cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Retinal dysfunction in a presymptomatic patient with Huntington's disease.

PURPOSE Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive motor dysfunction, cognitive decline, and psychiatric disturbances. Studies have shown retinal abnormalities in patients and mouse models with HD; however, to our knowledge, no prior research papers evaluated retinal structure and function in a presymptomatic patient with HD. The aim of this report is to present a case of retinal dysfunction in a presymptomatic patient with HD. METHODS We investigated retinal structure and function in a 25-year-old male who tested positive for the gene that causes HD, but did not have any symptoms normally associated with HD. Vision and ocular testing included a comprehensive dilated ophthalmic examination, 24-2 full-threshold Humphrey visual field, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), fundus photography, full-field electroretinogram (ERG), and multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG). RESULTS Visual electrophysiology testing showed rod and cone functional anomalies in both eyes. Full-field ERG amplitudes were subnormal in both eyes for the dark-adapted (DA) 0.01 ERG, DA 3 ERG, DA 3 oscillatory potentials (OPs), DA 10 ERG, light-adapted (LA) 3 ERG, and LA 30 Hz flicker, but peak times for the six standard ERG responses were not significantly different from normals. mfERGs revealed functional anomalies of the central retina with attenuated P1 amplitudes for five of the six concentric rings in the right eye and all six rings in the left eye. mfERG P1 peak times were normal at all eccentricities. Dilated fundus examination, SD-OCT, and fundus photography were unremarkable in both eyes. The visual field was normal in the right eye, but there was a mild paracentral field defect in the left eye. CONCLUSIONS Our results illustrate that the ERG and mfERG detected early retinal dysfunction in a presymptomatic patient with HD consistent with electroretinogram findings in animal models of HD. However, our report was limited to one patient and additional studies are needed to verify whether the ERG and/or mfERG can uncover neural dysfunction before motor, behavioral, and cognitive abnormalities are discernible in patients with HD.
Fine Motor Skills, Executive Function, and Academic Achievement

Determining the skills for young children’s school readiness and other factors that influence academic success is important. This chapter examines the effects fine motor skills and executive function skills have on academic achievement. Evidence is mounting that sensory and bodily movements, as Piaget suggested, lead to cognitive development. Fine motor skills in preschool, perhaps particularly in use of a writing implement, foreshadow later academic success in reading, mathematics, and science. Executive function skills, especially attention and inhibitory control, predict school success and health as an adult. A large variety of effective programs have been found to positively impact executive function skills. Many psychiatric disorders include poor fine motor skills in a large portion of the affected populations. These include developmental coordination disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism spectrum disorders, among others. The severity of fine motor impairment in autism directly predicts the severity of autism, bringing attention to the need for fine motor skill interventions. Interventions that are task-oriented with a teacher coaching the child on arm positions or other points of interest, have been the most successful interventions. Several meta-analyses and controlled studies related to fine motor interventions are reviewed with example classroom-tested interventions suggested.
Platelet Thromboxane Receptors: Biology and Function

Thromboxane A2 (TXA2), is a product of the cyclooxygenase pathway of arachidonic acid metabolism with platelet activation, vascular and bronchial smooth muscle constrictive and smooth muscle proliferative properties. TXA2 plays an important role in normal hemostasis and in vascular and bronchial smooth muscle physiology, it contributes to the pathophysiology of vascular and pulmonary diseases and it also appears to play a role in some forms of renal disease. TXA2 binds to specific receptors on platelets and blood vessels that stimulate signaling pathways that mediate its functional effects. Considerable progress has been made in recent years in definition of the structure and function of the receptor to which TXA2_binds, and of post-receptor signaling pathways in platelets and other cells. This chapter will review this progress and summarize current understanding of the platelet TXA2 receptor.
Mythical Structure of Narration, Cinematic Elements, Film Genres

The first part of this chapter presents the mythical structure of narration, based on the work of Carl Jung on archetypes and the structure of selfhood, applied by Joseph Campbell in writing on myths and by Christopher Vogler on the practical guide for screenplays. This is illustrated in discussions on Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Erin Brockovich (2000). The second part considers cinematic language and the difference between narrative and documentary films. Presented is Inside Job (Charles H. Ferguson, 2010), an influential documentary depicting the financial world. Some differences in approaching narrative and documentary films are illustrated by considering different narrative film adaptations of a stock-market manipulation (Boiler Room, 2000), (The Wolf of Wall Street, 2013), and a documentary on the same story (The Real Wolf of Wall Street, 2014). The third part of this chapter presents various approaches to narrative film, involving discussions on: Jaws (1975), The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979), Funny Games (1997, 2007), Noah (2014) and Arrival (2016).
Peptide and Protein Structure Prediction with a Simplified Continuum Solvent Model

