cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anomalous Origin of Left Pulmonary Artery from the Aorta with Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return

Anomalous origin of left pulmonary artery (AOLPA) from the aorta is a rare congenital cardiac malformation. We report a case of AOLPA from the aorta with partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) in a 3.2 kg infant. Surgical correction was performed with direct anastomosis of AOLPA to the main pulmonary artery with subsequent baffling of the anomalous right pulmonary veins to the left atrium and patch augmentation of the left pulmonary artery performed at 1-month of life. Recurrent stenosis of the proximal left pulmonary artery was treated with stent placement at 17-months. Pulmonary hypertension has persisted at 30-month follow up.
Resource competition and suppression of plants colonizing early successional old fields

Early colonizing annual plants are rapidly suppressed in secondary succession on fertile midwestern old fields, while later colonizing perennials persist. Differences in competitive ability for above- and belowground resources may be partly responsible for differences in species persistence during succession, as both light and nutrient availability may change rapidly. We found that, although both above- and belowground competition suppress growth of colonizing plants, belowground competition was the dominant factor in the suppression of the annual Ambrosia artemisiifolia in 2nd-year-old fields near the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in southwestern Michigan. Despite an ability to persist in later successional fields, seedling transplants of the perennial Achillea millefolium were also suppressed by above- and belowground competition, with belowground competition having the strongest effect. As in many old fields, nitrogen availability is the primary factor limiting plant productivity. There was no clear difference between the species in ability to compete for (15)N from an enriched patch, although there was an indication of greater precision of foraging by Achillea. Life history differences between these species and consequent differences in the phenology of root growth relative to other old-field plants are likely to play a large role in the persistence of Achillea in successional fields where Ambrosia is suppressed.
Distribution of left ventricular sympathetic afferents demonstrated by reflex responses to transmural myocardial ischemia and to intracoronary and epicardial bradykinin.

BACKGROUNDStimulation of left ventricular (LV) receptors with sympathetic afferents generally results in reflex sympathoexcitatory responses. Stimulation of LV receptors with vagal afferents results in reflex sympathoinhibitory responses. Vagal afferents are known to be preferentially distributed to the inferoposterior (IP) wall of the LV. We tested the hypothesis that there is also a preferential distribution of LV sympathetic afferents.METHODS AND RESULTSWe measured reflex responses to stimulation of sympathetic afferents located in the anterior and IP LV: We used myocardial ischemia and chemical stimuli to increase the activity of the sensory endings in 15 chloralose-anesthetized, mechanically ventilated dogs with sinoaortic denervation and vagotomy. Reflex responses were assessed by direct recordings of efferent renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA). In nine dogs, maximal RSNA changes elicited by transmural anterior myocardial ischemia (22.6 +/- 3.9% increase from baseline nerve traffic) were not si...
Backbone dynamics of homologous fibronectin type III cell adhesion domains from fibronectin and tenascin

Abstract Background: Fibronectin type III domains are found as autonomously-folded domains in a large variety of multidomain proteins, including extracellular matrix proteins. A subset of these domains employ an Arg–Gly–Asp (RGD) tripeptide motif to mediate contact with cell-surface receptors (integrins). This motif mediates protein–protein interactions in a diverse range of biological processes, such as in tissue development, wound healing and metastasis. The molecular basis for affinity and specificity of cell adhesion via type III domains has not been clearly established. The tenth type III domain from fibronectin (FNfn10) and the third type III domain from tenascin-C (TNfn3) have 27% sequence identity and share the same overall protein fold, but present the RGD motifs in different structural contexts. The dynamical properties of the RGD motifs may affect the specificity and affinity of the FNfn10 and TNfn3 domains. Structure-dynamics correlations for these structurally homologous proteins may reveal common molecular features which are important to the dynamical properties of proteins. Results: The intramolecular dynamics of the protein backbones of FNfn10 and TNfn3 have been studied by 15 N nuclear spin relaxation. The FG loop in FNfn10, which contains the RGD, motif, exhibits extensive flexibility on picosecond to nanosecond timescales, but motions on microsecond to millisecond timescales are not observed. The equivalent region in TNfn3 is as rigid as regular elements of secondary structure. The CC′ loop also is more flexible on picosecond–nanosecond timescales in FNfn10 than in TNfn3. Conformational exchange, reflecting flexibility on microsecond–millisecond timescales, is observed in β strands A and B of both FNfn10 and TNfn3. Conclusions: Comparison of the structures of the FNfn10 and TNfn3 reveals several features related to their different dynamical properties. The larger amplitude motions of loops in FNfn10 are consistent with the hypothesis that flexibility of these regions facilitates induced-fit recognition of fibronectin by multiple receptors. Similarly, the more rigid loops of TNfn3 may reflect greater specificity for particular integrins. The correlations observed between structural features and dynamical properties of the homologous type III domains indicate the influence of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic packing on dynamical fluctuations in proteins.
Occupational Health Outcomes Among Self-Identified Immigrant Workers Living and Working in Somerville, Massachusetts 2006–2009

