cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification and genome characterization of genotype B and genotype C bovine parainfluenza type 3 viruses isolated in the United States.

Bovine parainfluenza 3 viruses (BPI3V) are respiratory pathogens of cattle that cause disease singly but are often associated with bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) in conjunction with other viral and bacterial agents. Bovine vaccines currently contain BPI3V to provide protection against the virus, but there is no current information regarding the BPI3V strains that are circulating in the U.S. A project was initiated to sequence archival BPI3V isolates to study viral evolution over time. This was done with a deep sequencing protocol that generated sequences of multiple RNA virus genomes simultaneously. Analysis of the BPI3V sequences revealed that, in addition to the genotype A (BPI3Va) viruses previously described in the United States, there were two additional genotypes of BPI3V circulating that had been described only in Australia (BPI3Vb) and Asia (BPI3Vc). The U.S. BPI3Vb and BPI3Vc isolates showed some divergence from the Australian and Asian strains; the BPI3Vb were 93 % similar to the Australian Q5592 strain and the BPI3Vc viruses were 98 % similar to the 12Q061 strain that was described in South Korea. Overall, the three genotypes were 82 to 84 % identical to each other and 80 % identical to the most similar human PI3V. Cross-neutralization studies using an APHIS/NVSL BPI3V reference serum showed that neutralization titers against the genotype B and C viruses were 4- to ≥16-fold less then the titer against the APHIS BPI3Va reference strain, SF-4. This study clearly demonstrated that BPI3Vb and BPI3Vc strains, previously thought to be foreign to the U.S., are indeed circulating in domestic livestock herds. Based on virus neutralization using polyclonal antisera, there were antigenic differences between viruses from these genotypes and the BPI3Va viruses that are included in currently marketed bovine vaccines. Further study of these viruses is warranted to determine pathogenic potential and cross-protection afforded by vaccination.
New Perspectives in the Study of Mesoamerican Primates: Distribution, Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation

Movements of a wild night monkey (Aotus trivirgatus).- Overview of the Mesoamerican Primate Fauna, Primate Studies, and Conservation Concerns.- Taxonomy and Biogeography.- Introduction: Taxonomy and Biogeography.- Taxonomy and Distributions of Mesoamerican Primates.- The Biogeographic History of Mesoamerican Primates.- Population Responses to Disturbance.- Introduction: Population Responses to Disturbance.- Demographic Features of Alouatta pigra Populations in Extensive and Fragmented Forests.- Population Structure of Black Howlers (Alouatta pigra) in Southern Belize and Responses to Hurricane Iris.- The Effects of Forest Fragment Age, Isolation, Size, Habitat Type, and Water Availability on Monkey Density in a Tropical Dry Forest.- Forest Fragmentation and Its Effects on the Feeding Ecology of Black Howlers (Alouatta pigra) from the Calakmul Area in Mexico.- Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Alouatta Pigra in Tropical Rainforest in Lacandona, Chiapas, Mexico: Implications for Behavioral Ecology and Conservation.- Behavior and Ecology.- Introduction: Behavior and Ecology.- Average Body Weight for Mantled Howling Monkeys (Alouatta palliata): An Assessment of Average Values and Variability.- An Exploratory Analysis of Developmental Plasticity in Costa Rican Mantled Howler Monkeys (Alouatta palliata palliata).- Travel Patterns and Spatial Mapping in Nicaraguan Mantled Howler Monkeys (Alouatta palliata).- Use of Landmark Cues to Locate Feeding Sites in Wild Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus capucinus): An Experimental Field Study.- Leap, Bridge, or Ride? Ontogenetic Influences on Positional Behavior in Cebus and Alouatta.- Food Choice by Juvenile Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus capucinus) in a Tropical Dry Forest.- Why Be Alpha Male? Dominance and Reproductive Success in Wild White-Faced Capuchins (Cebus capucinus).- Post-conceptive Mating in White-Faced Capuchins, Cebus capucinus: Hormonal and Sociosexual Patterns of Cycling, Noncycling, and Pregnant Females.- Conservation and Management Policies.- Introduction: Conservation and Management Policies.- Growth of a Reintroduced Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) Population on Barro Colorado Island, Panama.- Primates in Agroecosystems: Conservation Value of Some Agricultural Practices in Mesoamerican Landscapes.- Primate Populations in the Protected Forests of Maya Archaeological Sites in Southern Mexico and Guatemala.- Mapping Primate Populations in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: A First Assessment.- A Metapopulation Approach to Conserving the Howler Monkey in a Highly Fragmented Landscape in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico.- Quantifying Fragmentation of Black Howler (Alouatta pigra) Habitat after Hurricane Iris (2001), Southern Belize.- Synopsis and Perspectives.- New Perspectives in the Study of Mesoamerican Primates: Concluding Comments and Conservation Priorities.
An examination of the construct of legitimate peripheral participation as a theoretical framework in literacy research