A continuum solvent model based on screened Coulomb potentials has been simplified and parametrized to sample native-like structures in replica-exchange simulations of each of six different peptides and miniproteins. Low-energy, native, and non-native structures were used to iteratively refine 11 parameter values. The centroid of the largest cluster of structures sampled in simulations initiated from an extended conformation represents the predicted structure. The main-chain rms deviation of this prediction from the experimental structure was 0.47 A for the 12-residue Trp-zip2, 0.86 A for the 14-residue MBH12, 2.53 A for the 17-residue U(1–17)T9D, 2.03 A for the 20-residue BS1, 1.08 A for the 20-residue Trp-cage, and 3.64 A for the 35-residue villin headpiece subdomain HP35. The centroid of the sixth largest cluster sampled for HP35 deviated by 0.91 A. The CHARMM22/CMAP force field was used, with an additional ψ torsion term for residues other than glycine and proline. Six parameters govern the dielectric...
Environmental consulting as experimental system: Uncertainty and emergence in Ecuador’s oil sector, 1988–2001

Abstract This article uses the case of environmental consulting in Ecuador’s petroleum sector to highlight unintuitive dynamics of institutional change precipitated by characteristically neoliberal conditions. Amidst economic crisis, counterpoised pressures between state, industry and civil society in Ecuador in the 1980s and 1990s allowed private consultants to treat the means and ends of petroleum reform as ‘uncertain’, to be explored via ‘experiments’ in mitigation and scientific research. ‘Experimentation’ in petroleum development practices was, at once, a symptom of socioeconomic crisis; an ethos prized by consultants for the freedom they enjoyed; an engine for the production of new norms; and a source of profit in a new business field focused on legitimizing petroleum extraction. Attuning to uncertainty and experimentation helps us to diagnose emergent forms of governance in contexts riven by economic crisis and radical social change such as those typically studied by scholars of neoliberal reforms. This orientation complements analyses of neoliberalism focused on capitalist coercion, or the deliberative uptake of expert plans and tools, which otherwise risk painting overly rational and volitional portraits of institutional change.
Effects of potassium on macromineral absorption in sheep fed wheat straw-based diets.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of increasing dietary K on macromineral bioavailability from a wheat straw-hay diet, and to monitor changes in the rumen that could affect mineral availability. In the first experiment, 12 mature wethers were used in a metabolism study to determine the effect of adding potassium chloride (KCl) to a supplement fed with a diet of 55% NH3-treated wheat straw and 45% bromegrass hay. In the second experiment, similar diets were fed to six wethers with ruminal and abomasal cannulae to determine the site of mineral absorption. Dietary K levels were 1, 2 and 3% of the diet dry matter. Increasing K tended to decrease (P less than .06) apparent absorption of Mg. Potassium absorption increased (P less than .01) with increasing dietary K, but retention was not altered. Quadratic effects (P less than .01) of K were observed for Ca and P apparent absorption and retention. Increased K lowered (P less than .05) plasma Mg in Exp. 1 but not in Exp. 2. Ruminal concentrations of K increased (P less than .01), and concentrations of Na decreased (P less than .05), as dietary K increased. Ruminal fermentation was influenced by dietary K level. Molar proportions of acetate in the rumen were increased (P less than .01) by the addition of K to the diet, while molar proportions of butyrate (P less than .01) and valerate (P less than .01) decreased linearly with increasing K. Time X treatment interactions were present for ruminal propionate, butyrate and NH3-N (P less than .01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Understanding Indian International Student Experience in the United States

Currently, over 196,271 Indian international students are attending American colleges and universities. These students, similar to other ethnic minority student populations, encounter various challenges while studying overseas. This article focuses on two central questions, (1) How do individual factors (e.g., personality traits) of Indian international students aid in their adjustment in the U.S? (2) Can these individual factors be acquired? Seven Indian international students currently studying in a U.S. university were interviewed. Data were analyzed using phenomenological methodology. The findings identified ten individual themes that aided in adjustment and reported how these factors can be acquired by adapting certain cognitive and behavioral aspects. This study reflects the limitations, implications, and future research.
Generalized additive regression for group testing data

In screening applications involving low-prevalence diseases, pooling specimens (e.g., urine, blood, swabs, etc.) through group testing can be far more cost effective than testing specimens individually. Estimation is a common goal in such applications and typically involves modeling the probability of disease as a function of available covariates. In recent years, several authors have developed regression methods to accommodate the complex structure of group testing data but often under the assumption that covariate effects are linear. Although linearity is a reasonable assumption in some applications, it can lead to model misspecification and biased inference in others. To offer a more flexible framework, we propose a Bayesian generalized additive regression approach to model the individual-level probability of disease with potentially misclassified group testing data. Our approach can be used to analyze data arising from any group testing protocol with the goal of estimating multiple unknown smooth functions of covariates, standard linear effects for other covariates, and assay classification accuracy probabilities. We illustrate the methods in this article using group testing data on chlamydia infection in Iowa.
Cover crops support arthropod predator activity with variable effects on crop damage during transition to organic management

