cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perturbed myelination process of premyelinating oligodendrocyte in Niemann-Pick type C mouse

Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is an autosomal recessive neurovisceral lipid storage disease caused by a loss of NPCI function, which results in perturbation of intracellular cholesterol transport. In BALB/c npc(nih) mice, the murine ortholog of NPCI gene is mutated. In NPC mouse, hypomyelination is conspicuous in the cerebral white matter and corpus callosum in addition to neuronal storage. However, the pathogenesis on hypomyelination is not well elucidated. We hypothesized that the hypomyelination in NPC mice resulted from either defective differentiation of oligodendrocyte lineage cells or a failure of proper axon-glial interaction. Myelin basic protein immunohistochemistry disclosed severe hypomyelination of cerebral cortex as well. NG2- or O4-positive progenitor cells and premyelinating oligodendrocytes (OLs) were abundant. However, pi-glutathione-S-transferase-positive mature OLs were considerably reduced. In hypomyelinated white matter, strong immunoreactivity of polysialylated-neural cell adhesion molecule, a negative regulator of myelination, was observed in axons. Given the fact that neuro-axonal degeneration has been observed in NPC mouse as early as 9 days of age prior to the commencement of myelination in the corpus callosum and that axonal signals are essential for the proper myelination, subtle axonal injury might be contributing to the pathogenesis of disturbed myelination in the NPC mouse.
Tobacco Budworm: Parental and Inherited Sterility Induced by Reserpine and Gamma Irradiation

Male pupae of Heliothis virescens (F.) reared on diets containing 0.1% (wt/vol) reserpine and then exposed to 15 or 20 krad of gamma irradiation, all substerile doses for the strain, gave rise to P1 males that transmitted delayed sterility to their F1 and F2 progeny. This delayed sterility had its greatest expression in the F1 ♀ progeny. Irradiation of the ♂ pupae with 10, 15, 20 or 25 krad adversely affected the emergence of F1 females, and the greater the dose, the fewer females produced. Oviposition, egg fertility, and the number of F1 progeny produced per female were not dependent on mating frequency.
31 SURVIVAL OF PEDIATRIC VIRAL PNEUMONIA PATIENTS FOLLOWING PROLONGED EXTRACORPOREAL MEMBRANE OXYGENATION: A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE EXTRACORPOREAL LIFE SUPPORT ORGANIZATION (ELSO) REGISTRY.

Viral pneumonia accounts for approximately 30% of all pediatric respiratory failure cases that require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), with reported survival rates near 60%. For adenovirus, the most common viral etiology in this category following RSV, survival has previously been reported to be much lower, with more than two-thirds of patients dying despite ECMO. We recently had a case at our institution of an 11-month-old Native American female with adenovirus pneumonia who survived following 36 days on ECMO. Purpose We sought to query the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) registry to characterize survival in patients with viral pneumonia treated with prolonged ECMO. Methods Data prospectively collected and submitted to the ELSO Registry (Ann Arbor, MI) from 1988 through October of 2005 were reviewed. Those patients between the ages of 1 month and 10 years with diagnostic codes consistent with viral pneumonia defined the study population. Demographic data collected on each patient included specific viral organisms, sex, age, weight, pre-ECMO course, duration of ECMO, complications, and survival. Prolonged ECMO support was defined as being greater than 14 days. Results 498 patients met study criteria and had an overall survival rate of 60%. RSV was the most common diagnosis, representing 75% of the total with 64% survival. This was followed by adenovirus representing 12%, influenza 8%, and parainfluenza 5% of the study population with 52%, 46%, and 44% survival, respectively. The average time on ECMO for all survivors was 12.2 vs 12.9 days for nonsurvivors. Overall, 36% of patients with viral pneumonia were still on ECMO after 14 d, 15% after 21 d, and Conclusion Our case represents the first reported child with adenovirus surviving after more than 4 weeks on ECMO. While the majority of pediatric patients with viral pneumonia are off ECMO by 2 to 3 weeks, a small percentage may require support beyond 28 days and still have a reasonable chance of survival.
EDRF inhibition augments pulmonary hypertension in intact newborn lambs

There is increasing evidence that resting pulmonary vascular tone is mediated by the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factors (EDRF). However, the importance of EDRF release during pulmonary hypertension is unknown. Therefore, in eight newborn lambs we studied the effects of both N omega-nitro-L-arginine (an inhibitor of EDRF synthesis) and L-arginine (a precursor of EDRF synthesis) during pulmonary hypertension induced either by the intravenous infusion of U-46619 (a thromboxane A2 mimic) or by hypoxia. After pretreatment with N omega-nitro-L-arginine, the increases in pulmonary arterial pressure produced by U-46619 (102.0 +/- 34.9% vs. 144.8 +/- 28.6%, P less than 0.05) and by hypoxia (35.6 +/- 17.3% vs. 91.4 +/- 24.8%, P less than 0.05) were significantly augmented. However, after pretreatment with L-arginine, the increases in pulmonary arterial pressure produced by U-46619 (107.0 +/- 21.4% vs. 62.6 +/- 22.6%, P less than 0.05) and hypoxia (44.3 +/- 18.3% vs. 9.2 +/- 11.7%, P less than 0.05) were significantly attenuated. These results suggest that during pulmonary hypertension, EDRF is released to limit the increase in pulmonary arterial pressure and that L-arginine availability becomes rate limiting for further EDRF synthesis and release.
Cytopathology of scrapie in the rat: an electron microscopie study of thalamic and hippocampal areas.

