nucleus accumbens shell (NAS) efficaciously and more potently than JJC8-091. In contrast, JJC8-091 was not self-administered and was effective in blocking cocaine-induced reinstatement to drug seeking. Electrophysiology experiments confirmed that JJC8-091 was more effective than JJC8-088 at inhibiting cocaine-mediated enhancement of DA neurotransmission. Further, when VTA DA neurons in DAT-cre mice were optically stimulated, JJC8-088 produced a significant leftward shift in the stimulation-response curve, similar to cocaine, while JJC8-091 shifted the curve downward, suggesting attenuation of DA-mediated brain reward. Computational models predicted that JJC8-088 binds in an outward facing conformation of DAT, similar to cocaine. Conversely, JJC8-091 steers DAT towards a more occluded conformation. Collectively, these data reveal the underlying molecular mechanism at DAT that may be leveraged to rationally optimize leads for the treatment of cocaine use disorders, with JJC8-091 representing a compelling candidate for development.
Seasonal Variation of Nutrient Loading in a Stoichiometric Producer–Consumer System

Recent discoveries in ecological stoichiometry have indicated that food quality in terms of the phosphorus/carbon (P/C) ratio affects consumers whether the imbalance involves insufficient or excess nutrients. This phenomenon is called the “stoichiometric P/C knife-edge.” In this study, we develop and analyze a producer–consumer model which captures this phenomenon. It assesses the effects of (external) nutrient (P) loading on consumer dynamics in an aquatic environment by mechanistically deriving and accounting for seasonal variation in nutrient loading. In the absence of seasonal effects, previous models suggest that the dynamics are Hopf bifurcation, saddle-node bifurcations, and limit cycles. However, seasonal effects can have major implications on the predicted solutions and enrich population dynamics. Bifurcation analyses demonstrate that seasonal forcing can cause both periodic and quasi-periodic solutions.
Deportation of Family Members of US-Citizen Latinos and Misuse of Prescription Drugs: United States, 2019.

Objectives. To investigate how personally knowing a deported migrant relates to past-year prescription drug misuse among US-citizen Latinos.Methods. Between April and May 2019, a national sample (n...
Effects of bystander sexual assault prevention programs on promoting intervention skills and combatting the bystander effect: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Bystander sexual assault prevention programs encourage individuals to intervene when witnessing incidents or warning signs of violence. According to a popular skill acquisition model, witnesses to sexual assault must demonstrate the following to intervene: (1) notice the event, (2) identify the situation as warranting intervention, (3) take responsibility for acting, and (4) know strategies for helping. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined effects of bystander programs on the aforementioned skills and actual intervention behavior among adolescents and college students. Robust variance estimation meta-analysis using a sample of 19 studies (N = 7920) revealed significant effects on identifying situations as warranting intervention and non-significant effects on noticing events, taking responsibility for acting, and knowing strategies for helping. Programs had a significant favorable effect on intervention behavior. Findings cast uncertainty around the proposed relationship between skills and intervention behavior. Future research should explore this relationship through causal modeling.
Generic Promotion of Norwegian Whitefish Exports

The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) works to develop demand for Norwegian seafood exports. This study addresses two questions: (1) What have been the effects of NSC generic export promotion program...
Interprofessional Team Meetings in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit

Purpose: To evaluate communication behaviors and interprofessional team interactions during family meetings in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (CICU) because little is known about how interdisciplinary teams communicate with each other about care plan development in the CICU. Methods: Meetings of family members and CICU clinicians were audio recorded. We used quantitative case-coding to compare the duration of contributions made by attendees, …
Development of a parallel-plate avalanche counter with optical readout (O-PPAC)