Abstract Across the Mid-Atlantic United States, organic grain growers are interested in minimizing tillage to reduce management costs and detrimental effects on soil. Organic cover crop-based rotational no-till (OrgCCRT), in which cash crops are no-till planted into a mat of rolled cover crops, may meet grower objectives. However, growers may not adopt OrgCCRT if the system provides habitat for pests, especially during the transition to certified organic management when financial risk may be high. We studied the effects of OrgCCRT on predatory arthropod activity-density, diversity and community composition during the three-year transition to organic management. We also assessed biological control potential of the system, pest activity-density, and damage by invertebrate pests to two, no-till-planted cash crops, corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.). A mixture of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) and triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmack), and cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) preceded corn and soybean, respectively, as winter cover crops, which were terminated by rolling on three dates (early, middle, and late). Predatory arthropod activity-density, richness, and the relative predation index increased by the third year of organic management in rolled hairy vetch-triticale. Lower caterpillar densities in hairy vetch-triticale and lower slug density in both rolled cover crop treatments correlated with significantly greater predator activity-density, regardless of year or planting date. Delaying cash crop planting date resulted in greater cutting, chewing and slug damage in some crop years. Time in organic management augments predatory arthropod activity-density and diversity in OrgCCRT systems, thus contributing to suppression of invertebrate pests and crop damage.
Prevention of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome in an Outpatient Prenatal Buprenorphine Tapering Program.

Objectives Many addicted pregnant patients receiving buprenorphine medication-assisted therapy (MAT) wish to discontinue this medication while pregnant. This study was undertaken to determine whether outpatient detoxification from buprenorphine during pregnancy is safe and effective when confirmed with postdetoxification urine drug screens (UDSs). Methods This case series reports the maternal and neonatal outcomes for 21 patients who ended MAT with buprenorphine while pregnant. A retrospective chart review of both maternal and newborn electronic medical records was performed to obtain results. Newborn neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) diagnosis, need for morphine, maternal safety and fetal/newborn complications were assessed. Maternal sobriety was documented with UDSs at the time of admission for delivery. Umbilical cord blood also was assessed for substances of abuse. An additional 182 pregnant women who lowered their buprenorphine doses but did not decide to end MAT were assessed via routine quality assurance methods. Results None of the women who stopped buprenorphine during their pregnancy as confirmed by UDSs and umbilical cord sampling delivered neonates who had NAS. Eleven patients ended MAT with medical assistance and 10 ended MAT without medical assistance. No overdoses were reported for the 182 additional pregnant patients who indicated an intention to taper buprenorphine dosage while pregnant but who did not decide to end MAT; the neonatal benefits were obtained without any identified maternal harm. Conclusions The neonates of pregnant women enrolled in an outpatient buprenorphine MAT tapering program who are able to completely stop taking buprenorphine (as documented by negative urinary drug screen) are very unlikely to have NAS. Further research will be important.
Lumican regulates cervical corticospinal axon collateralization via non-autonomous crosstalk between distinct corticospinal neuron subpopulations

Corticospinal neurons (CSN) are the cortical projection neurons that innervate the spinal cord and some brainstem targets with segmental precision to control voluntary movement of specific functional motor groups, limb sections, or individual digits. CSN subpopulations exhibit striking axon targeting specificity from development into maturity: Evolutionarily newer rostrolateral CSN exclusively innervate bulbar-cervical targets (CSNBC-lat), while evolutionarily older caudomedial CSN (CSNmedial) are more heterogeneous, with distinct subpopulations extending axons to either bulbar-cervical or thoraco-lumbar segments. However, molecular regulation over specificity of CSN segmental target innervation is essentially unknown. The cervical cord, with its evolutionarily enhanced precision of forelimb movement, is innervated by multiple CSN subpopulations, suggesting inter-neuronal interactions in establishing cervical corticospinal circuitry. Here, we identify that Lumican, previously unrecognized in axon development, controls the balance of innervation between CSNBC-lat and CSNmedial within the cervical spinal cord. Remarkably, Lumican, an extracellular matrix protein expressed by CSNBC-lat, non-cell-autonomously suppresses axon collateralization in the cervical cord by CSNmedial. Intersectional viral labeling and mouse genetics further identify that Lumican controls axon collateralization by multiple CSN subpopulations in caudomedial sensorimotor cortex. These results identify inter-axonal molecular crosstalk between CSN subpopulations as a novel mechanism controlling corticospinal circuitry, target density, and competitive specificity. Further, this mechanism has potential implications for evolutionary diversification of corticospinal circuitry with finer scale precision.
Local institutions and public school spending under restricted suffrage: The case of post-unitary Italy

Abstract This paper studies the impact of legislative size on public spending on education, in a context of restricted suffrage. In 1860s Italy, male teachers were pivotal voters and were directly hired and fired by the local council. As a consequence, local legislators gained large political payoffs from public spending on education. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that townships that were quasi-randomly assigned a larger council spent more on primary education by 6% of a standard deviation per additional councilman. Consistent with a pork-barrel mechanism, the legislative size effect on spending is driven by a surge in the appointment of male teachers, while female teachers, ineligible to vote, were not affected by legislative size. Higher school spending is associated with higher public education supply and a larger student population.
Presentation of ovarian cancer in women with BRCA mutations