This study examines the burden of occupational health risks among a convenience sample of three immigrant worker populations (Brazilian, Haitian, and El Salvadoran) in Somerville, Massachusetts. In this community based research initiative (n = 346), logistic regression is used to analyze immigrant occupational health survey data collected from 2006 to 2009. In this study, injuries at work were significantly associated with lower English proficiency (OR = 1.8, 95 % CI 1.1-3.0), workers between the ages of 46 and 65 (OR = 2.7, 95 % CI 1.0-7.0), service workers (OR = 13.8, 95 % CI 1.8-105.2), production workers (OR = 10.8, 95 % CI 1.3-90.1), construction workers (OR: 21.7, 95 % CI 2.8-170.9) and immigrants with no health insurance (OR = 1.8, 95 % CI 1.0-3.1). Injuries were negatively associated with years in the US with more established immigrants in the US >15 years reporting more injuries at work. Older immigrants who have been in the US longer but are less proficient in English, and are still employed in low-wage occupations with no health insurance suffered more injuries than recent immigrants. Further validation of this result is required.
SWAP: Shared Wireless Access Protocol (using Reciprocity)

Wireless access points are becoming more and more prominent in the home, yet there is no incentive to encourage access point owners to share their service. We introduce SWAP, a lightweight protocol that uses reciprocity to motivate users to share service. Each node participating in SWAP stores perishable receipts that are used to calculate a user's rating (how much the user shares his or her access point). SWAP does not use a centralized authority to store or validate receipts nor does it place an excessive burden on peers. SWAP is also robust against collusion, which we show through analysis and implementation. As demonstrated by an implementation of the most computationally expensive portions of the protocol, SWAP imposes little overhead even on mobile devices.
H-Y antigen expression in heterogametic males (XY) and females (ZW): a factor in reproductive strategy?

The cells of heterogametic females with ZW sex chromosomes express H-Y or H-W antigen. A hypothesis is formulated to explain why these animals are capable of ‘practicing’amphigonia retardata, i.e. delay in actual fertilization of eggs by retaining viable sperm within the oviduct for a considerable time (several months).
Total cytokine immunoassay: a more accurate method of cytokine measurement?

Background: Cytokines signal the normal processes of inflammation and repair in all organs, yet the aberrant expression of these peptide mediators is associated with significant organ dysfunction. The accurate measurement of cytokines is therefore critical. In this study, we sought to investigate the alterations in cytokine expression early after trauma in humans using a new competitive binding immunoassay that measures both free and bound cytokine and compare this with standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which measures only free cytokine. Methods: Peripheral blood was obtained from trauma patients at admission. Exclusion criteria were transfers, death within 24 hours, pregnancy, known acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, chemotherapy, transplant, or other chronic immune disorder. Total cytokine immunoassay was compared with ELISA for cytokines (interleukin [IL]-1, IL-6, and IL-10) measured in serum. Results; Cytokine concentrations measured by total immunoassay were significantly higher (10- to 500-fold increase) than those measured by ELISA, and correlation between the two methods was poor (r 2 = 0.193 for IL-10). No significant differences in mean serum cytokine concentrations were noted between trauma patients and normal controls for IL-1 (56 vs. 37 pg/mL), IL-6 (16 vs. 25 pg/mL), and IL-10 (4 vs. 26 pg/mL) using the ELISA method. In contrast, trauma patients had significantly higher serum concentrations of IL-1 (3,320 vs. 1,470 pg/mL, p < 0.05), IL-6 (2,415 vs. 1,048 pg/mL,p < 0.05), and IL-10 (2,307 vs. 1,480 pg/mL, p < 0.05) at admission compared with normal controls using total cytokine immunoassays. Conclusion: Cytokine measurements in peripheral blood in trauma patients and normal controls are significantly (10-to 500-fold) higher when using a total cytokine assay that measures both free and bound cytokine. Competitive immunoassays may be the method of choice when measuring endogenous cytokine levels in biologic fluids, and new normal ranges for cytokines must be established for future accurate research in critical care and trauma.
An Econometric Model of Employment Growth in US Metropolitan Areas