Abstract This review critically examines the use in literacy research of Lave and Wenger's (1991) construct of legitimate peripheral participation (LPP), a view of learning as participation by which newcomers adopt a group's ways, moving from periphery to the center of a practice. From a search through 10 literacy-relevant journals from 1991 to the present, we purposively selected 20 pieces that relied centrally on LPP and analyzed these for ways in which practice and apprenticeship were instantiated. Regarding practice, we inquired about legitimacy and engagement; regarding apprenticeship, we asked about the deployment of experts' attention and the cost of newcomers' mistakes. Using the benefit of the 20+ years since the original publication, our critique offers six principles to evaluate researchers' use of LPP and community of practice as constructs to describe learners' experience, and summarizes how some of our 20 studies made felicitous use of the constructs and others less so.
Long-term durability of percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation for the treatment of overactive bladder

Editorial Comment This paper discusses the use of a salvage spiral urethral sling in a very difficult to treat patient population, that is, females who have failed multiple vaginal operations for urinary incontinence. The authors provide an excellent technical analysis and state that when using this technique they are able to salvage approximately three out of four. Of interest is that they describe the use of both autologous fascia as well as synthetic graft. Operative tactics are described in the event of a bladder injury at the time of dissection (laterally placed spiral sling); this is very valuable in view of the potential for injury during the periurethral dissection in this patient population with a history of multiple surgeries. In addition, the authors discuss the use of this operation as opposed to the use of artificial urinary sphincter. Given the success rate of this operation mirrors that reported for artificial urinary sphincter in female patients, it has a potential to achieve a great deal of popularity in this very difficult to treat population (1).
Preparation, Solution Behavior, and Solid-State Structures of (1,3-R2C5H3)2UX2, Where R Is CMe3 or SiMe3 and X Is a One-Electron Ligand

High-yield preparations of the uranium metallocenes [1,3-(Me3Si)2C5H3]2UCl2 (Cp‘ ‘2UCl2) and [1,3-(Me3C)2C5H3]2UCl2 (Cp⧧2UCl2) have been developed from the reaction of UCl4 and the corresponding ma...
Halothane-oxidant interactions in the ex vivo perfused rabbit lung: Fluid conductance and eicosanoid production

BACKGROUND The present studies were undertaken to determine the interactions between halothane and oxidative injury with respect to endothelial integrity, as measured by pulmonary capillary filtration coefficient (Kfc), and production of arachidonic acid-derived mediators, in perfused rabbit lungs challenged with the oxidant tert-butyl-hydroperoxide (t-bu-OOH). METHODS Isolated lungs were prepared from 27 New Zealand white rabbits (2-3 kg) and were perfused with Ca(2+)-free Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution. In group A (n = 9), lungs were ventilated with halothane 2.5% in carrier gas (5% CO2 in air); in group B (n = 9), with carrier gas alone; and in group C (n = 9), with carrier gas, but without injury. The lungs in the two injury groups (A and B) received four infusions of t-bu-OOH, 200 microM, over 1 min, directly into the pulmonary artery. The uninjured lungs received four infusions of vehicle (normal saline). Kfc was determined after each t-bu-OOH infusion. Concentrations of thromboxane B2 (TxB2) and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha were measured in samples of effluent perfusate obtained before and 30 s after the end of each infusion of t-bu-OOH. The wet/dry weight ratio of each pair of lungs was determined at the end of each experiment. RESULTS Kfc progressively increased after each infusion of oxidant in group A when compared with the other two groups. Lung wet/dry ratios were elevated in group A (14.3 +/- 0.7) and group B (13.2 +/- 0.2) compared with group C (12.1 +/- 1.1). TxB2 production in group A (2206 +/- 263 pg.min-1.g-1 dry lung tissue) was greater than in group B (1413 +/- 127) by the final infusion of t-bu-OOH. CONCLUSIONS Ex vivo perfused rabbit lungs ventilated with halothane exhibited, simultaneously, evidence of greater fluid conductance across the pulmonary capillary bed and production of thromboxane A2 when challenged with oxidant than did lungs ventilated with carrier gas. Both of these effects may be mediated by halothane-related enhancement of intracellular endothelial Ca2+ mobilization stimulated by intrapulmonary infusion of oxidant.
Characteristics of PZT thin films as ultra-high density recording media

Abstract Ferroelectric thin films as the recording media of scanning probe microscope-based storage devices were investigated using an atomic force microscope(AFM) technique. Polarization domains were formed in the PbZrxTi1-xO3(PZT) thin films epitaxialy grown on the epitaxial SrRuO3(SRO) thin films on SrTiO3 substrate by applying a pulse voltage between the conductive tip of AFM and SRO as a bottom electrode. The polarized domains were observed by detecting the inverse-piezoelectricity-induced surface vibration of the PZT thin film caused by applying an ac modulation voltage to the conductive tip. The recording density of polarized domains, domain switching speed and preliminary retention characteristics of polarized domains were studied. The polarized domains as small as 30 nm are formed in the PZT thin film with the thickness of 45 nm. The small domains can be formed by applying a 100 ns pulse of 10 V to the conductive tip. As for the retention characteristics of polarized domains with a size of 90–110...
A Structure Theorem for Rationalizability with Application to Robust Predictions of Refinements