SUMMARY An electron microscopic study of ultra-thin sections of hippocampus and thalamus from scrapie-affected rats revealed a variety of degenerative changes. These included (a) changes in neurons such as pleomorphic inclusions, altered mitochondria and vacuoles in their cytoplasm, (b) degeneration involving axoplasm of myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibres and (c) enlargement of astrocyte processes.
Fluorine-free tungsten films as low resistance liners for tungsten fill applications

Tungsten (W) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) fill has many applications in the semiconductor industry. As the industry continues to scale feature sizes, many challenges arise as features fall below 20 nm. For several device generations, the standard process scheme has included a TiN adhesion layer to dielectrics and a nucleation W layer for CVD W, but these layers consume most of the volume in narrow features. This paper highlights two new low resistivity W liner films which replace both TiN and the nucleation layer and that allow for continued low resistance scaling of W fill: a plasma-enhanced CVD W (PECVD W) film that adheres to dielectrics and a thermal ALD W film which deposits on metals.
Intestinal phospholipid and lysophospholipid metabolism in cardiometabolic disease.

Purpose of review Phospholipids are major constituents in the intestinal lumen after meal consumption. This article highlights current literature suggesting the contributory role of intestinal phospholipid metabolism toward cardiometabolic disease manifestation. Recent findings Group 1b phospholipase A2 (PLA2g1b) catalyzes phospholipid hydrolysis in the intestinal lumen. The digestive product lysophospholipid, particularly lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), has a direct role in mediating chylomicron assembly and secretion. The LPC in the digestive tract is further catabolized into lysophosphatidic acid and choline via autotaxin-mediated and autotaxin-independent mechanisms. The LPC and lysophosphatidic acid absorbed through the digestive tract and transported to the plasma directly promote systemic inflammation and cell dysfunction, leading to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and obesity/diabetes. The choline moiety generated in the digestive tract can also be used by gut bacteria to generate trimethylamine, which is subsequently transported to the liver and oxidized into trimethylamine-N-oxide that also enhances atherosclerosis and cardiovascular abnormalities. Summary Products of phospholipid metabolism in the intestine through PLA2g1b and autotaxin-mediated pathways directly contribute to cardiometabolic diseases through multiple mechanisms. The implication of these studies is that therapeutic inhibition of PLA2g1b and autotaxin in the digestive tract may be a viable approach for cardiovascular and metabolic disease intervention.
Review: Aspirin reduces colorectal cancer incidence and mortality in patients at average risk

Source Citation Chubak J, Whitlock EP, Williams SB, et al. Aspirin for the prevention of cancer incidence and mortality: systematic evidence reviews for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann...
Future Clinical Applications of Molecular Imaging: Nanoparticles, Cellular Probes, and Imaging of Gene Expression

Anatomical imaging has been the conventional paradigm for diagnosis since the advent of radiography a century ago. Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR), and ultrasound (US) imaging have been at the forefront of anatomical imaging modalities. Under this conventional paradigm, pathology is identified by alteration of the typical anatomy, thus characterizing location and burden of disease. Changes in the morphological appearance have been used to assess response to treatments [1]. However, this convention provides little information of the physiological, molecular, and biochemical basis of disease.
Randomized controlled trial of remote ischemic preconditioning and atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Randomized controlled trial of remote ischemic preconditioning and atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac surgery
Analysis of speed patterns on inter-urban parallel highways: a case study in the southeast Florida

Abstract: Speed variations are widely believed to be one of the major contributing factors to the occurrence of accidents, which is a critical problem related to the traffic safety. This problems becomes even more challenging for highly congested roadways such as I-95, Florida's Turnpike and US-1 highways located in the Southeast Florida, which are not only known as very busy roadways but also listed as having high fatality rates due to accidents. This paper attempts to study and analyze the speed variations on these inter-urban parallel highways with a focus on the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the most travelled holiday periods of the year in the U.S. As a part of this evaluation, northbound and southbound speed patterns are analyzed for the 2012 and 2013 Thanksgiving holidays based on the following clustering approaches: Gaussian Mixture (GM) with classical and greedy EM, K-means and X-means algorithms. Special consideration is given to accurately identify the low and high speed regimes on the roadways, which is critical to provide a better understanding on the crash occurrences and the congestion characteristics. Transportation agencies can use this information to implement appropriate traffic-related countermeasures before and after the holidays that can lead to a reduction in accidents and delays.
Teaching Conflict Resolution in the Bioecological System: Implementing Winning Colors®:

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to propose a solution for conflict resolution in a bioecological system.Background. In 1979, Bronfenbrenner introduced his bioecological theory of human deve...
The effect of the 2007 ethanol mandate on downside risk in agriculture: evidence from Kansas farmers

ABSTRACTThe Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 increased the amount of corn ethanol that must be blended into motor vehicle and other fuels as part of the renewable fuel standard. The purpose of this article is to look at how the increase in demand for corn influenced the profitability and downside risk of farms. We conducted this investigation using annual data for more than 300 farms in Kansas from 1997 through 2014. We find that the probability of a farmer’s experiencing a negative return on equity (i.e. the ‘downside risk’ of farming) decreased by 25 percentage points after 2007.
Performance-based contracting: Are we following the mandate?

