cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chronic cochlear de-efferentation and susceptibility to permanent acoustic injury

The question of whether olivocochlear (OC) efferent feedback can decrease permanent damage from acoustic overexposure was investigated by comparing the chronic threshold shifts and cochlear histopathology in guinea pigs either surgically de-efferented or sham-operated and then exposed (awake and unrestrained) to a 109- or 112-dB narrow-band noise centered at 10 kHz for 2 h. Threshold shifts were estimated using compound action potentials; hair cell loss and stereocilia condition were evaluated via light-microscopic examination of plastic-embedded surface preparations, and the degree of de-efferentation was assessed by measuring OC fascicles in the tunnel of Corti. Among animals exposed to 109-dB noise, the mean permanent threshold shift (PTS) was less than 25 dB, and there were no significant differences between normal and de-efferented animals with respect to either physiological or histological measures of acoustic injury. Among animals exposed to 112 dB, the mean peak PTS was roughly 50 dB. There was a small (but statistically significant) increase in PTS for de-efferented animals, especially at frequencies above the region of peak threshold shift; however, the patterns of hair cell loss and stereocilia damage were statistically indistinguishable. Thus, for these particular exposure conditions, sound-evoked activity in the OC system does not play a major protective role in the auditory periphery, except perhaps for the extreme basal regions of the cochlea.
Increasing reading comprehension of two hyperactive children: preliminary investigation.

The differential effectiveness of oral and silent reading on comprehension was evaluated for two third-grade children who were hyperactive and who displayed comprehension deficits. Oral reading res...
Regulation of Activation and Processing of the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) by a Complex Electrostatic Interaction between the Regulatory Domain and Cytoplasmic Loop 3

NEG2, a short C-terminal segment (817–838) of the unique regulatory (R) domain of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel, has been reported to regulate CFTR gating in response to cAMP-dependent R domain phosphorylation. The underlying mechanism, however, is unclear. Here, Lys-946 of cytoplasmic loop 3 (CL3) is proposed as counter-ion of Asp-835, Asp-836, or Glu-838 of NEG2 to prevent the channel activation by PKA. Arg-764 or Arg-766 of the Ser-768 phosphorylation site of the R domain is proposed to promote the channel activation possibly by weakening the putative CL3-NEG2 electrostatic attraction. First, not only D835A, D836A, and E838A but also K946A reduced the PKA-dependent CFTR activation. Second, both K946D and D835R/D836R/E838R mutants were activated by ATP and curcumin to a different extent. Third, R764A and R766A mutants enhanced the PKA-dependent activation. However, it is very exciting that D835R/D836R/E838R and K946D/H950D and H950R exhibited normal channel processing and activity whereas D835R/D836R/E838R/K946D/H950D was fractionally misprocessed and silent in response to forskolin. Further, D836R and E838R played a critical role in the asymmetric electrostatic regulation of CFTR processing, and Ser-768 phosphorylation may not be involved. Thus, a complex interfacial interaction among CL3, NEG2, and the Ser-768 phosphorylation site may be responsible for the asymmetric electrostatic regulation of CFTR activation and processing.
Highly reproducible powder aerosolisation for lung delivery using powder-specific electromechanical vibration.

Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) have been in use since the 1970s, but it is only within the past few years that their use has constituted > ∼ 10% of the inhaler units sold worldwide. Similarly, active DPIs have been in development for more than a decade, but no active device has yet been approved. Oriel is developing an active DPI technology that uses a very simple physical design coupled with a complex knowledge of powder flow and dispersion characterisation. The DPI uses electromechanical vibration with frequencies determined through the analysis of powder flow properties. Results so far have shown highly reproducible, efficient performance. The technology lends itself to both unit-dose and multidose platforms in a targeted cost-effective DPI.
Finite element vibration analysis of composite box structures using the high order plate theory

Abstract This study deals with free vibration of folded structures and box beams made of composite materials using a four-noded Lagrangian and Hermite finite element that incorporates high order transverse shear deformation and rotary inertia. An 8×8 matrix is assembled to transform the system element matrices from the local to global co-ordinates, in which an eighth drilling degree of freedom (d.o.f.) per node is appended to the existing 7-d.o.f. system. The results obtained are in good agreement with the semi-analytical solutions and numerical results reported by other investigators. Sample studies are carried out for various layup configurations and boundary conditions. The significance of the high order plate theory in analyzing folded structures is enunciated in this paper.
Spin correlations in Monte Carlo event generators

Abstract Monte Carlo event generators incorporate perturbative QCD as a sequential decay process. A method is proposed for incorporating the complete quantum-mechanical effect of spin correlations. These correlations are normally ignored since the event generators treat the decays as completely independent.
Thermal conductivity of Si?Ge quantum dot superlattices