we describe a novel gaseous detector concept for heavy-ion tracking and imaging: the Optical Parallel-Plate Avalanche Counter (O-PPAC). The detector consists of two thin parallel-plate electrodes separated by a small (typically 3 mm) gap filled with low-pressure scintillating gas (i.e. CF4). The localization of the impinging particles is achieved by recording the secondary scintillation, created during the avalanche processes within the gas gap, by a dedicated position-sensitive optical readout. The latter may comprise arrays of collimated photo-sensors (e.g. SiPMs) that surround the PPAC effective area. We present a systematic Monte Carlo simulation study used to optimize the geometry of the OPPAC components, including SiPMs effective area, collimator dimensions, and operational conditions. It was found that the optimal design for a 10 × 10 cm2 OPPAC detector comprises four arrays, each of them counting a total of 15–20 individual photo-sensors. This configuration provides a localization capability with a resolution below 1 mm and good response uniformity. An experimental investigation successfully demonstrated the proof of principle of an O-PPAC prototype equipped with a single array of 10 photo-sensors, with a pitch of 6 mm. The performance of the prototype was investigated with an LED light, under 10,12C beam irradiation, and with a low-intensity 241-Am alpha-particle source. The experimental data obtained with the prototype is compared to the results obtained by systematic Monte Carlo simulations.
Bedside laparotomy in newborns -A single institute experience.

Abstract Background/purpose : Intra hospital transfer of sick newborns is known to cause adverse events with potential morbidity. Interventions at the bedside in a sick neonate can reduce the need for transport and in turn, potential hazards of transfer. Our single institute experience of performing bedside laparotomies in unstable newborns is reported here. Materials and methods : Seven-year data was collected from electronic medical records. This was a retrospective comparative study with level III evidence. Twenty-eight neonates operated at bedside for intraabdominal sepsis due to Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC), Spontaneous Intestinal Perforation (SIP), complicated meconium ileus and perforation secondary to atresias were included Group A. Group B had 60 neonates operated for similar indications in the conventional operation theatres. Results : The average corrected gestational age at surgery, associated co-morbidities, average volume of blood loss and duration of surgery were compared between the groups. Group A had lower weight at surgery (1098 vs 1872 gs), greater percentage of neonates on inotropic support (78% vs 20%) with requirement of High Frequency Ventilation (HFO) (50% vs none). A quarter of neonates (7 of 28) in Group A had NEC Totalis as against only one case in group B. There was 25% survival in group A and 76.67% in group B. The lower survival in group A can be attributed to lower weight at surgery, higher inotrope requirement and need for unconventional modes of ventilation. Conclusion : Bedside laparotomy is a feasible option in unstable neonates deemed unsuitable for transport.
Agnew, ABC, and Richard Nixon’s War on Television

Less than a year into the presidency of Richard Nixon, Vice President Spiro Agnew launched a series of attacks on television journalists, accusing them of being biased and having too much power to ...
Tunable band gaps and symmetry breaking in magnetomechanical metastructures inspired by multilayer two-dimensional materials

In this Letter, we introduce a paradigm to realize magnetomechanical metastructures inspired by multilayer two-dimensional materials, such as graphene bilayers. The metastructures are intended to capture two aspects of their nanoscale counterparts. One is the multilayer geometry, which is implemented by stacking hexagonal lattice sheets. The other is the landscape of weak interlayer forces, which is mimicked by the interactions between pairs of magnets located at corresponding lattice sites on adjacent layers. We illustrate the potential of this paradigm through a three-layer prototype. The two rigid outer lattices serve as control layers, while the thin inner layer is free to experience flexural motion under the confining action of the magnetic forces exchanged with the outer ones, thus behaving as a lattice on an elastic foundation. The inner layer is free to rotate relative to the others, giving rise to a rich spectrum of interlayer interaction patterns. Our objective is to determine how the dynamical response can be tuned by changing the twist angle between the layers. Specifically, we demonstrate experimentally that switching between different stacking patterns has profound consequences on the phonon landscape, opening and closing band gaps in different frequency regimes.
Some implications of postnatal hippocampal development.