This paper reports on tests of hypotheses about the determinants of employment growth in US metropolitan areas. All urban employment covered by Social Security is included; the hypotheses are tested for each of forty groups of four-digit SIC industries. The units of observation are 284 areas, including all SMS As, as of 1970, plus some smaller places. The period is 1965–1970.The two main findings are: First, ease of attracting labor is not shown to have an important influence on local employment growth. Second, access to markets is the most important factor, followed by localization economies, and—for some industrial groups—low wage rates and access to inputs; urbanization economies (measured by city size) are a negative factor for some groups.The research is part of a larger study of the determinants of migration and employment growth.
Visualizing evolution and impact of biomedical fields

We describe a new tool for visualization of biomedical scientific trends. The method captures variations in scientific impact over time to allow for a comparison of relative significance and evolution of fields similar to a financial market scorecard. The tool is available at SciTrends (http://www.scitrends.net), depicting the evolution of almost 200 thousand biomedical fields in time. With millions of articles on thousands of topics published in biomedicine, we envision that only with such large-scale tools researchers can objectively understand the ever-changing interests in the biomedical sciences and make more informed decisions.
Sanitary/hygienic processing equipment design

Proper cleaning and effective sanitation is an essential component of processing poultry, as it contributes significantly to the prevention of product contamination with microorganisms that cause food-borne disease and spoilage. Rapid expansion of production volume, increased further-processing and introduction of diverse ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products, sophistication of the processing equipment, implementation of HACCP and microbial finished-product standards, and, more importantly, expensive product recalls have necessitated greater control over the cleaning and sanitation process.A sanitary process should effectively protect raw and/or cooked products from physical (i.e. metal, plastic, bone, packaging materials etc.), chemical (residues of cleaning and disinfection chemicals, lubricants, coolants etc.), and biological (food-borne pathogens and/ortheirtoxins) hazards. In spite of this, many hazards continue to find their way into the processing environment and ultimately into the finished products. Microorganisms are naturally introduced into the poultry processing environments in high numbers with the live birds and, when the conditions are suitable, form growth niches by actively multiplying within the system.It is generally accepted that processing equipment should not be a direct orindirect source of microbial contamination. Many regulatory and advisory bodies have introduced hygienic design and processing guidelines. This presentation will review the recently introduced sanitary processing equipment design principles and equipment checklist by the American Meat Institute.Aplant designed, equipped, operated and maintained with internationally accepted hygienic and sanitary standards will produce safe and wholesome poultry products forthe consumer.
Reading Intermediality: Lorca’s Viaje a la luna (“Journey to the Moon,” 1929) and Un chien andalou (Buñuel/Dalí, 1929)

This article will treat two experimental short films, the first one of the most famous in cinema history; the second a little known script, lost for many years and brought to the screen only sixty years after it was written. The former is Un chien andalou of 1929, generally attributed to both director Luis Bunuel and Catalan painter Salvador Dali (who claims first screenwriting credit in the film itself). The latter is Viaje a la luna , written also in 1929 by poet and dramatist Federico Garcia Lorca and filmed by Frederic Amat, a contemporary Catalan painter, in 1998, the centenary of Lorca’s birth. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE
Disproportionation of dimethylalane on aluminum surfaces. Part I. Experimental studies