Quantum dot superlattices (QDSLs) have been proposed for thermoelectric applications as a means of increasing thermal conductivity, σ, and reducing the lattice thermal conductivity, κ(l), to increase the dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit, ZT. To fully exploit the thermoelectric potential of Si-Ge quantum dot superlattices (QDSLs), we performed a thorough study of the structural interplay of QDSLs with κ(l) using Green-Kubo theory and molecular dynamics. It was found that the resulting κ(l) has less dependence on the arrangement of the dots than to dot size and spacing. In fact, regardless of arrangement or concentration, QDSLs show a minimum κ(l) at a dot diameter of 1.4-1.6 nm and can reach values as low as 0.8-1.0 W mK⁻¹, increasing ZT by orders of magnitude over bulk Si and Ge. The drastic reduction of thermal conductivity in such a crystalline system is shown to be the result of both the stress caused by the dots as well as the quality of the Si-Ge interface.
Electrochemically modulated liquid chromatography using a boron-doped diamond particle stationary phase

This paper reports on preliminary tests of the performance of boron-doped diamond powder (BDDP) as a stationary phase in electrochemically modulated liquid chromatography (EMLC). EMLC manipulates retention through changes in the potential applied (Eappl) to a conductive packing. Porous graphitic carbon (PGC) has routinely been utilized as a material in EMLC separations. Herein the utility of BDDP as a stationary phase in EMLC was investigated and its stability, both compositionally and microstructurally, relative to PGC was compared. The results show that BDDP is stable over a wide range of Eappl values (i.e., −1.2 to +1.2 V vs. Ag/AgCl, sat’d NaCl). The data also reveal that electrostatics play a key role in the adsorption of the aromatic sulfonates on the BDDP stationary phase, and that these analytes are more weakly retained in comparison to the PGC support. The potential for this methodology to provide a means to advance the understanding of molecular adsorption and retention mechanisms on carbonaceous materials is briefly discussed.
Micropower: New Variable in the Energy-Environment-Security Equation

The California power crisis and September 11 terrorist attacks of 2001 have reinvigorated debate over the electric power system’s vulnerabilities. But beyond the threat of terrorist attacks on nuclear power stations and the issue of insufficient power, a central, fossil-, and nuclear-based electric power infrastructure carries additional risks. These include aging transmission and distribution systems, environmental impacts, and the failure to bring power to 1.8 billion people in the developing world. Such vulnerabilities could be lessened through small-scale, decentralized technologies. These micropower units exhibit many hidden benefits, such as improved fuel supply diversity, strengthened transmission and distribution systems, and a lower ecological footprint. Micropower is emerging in two niches: developed nations where businesses place a premium on power reliability and developing-nation regions where small-scale power is the most economical means of alleviating power poverty. But broader deployment ...
Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus: subcellular localization and protein trafficking of BV/ODV-E26 to intranuclear membranes and viral envelopes

The Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus da26 gene codes for an envelope protein of both budded virus (BV) and occlusion derived virus (ODV). Western blot and temporal analysis of infected cell extracts detected a protein of 26 kDa by 4 h postinfection (p.i.). The amount of protein increased by 16 h p.i. and remained at high levels throughout infection. By 36 h p.i. several additional immunoreactive proteins were detected which migrated at approximately 18 kDa and remained through 96 h p.i. Western blot analysis of purified virus envelope and nucleocapsid preparations revealed that both the 26- and 18-kDa proteins are structural proteins of the envelope of BV and ODV. Immunoelectron microscopy performed at a time when only the 26-kDa species of the protein was present confirmed that the protein located to ODV envelope. The protein was named BV/ODV-E26 to designate incorporation into viral progeny, envelope location, and apparent molecular weight. Studies designed to follow localization of BV/ODV-E26 demonstrated that early in infection, the protein was incorporated into cytoplasmic vesicles and by 16 h p.i., BV/ODV-E26 was detected in the nucleus associated with virus-induced intranuclear microvesicles and ODV envelope. Coimmunoprecipitation and yeast two-hybrid assays showed that BV/ODV-E26 and FP25K were capable of interacting with each other to form a complex and coimmunoprecipitation assays indicated that cellular actin was a third component of this complex. Together, these data suggest that FP25K and cellular actin may participate in the regulation, or movement through the cell, of baculovirus proteins and/or virus nucleocapsids.
You Sunk My Constitution: Using a Popular Off-the-Shelf Board Game to Simulate Political Concepts

Using an example, this article demonstrates how instructors can make use of popular off-the-shelf board games to model politics. I show how the rules of the popular board game Battleship can be manipulated to simulate centralization of power and, more specifically, the differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Off-the-shelf board games like Battleship provide a powerful—and virtually unrecognized—tool to help simulate complex institutions and concepts by modifying well-known rules to fit pedagogical needs. Board games therefore constitute an untapped resource waiting to be exploited by creative educators.
Nurse practitioner job satisfaction: looking for successful outcomes