Objectives: Investigate the clinical presentation and diagnosis of ovarian cancer in women with BRCA mutations. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of all women in an integrated healthcare system with pathogenic mutations identified between 1/1/2003-12/31/2018 who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer (OC). Primary outcome was stage of OC; secondary outcomes included method of diagnosis in women with genetic testing before OC diagnosis, interval to diagnosis, and age at genetic testing and ovarian cancer diagnosis. Results: Of the 299 women with OC and a BRCA mutation, 41 women were diagnosed with OC after BRCA testing, with 26 (63%) diagnosed on risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO), 4 (10%) diagnosed by abnormal surveillance testing, and 11 (27%) diagnosed with symptoms. Median age at OC diagnosis was 55, 54, and 58 years for the RRSO, surveillance and symptom groups respectively. Women with a known BRCA mutation status at the time of their OC diagnosis were more likely to have earlier stage OC compared to those who underwent genetic testing after their OC diagnosis (54% vs 15%, p Download : Download high-res image (170KB) Download : Download full-size image Conclusions: In women with a known BRCA mutation, most OC is diagnosed in older women and at the time of RRSO. Women with a known BRCA mutation at the time of their OC diagnosis were more likely to have earlier stage disease compared to those who underwent genetic testing after their OC diagnosis. The late age at genetic testing of these patients, as well as the earlier stage disease seen in those with a known BRCA mutation, highlights the need for earlier genetic testing and RRSO. Cancers diagnosed on RRSO are more likely to be early stage. Few cancers are detected by surveillance.
Analog Self-Interference Cancellation Networks for STAR Phased Arrays

Theoretical performance of ideal multi-channel analog Self-Interference Cancellation (SIC) networks are considered for Simultaneous Transmit and Receive (STAR) phased array applications. Three different matching criteria are described for designing analog SIC networks, two of which may be implemented using a single cancellation path per element. Simulated results are presented comparing the performance of each SIC type under finite dynamic range limitations.
Are We There Yet?: Should All Comatose Cardiac Arrest Survivors Go to the Cath Lab?

Major progress in the treatment of coronary artery disease has been made over the past several decades. Yet in 2014, coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. The first manifestation of CHD in at least 50% of patients is sudden cardiac death (SCD); it most often
Integration of instruments and a laboratory information management system at the information level: An inductively coupled plasma spectrometer

Abstract A software upgrade to an analytical instrument computer and a laboratory information management system (LIMS) is described. The instrument is a modified Jarrell-Ash model 750 inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometer that is connected through a custom designed interface to a DEC PDP-11/23 computer. The LIMS is a customized system based on the MUMPS operating system running on a DEC PDP-11/24 computer. Both computers are located in the Chemical Analysis Branch of the Materials Division of NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, OH. The improved software in both computers allows them to share information about sample batches submitted to the laboratory for analysis and the analytical results obtained for those batches. This has decreased the amount of manual transcription required of the analyst, reducing errors and freeing up time for more analyses to be performed. The local storage of batch information on the ICP computer also lessens the impact of LIMS down time.
A New Twist for an Olde Code: Examining Virginia's New Rules of Professional Conduct

On September 24, 1998, the Virginia State Bar Association filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Virginia, seeking the promulgation of the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct. The submission was the culmination of an intensive six-year period of drafting and redrafting in an effort to create an updated, user-friendly set of standards, while generally retaining the substance of the Virginia Code of Professional Responsibility (CPR).On January 25, 1999, the hard work of the drafting committee paid off. The Supreme Court adopted the Virginia Rules and set January 1, 2000 as the effective date.This article seeks to introduce some of the more significant Virginia Rules provisions. Part II provides a brief synopsis of the process involved in the development of the Virginia Rules. Part III provides the text of selected rules and compares those rules with the provisions of the former Virginia Code and the American Bar Association’s Model Rules. Finally, Part IV concludes by considering the practical impact these changes will have on Virginia practitioners.
Inflation, Real Activity and Income Distribution

This paper develops a monetary growth model in which inflation affects credit market efficiency, and via this link, capital accumulation, and the incomes of agents. Some fraction of the population is capitalists, who have access to a risky but high return capital production technology. Capital investment must be partially externally financed via workers' savings, and this is subject to a costly state verification (CSV) problem. Successful capitalists leave bequests to their offspring which are then used by them to internally fund some part of their own investment projects. Bequests help mitigate the severity of the contracting friction thereby promoting credit market efficiency and capital formation. Inflation acts as an unavoidable tax on the capital incomes of the capitalists thereby reducing their bequests and worsening the CSV friction. The computational experiments reveal that in the model economy, irrespective of whether the government rebates the proceeds of the inflation tax to capitalists or workers, inflation increases the steady-state capital stock. The regime where workers get the entire transfer is shown to be "superior" in many respects to one where the capitalists get some or all the transfer.
The di-π-methane rearrangement : The effect of 1,4-diene structure and conformation on the reaction efficiency and stereochemistry