This paper evaluates an Air Force performance-based service contract against the contracts that were prescriptive in the past. Department of Defense mandated that all service contracts be performance-based by 2005. The goal of the paper is to determine whether this contract, after becoming performance-based, is achieving greater cost savings and better outcomes for government, contractor, and taxpayers. The paper assesses the contract performance standards and how they are measured. The authors analyze the language of the Statement of Work (SOW) before and after it became performance-based. The contractor’s performance is evaluated. Positive incentives are identified and described. Finally, the paper addresses risk assessment issues.
Multiple ocular developmental defects in four closely related alpacas.

Author(s): Knickelbein, Kelly E; Maggs, David J; Reilly, Christopher M; Good, Kathryn L; Gionfriddo, Juliet R | Abstract: ObjectiveTo describe the clinical, gross pathologic, and histopathologic findings for a visually impaired 5.8-year-old female alpaca with multiple ocular abnormalities, as well as the clinical findings for three closely related alpacas.Animals studiedFour alpacas.ProceduresOphthalmic examination was performed on a 16-month-old female alpaca following observation of visual impairment while hospitalized for an unrelated illness. Following acute systemic decline and death 4.5 years later, the alpaca's brain, optic nerves, and eyes were examined grossly and histologically. Ophthalmic examination of three closely related alpacas was subsequently performed.ResultsThe 16-month-old female alpaca (Alpaca 1) had ophthalmoscopic findings suggestive of a coloboma or hypoplasia of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choroid, and suspected optic nerve hypoplasia OU. Histopathology performed 4.5 years later revealed moderate to severe choroidal, RPE, and retinal hypoplasia with multifocal retinal detachments OU. However, the optic nerves were normal in size and histologic appearance when compared to an age-matched control. Clinical evaluation of the 2-year-old son of Alpaca 1 revealed iris colobomata OU and choroidal dysplasia/hypoplasia OD in addition to nonpathologic variations in melanin density including heterochromia iridis and a subalbinotic fundus OU. Clinical evaluation of the 13-year-old mother of Alpaca 1 revealed heterochromia iridis, cataracts, and a subalbinotic fundus OU. A 2-year-old half-brother of Alpaca 1 had an RPE and choroidal coloboma OS.ConclusionThe developmental ocular abnormalities diagnosed in these closely related alpacas are likely hereditary.
An experimental model for calcium carbonate urolithiasis in goats

Background Calcium carbonate is a common urolith type in small ruminants with no high-yield experimental model to evaluate animal susceptibility or preventative measure response. Hypothesis That novel plastic winged implants would allow accumulation and quantification of calcium carbonate calculus formation in goats on a high-calcium diet and identify individual variation between goats in the mass of calculi produced. Animals Eight nonpregnant 3- and 4-year-old Boer-cross does, weighing 22.3-39.5 kg, determined to be healthy based on physical examination, were used in these experiments. Methods Prospective cohort study for in vivo experimental model development. Implants were placed into the urinary bladder lumen in 8 goats over 2 evaluation periods. The alfalfa-based ration had a total ration Ca : P of 3.29 and 3.84 : 1, respectively. Urine was collected at 0, 28, 56, and 84 days in the 1st experiment; blood and urine at those timepoints in the 2nd experiment. For each evaluation period, the implants were removed 84 days after implantation and weighed. Accumulated calculi mass was calculated and compared between goats and was analyzed for composition. Results Implant retention was 100% and 86% in the 2 studies. All goats with retained implants accumulated calcium carbonate at a mean implant gain per day across studies ranging from 0.44 to 57.45 mg. Two goats accumulated (0.44-7.65 mg/day and 33.64 & 57.45 mg/day) significantly more urolith material than the cohort across both studies (P = .047). No routine analytes on blood or urine were found to be explanatory for the difference observed. Conclusions and clinical importance These findings form a basis for implant and diet selection for use in future studies of urolithiasis development and for studies regarding individual susceptibility to urolithiasis.
Distinct dominant T-cell receptors with a tissue resident memory phenotype in individual melanoma metastases.