It is well established that in most species, the hippocampus shows extensive postnatal development. This delayed maturation has a number of implications, which can be thought of in three categories. First, the late maturation has the direct effect of depriving the developing organism of at least some of the functions of the hippocampus, in particular place learning, context coding and in humans, episodic memory. Second, such learning that does occur very early in life, prior to hippocampal maturation, will largely bear the imprint and properties of those brain systems that, unlike the hippocampus, are fully functional early in life. Third, the active state of development of hippocampus in the first weeks and months of life render this structure susceptible to disruption by environmental and/or chromosomal factors. In this article, I discuss my efforts, with many colleagues over the past 40 years, to understand each of these implications.
Deriving College Students’ Phone Call Patterns to Improve Student Life

When high school students leave their homes for a college education, the students often face enormous changes and challenges in life, such as meeting new people, more responsibilities in life, and being away from family and their comfort zones. These sudden changes often lead to an elevation of stress and anxiety, affecting a student’s mental health and well-being and academic progress. With the outbreak of a pandemic, such as COVID-19, this transition moment can worsen with frequent, long-lasting lockdown and associated academic disruption. To help this young population, researchers are increasingly relying on smartphones and wearables, such as smartwatches, to continuously monitor students’ daily lives to identify various factors that can affect students’ phone call patterns associated with their health and well-being and academic success. In this work, we use different visualizations and statistical techniques to find various geographical places and temporal factors that affect students’ phone call patterns (in terms of phone call duration and frequency) to foster the design and delivery of future smartphone-based health interventions using predictive models; thereby, potentially helping students adjust to college life with or without the presence of an emergency, such as pandemic that adversely impacts academic calendar and student life. From our detailed analysis of an 18-month dataset collected from a cohort of 464 freshmen, we obtain insights on communication pattern variations during different temporal contexts, e.g., epochs of a day, days of a week, the parts of a semester, social events, and in various geographical contexts (i.e., places of interest). Finally, we also obtain a negative correlation of −0.29 between physical activity and phone call duration, which can help provide guided feedback to improve future health behaviors.
Comparison of a Self-Care Therapeutics Course Taught in the P1 vs the P2 Year.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare student learning outcomes, behaviors, and attitudes in a non-prescription drug and self-care therapeutics course taught in the second professio...
Careers Roundtable: An Exercise for Student Career Exploration and Future Development

This paper describes a classroom exercise related to career development that helps students explore career paths found in their major. While we primarily focus on the Human Resource Management (HRM) major, we provide guidance for adapting the exercise to different majors as well as first year business students. First, we summarize career development literature focusing on college students. We next provide background for the development of the exercise. Our major is required to assess the curriculum as part of university-wide curricular assessment, and we will describe how this exercise grew out of that assessment. We then describe the exercise and the positive outcomes for students. In the Appendices to this paper we provide: a template illustrating how our curriculum builds across years which can be adapted to help orient students in the context of their major, complete directions for the HRM version of the exercise, and instructor teaching notes which include suggestions on how this exercise can be adapted for other majors within business schools. The exercise supports our students’ concerns and university’s interest in assessment and assists students as they make the transition from student life to their professional careers.
Rereading Childhood: Journeys into Female Imagination

Rereading books from my childhood, I discover that what once inspired me now frequently surprises and often amuses and sometimes disturbs and even horrifies me. In particular, the creativity and imagination that features so strongly in the lives of characters in 'favorite' reading like L.M. Montgomery’s Anne series and Eunice Young Smith’s Jennifer stories, reminded me of just how inadequate my abilities once felt in contrast to these heroines’ fanciful creativity. But rereading through modern eyes gives a new and challenging perspective to the appreciation of these classics.
EU Merger Policy

The development of the regulatory control of mergers in the EU is presented in this article. The primary legal foundation, the 2004 EC Merger Regulation, is examined along with the reorganization of the EU's merger control unit and its procedures. The new standard for evaluating a proposed merger, which is the likelihood of the merger significantly impeding effective competition, is discussed along with some of its applications. Parallels and areas of continued divergence with US merger policy are also presented. Keywords: mergers; antitrust policy; competition; European Union
Unexpected role for the extracellular region of the α chain in FcεRI receptor