Rationalizability is a central solution concept of game theory. Economic models often have many rationalizable outcomes, motivating economists to use refinements of rationalizability, including equilibrium refinements. In this paper we try to achieve a general understanding of when this multiplicity occurs and how one should deal with it. Assuming that the set of possible payoff functions and belief structures is sufficiently rich, we establish a revealing structure of the correspondence of beliefs to sets of rationalizable outcomes. We show that, for any rationalizable action a of any type, we can perturb the beliefs of the type in such a way that a is uniquely rationalizable for the new type. This unique outcome will be robust to further small changes. When multiplicity occurs, then we are in a "knife-edge" case, where the unique rationalizable outcome changes, sandwiched between open sets of types where each of the rationalizable actions is uniquely rationalizable. As an immediate application of this result, we characterize, for any refinement of rationalizability, the predictions that are robust to small misspecifications of interim beliefs. These are only those predictions that are true for all rationalizable strategies, that is, the predictions that could have been made without the refinement.
Ichthyoplankton dynamics and biodiversity in the Gulf of Alaska: Responses to environmental change

Abstract Climate variation can cause major changes in the marine food web. We analyzed over 24 years of ichthyoplankton data from the Gulf of Alaska to evaluate lower trophic level responses to environmental change and judge their usefulness as ecological indicators. We standardized abundance data for each of 77 ichthyoplankton taxa, and used the Bray-Curtis distance measure and Flexible Beta linkage method, which grouped them into 22 discrete clusters. Variance Partitioning Analysis stressed the importance of geographical and seasonal processes for ichthyoplankton dynamics, and helped us identify the specific region(s) and month(s) for each response variable (cluster abundance, diversity) in which annual variation was maximized. Response variables were linked to environmental explanatory variables (atmospheric pressure, temperature, salinity and circulation indices) by Canonical Correspondence Analysis. The North Pacific Index (atmospheric pressure) and meso-scale climate variables like the El Nino Index (temperature), wind, and freshwater input (circulation) had the strongest impacts on ichthyoplankton species clusters. Specifically, the El Nino Index was negatively correlated with several ichthyoplankton clusters that were dominated by cold water species. Circulation was predominantly positively related to diversity and ichthyoplankton clusters, with the exception of clusters that mainly consisted of offshore taxa. The immediate response of ichthyoplankton to environmental forcing might make them suitable ecological indicators of environmental change although additional work is needed to assess affects on survival and recruitment.
Correlates of Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep in the Pediatric Population

Periodic limb movements of sleep are clinically underdiagnosed in children. Polysomnography is the most accurate diagnostic test. There is a paucity of information regarding polysomnography findings in children. We evaluated the prevalence and correlates of pediatric periodic limb movements detected by polysomnography. Periodic limb movements of sleep were identified in 77 of 982 polysomnograms, with a prevalence of 7.8% and male predominance (47 boys; 30 girls). Mean age was 9.4 ± 4.2 years (1-19 years) (body mass index, 24.1 ± 12.3). Mean sleep time was 395.4 ± 73.4 minutes, of which rapid eye movement sleep constituted 16.6% ± 6.7%, and slow-wave sleep, 22% ± 10%. Sleep efficiency was 93.8 ± 9.83, periodic limb movement index, 9.78 ±7.9; periodic limb movement arousal, 4.5 ± 8.4; arousal index, 27.8 ± 12.4; and peak end-tidal CO 2 , 48.9 ± 10.5 mm Hg. Associated diagnoses included obstructive sleep apnea in 36 (46.8%), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in 10 (13%), migraine in 7 (9.1%), seizures in 7 (9.1%), autism spectrum disorders in 5 (6.5%), and narcolepsy in 7 (9.1%). Serum ferritin was decreased (mean, 26.1 μg/L) in 29 (96.6%). Prospective studies may clarify the significance of incidental pediatric periodic limb movements in sleep detected on polysomnograms.
Use of FRAX as a Determinant for Risk-Based Osteoporosis Screening May Decrease Unnecessary Testing While Improving the Odds of Identifying Treatment Candidates