3Background: Expression of inhibitory immune checkpoints (ICPs) within tumors has emerged as an important barrier for effective anti-tumor immunity. Antibody-mediated blockade of ICPs can lead to d...
Assessing the impact of school-based mentoring: Common problems and solutions associated with evaluating nonprescriptive youth development programs

Like many youth development programs, most youth mentoring programs do not have prescribed practices that target specific outcomes. Because the construct of mentoring represents a broad range of po...
Aerodynamic Flow Control of Axisymmetric Bluff Body by Coupled Wake Interactions

The stability and steering of nonspinning airborne bodies of revolution have traditionally relied on stationary or moving fins that affect controlled interactions with the oncoming flow to modify t...
Renal Imaging: Cystic and Solid Lesions

Masses of the kidney present clinically in various ways including as an incidental finding. In some cases, the diagnosis is made based on imaging (ultrasound, CT, or MR); in other cases, a presumptive diagnosis can be made, and in many, pathologic diagnosis must be made. In addition, in cases of malignancy, staging is often predicated on imaging. In this chapter we review the clinical and radiographic findings associated with solid and cystic lesions of the pediatric kidney.
The role of adenosine during the period of delayed cerebral swelling after severe traumatic brain injury in humans.

Cerebrovascular failure with an increase in cerebral blood volume or hyperemia contributes delayed cerebral swelling after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in humans. One mediator that could be involved in this process is adenosine, which stimulates a concurrent reduction in cerebral metabolic rate and an increase in cerebral blood flow (CBF). We hypothesized that during the delayed phase after TBI in humans; 1) CSF adenosine concentration is associated with uncoupling of CBF and CMRO2, and 2) adenosine formation is driven by mediator-stimulated cAMP production in injured brain. We serially measured CBF and AVDO2, and CSF adenosine, lactate and cAMP after severe TBI in 13 humans. After 6–18 h, global CBF was increased and AVDO2 was reduced vs all other time periods, defining the uncoupling phase as the period between 18 h and 5 days. CSF adenosine concentration was negatively associated with AVDO2 and strongly associated with death (both p < 0.05), CSF lactate peaked during the initial 18 h, but remained increased for 5 days. CSF cAMP concentration was not increased (vs normal). The association between CSF adenosine concentration and death, and the correlation between uncoupling of CBF and oxidative metabolism and CSF adenosine concentration support our first hypothesis. In contrast, the low levels of cAMP in CSF observed in these patients, but persistently increased CSF lactate, refute our second hypothesis. We speculate that hypergly-colysis or occult ischemic foci are possible sources of ATP breakdown and adenosine formation, and that adenosine is playing a neuroprotective role.
Tekkotsu: a framework for AIBO cognitive robotics

Cognitive robotics is an approach to robot programming that draws inspiration from ideas in cognitive science, such as visual routines (Ullman 1984), dual-coding representations (Paivio 1986), and perceivable affordances (Gibson 1977; 1979). We have implemented primitives based on these ideas as part of Tekkotsu, an open source application development framework for the Sony AIBO.
Lacrimal testing. Age as a factor in Jones testing.

Conclusions: A modified Jones test is used to assess whether lacrimal transit time varies with age. Methods: The right eyes of 101 control subjects and 18 patients suspected of having lacrimal system abnormalities were tested with one drop of 2% sodium fluorescein solution. A. cotton applicator was placed in the nose next to the inferior turbinate and participants were asked to lean forward. Dye passage was assessed every 3 minutes for 24 minutes. Results: The results were assessed by age. In control subjects, there seemed to be a natural break in the distribution of the data at the age of 45 to 50 years. In control subjects younger than 45 years of age, 10/11 (91%) passed dye in 6 minutes or less (median = 3 minutes), whereas in those 45 years of age and older, 79/90 (84%) passed dye in 12 minutes or less (median = 6 minutes). The results were statistically significant ( P = 0.0091). In contrast, patients with symptoms of epiphora due to a nasolacrimal duct obstruction had lacrimal transit times in excess of the above limits. Conclusion: This study confirms that the lacrimal transit time slows with age. The modification of the Jones test presented here requires a cutoff of 6 minutes in patients younger than 45 years of age and 12 minutes in patients 45 years of age and older.
Inertial sensor aided multi-image nonuniform motion blur removal based on motion decomposition

Many factors lead to spatially varying blur kernels in a blurred image, such as camera shake, moving objects, and scene depth variation. The traditional camera shake removal methods either ignore the influence of varying depth values or object motion in dynamic scenes, while the methods not limited to removing camera shake always make simple assumptions about camera motion trajectory. We consider these factors in a unified framework, with the aid of an alternate-exposure capture strategy and simultaneously recorded inertial sensor readings. The inertial measurements relate the long-exposed blurred image to preceding and succeeding short-exposed noisy images. The special exposure arrangement effectively addresses the problem inherent in reconstructing camera motion from inertial measurements. In addition, the noisy image pair bracketing the blurred image is used for motion detection and initial depth map estimation, making the proposed method free of user interaction and additional expensive devices. Contrary to previous methods that individually parametrize the motion blur of the moving foreground layer and the static background layer, we exploit the fact that camera shake has a global influence to decompose the motion of the foreground layer such that a more tight constraint between the motion of layers is established. Given the motion and image data, we propose a single-energy model and minimize it using alternating optimization to estimate the spatially varying motion blur and the latent sharp image. Comparative experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms conventional camera motion deblurring and object deblurring methods on both synthetic and real scenes.
At the brink of famine in conflict and natural disaster zones: human rights approach to extreme hunger and malnutrition