Abstract Rationale Human high affinity receptors for IgE, FceRI, are expressed as two isoforms: αβγ2 on mast cells and basophils and αγ2 on antigen presenting cells. Murine FceRI is only expressed as αβγ2 isoform and its surface expression requires the β chain. As a first step to create humanized FceRI mouse models, we analyze the molecular basis that underlies β-chain dependency/independency for murine/human FceRI expression. Methods Sequence alignment and structural comparisons were done and human α extracellular region 3-D structure was compared to a model of mouse α extracellular region. Several candidate regions were selected to generate different chimeric proteins. The chimeric proteins were cotransfected with either β and γ subunits or with γ subunits alone and FceRI cell surface expression was analyzed. Results Our data indicate that the extracellular region of the human α chain allows αγ2 complex expression, but that the mouse α extracellular region permits only αβγ2 expression. Therefore, structural comparisons of these extracellular regions provided a basis to explore this difference. Several residues located in two loops BC and C'E, in D1 domain of the α chain extracellular region were identified and chimeric molecules were constructed to express these differing residues. Our studies revealed that these structural differences are not solely responsible for the murine β chain dependency. Importantly, our studies indicate that both loops are required for optimal FceRI expression. Conclusion The β chain dependency/independency in the mouse/human FceRI expression is derived from information that is contained in the α chain extracellular region.
Assessment of CNS effects of antiepileptic drugs by using quantitative EEG measures.

Summary: Purpose: Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can be associated with adverse neurologic effects including cognitive dysfunction. Objective methods for recognizing AED effects on the brain could be valuable for long-term management. We compared quantitative EEG measures and cognitive tests in a group of patients beginning or ending AED therapy. Methods: Subjects included 20 patients beginning AED therapy (AEDon), 12 patients stopping AED therapy (AEDoff), 33 patient controls receiving stable AED therapy (AEDco), and 73 healthy controls (Nco). All subjects underwent structured EEG recording and a cognitive test battery before change in AED dose and again 12–16 weeks later, ≥4 weeks after the last dose change. Four occipital EEG measures (peak frequency, median frequency, relative theta and delta power) were analyzed. Cognitive test changes were scored by using test–retest regression equations based on the Nco subjects. Wilcoxon tests were used for two-group comparisons. Results: AEDons had a significant decrease, and AEDoffs, a significant increase in the peak frequency of the EEG rhythm, as compared with controls. Results for median frequency and theta power were similar. Change in the EEG peak frequency correlated with an aggregate cognitive change measure (r2= 0.71; p < 0.001), individual cognitive measures, and subjective complaints. Of the combined AEDon/AEDoff patients, 58% exceeded the 95% confidence interval for test–retest change in EEG peak frequency. Conclusions: Quantitative measures derived from the occipital EEG are sensitive to AEDs and correlate with AED-related cognitive effects and subjective complaints. Although this correlation does not indicate a direct relation, quantified EEG may be a practical measure of AED impact on the brain.
Maroon Arts: Cultural Vitality in the African Diaspora

Maroon Arts: Cultural Vitality in the African Diaspora. Sally Price and Richard Price. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. 1999. 369 pp. (Cloth USS37.50)
The CH3 + HO2 Reaction: First-Principles Prediction of Its Rate Constant and Product Branching Probabilities

The reaction of the CH3 radical with HO2 has been investigated by means of ab initio molecular orbital theory and variational RRKM theory calculations. The reaction can take place by several product channels producing (a) CH4 + O2 (3Σg-) and (b) CH4 + O2 (1Δ) by direct H abstraction and (c) CH3O + OH and (d) CH2O + H2O by an association/decomposition mechanism via CH3OOH. The bimolecular reaction rate constants for the formation of these products have been calculated for the temperature range 300−3000 K and found to be pressure independent up to 50 atm. The Arrhenius equations for the two major channels a and c were found to be strongly curved; they can be represented by ka = 4.23 × 10-16T1.25 exp(828/T) for 300−800 K, ka = 3.02 × 10-21T2.83 exp(1877/T) for 800−3000 K, and kc = 2.97 × 10-10T-0.24 exp(182/T) for 300−1000 K and 1.02 × 10-13T0.76 exp(1195/T) for 1000−3000 K, in units of cm3 molecule-1 s-1. In the abstraction channel a, the effect of multiple reflections above its van der Waals complex (CH3··...
Promoting academic achievement: The role of racial identity in buffering perceptions of teacher discrimination on academic achievement among african american and caribbean black adolescents