Abstract Purpose We have assessed the hypothetical impact of guideline-concordant osteoporosis screening on baseline behaviors utilizing two different guidelines and determined the relative ability of each to identify osteoporosis treatment candidates. Methods We conducted secondary analyses from the Fracture Risk Perception Study, which enrolled patients aged 50 to 75 years to complete questionnaires about their bone health. We determined our baseline screening rates and detection of treatment candidates and then assessed the hypothetical impact of adherence to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) criteria, particularly for women aged 50 to 64. Results Of 144 women aged 50 to 64 years screened, 14 (9.7%) were treatment candidates. Screening based on identification of one or more risks (NOF) would lead to testing of 102 of the 144 patients (71%) to identify 12 of 14 treatment candidates (86%). Applying USPSTF criteria (9.3% FRAX threshold) would test 45 of the same 144 women (31%) to identify 11 of 14 treatment candidates (79%). NOF risk-based criteria would result in a moderate absolute screening rate reduction (16%, p = .0011; 95% CI, 7%–25%), but only marginal improvement in identifying treatment candidates (odds ratio, 2.67; 95% CI, 0.57–12.47). Applying the more selective USPSTF criteria greatly reduced unnecessary testing (56% absolute screening rate reduction; p Conclusions When contemplating screening younger patients, systematic calculation of FRAX and ordering only when the 9.3% fracture risk threshold is reached may decrease unnecessary screening for many women while still identifying appropriate osteoporosis treatment candidates.
The Tradition of Jesus at the Point of Origin

A NOTHER title could be affixed to this article: "Beyond Form Criticism." The new discipline of Form Criticism was developed in gospel study because Source Criticism could reach only so far and could yield only limited returns. Form Criticism, the child of this disappointment, opened up the whole field of the oral period and the tradition living in the living church. We propose to raise the question, Can we go back of the church tradition of Jesus to the point of origin? This is a question of procedure and method in the historical investigation of gospel materials. We may not go much beyond the question, for this paper is intended to be exploratory and its conclusions are only tentative. When we have finished, we may have simply underscored the obvious. The title of Dibelius' book, From Tradition to Gospel, has set the limits of much gospel study in the last twenty-five years. We have heard much about the living tradition in the church, the method of its transmission through kerygma and didache. We have seen church life reflected in the gospel material. We have made conjectures as to the form of the preliminary drafts of gospel stories and the crystallization of the passion narrative. This period of the earliest Christian community has become clear to us. Equally clear are the units of the tradition which can be seen in the gospels as finally written down. But what of the original impact of Jesus? What of the tradition at the point of origin? We have hesitated to ask such questions, for some of these thorough-going form critics have left us deeply sceptical. These students discredited the aims of the "Jesus of history" school and left us in uncertainty. Bultmann said, "Interest in the personality of Jesus is excluded . . . I think that we can now know almos nothing concerning the life and person ity of Jesus."1 They said, We can hear only the whisper of his voice. Lightfoot joined the chorus: "It seems, then, that the form of the earthly no less than of the heavenly Christ is for the most part hidden from us."2 In some quarters the scholars seem to have abandoned the attempts to reconstruct the historical figure of Jesus, and many are content to stop with the well-defined faith of the primitive church. And of course this faith can be directly related to the faith of the church today. What was good enough for the early church is good enough for us; that seems to justify the current point of view that rests with the belief of the primitive community. For example, Alan Richardson in his book, The Miracle Stories of the New Testament, treats the miracles as part of the gospel record but considers them chiefly as signs of his teaching and as the result of meditation on the person and acts of Jesus. He says that the story of the blind man at Bethsaida is an enacted parable and that it is a secondary question whether the blind man was an histori-
Reduction of patient exposure in pediatric radiology

Rationale and Objectives. The authors determined whether presently used exposure levels in pediatric imaging can be reduced without loss of information or a decrease in diagnostic accuracy. Materials and Methods. Multiple (stacked) image detectors and filters were used to obtain identical computed radiographic images at different exposure levels of neonates with either no active lung disease or hyaline membrane disease. Physical characteristics of the images were measured. A contrast-detail study and a receiver operating characteristic study were conducted to measure observer performance. Results. Physical measurements and results of the contrast-detail study revealed that the dose-reduction images were essentially limited by x-ray quantum noise. Results of the receiver operating characteristic study indicated that diagnostic accuracy did not decrease significantly up to about 75% exposure reduction levels, although image quality rating data decreased with each exposure reduction. Conclusion. Decreasing exposure levels to about 75% of current levels may be acceptable in some clinical situations where dose is a concern, such as in pediatric imaging.
Seeing Things Differently and Not Being Looked At

Three traits inform a pastoral theological hermeneutic. These include: interpreting “the living human web”; relying upon the unique location and nature of pastoral theological imagination; and embodying the power that comes with knowledge and the discernment of meaning. These traits often lead to pastoral theologians seeing things in a different light than colleagues in other theological disciplines, while often holding comparatively less power or influence in the academy. The image of the pastoral theologian as hermeneutical juggler is identified to complement existing metaphors that can inform the identity and hermeneutic of a pastoral theologian.
Origin and Morphogenetic Movements of the Pores of the Contractile Vacuoles in Paramecium qurelia