Abstract The photochemistry of the stereoisomeric 1,3-dimethyl-3(2-phenylethenyl)cyclohexenes has been explored Direct irradiation of the cis- and trans-β-styrylcyclohexenes leads to di-π-methane rearrangement, producing the endo- and exo-3,7-dimethyl-8-phenybicyclo[5.1.0]oct-2-enes, and cis -trans isomerization, interconverting the 1,4-diene containing substrates. Triplet sensitized photolysis of both substituted cyclohexenes leads exclusively to cis-trans isomerization. Results from low conversion direct irradiations of the cis- and trans-β-styrylcyclohexenes indicate that the singlet rearrangements are stereospecific, and lead to formation of the 8-exo and 8-endo-phenylbicyclic octenes, respectively. The relationship between di-π-methane structure and triplet reaction efficiency, and the effect of conformation on the rearrangement stereochemistry are discussed.
The Color of Change: Voting Rights in the 21st Century and the California Voting Rights Act

In this Comment, I explore how coalition plaintiffs may be able to bring effective voting rights claims under both Section 2 of the Federal Voting Rights Act (VRA) as well as under the California Voting Rights Act (CVRA) to directly address continued voter discrimination, dilution, and disenfranchisement in the twenty-first century. As our society and voting population become increasingly multiethnic, multiracial, and multilingual, many local voting districts - including school districts - remain resistant to respond to the needs and demands of voters who reflect this unprecedented demographic change. In fact, several commentators have employed a “post-racial” discourse when seeking to avoid litigation claims regarding continued voter discrimination and vote dilution brought by increasingly diverse multiethnic and multilingual plaintiffs. I argue that the need for effective voting rights remedies that respond to continued voter disenfranchisement remains critical to the evolution of our democratic process. Given the higher evidentiary burdens voting rights plaintiffs may be required to meet under the Supreme Court's recent decision in Bartlett v. Strickland, I explore how the CVRA, in particular, provides potential coalition plaintiffs with a complementary state-based remedial measure to address continued voter disenfranchisement. I conclude that coalition plaintiffs should be able to look to the CVRA and similar state-based legislation modeled on the CVRA as just one key part of a comprehensive set of strategies designed to effectively address voter discrimination in the twenty-first century.
Comparative Biological Chemistry of Cobalt Hemoglobin

Abstract Cobaltohemoglobin A binds oxygen cooperatively with a Hill coefficient of up to 2.3 and its p1/2 is found to be 91 mm. Its oxygen affinity is controlled by diphosphoglycerate which the protein binds very strongly. Cobaltohemoglobin A possesses only 40% of the alkaline Bohr effect of the native enzyme; carbon dioxide has no effect upon oxygen binding. The oxidation-reduction potential of cobaltohemoglobin A is +0.100 volt which is about 50 mv less positive than that of native hemoglobin. The electron paramagnetic resonance of the nitroxide spin label attached to the sulfhydryl groups of cys(92)β and the rates of reaction of these groups with paramercuribenzoate indicate that the "heme" crevice is more open near that residue. A detailed comparison of these properties with those of the native protein suggests subtle and intricate alterations of the quaternary structures of the oxy and deoxy species which result from substitution of the metal atom.
Runoff of nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus from turfgrass after watering-in

Abstract Fertilizer nutrients could be transported from turfgrass areas to surface waters, especially those areas intensively managed, such as golf courses. An experiment was initiated to determine effects of “watering-in” fertilizer on the amounts of nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus that is found in runoff water. Three rates of 10–10–10 fertilizer were added to bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] on a 5% slope and a 0.64 cm irrigation applied. Three days later a 50-mm simulated rainfall was applied [72 h after treatment (HAT)] with three subsequent events. A second experiment was similar except no watering-in was done and the first event was at 4 HAT. Phosphorus and nitrate nitrogen mass transported increased step-wise with rate increases for the first two runoff events. Watering-in and waiting three days greatly decreased the volume of runoff water and the amounts of phosphorus and nitrate nitrogen transported. Runoff volume was a function of soil moisture content before the simulated rainfall eve...
Hacking 101: Does It Appear We Are Training The Cyberspace Criminals Of The Future?