In this study, the authors examined the moderating effects of different dimensions racial identity (i.e., racial centrality and public regard) on perceptions of teacher discrimination and academic achievement among a nationally represented sample of African American and Caribbean Black adolescents. The findings revealed that perceived teacher discrimination was negatively related to academic achievement for both African American and Caribbean Black youth. In addition, high racial centrality and low public regard buffered the negative consequences of high levels of perceived teacher discrimination on academic achievement among Caribbean Black adolescents. Implications of these findings for academic achievement among Black youth are discussed
Formation and vacuolar localization of salicylic acid glucose conjugates in soybean cell suspension cultures

The metabolism and intracellular localization of salicylic acid (SA) was investigated in soybean (Glycine max [L.] cv Williams 82) cell suspension cultures. [7- 14 C]SA was added to the cell cultures, the metabolites were extracted from the cells at various time points and analysed by TLC and HPLC. The [7- 14 C]SA was taken up rapidly from the culture media and converted primarily to SA-2-O-β-D-glucose (SAG). Lower levels of glucosylated 2,5-dihydraxbenzoic acid (gentisic acid) and methyl salicylate 2-O-β-D-glucose were also formed. Examination of the intracellular localization of the glucose conjugates revealed that all of the conjugates associated with the protoplasts were found in the vacuoles. An SA glucosyltransferase (SAGT) that could catalyse the formation of SAG from SA and UDP-glucose could be extracted from soybean cells and assayed in vitro. Increasing concentrations of SA added to the culture media induced the SAGT activity. The highest levels of SAGT activity were observed in cells treated with 0.5 mM SA. The SAGT activity in these cells was 88-fold greater than the SAGT activity in the untreated cells. The intracellular localization of the SAGT activity was also examined and it was determined that the majority of the SAGT activity in the protoplasts was located outside the vacuole. Therefore, it appears as if SAG is formed from SA outside the vacuole, presumably in the cytoplasm, and then subsequently transported into the vacuole where it accumulates.
Delivery of an engineered HGF fragment in an extracellular matrix-derived hydrogel prevents negative LV remodeling post-myocardial infarction.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to have anti-fibrotic, pro-angiogenic, and cardioprotective effects; however, it is highly unstable and expensive to manufacture, hindering its clinical translation. Recently, a HGF fragment (HGF-f), an alternative c-MET agonist, was engineered to possess increased stability and recombinant expression yields. In this study, we assessed the potential of HGF-f, delivered in an extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived hydrogel, as a potential treatment for myocardial infarction (MI). HGF-f protected cardiomyocytes from serum-starvation and induced down-regulation of fibrotic markers in whole cardiac cell isolate compared to the untreated control. The ECM hydrogel prolonged release of HGF-f compared to collagen gels, and in vivo delivery of HGF-f from ECM hydrogels mitigated negative left ventricular (LV) remodeling, improved fractional area change (FAC), and increased arteriole density in a rat myocardial infarction model. These results indicate that HGF-f may be a viable alternative to using recombinant HGF, and that an ECM hydrogel can be employed to increase growth factor retention and efficacy.
Distant effects of the Tambora Eruption of April 1815: An eyewitness account

Large explosive volcanic eruptions can have far-reaching effects on the atmosphere. The eruption of Tambora volcano on Sumbawa Island in Indonesia in April 1815 was the largest ash eruption in recent historic times, producing a bulk volume of about 150 km3 of pumice and ash [Stothers, 1984], by most estimates more than 100 times that of the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens. The loss of life and the destruction of agricultural land on Sumbawa and neighboring Lombok were catastrophic. In the aftermath of the Tambora eruption, in order to obtain more information about the effects on Java and the surrounding islands, the lieutenant governor of Java, Thomas Stamford Raffles, circulated a letter with three brief questions. The following questionnaire was completed by the Resident of Surakarta in eastern Java describing local eyewitness accounts of the effects of the Tambora eruption (catalogued by Blagden [1916]). It gives a vivid picture of the effects of the massive eruption some 800 km from the volcano. (The style, punctuation, and spelling of the original handwritten report in the MacKenzie Collection of the British Library have been retained throughout.)
Optical Properties of GaN/AlN(0001) Quantum Dots Grown by Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy

We have investigated the Ga-flux dependence of growth morphology and optical properties of GaN quantum dots (QDs) in AlN(0001). The QDs formed either by Stranski–Krastanov (S–K) or autosurfactant modified S–K growth depending on the incident Ga-flux during rf-plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. We correlated reflection high-energy electron diffraction specular intensity transients to the QD dimensions measured by atomic force microscopy. Single QD layers with growth mode dependant size, density, and wetting layer thickness were characterized by room temperature photoluminescence (PL) with a pulsed 193 nm excitation source. We used a self-consistent one-dimensional Schrodinger–Poisson calculation to identify the contribution of wetting layer quantum wells (1–4 monolayer GaN) and QDs in the PL spectra.
Esophageal injury by liquid chlorine bleach: experimental study.

Experimental exposure of the esophagus of cats to liquid chlorine bleach resulted in consistent early inflammatory changes and some late strictures.
Refinement of survival prediction in patients undergoing lower extremity bypass surgery: Stratification by chronic kidney disease classification

Objective End-stage renal disease (ESRD) imparts a significant survival disadvantage to individuals undergoing lower extremity revascularization; however, the influence of lesser degrees of renal impairment remains unclear. This study examined the prognostic significance of the chronic kidney disease (CKD) classification on survival, limb salvage, and graft patency in patients undergoing lower extremity arterial reconstruction. Methods A prospective registry was evaluated for consecutive patients between January 31, 1995, and December 21, 2004, undergoing first-time, lower extremity vein bypass surgery. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated with the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation using each patient's preoperative creatinine concentration. CKD categories were taken from current National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative staging criteria. Results The cohort included 456 subjects, with a mean (± SD) age of 68.1 ± 10.8 years. There were 274 men (60%) and 378 Caucasians (82.5%). Comorbidities included diabetes mellitus in 270 (59.0%), hypertension in 333 (72.7%), coronary artery disease in 242 (52.8%), and dyslipidemia in 203 (44.5%). The surgical indication was critical limb ischemia in 384 (83.8%). Among the variables examined, diabetes and critical ischemia as the indication for bypass were significantly skewed toward higher CKD classifications ( P P = .018) compared with all other CKD classes. Notably, no relationship was detected between CKD category and graft patency. Conclusion CKD staging adequately differentiates survival curves and risk for major amputation among patients with renal impairment who are undergoing lower extremity bypass surgery. This may help in clinical decision analysis as well as in the refinement of stratification in future clinical trial design where survival is an end point.
Topics in Emergency Pediatric Surgery in the Infant and School-Age Population

This article will describe the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of emergency department presentations of common pediatric surgical illnesses seen in early childhood. The 3 conditions chosen are acute abdominal pain from intussusception, gastrointestinal bleed from Meckel's diverticulum, and nonbloody emesis from hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. Each of these disease processes is associated with a common presentation of age, signs, and symptoms. Detailed discussions follow each case presentation to summarize the diagnosis and treatment pathway.
An improved test of the disaggregation hypothesis of job and life satisfaction

This study sought to test the disaggregation hypothesis of the relationship between life satisfaction and job satisfaction (Rice, Near & Hunt, 1980) which proposes that the relationship is stronger for individuals who value work in their lives. To date, tests of the hypothesis have been inadequate due to insufficient measures of work value and life satisfaction. This study found support for the hypothesis using improved measures and a more appropriate analytic technique. Principal component regression was the appropriate technique to detect a moderating effect in data with linear dependencies.
Flow-injection analysis of oxidizable species with reverse-pulse amperometric detection.