The position of the contractile vacuoles in non-dividing Paramecium aurelia, as judged by that of the pores, is relatively constant both laterally and longitudinally, as is the distance between them. Some variability of the distance between the pores persists from the recent fission among the smaller animals of normal shape. At the onset of fission two new vacuoles appear, one anterior to each of the old vacuoles; all the vacuoles must undergo relocation because their mean positions now are somewhat removed from that in the non-dividing animals. The pores of the front daughter are too close together: the anterior pore is too far back, and the posterior is too far forward; likewise the pores of the hind daughter are too close together: the anterior too far forward as well as the posterior. The relocation does not begin until shortly before separation of the daughters and is practically complete by the time the daughters have assumed their normal length/width ratio after separation. A neuroneme connects the pore to one of the basal granules adjacent to its place of origin, now far removed. Occasionally more than one new pore appears at the usual time and place during very early fission; these are very close together and usually serve a single vacuole. However, most of them fail to survive the relocation following this and the next fission, so they are found in the posterior position very rarely. But, in some individuals they may survive and serve a single or separate vacuoles. In a certain clone of Paramecium aurelia multiple pores and vacuoles are rather frequent; these are, of course, the result of the tendency to produce multiple pores and vacuoles at the time of fission.
Finding Fair Value in Global Equities: Part II—Forecasting Returns

This article is the second of a two-part series that develops a framework for comparative valuation of major equity markets around the world. In this article, the authors invert the dividend discount model (DDM) discussed in “Fair Value in Global Equities:Part I,” published in the preceding issue of this journal, in order to extract a time series of the implied equity risk premium (ERP) and the real required return (RRR).They estimate regression equations to find the macroeconomic drivers of these series. The ERP increases with the output gap at home and abroad, as well as with high past values of the ERP. This relationship allows for benchmarking the ERP and the RRR to the current economic environment and to forecasts of the future economic environment. The authors compare the use of these tools with other ways to forecast returns. At a five-year horizon, valuation alone is a good predictor of future returns, and the current value of the RRR works particularly well in this regard. At a one-year horizon, forecasts based on the benchmarking of the RRR to the future economic environment work significantly better than traditional valuation metrics, if the economic outlook is correct.
Gallium-loaded zeolites for light paraffin aromatization: evidence for exchanged gallium cation active centers

Abstract It is shown that certain metal-loaded zeolites (e.g., Ga-MFI) initially prepared as separate metal-containing and zeolite phases are reducible, resulting in solid-state transfer of the metal to the zeolite. The final material is similar to those initially prepared as ‘unsegregated’ by methods such as aqueous impregnation. Reduction occurs either through appropriate pretreatment or onstream in certain hydrocarbon reactions. First, preparation methods leading to one or the other type of material are examined. Then it is shown that reduced catalysts give far higher ratios of dehydrogenation to cracking rates (for alkanes) than either segregated or unsegregated but unreduced systems. The product distributions of the propane reaction at low partial pressure and low conversion are also reviewed, and new data presented for unsegregated, reduced catalysts. There are great differences in the distribution obtained using reduced 1/1 metal/A1 catalysts from corresponding distributions for the H-form zeolites or for segregated systems. The differences suggest a mechanism which may be entirely independent of catalysis by protons.
Hepatoma in the noncirrhotic liver

The pathologic features, clinical presentation and natural history of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) developing in the noncirrhotic liver were studied in 61 patients against a background of 63 patients seen concurrently with HCC complicating cirrhosis. Noncirrhotic HCC had a bimodal age distribution, with females predominating the first age-clustering (10-50 years) and males predominating the second age-clustering (50-90 years). Cirrhotic HCC had a unimodal age distribution (40-90 years) with male dominance throughout. Estrogen exposure was noted in 57% of the noncirrhotic HCC women overall and in 80% of those in the younger age-clustering. The majority of noncirrhotic HCC presented with a single hepatic mass or a dominant primary with satellite lesions in contrast to the usual multinodular or diffuse disease seen with cirrhosis. Twenty-nine noncirrhotic patients survived complete resection of disease limited to the liver and exhibited a median survival of 2.7 years with a 5-year survival of 25%. Low histologic grade, minimal necrosis, and the absence of hemoperitoneum, hepatomegaly, and adjacent organ involvement were all favorable prognostic variable. Patients with metastatic or locally unresectable noncirrhotic HCC had a median survival of 9 months, and 24% survived in excess of 2 years. This survival experience is significantly more favorable than cirrhotic HCC patients, who had only a 1.2-month median and a 3% 2-year survival. Low histologic grade, mild mitotic activity and the presence of some fibrosis within the specimen were associated with a favorable outcome in advanced noncirrhotic HCC. The favorable prognosis and heterogeneous composition of the noncirrhotic, when compared to the cirrhotic HCC cohort, may be important considerations in the design and evaluation of future clinical trials.
The Docking Technique for Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Reconstruction: Surgical Technique and Clinical Outcome

BackgroundCurrent techniques of medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction vary with respect to methods of fixation on the femur and the patella. This article presents the outcomes of a surgical technique for reconstruction of the MPFL that uses a soft tissue graft with interference screw fixation on the femur and a docking technique for fixation on the patella.HypothesisPatients with patellar instability who are treated with the docking technique for MPFL reconstruction will have improvements in knee symptoms and function, with a high percentage achieving good to excellent results at early follow-up.Study DesignCase series; Level of evidence, 4.MethodsTwenty consecutive patients with patellar instability underwent reconstruction of the MPFL. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively by physical and radiographic examination and subjectively with the IKDC (International Knee Documentation Committee), Tegner, Kujala, and Lysholm questionnaires. Nineteen patients underwent magnetic...
Long-term administration of mouse nerve growth factor to adult rats with partial lesions of the cholinergic septohippocampal pathway.