This article focuses predominantly on conflict and disaster prone places as the major cause of right to food violations in the form of severe hunger and malnutrition. Food insecurity, in its most e...
“Dirty Braids”: How Hair Is Disrupting Dominant Racial Narratives in Puerto Rico Post-Hurricane Maria

This chapter focuses on Puerto Rican woman and the intersection between race, hair, and the marketplace. More specifically, I provide a conceptual framework by which to examine how the dominant racial narrative is being disrupted on the island of Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria via the lens of hair. I interrogate the concept of hair systems (Candelario in Meridians, 1(1): 128–156, 2000), demonstrating how they have a greater impact on the marketplace than just hair product segregation and availability, and introduce the term hair regimes as a more accurate representation of the sociocultural implications of hair politics.
The Fatigue Growth of Internal Delaminations Under Compressive Loading of Cross-Ply Composite Plates

This study focuses on the mode dependence of delamination growth under cyclic compressive loads in cross-ply composite plates. The model proposed makes use of an initial postbuckling solution derived from a perturbation procedure. A mode-dependent crack growth criterion is introduced. Expressions describing the fatigue crack growth are derived in terms of the distribution of the mode adjusted energy release rate. The resulting crack growth laws are numerically integrated to produce delamination growth versus number of cycles diagrams. The model does not impose any restrictive assumptions on the relative thickness of the delaminated and the base plates, although transverse shear stress effects are not considered. Experimental results are presented for cross-ply graphite/epoxy specimens, and the results are compared with experimental results for unidirectional specimens. The test data are obtained for different delamination locations and for different values of applied compressive strain.
Long-Term Effects of Truancy Diversion on School Attendance: a Quasi-Experimental Study with Linked Administrative Data

Over 60% of US school districts implement court diversion programs to address chronic unexcused absenteeism, yet the effectiveness of these programs is not known. We evaluated whether the Truancy Intervention Program (TIP) improved the school attendance of students in grades 7–10 in a metropolitan county in the Midwestern USA. Similar to most truancy court diversion programs, TIP consisted of three increasingly intrusive steps: (1) a parent meeting, (2) a hearing to develop an attendance contract, and (3) a petition to juvenile court. The intervention group consisted of students from the intervention county who had been referred to TIP between 2006 and 2009. The comparison group was drawn from a contiguous, same-sized, and socio-demographically similar county that petitioned truant students directly to court. To construct the comparison group, we applied multi-level matching procedures to linked, individual-level administrative data from eight state and local agencies for all public school students in the state between 2004 and 2015. Using the matched samples, we conducted difference-in-differences analyses to identify program effects for two intervention groups: all students referred to TIP and students whose family participated in the group parent meeting. In the 4 years after the intervention, the intervention groups had similar or slightly lower attendance than the comparison groups. However, most coefficients were not statistically significant, and there was no consistent pattern of effects across different samples and different specifications of the intervention. This pattern of findings was not robust enough to conclude that the program influenced school attendance.
Challenges and Solutions in Post-Silicon Validation of High-end Processors (Invited Tutorial)

Due to the complexity of designs, post-silicon validation remains a major challenge with few systematic solutions. In this tutorial, we describe the main challenges in post-silicon validation of high-end processors and provide an overview of the state-of-the-art post silicon validation process used by IBM to verify its latest IBM POWER9 processor. We focus on numerous innovations that led to discovery of 30% more bugs in 20% less time over the previous generation. We demonstrate our methodology by describing several bugs from fail detection to root cause.
Common Traits of the Best Online and Face-to-face Classes: Evidence from Student Surveys

Increasingly, college students are enrolling in both online and face-to-face classes, while college instructors are teaching both online and face-to-face classes. What are the key similarities and differences in quality instruction across these formats? Instructors can benefit from knowing what the best classes have in common, and how to adjust their teaching to best fit the medium of delivery. We surveyed 2,007 undergraduate students at a public, metropolitan university and asked them about the best and worst classes they have ever taken. The resulting qualitative and quantitative data reveal some important consistencies across modalities—like effective communication and instructor availability. Other factors, however, differ by course format. Instructors seem to matter more in face-to-face courses, where they can establish personal relationships with students, whereas assignments are more important in online classes. Our findings can help college instructors in any modality reach students with instruction they will remember as truly excellent.
The buffered, technological self: Finding associations between Internet use and religiosity:

Explanations for the rise of the religiously unaffiliated have regained attention from sociologists in light of recent declines in religiosity. While the secularization thesis has seen revisions ac...
Traditionen der Tierethik und ihre aktuelle Bedeutung für die Human-Animal Studies