Aims and objectives To examine overall job satisfaction and its association with extrinsic and intrinsic characteristics of job satisfaction among nurse practitioners at the chosen practice site. The objectives were to identify relevant retention and recruitment strategies, from the nurse practitioners perspective, by examining (1) what role aspects are most satisfying, and (2) approaches for successful, professional development and integration in the role. Background Supportive professional practice environments are particularly important to nurses’ satisfaction with their work and the quality of patient care provided. Hence, research that examines nurse practitioners practice implications and barriers in today's healthcare system is essential. Design/Methods A descriptive-correlational design using survey methodology. A nonprobability sample of convenience was used. The outcome measures were: The Misener Nurse Practitioner Job Satisfaction Scale and two investigator-developed surveys. Results Participants expressed dissatisfaction with professional and monetary recognition, assertive influence, administrative support and collegial relationships. Conclusions Interaction of subscale factors on overall job satisfaction and demographic survey findings has important implications for health administrators and nurse practitioners in similar organisations. Relevance to clinical practice Stakeholders in healthcare milieus need to be fully engaged in the redesign of the American healthcare system heeding the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine to provide safer health systems to the public. By doing this, issues related to frustration by nurse practitioners related to job satisfaction will be addressed. The need for cooperation, participation, collaboration and instrumental communication are essential in the delivery of safe, quality patient care. A better understanding of intrinsic professional rewards needs to be learned by nurse practitioners who want to seek professional satisfaction and engage in the survival and growth of the profession. Nurse practitioners armed with this translational information have viable agenda items that can be negotiated into extrinsic rewards.
Aspects of the mating behaviour of male mollies (Poecilia spp.)

The unisexual fish Poecilia formosa (the Amazon molly) reproduces by gynogenesis, a process in which sperm from the males of the host bisexual species activates development of its eggs. Unisexuals live with one of the host species in nature and compete with bisexual females for the males. It was long thought that male discrimination and mate selection established a balance between the unisexual and bisexual populations. Thus, hierarchies of males were set up in which dominant males mated with their conspecific females and subordinates mated with the Amazon molly. Recent evidence suggested, however, that male fish do not discriminate between their own females and the Amazon molly, and that there always are more males available than sexually receptive females of both species. Our findings indicate that male behaviour may be more complex than suggested by either hypothesis. Mate discrimination and courtship behaviour appear to increase with age, so that large males show almost complete preference for their conspecific females, but smaller males will mate with the Amazon molly. In complex groups, small males often dart in and mate with their own females whilst the large males are engaged in courtship activities and defence of territory.
A survey of students' ethical attitudes using computer-related scenarios

Many studies exist that examine ethical beliefs and attitudes of university students attending medium or large institutions. There are also many studies which examine ethical attitudes and beliefs of computer science and computer information systems majors. None, however, examines ethical attitudes of university students (regardless of undergraduate major) at a small, Christian, liberal arts institution regarding computer-related situations. This paper will present data accumulated by an on-going study in which students are presented seven scenarios—all of which involve some aspect of computing technology. These students were randomly selected from a small, Christian, liberal-arts university.
Modified pressure impression technique for edentulous patients

Abstract A modified pressure impression technique is described for complete denture patients. The following are the advantages of this technique: 1. 1. The stops allow the custom trays to be seated in their proper position. 2. 2. The stops transfer the major pressure of function to the primary stress-bearing areas of the ridges. 3. 3. The stops provide relief for the tissues in the secondary stress-bearing areas and for the areas which have displaceable tissues. 4. 4. The amount of relief can be varied depending upon the amount and degree of displaceable tissue.
A Decomposition Method for Interval Linear Programming

An interval linear program is \documentclass{aastex} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{bm} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{pifont} \usepackage{stmaryrd} \usepackage{textcomp} \usepackage{portland,xspace} \usepackage{amsmath,amsxtra} \pagestyle{empty} \DeclareMathSizes{10}{9}{7}{6} \begin{document} \begin{eqnarray*} IP{:}\quad \mbox{maximize} && c^tx,\\ \mbox{subject} && b^-\leqq Ax \leqq b^+ \end{eqnarray*} \end{document} where the matrix A, vectors b-, b+, and c are given. If A has full row rank, the optimal solutions of IP can be written explicitly A. Ben-Israel and A. Charnes: “An explicit solution of a special class of linear programming problems,” Operations Research16 1968, 1166--1175. This result is used in conjunction with the Danteig-Wolfe decomposition principle to develop a finite iterative technique for solving the general IP. Since any bounded linear program may be cast in form IP the technique may also be considered as an alternative method for linear programming.
Coronal temperatures and temperature gradients from OSO-7 spectroheliograms