The technique of reverse-pulse amperometry is applied for the detection of oxidizable organic species at a solid-electrode flow detector. Exploiting the reverse-pulse amperometric waveform gives better sensitivity than d.c. amperometric detection. Species (e.g., phenols) giving responses that are poorly separated from background are easily monitored. Reducible species can be monitored without deaeration of the solution. The effects of flow-rate, waiting time between pulses, precision, and linearity of response are reported. At a flow-rate of 1.0 ml/min injection rates of 180 samples per hour and detection limits of a few tenths of a nanogram are obtainable.
Structural models of simple sensory motor co-ordination

Current views of simple sensory-motor functions have it that sensory inputs serve to select (trigger) one of some collection of pre-wired motor responses. This paper compares several schemes which not only can select an appropriate class of prewired responses (say, “approach”), but also make a selective response directed at only one of several objects present. A classification of layered spatially arrayed nerve networks is used to constrain possible implementations of this selection function.
Stimulation of DNA synthesis, activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK2 and nuclear accumulation of c-fos in human aortic smooth muscle cells by ketamine.

Abstract Proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells is known to be regulated by autocrine and paracrine stimuli, including extracellular matrix, reactive oxygen species, lipids, and biomechanical forces. The effect of many pharmacological agents to which smooth muscle cells may be exposed, however, is widely unexplored. Ketamine, an intravenous anaesthetic and a phencyclidine derivative, regulates diverse intracellular signalling pathways in smooth muscle cells, several of which are known to affect cell proliferation. The effect of ketamine on proliferative response of smooth muscle cells, however, is not determined. We tested the hypothesis that ketamine may regulate proliferation of smooth muscle cells, and investigated the effects of pharmacological doses of ketamine on their proliferative capacity by measuring DNA synthesis and activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signalling pathway in human aortic smooth muscle cells. DNA synthesis, as determined by incorporation of 3H-thymidine into DNA, was enhanced by 73% (P < 0.0001) and 130% (P < 0.0001) with 10 and 100 microm ketamine, respectively. Ketamine-induced DNA synthesis was dependent on de novo protein synthesis, as it was abolished by an inhibitor of protein synthesis, cycloheximide. A synthetic inhibitor of MAP kinase pathway, PD98059, decreased 50% (P < 0.0001) of ketamine-induced DNA synthesis, suggesting that the activation of MAP kinase pathway was partially responsible for ketamine-induced effects. Consistently, in-gel kinase assay and in vitro kinase assay of cell lysates showed ketamine-induced MAP kinase activation and expression of ERK2 (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) in smooth muscle cells. This effect of ketamine was not dependent on de novo protein synthesis. Immunofluorescent light microscopy showed ketamine-induced nuclear accumulation of c-fos, a downstream effect of MAP kinase activation, in smooth muscle cells. In conclusion, these data support the hypothesis of the study and demonstrate that ketamine, by stimulating DNA synthesis in human aortic smooth muscle cells, may have an impact on proliferative capacity of these cells. The present results also demonstrate that ketamine induces the activation of MAP kinase pathway and nuclear accumulation of transcription factor c-fos in smooth muscle cells. They further demonstrate that the activation of MAP kinases is partially responsible for ketamine-induced DNA synthesis in human aortic smooth muscle cells. Together, these findings suggest that ketamine may play a role as a pharmacological regulator of mechanisms involved in proliferation of smooth muscle cells.
The rise and fall of a second-generation CBNRM project in Zambia: insights from a project perspective.

Since the advent of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) in the mid-1980s, scholars and practitioners have sought to explain the uneven performance of CBNRM programs. Most CBNRM assessments examine the underlying principles of community-based conservation, the local social and ecological contexts, and connections with larger political and historical patterns. In this article, I argue that analysis of the potential and pitfalls of CBNRM also requires an understanding of the institutional history and internal dynamics of projects that implement CBNRM reforms. Drawing upon theory and methods from development ethnography and public policy, I examine the rise and fall of CONASA, a second-generation CBNRM project in Zambia that operated from 2001 to 2004. CONASA was constituted from a merger of organizations and discourses to provide continuity with previous projects. Its ambitious suite of activities included support for household livelihoods, community-based resource management, policy analysis, advocacy, and conservation enterprises at local, national, and transboundary levels. While individual activities were largely successful, CONASA’s hybrid origins and logframe-centric management created fissures between its holistic design and operational logics, and hindered its ability to develop a broader narrative and maintain key alliances. This case study illustrates the importance of understanding the interplay between project design and operational context to fully appreciate the possibilities and limitations of project-mode conservation.
Nonlinear programming in normed linear spaces