Abstract Nerve growth factor (NGF), a neurotrophic factor acting on cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain, has been proposed as a treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Experimental support for its pharmacological use is derived from short-term studies showing that intraventricular administration of NGF during 2–4 weeks protects cholinergic cell bodies from lesion-induced degeneration, stimulates synthesis of choline acetyltransferase, and improves various behavioral impairments. To investigate the consequences of long-term NGF administration, we tested whether cholinergic cell bodies are protected from lesion-induced degeneration and whether cholinergic axons are stimulated to regrow into the denervated hippocampus following fimbrial transections. We found that intraventricular injections of NGF twice a week for 5 months to adult rats resulted in extended protection of cholinergic cell bodies from lesion-induced degeneration and did not produce obvious detrimental effects on the animals. NGF treatment mildly stimulated growth of cholinergic neurites within the 2-mm area directly adjacent to the fimbrial lesion but it failed to induce significant homotypic growth of cholinergic neurites into the deafferented hippocampus.
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome: A Review for Neurohospitalists

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a life-threatening idiosyncratic reaction to antipsychotic drugs characterized by fever, altered mental status, muscle rigidity, and autonomic dysfunction. It has been associated with virtually all neuroleptics, including newer atypical antipsychotics, as well as a variety of other medications that affect central dopaminergic neurotransmission. Although uncommon, NMS remains a critical consideration in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with fever and mental status changes because it requires prompt recognition to prevent significant morbidity and death. Treatment includes immediately stopping the offending agent and implementing supportive measures, as well as pharmacological interventions in more severe cases. Maintaining vigilant awareness of the clinical features of NMS to diagnose and treat the disorder early, however, remains the most important strategy by which physicians can keep mortality rates low and improve patient outcomes.
Teaching intelligent agents: the disciple approach

The ability to build intelligent agents is significantly constrained by the knowledge acquisition effort required. Many iterations by human experts and knowledge engineers are currently necessary to develop knowledge‐based agents with acceptable performance. We have developed a novel approach, called Disciple, for building intelligent agents that relies on an interactive tutoring paradigm, rather than the traditional knowledge engineering paradigm. In the Disciple approach, an expert teaches an agent through five basic types of interactions. Such rich interaction is rare among machine learning (ML) systems, but is necessary to develop more powerful systems. These interactions, from the point of view of the expert, include specifying knowledge to the agent, giving the agent a concrete problem and its solution that the agent is to learn a general rule for, validating analogical problems and solutions proposed by the agent, explaining to the agent reasons for the validation, and being guided to provide new k...
On the probability of symbol error for two-dimensional signal constellations with non-uniform decision regions

Computing the probability of symbol error for two-dimensional (2-D) signal constellations where the decision regions have arbitrary shapes is cumbersome as it involves integral expressions of special functions. In this paper we present closed-form expressions that can be used to evaluate the probability of symbol error for such signal constellations in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channels. We show that, for 2-D signal constellations, the received signal magnitude has a Rice distribution, and use this property to calculate the symbol error probability and to evaluate it numerically using either the Marcum Q-function or an approximate expression for the Bessel function. The proposed approach is illustrated on two specific examples of nonuniform constellations, and the resulting symbol error probabilities are compared to the corresponding union bound values.
Effects of culture on computer-supported international collaborations

This paper discusses results of a case study from an on-going project to investigate how cultural factors, as identified by the Cultural Perspectives Questionnaire (CPQ), affect the performance of distributed collaborative learning teams. The results indicate that a team's cultural composition is a sign1ificant predictor of its performance on programming projects. Cultural attributes most strongly correlated to group performance included those related to attitudes about organizational hierarchy, organizational harmony, trade-offs between future and current needs, and beliefs about how much influence individuals have on their fate. Moreover, the type of programming task affected the strength of the relationship between individual cultural attributes and performance. Participants in the study included computer science students from the University of North Texas (Texas, USA) and students from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. Students were divided into culturally diverse work-teams and assigned programming projects to be completed using special collaborative software. The programming tasks ranged from simple design projects to more complicated programs that required extensive collaboration. Cultural distinctions between work-teams were based upon the students' responses to the CPQ. Project performance was evaluated with respect to programming accuracy, efficiency, completeness, and style. The results presented here have important implications for the formation of distributed collaborations and, in particular, to educational institutions offering distance-learning programs that require team projects.
p53 Transcriptional Activity Is Mediated through the SRC1-interacting Domain of CBP/p300