Cyber attacks are becoming commonplace in the business world today. But, it isn't just affecting the large businesses and conglomerates. Computer experts are indicating that it is affecting millions of computers worldwide and is causing professionals, academics, and government officials to rethink computer information's security. But how are these new age criminals gaining their skills? Many are suggesting it is the hallowed halls of the nation's and world's universities and colleges, and even the lower educational levels, which are providing the skills. As technology is exponentially increasing, so is the incidence of cyber attacks. In the recent episodes of computer espionage and attacks, hackers have become much more sophisticated and more alarmingly, much younger. The computer is a man-made device that requires political, legal, and ethical responsibilities. In assessing the social responsibilities associated with information technology as we move into the new millennium, the organization must address...
Pancreatic or liver resection for malignancy is safe and effective for the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Liver resection, or pancreaticoduodenectomy, has traditionally been thought to have a high morbidity and mortality rate among the elderly. Recent improvements in surgical and anesthetic techniques, an increasing number of elderly patients, and an increasing need to justify use of limited health care resources prompted an assessment of recent surgical outcomes. METHODS: Five hundred seventy-seven liver resections (July 1985-July 1994) performed for metastatic colorectal cancer and 488 pancreatic resections (October 1983-July 1994) performed for pancreatic malignancies were identified in departmental data bases. Outcomes of patients younger than age 70 years were compared with those of patients age 70 years or older. RESULTS: Liver resection for 128 patients age 70 years or older resulted in a 4% perioperative mortality rate and a 42% complication rate. Median hospital stay was 13 days, and 8% of the patients required admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Median survival was 40 months, and the 5-year survival rate was 35%. No differences were found between results for the elderly and those for younger patients who had undergone liver resection, except for a minimally shorter hospital stay for the younger patients (median, 12 days vs. 13 days; p = 0.003). Pancreatic resection for 138 elderly patients resulted in a mortality rate of 6% and a complication rate of 45%. Median stay was 20 days, and 19% of the patients required ICU admission, results identical to those for the younger cohort. Long-term survival was poorer for the elderly patients, with a 5-year survival rate of 21% compared with 29% for the younger cohort (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Major liver or pancreatic resections can be performed for the elderly with acceptable morbidity and mortality rates and possible long-term survival. Chronological age alone is not a contraindication to liver or pancreatic resection for malignancy.
A singular elliptic boundary value problem

Abstract We prove a uniqueness result for the boundary blow-up problem Δu = f(u) in B, u|∂B = ∞ where B is an open ball. We are able to consider nonlinearities not covered by recent results of Bandle and Marcus.
Development of undergraduate programs in computational science: panel

There is a pressing need for a workforce with the simulation and modeling skills associated with computational science. A number of national studies have substantiated those needs with respect to the future competitiveness of the US in research and development, the innovation of new products, and the competitiveness of our industry [1,2,3].
A Method to Determine Hardness and Work of Grinding Wheat

The Brabender Farinograph with a burr mill accessory was modified to measure the work in joules to grind 25–55g of wheat and to provide a digital readout of the data. Temperature (18–20°C), protein content (10.5–15.9%), kernel size, and growth location had little effect on the results, but the work required to grind wheat increased with increasing moisture content (7–13%). The average work was 530 joules (standard deviation 3.3) for 60 samples of a soft white winter wheat and 880 joules (standard deviation 5.3) for 60 samples of a very hard red winter wheat. The method may be suitable for distinguishing between hard and soft wheats.
Equations implying congruence n-permutability and semidistributivity

T. Dent, K. Kearnes and A. Szendrei have defined the derivative, Σ′, of a set of equations Σ and shown, for idempotent Σ, that Σ implies congruence modularity if Σ′ is inconsistent $${(\Sigma^\prime \models x \approx y)}$$ . In this paper we investigate other types of derivatives that give similar results for congruence n-permutability for some n, and for congruence semidistributivity.
An evaluation of the locomotor stimulating action of ethanol in rats and mice

The locomotor activity of groups of three CD-1 female mice was increased by 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg ethanol, IP, was decreased during the first hour and increased during the second hour by 3.0 and 4.0 g/kg, and was decreased by 5.0 g/kg. The dose (2.0 g/kg) that caused the greatest increase in locomotor activity did not impair motor coordination, measured by the height of aerial righting in mice. Tests after oral administration of ethanol showed that the increase in locomotor activity of mice was not due to peritoneal irritation. The same dose (2.0 g/kg) did not increase the locomotor activity of C57BL/6J mice. Ethanol (0.1 to 3.0 g/kg) had no effect or decreased the locomotor activity of individual male Sprague-Dawley rats. These findings suggest that biological differences in strains and species of laboratory rodents contribute to the apparent variability of locomotor stimulation caused by ethanol. The presence or absence of an ethanol-induced increase in locomotor activity was not dependent on the sex or number of mice or rats tested. Intertrial-interval crossing by rats acquiring or performing an active avoidance task in a shuttle box was increased by ethanol. This action was dependent on the presentation of electric foot shock. Apomorphine (0.25 and 2.5 mg/kg) and fenmetozole (7.5 and 15.0 mg/kg) failed to inhibit the ethanolinduced increase in intertrial-interval crossing by rats, although these drugs have been shown previously to antagonize the ethanol-induced increase in the activity of mice ethanol treatment. The ethanol-induced increases in the spontaneous locomotor activity of CD-1 mice in photocell activity monitors and in intertrial-interval crosses in rats in a shuttle box task thus do not appear to share a common mechanism.
Interleukin-1β inhibits synthesis of 5-lipooxygenase in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated equine whole blood.