Necessary conditions in the form of multiplier rules are given for a function to have a constrained minimum. First-order differentiability conditions are imposed, and various combinations of set, equality, and inequality constraints are considered in arbitrary normed linear spaces.
Damage to Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Impairs Judgment of Harmful Intent

Moral judgments, whether delivered in ordinary experience or in the courtroom, depend on our ability to infer intentions. We forgive unintentional or accidental harms and condemn failed attempts to harm. Prior work demonstrates that patients with damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPC) deliver abnormal judgments in response to moral dilemmas and that these patients are especially impaired in triggering emotional responses to inferred or abstract events (e.g., intentions), as opposed to real or actual outcomes. We therefore predicted that VMPC patients would deliver abnormal moral judgments of harmful intentions in the absence of harmful outcomes, as in failed attempts to harm. This prediction was confirmed in the current study: VMPC patients judged attempted harms, including attempted murder, as more morally permissible relative to controls. These results highlight the critical role of the VMPC in processing harmful intent for moral judgment.
An information measure for fuzzy sets

The following topics are discussed: (1) a measure for the information contained in fuzzy sets, (2) the relation between fuzzy information and Shannon's information], and (3) the relation between fuzzy information and physical entropy. Some related examples are presented. The theoretical results are shown to conform well to previously published experimental results on monochrome images.
Interdecadal modulation of Australian rainfall

Interdecadal variability is investigated in a 300 year run of the Parallel Climate Model, a global coupled atmosphere-land-ocean-sea ice model. The model simulates El Nino variability of realistic magnitude and is found to produce interdecadal characteristics similar to those observed, both in frequency, spatial patterns and amplitude. Modulation of Australian rainfall on interdecadal time scales is similar to observed and is found to have contributions from both the modulation of ENSO, changes in the position of the Walker circulation and variations in western Pacific SSTs. A slackening of the equatorial Pacific thermocline slope is associated with diminished ENSO variability during interdecadal periods of positive tropical Pacific SSTs. These interdecadal changes to ENSO and shifts in the position of the Walker circulation are physical mechanisms that contribute to the weakened correlations between the SOI and Australian climate during interdecadal periods of positive tropical Pacific SSTs. Warm anomalies in the western Pacific also contribute to a decrease in Australian rainfall in the model on interdecadal time scales.
Information theoretic aspects of feedback control systems

The theory of choice information has evolved through the study of open-loop communication systems. Objective information is termed choice information to distinguish it from the semantic variety. Names of outstanding contributors to the start of choice information theory are Lord Kelvin, Nyquist, Kupfmuller, Hartley, Wiener, Gabor and Shannon. Choice information concepts have been rewardingly applied to computers during the last several years. In the present paper these information theoretic concepts are applied to servo systems. This approach to servos was announced at the Second IFAC Congress at Basel in the summer of 1963.
Evaluation of the usefulness of immunofluorescence on Tzanck smears in pemphigus as an aid to diagnosis

Summary Direct immunofluorescence was done on smears taken from 38 cases of bullous dermatoses and oral ulceration. 16 of these had pemphigus. All of the pemphigus cases had positive Tzanck smears and fluorescence of individual acantholytic cells and/or intercellular fluorescence of sheets of cells. Other bullous dermatoses showed no acantholysis or fluorescence. Smears from a series of oral lesions (mainly aphthous ulcers) showed intercellular fluorescence of sheets of cells similar to pemphigus. Therefore smear immunofluorescence cannot be reliably used as a diagnostic test in oral pemphigus.