The tumor suppressor p53 recruits the cellular coactivator CBP/p300 to mediate the transcriptional activation of target genes. In this study, we identify a novel p53-interacting region in CBP/p300, which we call CR2, located near the carboxyl terminus. The 95-amino acid CR2 region (amino acids 2055–2150) is located adjacent to the C/H3 domain and corresponds precisely with the minimal steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC1)-interacting domain of CBP (also called IBiD). We show that the region of p53 that participates in the CR2 interaction resides within the first 107 amino acids of the protein. p53 binds strongly to the CR2 domain of both CBP and the highly homologous coactivator p300. Importantly, an in-frame deletion of CR2 within the full-length p300 protein strongly compromises p300-mediated p53 transcriptional activation from a chromatin template in vitro. The identification of the p53-interacting CR2 domain in CBP/p300 prompted us to ask if the human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-I) Tax protein, which also interacts with CR2, competes with p53 for binding to this domain. We show that p53 and Tax exhibit mutually exclusive binding to the CR2 region, possibly contributing to the previously reported Tax repression of p53 function. Together, these studies identify and molecularly characterize a new p53 binding site on CBP/p300 that participates in coactivator-mediated p53 transcription function. The identity of the p53·CR2 interaction indicates that at least three distinct sites on CBP/p300 may participate in mediating p53 transactivation.
Anterior acromial anatomy: Relevance to arthroscopic acromioplasty.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of arthroscopic acromioplasty on the anterior deltoid origin. Type of study: In vitro cadaveric histologic study. Methods: We performed a histologic evaluation of the anterior aspect of 15 acromions, the parameters of the anatomy of the anterior acromion, including the deltoid origin, and the morphology of the acromion. A simulated arthroscopic acromioplasty was performed and the effect on the anterior deltoid origin was determined. Results: Resection of 4 mm of bone from the underside of the acromion resulted in release of 56% (± 11%), and resection of 5.5 mm of bone resulted in 77% (±15%) release of the deltoid origin. The amount of deltoid released correlated statistically with both the thickness of the acromion and the acromial angle ( P P = .04). Conclusions: These findings show that arthroscopic acromioplasty can cause substantial injury to the deltoid origin, that this effect is related to acromial anatomy, and that preoperative planning may help to reduce the risk of excessive deltoid origin release. Clinical relevance: Consideration of acromial anatomy is required to avoid deltoid detachment when performing arthroscopic acromioplasty.
Turtle diel activity: Response to different regimes of temperature and photoperiod

Abstract 1. 1. Painted turtles, Chrysemys picta, spotted turtles, Clemmys guttata, and stinkpots, Sternotherus odoratus, acclimated and tested at 15 and 25°C exhibited a unimodal rhythm of locomotor activity at 15°C and a bimodal rhythm at 25°C. 2. 2. Under cyclic thermal acclimation (15–25°C) Chrysemys and Clemmys demonstrated a unimodal rhythm of activity with a major pre-noon peak and an afternoon minimum coinciding with the peak of the ambient temperature cycle, whereas the activity of Sternotherus was bimodal. 3. 3. Each species showed its strongest diurnal tendency under long photoperiod acclimation (LD 16:08) and its greatest noctrnality under short photoperiod (LD 08:16).
Experimental determination of counterflow ignition temperatures and laminar flame speeds of C2–C3 hydrocarbons at atmospheric and elevated pressures

Abstract Experimental data were acquired for: (1) the ignition temperatures of nitrogen–diluted ethylene and propylene by counterflowing heated air for various strain rates and system pressures up to 7 atm; (2) the laminar flame speeds of mixtures of air with acetylene, ethylene, ethane, propylene, and propane, deduced from an outwardly propagating spherical flame in a constant-pressure chamber, for extensive ranges of lean-to-rich equivalence ratio and system pressure up to 5 atm. These data, respectively, relevant for low- to intermediate-temperature ignition chemistry and high-temperature flame chemistry, were subsequently compared with calculated results using a literature C1–C3 mechanism and an ethylene mechanism. Noticeable differences were observed in the comparison for both mechanisms, and sensitivity analyses were conducted to identify the reactions of importance.
Farnesylated proteins and cell cycle progression.

Post-translational modification of proteins by the addition of a farnesyl group is critical for the function of a number of proteins involved in signal transduction. Farnesylation facilitates their membrane association and also promotes protein-protein interaction. Recently, progress has been made in understanding the biological significance of farnesylation. First, effects of farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) on cancer cells have been examined using a variety of human cancer cells. This study showed that one of the major effects of FTIs is to alter cell cycle progression. Both G0/G1 enrichment and G2/M accumulation were observed depending on the cell line examined. Second, a number of novel farnesylated proteins have been characterized. Of these, Rheb and CENP-E,F are of particular interest. Rheb, a novel member of the Ras superfamily G-proteins, may play a role in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. CENP-E,F are centromere associated motors that play critical roles in mitosis. These results suggest important contributions of farnesylated proteins in the regulation of cell cycle progression.
Validity of family informants' ratings of psychiatric patients: general validity.