Denkt man uber die Tierphilosophie der letzten vierzig Jahren nach, merkt man gewisse Fortschritte, aber auch ein gewisses Scheitern, denn gerade neben den fruchtbaren Einsichten in die Ahnlichkeiten zwischen Mensch und Tier fallt der Einfluss derjenigen anthropozentrischen Vorurteile auf, die die uberkommenen Auffassungen des Unterschieds zwischen Mensch und Tier charakterisiert und behindert haben. Im Besonderen halten die einflussreichsten philosophischen Tiervertreter der letzten Generation, sei es auch entgegen ihrer Absicht, am uberlieferten Prinzip fest, die Vernunftbegabung oder das Sprachvermogen sei entscheidend fur den moralischen Status eines Lebewesens.
Multimodality Intravascular Imaging Technology

Abstract A single imaging modality for the assessment of coronary artery disease has fundamental limitations that may impair a complete and detailed evaluation of coronary pathology. In an attempt to overcome these drawbacks, novel hybrid, multimodality catheters that integrate complementary imaging technologies have been developed to provide a more comprehensive profile of the underlying vascular disease state. Recent studies have introduced dual-probe devices combining IVUS imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT) for an improved evaluation of coronary lumen morphology and vessel wall pathology. Furthermore, IVUS and OCT probes have been individually combined with chemical near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and molecular near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging in an effort to increase the specificity and sensitivity of intravascular imaging to detect coronary disease pathobiology. Additional hybrid catheter imaging technologies such as photoacoustics and fluorescence lifetime imaging are promising new alternative technologies. The aim of this chapter is to review the emerging multimodal imaging approaches for the coronary arteries and describe their ability to overcome the inherent limitations of stand-alone imaging. Advances of multimodality intravascular imaging in the context of clinical applications will be discussed, together with the technical challenges for their successful translation.
Stem Cell Delivery Techniques for Stroke and Peripheral Artery Disease

Stem cells are a nascent therapy for vascular diseases such as stroke and peripheral artery disease. Cells, like any other pharmaceutic agent, need to be delivered to a target organ with an optimal dose and timing to achieve therapeutic effect. A number of techniques, grouped into local, regional, and systemic approaches, have been used in human trials to deliver a variety of stem cells in both stroke and peripheral artery disease. This chapter reviews stem cell therapy for these two diseases with a focus on delivery methods. Technical details as well as the impact of patient, disease, and cell factors for each approach are discussed. Each method’s merits and pitfalls are explored, highlighting the benefit of a diverse set of delivery options for a diverse population of patients.
Hydrokinetic Energy Conversion Using a Single-Cylinder Nonlinear Oscillator in Flow Induced Oscillations

In 2006, the Marine Renewable Energy Laboratory of the University of Michigan introduced a new concept for horizontal Marine Hydrokinetic (MHK) energy conversion using alternating-lift. The Converter, nicknamed VIVACE, utilizes alternating-lift based on cylinders on elastic support responding in FIO (Flow Induced Oscillations) and particularly Vortex Induced Vibrations (VIV), galloping, and their coexistence. Over a decade of research using 1–4 oscillators in tandem and staggered arrangements, with smooth and rough cylinders, and linear and nonlinear springs and dampers have produced a power envelope showing high power-to-volume density and efficiency in MHK energy conversion as well as slow-flow onset. This paper focuses on: (i) Single-cylinder Converter. (ii) Various nonlinear oscillator models with displacement-adaptive stiffness and velocity-adaptive damping. (iii) Systematic variation of parameters for energy harnessing. (iv) Identifying flow domains where each nonlinear effect enhances MHK energy conversion. Experiments were conducted for 20,000 < Re < 120,000, a subset of the TrSL3 flow regime.
Interview with Jim Astbury, IT Manager of Infinity Global

In this issue of the Journal we offer to our readers an interview with Jim Astbury, the IT Manager for Infinity Global, headquartered in Danville, VA, USA. Infinity Global is the premier provider o...
Legitimate Bankers: Pawnbrokers and Moneylenders Join the Premier League

By the 1970s, financial regulation sought a supportive role for enhanced market efficiency and improved competition between lenders. The Consumer Credit Act 1974 devised a uniform set of rules allowing lenders to issue a variety of credit products across the full spectrum of borrowers. Small loans were no exception. For the first time in British history, moneylending and pawnbroking were legitimized. One cannot be a fringe provider if the fringe does not exist in the first place. Encouraging competition between providers contrasts with previous efforts of restricting the small-loan ‘evil’. Small lenders could advertise freely and charge market pricing. Parliament was unwilling to regulate small loans. Credit access and a well-functioning market override social policy concerns on behalf of the few who might suffer from credit use.
From virtual to participatory learning with technology during COVID-19

During COVID-19, schools around the world rapidly went online. Examining youth technology use reveals sharp inequities within the United States’ education system and incongruencies between the tech...
Pre-Service Teacher Experiences of the 5E Instructional Model: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies

This systematic review of qualitative studies was conducted to identify the factors that influence how pre-service science/math teachers implement the 5E instructional model and the challenges and barriers they face in doing so. Sixteen studies were identified in various electronic databases, and a meta-ethnography method was used to review the qualitative studies. The findings illustrate that the experiences of the pre-service teacher varied. Time, resources, method courses, training, field experience, beliefs, content knowledge, and classroom size were identified as influences on the practice of pre-service teachers. To sum up, this review provides a better understanding of pre-service teacher experiences in implementing the 5E instructional model.
Prenatal Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Exposure, Depression and Brain Morphology in Middle Childhood: Results from the ABCD Study

ABSTRACT Objective Prenatal selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) exposure has been inconsistently linked to depression. Potential neural intermediaries remain understudied. We examined whether prenatal SSRI exposure is associated with depressive symptoms and brain structure during middle childhood. Methods Prenatal SSRI exposure (retrospective caregiver-report), depressive symptoms (caregiver-reported Child Behavior Checklist) and brain structure (MRI-derived subcortical volume; cortical thickness and surface area) were assessed in children (analytic ns=5,420-7,528; 235 with prenatal SSRI exposure; 9-10 years old) who completed the baseline session of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive DevelopmentSM Study. Covariates included familial (e.g., 1st degree relative depression density), pregnancy (e.g., planned pregnancy), and child (e.g., birthweight) variables. Matrix spectral decomposition was used to address multiple testing. Results There was no evidence that prenatal SSRI exposure was associated with child depression after accounting for recent maternal depressive symptoms. Prenatal SSRI exposure was associated with greater left superior parietal surface area (b=145.3 mm2, p=0.00038) and lateral occipital cortical thickness (b=0.0272 mm, p=0.0000079), neither of which was associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions Our findings, combined with adverse associations of prenatal exposure to maternal depression and the utility of SSRIs for treating depression, suggest that risk for child depression during middle childhood should not discourage SSRI use during pregnancy. It will be important for future work to examine associations between prenatal SSRI exposure and depression through young adulthood, when risk for depression increases.
CHAPTER 9 – How to Proceed

Publisher Summary This chapter charts the direction that could be taken toward progress. Agricultural scientists, the larger scientific community, and the general public now recognize a large set of problems that have been created, at least partially, by agriculture. They include contamination of water, food and feed by pesticides, eroded soil, fertilizer pollution, pesticide harm to people and other living things, atmospheric contamination by ammonia and methane, and their relation to ozone depletion, global warming, overuse of nonrenewable resources, loss of wildlife habitat, and groundwater mining. Agriculture's myriad accomplishments have vastly increased food and fiber production and the efficiency of that production per acre and per animal. Those who practice agriculture cannot escape responsibility for its effects on nature, but the dominant ethic ignores such effects. The effects are not a cost, but a set of problems to be solved through more science and better technology. It is logical to conclude that agriculture's practitioners believe they have been extraordinarily successful and, therefore, deserve praise not criticism. Raising questions about agricultural practice and results is to miss that point. Agriculture is about results. What matters is whether or not people are fed. Ethical questions just get in the way. If one believes there is no objective truth in ethics, then it follows that a search for objective truth is futile.
Involvement of Threonine Dehydratase in Biosynthesis of the α-Ketobutyrate Prosthetic Group of Urocanase

Seventeen mutants of Pseudomonas putida that were unable to grow on threonine as nitrogen source owing to a lack of threonine dehydratase were isolated, and all were found to be unable to synthesize active urocanase. Spontaneous revertants selected for urocanase production concomitantly regained threonine dehydratase. Mutants that were unable to utilize urocanate as carbon source were also isolated, and these were defective in urocanase formation but were normal in threonine dehydratase levels. Since α-ketobutyrate is the prosthetic group for urocanase, these results are consistent with the proposal that threonine dehydratase is necessary for urocanase prosthetic group biosynthesis. However, the lack of urocanase activity in threonine dehydratase-negative mutants was shown not to be the result of reduced levels of endogenous free α-ketobutyrate, nor to the participation of threonine dehydratase in the initiation of urocanase biosynthesis through the conversion of threonyl-tRNAThr to α-ketobutyryl-tRNAThr. Other alternatives for the participation of threonine dehydratase in urocanase biosynthesis are discussed.
Lobbying Congress about oceans

The Congressional Oceans Day on September 25 provided an opportunity for scientists, researchers, and explorers to educate staff members from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate about ocean science, and update them about hot policy issues such as climate change and the fate of coral reefs, and key ocean-related projects. Among the major projects is the Census of Marine Life, an international research program conceived in 1997. The 10-year, $l-billion program aims to assess and explore the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life, according to Jesse Ausubel of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a project funder. The census, which plans to support 30 field projects over a decade, already has a commitment for $15 million in start-up funding, and work has started on a half-dozen projects. These include a study of the history of marine animal populations, and the development of an ocean biogeographical information system.
Athletics: Leadership or Management?