Temperatures and temperature gradients for the outer corona are obtained from brightness gradients of EUV lines that were measured with the spectroheliograph on OSO-7. Brightness gradients show considerable deviations from isothermal model calculations that include collisional excitation and photoexcitation. A negative temperature gradient that gives both positive and negative ion abundance gradients appears to be able to account for the discrepancy. For λ284 of Fe xv, perhaps the strongest line from the outer corona, measurements during 1972 appear to be consistent with (i) a temperature near 2.3×106K near the equator at ϱ = 1.3±0.1 solar radii from the solar center; (ii) (ϱ/T) dT/dϱ values near -0.7 that extend from as low as ϱ = 1.2 to about ϱ = 1.8. Temperatures from strong lines of Fe xiv and Fe xvi indicate that variations of about ±0.2×106K exist along lines of sight where emission is appreciable. There appears to be some agreement between these results and temperature measurements from ion abundances in the solar wind and Doppler width of λ5303.
Sn-exchanged hydrotalcites as catalysts for clean and selective Baeyer–Villiger oxidation of ketones using hydrogen peroxide

Abstract A Sn-doped hydrotalcite (Sn/HT) catalyst prepared by ion-exchange technique is found to be an active and selective catalyst for the liquid phase Baeyer–Villiger (BV) oxidation of cyclic ketones in acetonitrile using hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) as oxidant. Different reaction parameters such as effect of solvent, Sn content, reaction temperature and catalyst-to-substrate ratio are studied. The activity of the catalyst for the selective BV oxidation of ketones is attributed to the presence of active Sn sites in the interstitial position of hydrotalcite support. Sn sites activate the carbonyl group of ketones followed by a nucleophilic attack by the active peroxide species (peroxycarboximidic acid by reaction of acetonitrile and H 2 O 2 ) to form a Criegee adduct that rearranges to give the lactone.
Methodologic issues in the study of second malignant neoplasms and pregnancy outcomes

For future studies of late effects, it will be necessary for investigators to consider methodologic issues carefully as a means of insuring the quality of research in this increasingly important area. Recognizing the advantages and limitations in univariate and multivariate analyses will help in selecting the best analytic approach. There are many methods for denoting risk. Selection of the method will often be dependent on study design, but should also be the one believed most effective for communicating the study results. There is little question there is a need for well-designed studies for second malignancies, especially those designed to evaluate late-occurring second cancer (i.e., in the second, third, and fourth decade following treatment). With the aging of the childhood cancer survivor population, questions regarding pregnancy issues are increasing. These questions range from those relating to fertility to others associated with mutagenesis. When considering studies of these late effects, it is important to recognize the need for selecting the most appropriate study design and statistical methods.
Factors Controlling the Synthesis of Natural and Induced Lignins in Phleum and Elodea.

Lignin is peculiar to the cell walls of vascular plants, and is produced only in specific cells at certain developmental periods. It is not detectable in aquatic vascular plants such as Elodea, but tisstues of these plants can be induced to form lignin-like products if suitable precursors are added (25). Since the products induced in Elodca were similar to those found naturally in other monocots such as Phleum, a comparison of the metabolism of phenolic compounds in these 2 organisms might aid in an understanding of the factors controlling lignification in plants. It is generally agreed that the phenolic monomers which are polymerized into lignin products arise from carbohydrates via the shikimic acid pathway (fig 1) (3). Some of the enzymes involved have been demonstrated in cell free extracts of higher plants (5). Mechanisms controlling lignification can be effective at any point of this synthetic pathway. In addition, since lignin is probably attached to specific sites in the wall, the number and type of these sites could be controlling factors. Possible regulatory agents of the terminal step of lignification have been studied in celery and peas by Siegel et al. (17,18) and in bamboo by Higuchi (10). The agents, indoleacetic acid (IAA), ascorbic acid and glutathione (GSH), were postulated to act as antioxidants. Possible regulatory mechanisms operating at an earlier level as well as at the peroxidation stage were investigated in this study of the metabolism of phenolic compounds associated with lignin biosynthesis in Elodea and Phleurn. In order to eliminate effects of treatments on growth bv elongation of the cell wall, nonelongating but still incompletely lignified tissues from these plants were chosen.
Effect of a Polymorphism in the ND1 Mitochondrial Gene on Human Skeletal Muscle Mitochondrial Function

Objective: A non-silent polymorphism in the mitochondrial coding region of the ND1 gene, a subunit of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) dehydrogenase is associated with resting metabolic rate (RMR) in 245 non-diabetic Pima Indians. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect of the ND1 gene polymorphism on mitochondrial function in 14 male Pima Indians. Methods and Procedures: Seven subjects with an A at site 3547 of the ND1 gene (Ile at amino acid 81), and seven with a G at this site (Val) were studied. Mitochondria were isolated from 0.8 to 1.5 g of skeletal muscle obtained by needle biopsy of the lateral quadriceps muscle. In intact mitochondria, maximal (state-3) and resting (state-4) respiration rates were measured polarographically at 37 °C with a variety of single substrates or substrate combinations. Disrupted mitochondria were analyzed for maximal capacities through the entire electron transport chain (ETC) (NADH oxidase (NADHOX)), as well as through a segment of Complex I that is independent of the ND1 component (NADH-ferricyanide (NADH-FeCN) reductase). Results: Mitochondria were well coupled and exhibited higher respiratory control ratios (RCRs) than rodent muscle. There were no differences between the two groups for any of the measured parameters. Discussion: These results indicate that the cause of the observed association between RMR and the ND1 polymorphism is not related to in vitro mitochondrial function.
Psychiatric Severity and HIV-Risk Sexual Behaviors Among Persons With Substance Use Disorders