Ratings of psychiatric inpatients by members of their families at admission were validated against ratings by hospital personnel and patients' self-ratings. There were low, but statistically significant, relationships across data sources, but there were also systematic differences in regard to what symptom areas were measured most validly and what was regarded as most pathological by each data source. Ward-based ratings were most effective at rating conceptual disturbance and regarded schizophrenics as showing the most pathology. Family raters were most effective at rating hostile, belligerent behavior and regarded the miscellaneous group of acting out disorders as most disturbed. Patients' ratings fell between these two data sources but tended to stress anxiety and depression.
Radiologic-pathologic correlation of mesothelioma tumor volume

Abstract Objectives Tumor volume promises to become a more important factor in patient management. Mesothelioma, with its unique morphology and complex growth pattern, presents a challenging target for tumor volumetrics derived from computed tomography (CT) scans. This study evaluated the validity of image-based mesothelioma tumor volume against the physical volume of the tumor bulk captured by the images. Materials and methods Twenty-eight patients underwent CT scanning prior to pleurectomy/decortication with an intent to achieve a macroscopic complete resection. A radiologist manually outlined the tumor border in all CT sections in which tumor appeared in the pre-surgery scan. CT-based tumor volume was computed as the number of image pixels enclosed by all tumor outlines across all sections in the scan multiplied by the physical dimensions of the voxel of tissue captured by each image pixel. The gross tumor specimen volume was measured ex vivo through a water-displacement technique. Correlation between CT volume and pathology volume was calculated. Results A correlation coefficient r -squared value of 0.66 was found between CT-based tumor volume and gross tumor specimen volume. Differences between the mean volume (either CT volume or pathology volume) across tumors of different T stages did not achieve statistical significance. Conclusion Despite a modest correlation between CT-based tumor volume and gross tumor specimen volume, image-based volumetry for mesothelioma is not straightforward—perhaps, in part, due to the challenges of distinguishing tumor borders from adjacent structures and perhaps, in part, due to a complex pathologic reference standard.
Fine structure of the giant dipole resonance in 16O as observed by inelastic electron scattering at 180

Abstract Higher resolution measurements on the giant resonance excitation in 16O have been performed by inelastic electron scattering at 180°. Considerably more structure was found than in previous experiments of Goldemberg and Barber. The results indicate that the integrated strength of the giant resonance plotted as a function of momentum transfer q behaves as predicted by the particle-hole calculations of Lewis and Walecka. However, a pronounced shift in dipole strength turned out to be much smaller than predicted by the theory.
Genomics of Burn Injury and Its Promise in Clinical Practice

The promise of gene expression profiling using microarray technology has inspired much new hope for finding genes involved in complications resulting from burn injury. It has become clear that complications resulting from burn injury involve collective action of many genes. Therefore, genetic dissection of burn injury should be carried out in a global context. Gene expression microarrays (GEMA) provide such global information of transcription activities of essentially all genes simultaneously. It is hoped that this promising technology can be applied to samples drawn from large-scale, well-defined clinical studies and help us untangle the web of pathways leading to complications resulting from burn injury and to the development of more effective therapies for treating burn injury. However, the extremely high dimensionality and noise inherent in GEMA data pose great challenges to identifying molecular signatures involved in burn injury. In this article, we discuss the technical challenges associated with experimental design, data analysis, and modeling gene regulatory networks. We note that while it is too early to tell how much of the enormous potential of GEMA will be realized, its success will likely depend most critically on careful experimental designs and the ability of bioinformatics to rise to the challenge of mining high dimensional GEMA data and correlating it with clinical information.
Long-term effects of neonatal ovariectomy on cerebellar development in the rat: a histological and morphometric study.

The effects of neonatal ovariectomy on cerebellar development and morphology were investigated in rats ovariectomized (OV) or sham-ovariectomized (SOV) 24 h after birth. At age 70 days rats were sacrificed and the cerebella processed for quantitative light microscopy of matched midline sagittal sections of the vermis. Body, brain and cerebellar weights, as well as total cerebellar area and area of the internal granular layer were significantly greater in the OV rats. The concentration (cells/mm2) and content (cells/section) of granule cells were significantly greater in each of the 10 vermal lobules of OV rats. The number of Purkinje (P) cells in the OV rats was significantly greater than control values for 6 lobules (L-III, L-V, L-VIb,c, L-VII, L-IX and L-X). P cell number for L-I, L-II and L-VIII was also higher in the OV group, but not significantly. The between group variation for P cell packing density (cells/mm) was significantly different, i.e. packing density for the OV rats was greater than the SOV value. The most consistent and significant difference between the folial patterns of SOV and OV groups was observed in L-VIII, the pyramis. A bilobed L-VIII occurred in 61.11% of SOV rats, but only in 16.67% of OV rats. Overall, neonatal ovariectomy significantly reduced the number of folia. Although the mechanisms are speculative, these data clearly indicate removal of the ovaries 24 h after birth, either directly and/or indirectly has long-term effects on cerebellar development.