Abstract An experimental study of the growth chemistry of dimethylaluminum hydride (DMAH) has been performed to elucidate the reaction pathways underlying the growth of aluminum by chemical vapor deposition. Results find that DMAH grows clean aluminum films through a surface disproportionation mechanism, which produces trimethylaluminum (TMA) and hydrogen as byproducts. Effusive beam scattering and temperature programmed desorption experiments provide evidence that the growth mechanism proceeds through the adsorption and decomposition of DMAH into Al(CH3)2, Al(CH3), and CH3 surface species. TMA is produced via recombination reactions involving freely diffusing surface methyl groups as primary intermediates. At high temperatures (>560–600 K), these methyl groups undergo dehydrogenation reactions which lead to irreversible carbon contamination. This latter reaction pathway is proposed to be accompanied by methyl radical ejection reactions.
Epilogue. Innovation, pragmaticism, and technological continuity: Vannevar Bush's memex

Pour mieux comprendre pourquoi Vannevar Bush (1890-1974) a cree le Memex, premier modele comparable a l'hypertexte, de systeme de recherche documentaire. Perspectives ouvertes par ce modele dans le cadre des nouvelles technologies d'information
Alveolar macrophage activation in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Background Classically, activated macrophages in adipose tissue, liver, and muscle have been implicated in many conditions associated with obesity, including insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. Despite numerous pulmonary comorbidities and the sentinel role alveolar macrophages play in innate immunity and lung homeostasis, their activation status has not been examined in these patients. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) has been shown to be a negative regulator of inflammation in addition to regulating lipid and glucose metabolism. PPAR-γ is expressed constitutively in healthy alveolar macrophages and decreased on activation. We hypothesized that PPAR-γ would be downregulated in alveolar macrophages from obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the absence of overt lung disease. Methods Alveolar macrophages were obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage from obese individuals with and without OSA and healthy controls. Results Data indicated that PPAR-γ functional activity was decreased by 48% in obese with OSA and 26% without OSA (P Conclusion These findings are consistent with the presence of classic macrophage activation and an inflammatory lung environment. Data from this study suggest that alveolar macrophage dysfunction becomes aggravated in OSA and may increase pulmonary disease susceptibility.
Regulation of cell division and of tyrosinase in B16 melanoma cells by imidazole: A possible role for the concept of metabolite Gene regulation in mammalian cells

Results of hemacytometer cell counts and of tyrosinase measurements made by the Pomerantz method demonstrate that imidazole added to the medium of cultured B16 mouse melanoma cells can stimulate tyrosinase specific activity and inhibit cell division. These effects are greater than with adenosine 3',5' cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) or the cAMP-phosphodiesterase inhibitor theophylline. The effects of imidazole on cell division and tyrosinase are enhanced by theophylline and antagonized by cAMP. Cyclic AMP-phosphodiesterase activity in cell-free extracts can be inhibited by theophylline and stimulated by imidazole. However, imidazole does not affect cAMP-phosphodiesterase specific activity in vivo, nor does it affect intracellular cAMP concentrations as determined by competitive protein-binding assays. In contrast, the specific activity of cAMP-phosphodiesterase in vivo is stimulated by cAMP and theophylline, supporting the hypothesis that cAMP and agents which increase intracellular cAMP concentrations induce the synthesis of cAMP-phosphodiesterase. Studies with actinomycin-D and cycloheximide support the hypothesis that cAMP can also mediate posttranslational activation of tyrosinase. Similar experiments suggest that imidazole, or a derivative thereof, can induce the synthesis of tyrosinase at the pretranslational level of control. We hypothesize that this type of regulation (pretranslational) by imidazole may define a role for the concept of "Metabolite Gene Regulation" (MGR), in mammalian cells.
High efficiency energy harvesting device with magnetic coupling for resonance frequency tuning

Wireless sensors are becoming extremely popular for their ability to be employed in hostile and inaccessible locations to monitor various parameters of importance, and vibration energy harvesting shows great potential in powering these sensor networks. For efficient operation the device should operate in resonance at the environmental excitation frequency and hence requires a frequency tuning mechanism. Recently efforts have been attempted to broaden the frequency range of energy harvesting devices, but in terms of power density an efficient design methodology is lacking. In this work, a tunable energy harvesting device with high efficiency and power density is presented. The technique involves two single DOF's cantilever beams which are coupled in a novel fashion by means of magnetic force for resonance frequency tuning. Here the magnetic force acts as a variable stiffness coupling the two cantilever beams, allowing one to alter the corresponding resonance frequencies of the cantilever beams. Magnetic force of attraction and repulsion can be used to achieve the magnetic coupling and can increase the overall stiffness of either of the cantilever beams while decreasing the others. The total power output of the device is found to be between 180 μW to 320 μW.
Identification and characterization of messenger ribonucleoprotein complexes from vesicular stomatitis virus-infected HeLa cells.