Objective: The relationship between mental illness and human-immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-risk sexual behavior among persons with substance use disorders is not well-established because of differences in assessing psychiatric factors (types, symptoms, severity), substance use (diagnosis, survey responses, past substance use), and HIV-risk sexual behaviors (individual measures, combination of sex/drug use risk behaviors) across studies. This study utilized a more global and dimensional aspect of psychiatric issues (problem severity) to examine the relationship with HIV-risk sexual behaviors and substance use among persons with substance use disorders. Methods: Participants included 224 men and 46 women, with a mean age of 40.4 years (SD = 9.5). The most common substances were heroin/opiates, with 41.4% reporting use of these substances (n = 110), while 27.8% reported using cocaine (n = 74) and 12.8% reported using alcohol (n = 34). Of all participants, 39 (14.4%) were identified as having high psychiatric ...
Controllability of linear systems with multiple delays in control

The controllability of linear systems with multiple time delays in the control function is investigated.
White-collar crime or just risky business? The role of fraud in major financial debacles

This paper considers the role of fraud in three major financial debacles; the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s, the Orange County, California bankruptcy of 1994, and the U.S. corporate and accounting scandals of 2002. Using concepts, theories and data drawn from the criminological literature on white-collar crime, and the law and economics literature on corporate governance, a “minimal fraud model” is compared to a “material fraud model” in accounting for the massive financial losses in these three historical cases. The available evidence points to the need for corporate governance models and resulting regulatory policies to explicitly account for the potential for fraud in order to avoid future financial meltdowns.
Existentialism and the Law: Hamrick on Merleau-Ponty

Anglo-American legal thought is caught in a conceptual dilemma that mirrors the larger world. In the law, we have as one side of the dilemma those duty-based theories (whether positivist or natural) that see rules as the law's center. Such theories attribute a privilege or special force, for one deciding a present case, to commitments made in the past. In other words, what we do now is to be decided by its conformity to standards earlier determined. Similar ideas exist outside the law. For example, to believe that an author's intentions control the interpretation of a novel or poem is to be a literary strict constructionist. It is ethical strict constructionism to believe that moral duties are determined by rules. On the other side of the dilemma, it is a sort of realism to judge literature by its contribution to a social order (socialist realism), just as it is to believe that a judge's choice of action in a present case should be determined not by rules, but by the outcome it would produce. In ethics, looking to the future in that way is called utilitarianism. The dilemma of the law is the seemingly irresoluble conflict between these two competing views: whether we should look to the past or to the future to resolve a present case. Proponents of these views have wrestled for somewhere near two centuries to a weary standstill. The current dissatisfaction with both comes in part from frustration at the inability of either to pin the other to the mat. But it is more than irresolubility that is causing problems today. Each lays claim to final truth, despite either's inability to defeat the other. These claims to a truth that preempts any privately reached understand-
Exact Solution of the Diffusion-Limited Recombination Process A + B → ∅

We present a solution which recovers well-known formulas for the asymptotic densities in diffusion-limited reactions of type A + B → ∅ (inert). Moreover, our solution becomes exact for all t and in all dimensions d in the low-density, continuum, limit. Following M. Doi, we use quantum field theory to analyze this many-body problem of classical, diffusing, particles undergoing a chemical reaction. We point out the crucial step at which the model becomes exactly solvable.
Response of soil δ15N and nutrients to eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) encroachment into a relict calcareous prairie

The calcareous prairies of Louisiana have been threatened by the encroachment of woody plants, primarily eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana). The restoration and management of these rare plant communities require a thorough understanding of the soils supporting them. The knowledge of whether eastern red cedar encroachment has altered these soils is also of interest. We studied the depth distribution, at contrasting vegetation types (prairie, transition, forest) and landscape positions, of δ15N, total N, organic C, C/N ratio, Ca, Mg, K and pH of three relict prairie-forest associations in north central Louisiana, USA. The effect of vegetation type was significant for soil δ15N and Ca. Plant leaf samples from prairie, transition, and forest showed similar δ15N signals, and mean values ranged between −1.6‰ and −1.1‰. The order of soil 15N enrichment of the 0–10 cm depth relative to corresponding leaves was forest soil > transition soil > prairie soil. The forest soil was significantly enriched with 15N compared with the prairie soil and transition soil. Except for C/N ratio, all the soil properties significantly decreased with depth while δ15N increased with depth. Significant differences in C/N ratio, Ca and Mg were associated with landscape position. The change in soil pH due to woody encroachment was restricted to the 0–10 cm depth. The results suggest that the prairie soil was distinctly different from the forest soil and that the vegetation at transition (encroaching woody plants) was altering the surface soil pH towards ‘forest-like’ conditions.
Splanchnic bed metabolism of glucose in preterm neonates