Abstract Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine. It induces the synthesis of prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) catalyzed by cyclooxygenase (COX) and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase (m-PGES). Besides its pro-inflammatory properties, PGE 2 also exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting synthesis of 5-lipooxygenase (5-LO) products which are in themselves, pro-inflammatory mediators. Thus, inhibition of 5-LO products is beneficial in regulating immune-responses and pro-inflammatory processes. To investigate the hypothesis that IL-1β is responsible for the increase in the synthesis of PGE 2 and in the reduction of 5-LO products, equine whole blood (EWB) was treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In vitro treatment of EWB with LPS resulted in increased expression of IL-1β while expression of 5-LO was suppressed. Quantification of eicosanoids using liquid-chromatography–mass spectrometry/multiple reaction monitoring (LC–MS/MRM) showed increased concentrations of prostaglandins and decreased 5-LO products in LPS-treated EWB. Pretreatment of EWB with IL-1β followed by calcium ionophore A23187 (CI) reduced synthesis of 5-LO products. However, pretreatment of EWB with COX-2 inhibitor (NS-398) or m-PGES-1 inhibitor (CAY 10526) and IL-1β followed with CI resulted in a significant ( p 2 production but increased 5-LO products. The result of this study indicated that increased PGE 2 production led to reduction in 5-LO products in LPS-treated EWB via IL-1β. However, other pathways, cytokines and mediators may be involved in inhibiting 5-LO products but the present study did not include those other potential pathways. Inhibition of 5-LO products by PGE 2 in EWB may regulate the initiation and pathogenesis of inflammatory responses in the horse.
Superoxide Dismutase/Catalase Mimetics Are Neuroprotective against Selective Paraquat-mediated Dopaminergic Neuron Death in the Substantial Nigra IMPLICATIONS FOR PARKINSON DISEASE

Exposure of mice to the herbicide paraquat has been demonstrated to result in the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra, pars compacta (SNpc) akin to what is observed in Parkinson disease (PD). In this study, we investigate the efficacy of two synthetic superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetics (EUK-134 and EUK-189) in protecting against paraquat-induced dopaminergic cell death in both the rat dopaminergic cell line 1RB3AN27 (N27) and primary mesencephalic cultures in vitro and in adult mice in vivo. Our data demonstrate that pretreatment with either EUK-134 or EUK-189 significantly attenuates paraquat-induced neurotoxicity in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, systemic administration of EUK-189 decreases paraquat-mediated SNpc dopaminergic neuronal cell death in vivo. These findings support a role for oxidative stress in paraquat-induced neurotoxicity and suggest novel therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative disorders associated with oxidative stress such as PD.
Visual processing speed: effects of auditory input on visual processing

The ability to process simultaneously presented auditory and visual information is a necessary component underlying many cognitive tasks. While this ability is often taken for granted, there is evidence that under many conditions auditory input attenuates processing of corresponding visual input. The current study investigated infants’ processing of visual input under unimodal and cross-modal conditions. Results of the three reported experiments indicate that different auditory input had different effects on infants’ processing of visual information. In particular, unfamiliar auditory input slowed down visual processing, whereas more familiar auditory input did not. These results elucidate mechanisms underlying auditory overshadowing in the course of cross-modal processing and have implications on a variety of cognitive tasks that depend on cross-modal processing.
Giant cystic arachnoid granulations: a rare cause of lytic skull lesions.

Abstract Aracnoid granulations provide the pathway for drainage of cerebrospinal fluid from the subarachnoid space into the dural venous sinus system. They frequently produce small, well-defined indentations on the inner table of the calvarium that are easily recognized on radiographic studies and gross examination of the skull. We report a series of four giant cystic arachnoid granulations presenting as large “destructive” osteolytic lesions that required surgical exploration. The cysts were filled with cerebrospinal fluid and were delineated by a thin fibrous wall that contained peripheral clusters of arachnoid cells. We discuss the pathologic and radiographic differential diagnosis of osteolytic skull lesions and present a hypothesis regarding the formation of giant cystic arachnoid granulations.
Case report 658

A case of grade 1 chondrosarcoma of the phalanx of a finger complicating MHE is presented. Although the cytological features did not include anaplasia, other histological features, the presence of MHE, and recurrence of the tumor after local excision aided in making the correct diagnosis. This case emphasizes the importance of correlating the histological features with the radiological and clinical findings of all bone tumors, and especially cartilaginous lesions.
Differential treatment planning for mandibular prognathism