(1975). Athletics: Leadership or Management? Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 46, No. 4, pp. 21-22.
Improving Home-School Links in Reading by Communicating with Parents

(1988). Improving Home-School Links in Reading by Communicating with Parents. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 61, No. 6, pp. 265-268.
Encapsulated electrodes for microchip devices: Microarrays and platinized electrodes for signal enhancement

In this paper, we present two new methodologies of improving the performance of microchip-based electrochemical detection in microfluidic devices. The first part describes the fabrication and characterization of epoxy-embedded gold microelectrode arrays that are evenly spaced and easily modified. Electrodepositions using a gold plating solution can be performed on the electrodes to result in a 3D pillar array that, when used with microchip-based flow injection analysis, leads to an eightfold increase in signal (when compared to a single electrode), with the LOD for catechol being 4 nM. For detecting analytically challenging molecules such as nitric oxide (NO), platinization of electrodes is commonly used to increase the sensitivity. It is shown here that microchip devices containing either the pillar arrays or more traditional glassy carbon electrodes can be modified with platinum black (Pt-black) for NO detection. In the case of using glassy carbon electrodes for NO detection, integration of the resulting platinized electrode with microchip-based flow analysis resulted in a ten times signal increase relative to use of a bare glassy carbon electrode. In addition, it is demonstrated that these electrodes can be coated with Nafion to impart selectivity toward NO over interfering species such as nitrite. The LOD for NO when using the Pt-black /Nafion-coated glassy carbon electrode was 9 nM. These electrodes can also be embedded in a polystyrene substrate, with the applicability of these sensitive and selective electrodes being demonstrated by monitoring the adenosine triphosphate-mediated release of NO from endothelial cells immobilized in a microfluidic network without any adhesion factor.
Pharmacokinetics of Oral Methadone in the Treatment of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Objective To characterize the population pharmacokinetics of oral methadone in neonates requiring pharmacologic treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome and to develop a pharmacokinetic (PK) model toward an evidence-based treatment protocol. Study design Based on a methadone dosing protocol, serum concentrations of methadone and its metabolites were assessed by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry from dried blood spots. Population PK analysis was performed to determine the volume of distribution and clearance of oral methadone. Methadone plasma concentration-time profiles were simulated from the deduced PK model to optimize the dosing regimen. Results There was substantial interindividual variability in methadone concentrations. Blood concentrations of methadone were best described by a 1-compartment model with first-order absorption. The population mean estimates (coefficient of variation percentage) for oral clearance and volume of distribution were 8.94 (103%) L/h/70 kg and 177 (133%) L/70 kg, respectively. Optimized dosing strategies were developed based on the simulated PK profiles. We suggest a starting dose of 0.1 mg/kg per dose every 6 hours for most patients requiring pharmacologic treatment of neonatal abstinence syndrome followed by an expedited weaning phase. Conclusions The proposed dosing regimen may reduce the cumulative dose of opioid and shorten the length of hospitalization. Future studies should aim to validate the simulated dosing schemes with clinical data and expand our understanding of the between-patient PK variability. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01754324.
The coaxial hybrid iron (CHI) wiggler

Abstract A wiggler design has been developed which is scalable to small periods with high field amplitude, high beam current acceptance, and excellent transverse focusing and beam propagation properties. The coaxial hybrid iron (CHI) wiggler design consists of a coaxial arrangement of alternating ferromagnetic and non-ferromagnetic rings with the central portion of the coax shifted by one half period. The entire arrangement is immersed in a solenoidal field which results in a cylindrically symmetric periodic field. FEL configurations using this wiggler design have the potential for high power, high frequency coherent generation in relatively compact systems. Analytic and simulated characteristics of the CHI wiggler are discussed.
Socially Mobile Mexican Americans and the Minority Culture of Mobility

Based on 50 in-depth interviews and extensive fieldwork, this article contributes to the literature on inequality and middle-class minorities by examining socially mobile Mexican Americans—those wh...
Osseous regeneration after therapy in patients with head and neck tumors

Four patients with head and neck tumors were observed by serial computed tomography (CT) during treatment. Osseous regeneration was demonstrated at sites of initial osteolytic destruction in two patients who responded to therapy. This regeneration was observed at 4 and 7 months, respectively, after the start of therapy. No such regeneration could be seen in the other two patients who did not respond to treatment. CT may be useful not only in demonstrating initial osseous invasion, but also in monitoring treatment response.
Continuous decoding of intended movements with a hybrid kinetic and kinematic brain machine interface

Although most brain-machine interface (BMI) studies have focused on decoding kinematic parameters of motion, it is known that motor cortical activity also correlates with kinetic signals, including hand force and joint torque. In this experiment, a monkey used a cortically-controlled BMI to move a visual cursor and hit a sequence of randomly placed targets. By varying the contributions of separate kinetic and kinematic decoders to the movement of a virtual arm, we evaluated the hypothesis that a BMI incorporating both signals (Hybrid BMI) would outperform a BMI decoding kinematic information alone (Position BMI). We show that the trajectories generated by the Hybrid BMI during real-time decoding were straighter and smoother than those of the Position BMI. These results may have important implications for BMI applications that require controlling devices with inherent, physical dynamics or applying forces to the environment.