textabstractBACKGROUND: Glucose is a major oxidative substrate for intestinal energy generation in neonatal animals; however, few data in preterm infants are available. Early administration of enteral nutrition, including glucose, may be an effective strategy to support intestinal adaptation to extrauterine life in preterm neonates. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to quantify the first-pass uptake and oxidation of glucose by the splanchnic tissues (intestine and liver) in human neonates. DESIGN: Eight preterm infants [birth weight ( +/- SD): 1.19 +/- 0.22 kg, gestational age: 29 +/- 1 wk] were studied while they received 2 different enteral intakes (A: 40% enteral, 60% parenteral, total glucose intake = 7.5 +/- 0.5 mg. kg(-1). min(-1), and B: 100% enteral, total glucose intake = 7.8 +/- 0.4 mg. kg(-1). min(-1)). Splanchnic and whole-body glucose kinetics were measured by use of dual-tracer techniques. RESULTS: During both feeding periods, approximately one-third of dietary glucose intake was utilized during the first pass by the splanchnic tissues. More than three-quarters of this utilized glucose was oxidized in both periods (79 +/- 36% with A and 84 +/- 45% with B). Whole-body glucose oxidation was substantial under both circumstances: 72 +/- 5% and 77% +/- 6% of the glucose flux was oxidized during partial (A) and full (B) enteral feeding, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one-third of dietary glucose is utilized during the first pass by the splanchnic tissues, irrespective of the dietary intake. Most of the utilized glucose is used for energy generation.
The Stability and Change in the Social Support Networks of Widowers following Spousal Bereavement

Although much progress has been made in our understanding of the nature of social support, the majority of this research has involved older women and has been studied cross-sectionally. The present study comes from a life-span developmental perspective on stability and change over time that examines sex differences in the social support networks of widows (170) and widowers (25) that are compared across 12 months post-bereavement. Most levels of positive support increased from B to W1 in what appears to be a response to spousal bereavement. Sex differences generally demonstrate that widowers receive less support using various measures and across different times of measurement. These findings point to change over time, sex differences, and heterogeneity as important issues when discussing bereavement and social support.
Monocyte Function in Infectious Mononucleosis: Evidence for a Reversible Cellular Defect

Migration of blood monocytes from patients with acute infectious mononucleosis and from normal controls was measured against chemotactic factors in serum. Moncytes from patients with acute infectious mononucleosis showed decreased migration as compared with that of control monocytes. However, serum from patients with infectious mononucleosis contained normal or above normal amounts of chemotaxins for monocytes. The migratory defect of monocytes from patients with infectious mononucleosis was reversible within three months after the onset of diesease. The cause of this monocyte migration defect in infectious mononucleosis is though to be an in vivo blockade of receptors on monocytes for chemotaxins, and it is speculated that this defect can partially explain the explain the ablated delayed-hypersensitivity skin reactions in this disease.
Patient versus clinician symptom reporting using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events: results of a questionnaire-based study

Summary Background The Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) are used as standard practice in trials of cancer treatments by clinicians to elicit and report toxic effects. Alternatively, patients could report this information directly as patient-reported outcomes, but the accuracy of these reports compared with clinician reports remains unclear. We aimed to compare the reporting of symptom severity reported by patients and clinicians. Methods Between March and May, 2005, a questionnaire with 11 common CTCAE symptoms was given to consecutive outpatients and their clinicians (physicians and nurses) in lung and genitourinary cancer clinics in the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA. Patients completed a version that used language adapted from the CTCAE for patient self-reporting. The results from the questionnaire were compared with clinician reporting of the same symptoms. Findings Of 435 patients and their clinicians asked to take part in the study, 400 paired surveys were completed. For most symptoms, agreement between patient and clinician was high, and most discrepancies were within a grade difference of one point. Agreement was higher for symptoms that could be observable directly, such as vomiting and diarrhoea, than for more subjective symptoms, such as fatigue and dyspnoea. Differences in symptom reporting rarely would have changed treatment decisions or dosing, and patients assigned greater severity to symptoms more than did clinicians. No significant differences were recorded between the results when the questionnaire was completed by the patient before or after the clinician. Interpretation Patient reporting of symptoms could add to the current approach to symptom monitoring in cancer treatment trials. Future research should assess the effect of self reporting on clinical outcomes and efficiency, and the use of real-time collection of patient-reported outcomes for early detection of potentially serious adverse events.
Ligation-mediated PCR amplification of specific fragments from a Class-II restriction endonuclease total digest