Abstract Messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs) have been isolated from polysomes and subribosomal particles of control and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-infected HeLa cells. The mRNPs were released from polysomes by EDTA or puromycin-high salt treatment and separated from ribosomal subunits by sucrose gradient centrifugation or oligo(dT)-cellulose chromatography. VSV-mRNPs have been separated into two size classes, a large mRNP containing 26 S viral messenger RNA (mRNA) and a small mRNP containing only the three species of 12–18 S viral mRNA. These mRNP fractions contain both 78,000- and 52,000-molecular weight (MW) polypeptides, whereas mRNPs released from uninfected HeLa cell polysomes contain the 78,000-MW polypeptide as the major protein constituent. CsCl density centrifugation demonstrated that the 78,000- and 52,000-MW polypeptides are associated with VSV-mRNA. Prelabeling of cells with [ 35 S]methionine prior to infection showed that the 52,000-MW polypeptide is virus induced, and tryptic peptide analysis inidcated that this component represents VSV nucleocapsid (N) protein.
Horses and Heroes: Plato’s Phaedrus and Mary Renault’s The Charioteer

Little attention has been paid to Mary Renault’s choice of title for The Charioteer. Reading the Phaedrus, Laurie Odell, Renault’s protagonist, realizes: “In his imagination the pages were printed not with their own paragraphs only, but with all that he himself had brought to them: it seemed as though he must be identified and revealed in them, beyond all pretense of detachment, as if they were a diary to which he had committed every secret of his heart.” Clearly, the Platonic subtext remains crucial in Renault’s novel. The Phaedrus, in its central allegory proposed by Socrates, offers an erotic choice between the white horse and the black horse and (ideally) the mastery of the two by the charioteer. In The Charioteer, Ralph Lanyon privileges the black horse and exposes Laurie’s love for Andrew Raynes, who embodies mainly the white horse, as insufficient. Renault uses Plato as a model for a love between two young men that offers the good life, a love uncontaminated by the “queerness” of modern homosexuality. However, since the promiscuity of the gay world is, to some extent, anticipated by another participant in the Phaedrus, Lysias, the choice for Laurie is not only between black horse and white horse, but also between Lysian non-eros and Socratic love.
A simple quantum chemical theory of dissociative adsorption

Abstract Potential energy curves for the adsorption of a hydrogen atom on the (100), (110), (111) and the stepped (311) crystal faces of copper have been calculated in the pairwise additive model for gas atom-solid interactions. A Morse function is used to represent the lowest singlet pairwise H-Cu interaction potential and its parameters are adjusted so that the calculated maximum bond energies conform with the available experimental data. Bond strength on the low index faces is found to increase with the adatom's local coordination number. Except for the edge sites, the steps on the (311) surface strengthen the bonds to sites on the component low index facets. A systematic study of the convergence of the bond energy as a function of the number of solid atoms is reported. The H-Cu(s) potential is shown to be relatively insensitive to changes in the first layer separation distance of the size inferred from experiment. A new model for diatom-solid potentials is proposed in which the diatom-solid potential is expressed as a sum of the differences between diatom-solid atom London-Eyring-Polanyi-Sato three-body potentials and the diatom singlet potential. This model is used to calculate potential curves for various approaches of a hydrogen molecule towards the same copper faces. H 2 is predicted to be physisorbed on each face. The atom-solid and diatom—solid potentials are used in conjunction with a model formulated by Lennard-Jones to estimate activation energies for dissociative adsorption. The correct order is obtained for the activation energies on the low index faces. Substantially lower activation energies are obtained for approaches toward many of the sites on the two low index facets of the (311) surface as compared to the same approaches towards the individual component faces. Dissociative adsorption is predicted to proceed without activation near the steps on this surface. In general, higher activation energies are obtained when the admolecule is perpendicular to the surface or facet in question. The simple idea that the activation energies are determined by small shifts of the atomic potential relative to the less structure-sensitive molecular potential works well for the low index faces, but is not wholly satisfactory for the stepped (311) surface. All results reported in this paper are negligibly different from those that are fully converged with respect to cluster size in the present model.
Selection of recipients for cardiac transplantation