The treatment records of thirty-eight cases of mandibular prognathism treated by orthodontics means only (ORTHO) were evaluated. The pretreatment records of twenty cases of mandibular subapical esteotomy (SUB) and twenty cases of mandibular setback (SET) were evaluated for comparison and contrast with the pretreatment ORTHO records and with each other. Dental, skeletal, and soft-tissue parameters in the vertical and horizontal planes of space were recorded. Statistical analysis of means of parameters of the pretreatment records provided documentation of the discriminant variables in each of the following paired groups: ORTHO-SUB, ORTHO-SET, and SUB-SET. Analysis of the data as indicated above led to the following conclusions: 1. Three discriminant groups of mandibular prognathism of various degrees of severity were discernible when comparisons of treatment categories simulating clinical decisions were made. The ORTHO group was distinguished from the SUB group in the horizontal plane and, more strongly, in the vertical plane. The ORTHO group was distinguished from the SET group in the vertical plane and, more strongly, in the horizontal plane. The SUB group was distinguished from the SET group in the horizontal plane. 2. The physiologic developmental status of the patient should be carefully evaluated. 3. Anteroposterior dysplasias should be assessed relative to the cant of the mandibular plane. True denture base discrepancies can be noted relative to the occlusal plane. 4. Documentation of vertical dysplasias should include measurements of craniofacial divergence (SN-MP, FH-MP, and OP-MP). 5. In assessing the profile evaluation of the patient with mandibular prognathism, particular attention should be focused on facial contour angle (FCA), nasolabial angle (NLA), and relative lower lip protrusion (LLP). 6. Any numerical values obtained in the evaluation of the dental, skeletal, or soft-tissue characteristics of mandibular prognathism should be considered only as descriptive, diagnostic guides and not as components of a diagnostic formula.
Possible immature forms of bacteriophage.

WirdEscherichia coli mitT2- oderT4-Bakteriophagen infiziert, so findet man innerhalb und auserhalb der Bakterien kurze Stabchen mit oder ohne Kopf. Diese sind oft radahnlich angeordnet und konnen als Entwicklungsstadien der Phagen angesehen werden.
Weibull stress model for cleavage fracture under high‐rate loading

This paper examines the effects of loading rate on the Weibull stress model for prediction of cleavage fracture in a low-strength, A515-70 pressure vessel steel. Interest focuses on low-to-moderate loading rates (K I < 2500 MPa√m s -1 ). Shallow cracked SE(B) specimens were tested at four different loading rates for comparison with previous quasi-static tests on shallow notch SE(B)s and standard C(T)s. To utilize these dynamic experimental data, we assume that the Weibull modulus (m) previously calibrated using quasi-static data remains invariant over the loading rates of interest. The effects of dynamic loading on the Weibull stress model enter through the rate-sensitive material flow properties, the scale parameter (σ u ) and the threshold Weibull stress (σ w-min ). Rate-sensitive flow properties are modelled using a viscoplastic constitutive model with uniaxial, tension stress-plastic strain curves specified at varying plastic strain rates. The analyses examine dependencies of σ w-min and σ u on K I . Present results indicate that σ w-min and σ u are weak functions of loading rate K I for this pressure vessel steel. However, the predicted cumulative probability for cleavage exhibits a strong sensitivity to σ u and, consequently, the dependency of σ u on K I is sufficient to preclude use of the static σ u value for high loading rates.
Gender and perceived nurse caring in nurse–patient dyads

Gender and perceived nurse caring in nurse–patient dyads The effect of nurse gender on nurse and patient perceptions of nurse caring was explored. Members of nurse–patient dyads (N = 145), equally distributed among the four possible gender combinations, completed matching forms of the Caring Questionnaire immediately following a shift. Perceptions of nurse caring that actually occurred during the preceding shift, as well as usual preferences about nurse caring, were measured. Results of two-factor ANOVAS showed no significant differences in actual caring according to nurse gender from either the nurse or the patient perspective. Expectations of certain nurse caring behaviours, however, were significantly lower for male nurses from both nurse and patient perspectives. The results suggest implications for nursing practice, education and further research.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Pediatric Anxiety

Proceeding in four steps, this review uses research on pediatric anxiety disorders to illustrate how fMRI studies might inform therapeutics. First, we describe how, in developmental psychopathology generally, basic and clinical fMRI research guide each other. Second, we discuss how investigators probe specific behaviors associated with anxiety. Herein we focus on one core feature of anxiety, the abnormal modulation of attention. Pictures of angry faces and other threatening stimuli capture attention to a greater degree in anxious than non-anxious individuals; in this way, such stimuli interact with and influence a cognitive process called “attention orienting”. Using threatening stimuli to manipulate the focus of attention, fMRI studies might eventually test whether interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) reduce anxiety by altering the abnormal orienting of attention. Building on research in animal models, investigators have generated specific hypotheses about which brain regions contribute to abnormal attention orienting in pediatric anxiety disorders. Thus in our third section, we use examples from fMRI research in adolescents to describe how these hypotheses can now be tested. The paper concludes by describing how this general research approach generates novel insights that are potentially relevant to therapeutics.