A method is described which permits the ligation- mediated PCR amplification of specific fragments from a Class-II restriction endonuclease total digest. Feasibility was tested using Bcl I and phage lambda DNA as a model enzyme and amplicon system, respectively. Bcl I is one of many widely used restriction enzymes which cleave at palindromic recognition sequences and leave 5'-protruding ends of defined sequence. Using a single pair of universal primers, a given fragment can be specifically amplified after joining the fragments to adaptors consisting of a duplex primer region and a 9-nucleotide protruding single-stranded 5'-end containing the sequence complementary to the cleaved restriction site and a 4-nucleotide 'indexing sequence.' The protruding strand anneals to a restriction fragment by displacing its corresponding strand in the same fragment-specific indexing sequence located juxtaposed to the restriction site. The adaptor is covalently linked to the restriction fragment by T4 DNA ligase, and amplification is carried out under conditions for long-distance PCR using the M13 forward and reverse primers. The technique discriminated robustly between mismatches and perfect matches for the 16 indexing sequences tested to allow individual lambda Bcl I fragments to be amplified from their respective adaptor pairs. A strategy is proposed enabling a non-cloning approach to the accession, physical mapping and sequencing of genomic DNA. The method could also have application in high-throughput genetic mapping and fingerprinting and should expand the enzyme base for ligation- mediated indexing technology which has previously been limited to the Class-IIS and IP restriction endonucleases.
Hybrid models of the neuromusculoskeletal system improve subject-specificity

Muscle-actuated simulations of pathological gait have the capacity to identify muscle impairments and compensatory strategies, but the lack of subject-specific solutions prevents the prescription of personalized therapies. Conversely, electromyographic-driven models are limited to muscles for which data are available but can capture the true neural drive initiated by an individual subject. In order to improve subject-specificity and enforce physiological constraints on muscle activity, we propose a hybrid strategy for the optimization of subject-specific muscle patterns that involves forward dynamic simulation of whole body movement coupled with electromyographic-driven models of muscle subsets. In this paper we apply the hybrid approach to an example of post-stroke gait and demonstrate its unique ability to account for the unusual muscle activation patterns and muscle properties in patients with neuromuscular impairments.
Transcriptional responses to cantharidin, a protein phosphatase inhibitor, in Arabidopsis thaliana reveal the involvement of multiple signal transduction pathways

Cantharidin is a natural compound isolated from the blister beetle (Epicauta spp.). It is a potent inhibitor of protein serine/threonine phosphatases (PPPs), especially PP2A and PP4. Protein phosphatases and kinases maintain a sensitive balance between dephosphorylated and phosphorylated forms of appropriate proteins, thereby playing important roles in signal transduction pathways and regulation of gene expression, cellular proliferation, cell differentiation, apoptosis and other processes. The foliage of 12-day-old Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings was treated with 200 µM (IC(30) ) of the PPP inhibitor cantharidin, and the entire transcriptome profile was determined by microarray analysis at 2, 10 and 24 h after treatment. The transcription of approximately 10% (2577) of the 24 000 genes of Arabidopsis changed significantly (P≤ 0.05 and signal log ratios: ≥1 or ≤-1) after treatment. Inhibition of PPPs significantly reduced transcription of genes associated with auxin and light signaling and induced expression of genes involved in the hypersensitive response and in flagellin and abscisic acid signaling. The great variety of up- and downregulated genes in this microarray experiment implied that cantharidin interfered with the activities of PPPs that interact directly or indirectly with receptors or are located near the beginning of signal transduction pathways. In many cases, PPPs interact with protein complexes of various receptors such as ethylene or light sensors localized in different cell compartments. They function as negative regulators modifying receptor functions, thus altering signaling that influences transcriptional responses.
Transverse single-spin asymmetries from p ↑ + p → jet + X and p ↑ + p → jet + π ± + X at √s = 500 GeV at RHIC

Current extractions of Sivers and transversity functions come from measurements of transverse single-spin asymmetries (SSA) from SIDIS and fragmentation functions from lepton-lepton scattering. The limited kinematic reach leaves sizable uncertainty in model predictions. One way to extend knowledge to higher kinematics is through jet production from high-energy polarized-proton collisions. The STAR detector at RHIC has observed hints of non-zero SSA's for the Collins effect from p ↑ + p → jet + ± + X at 0 < < 1a nd √ s = 200GeV. Extending transverse SSA measurements for the first time to mid-rapidity jet production at 500GeV allows one to examine the Sivers and Collins effects for a different mix of partonic subprocesses. Moreover, the increased gluon participation allows a more favorable examination of the gluon Collins-like effect. Progress toward these first measurements will be shown.
Generation of amplitude-squeezed light from a room-temperature Fabry-Perot semiconductor laser.

Amplitude-squeezed light with intensity fluctuations 29% below the standard quantum limit (SQL) is produced from a pump-suppressed room-temperature semiconductor laser, corresponding to 41% below the SQL after correction for detection efficiency. Excess noise, which degrades the observed squeezing, appears to be associated with the presence of weak longitudinal side modes.
A cytological study of morphogenesis in Coccidioides immitis

Coccidioides immitis is still classified as a Deuteromycete because the perfect stage is unknown. Mating experiments have been unsuccessful. Some investigators consider the endosporulating spherule to be a sporangium with sporangiospores, but others describe it as an ascus. The development of a reproducible method for cultivation of the spherule-endospore cycle in vitro provided an opportunity to study cytological changes occurring throughout the arthrosporehyphae-arthrospore cycle and the arthrospore-spherule-endospore cycle. Our observations of the arthrospore-mycelial cycle confirm an earlier report by another investigator demonstrating a resting stage followed by ring formation, a V-form, and a filament stage. In addition, we describe four pairs of chromosomes and formation of possible spindles and nucleoli. The spherule-endospore cycle is initiated by an arthrospore with a single large nucleus, most probably derived from the multinucleate arthrospores in the inoculum. This uninucleate arthrospore is ...
The 2004 ICSI-SRI-UW meeting recognition system

The paper describes our system devised for recognizing speech in meetings, which was an entry in the NIST Spring 2004 Meeting Recognition Evaluation. This system was developed as a collaborative effort between ICSI, SRI, and UW and was based on SRI's 5xRT Conversational Telephone Speech (CTS) recognizer. The CTS system was adapted to the Meetings domain by adapting the CTS acoustic and language models to the Meeting domain, adding noise reduction and delay-sum array processing for far-field recognition, and adding postprocessing for cross-talk suppression for close-talking microphones. A modified MAP adaptation procedure was developed to make best use of discriminatively trained (MMIE) prior models. These meeting-specific changes yielded an overall 9% and 22% relative improvement as compared to the original CTS system, and 16% and 29% relative improvement as compared to our 2002 Meeting Evaluation system, for the individual-headset and multiple-distant microphones conditions, respectively.
Karaoke Bar Hostesses and Japan‐Korea Wave in Postsocialist China: Fashion, Cosmopolitanism and Globalization

Drawing on my ethnographic research with karaoke bar hostesses from 1998 to 2002 in Dalian, China, this paper discusses the Japan-Korea Wave in the context of China's entry to the global marketplace. It focuses on Chinese readings of the “local” and the “global” and the impact of these understandings upon individuals' consumption behaviors. Outlining Chinese theorizations of global consumerism, this paper explores how they are integrated into cultural categories of rural vs. urban, backward vs. cosmopolitan, modern vs. foreign in contemporary China. I analyze multiple globals and locals and demonstrate how people construct both spheres of identity and cultural flows in everyday life, particularly through fashion consumption and clothes talk. I argue that the Wave suggests a more complex, uneven, and multi-centered global cultural field. By reading Chinese sources, we attain a different picture of globalization of cultural processes and understand the complexities of how global exchange, cultural consumption, and cosmopolitan identity constructions occur.
Electrostatic wave observation during a space simulation beam‐plasma discharge

ELF waves which were observed during beam-plasma discharge in the large vacuum chamber at Johnson Space Center are studied. Phase delays as a function of radius (obtained from cross-correlation measurements of density fluctuations) along with measurements of frequency and plasma potential, density, and temperature have been compared to a zero-order slab model of nonlocal azimuthal drift wave propagation. The inferred wave phase velocity in the plasma frame after Doppler correction is found to be near one half the electron diamagnetic drift velocity. Although the measurements presented do not uniquely define a propagation mode, a model of azimuthal drift wave propagation is found to be consistent with observations.
High-dose cytosine arabinoside and L-asparaginase in refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia: the Children's Cancer Group experience.

Problem Therapy of children with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) not achieving a second remission (CR2) after an initial reinduction attempt is problematic. Methods 52 children with ALL in first relapse received high-dose cytosine arabinoside and L-asparaginase (HDAraC/L-Asp) after failed attempts to achieve CR2. AraC was given at a dose of 3 gm/m2 q12 h × 4 on days 0–1 and 7–8. L-asparaginase was given IM 6,000 IU/m2 3 hours after the completion of each 2-day cycle of AraC. Results Of the 42 surviving to day 28, 22 (42% of all patients) achieved CR2. Ten died before day 28 (19%); four from leukemia and six from infections or toxicity (12% regimen-related mortality). There were 17 bacterial infections (three fatal), 17 invasive fungal infections (12 fatal), one fatal adenoviral infection, and one non-fatal Pneumocystis pneumonia. One patient was surviving when lost to follow-up at four months and one patient survives over 5 years after transplant. Sixteen of the 22 patients who entered CR2 subsequently relapsed, five died of non-leukemic causes, and one was lost to follow-up. The median duration of second remission was 3 months (range 0.7 to 19 months). Conclusions HDAraC/L-Asp rescue reinduction for relapsed childhood ALL achieves CR2 in ∼40% of patients who fail reinduction, but remissions are short for most patients and maintenance of CR2 remains unsatisfactory. Med. Pediatr. Oncol. 30:233–239, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss,Inc.