Abstract The initial acclaim which panegyrized the first successful cardiac transplantation in man has been succeeded by an equally appropriate, searching reappraisal. The critical unsolved problems of rejection and the need for immunosuppressant drugs and their consequent complications, and, especially, the extremely high mortality within six months after the transplantation have led to an outcry of criticism and a demand to halt the procedure. At best, cardiac transplantation has been termed an experimental procedure on humans, which should be rigidly restricted or discontinued until the associated problems are solved by animal and laboratory investigations. On the other hand, the spectacular nature of the surgical accomplishment and its potentialities, the isolated cases of survival, and the expectation that existing problems can be solved preclude any rash abandonment of the operation.
Theory of high-gain free-electron lasers

Abstract A powerful, coherent X-ray source may require a high-gain free-electron laser that makes use of self-amplified spontaneous emission. High gain can be achieved by using a combination of high peak current and a long undulator. The theoretical description of the high-gain FEL starts from the Lorentz-Maxwell equations solved self-consistently.
Ligand-assisted, copper(II) acetate-accelerated azide-alkyne cycloaddition.

Polytriazole ligands such as the widely used tris[(1-benzyl-1 H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl]amine (TBTA), are shown to assist copper(II) acetate-mediated azide–alkyne cycloaddition (AAC) reactions that involve nonchelating azides. Tris(2-{4-[(dimethylamino)methyl]-1 H-1,2,3-traizol-1-yl}ethyl)amine (DTEA) outperforms TBTA in a number of reactions. The satisfactory solubility of DTEA in a wide range of polar and nonpolar solvents, including water and toluene, renders it advantageous under copper(II) acetate-mediated conditions. The copper(II) acetate-mediated formation of the three triazolyl groups in a tris(triazolyl)-based ligand occurs sequentially with an inhibitory effect in the last step. The kinetic investigations of the ligand-assisted reactions reveal an interesting mechanistic dependence on the relative affinity of azide and alkyne to copper (II). In addition to expanding the scope of the copper(II) acetate-mediated AAC reactions to include nonchelating azides, this work offers evidence for the mechanistic synergy between the title reaction and the alkyne oxidative homocoupling reaction. The elucidation of the structural details of the polytriazole-ligand-bound reactive species in copper(I/II)-mediated AAC reactions, however, awaits further characterization of the metal coordination chemistry of polytriazole ligands.
Client-side web mining for community formation in peer-to-peer environments

In this paper we present a framework for forming interests-based Peer-to-Peer communities using client-side web browsing history. At the heart of this framework is the use of an order statistics-based approach to build communities with hierarchical structure. We have also carefully considered privacy concerns of the peers and adopted cryptographic protocols to measure similarity between them without disclosing their personal profiles. We evaluated our framework on a distributed data mining platform we have developed. The experimental results show that our framework could effectively build interests-based communities.
Integral quadratic constraints for delayed nonlinear and parameter-varying systems

The stability and performance of nonlinear and linear parameter varying (LPV) time delayed systems are analyzed. First, the input/output behavior of the time delay operator is bounded in the frequency domain by integral quadratic constraints (IQCs). A simple geometric interpretation is used to derive new IQCs for both constant and varying delays. Second, the performance of nonlinear and LPV delayed systems is bounded using dissipation inequalities that incorporate IQCs. The nonlinear or LPV part of the system is treated directly in the analysis and not bounded by IQCs. This step makes use of recent results that show, under mild technical conditions, that an IQC has an equivalent representation as a finite-horizon time-domain constraint. A numerical example with a nonlinear delayed system is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the method.
Neurosurgical treatment of refractory status epilepticus.

Summary: Refractory status epilepticus (RSE) is defined as status epilepticus that continues despite aggressive treatment. A 9.8-year-old boy with a past history of daily left focal motor seizures was transferred to University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Hospital in pentobarbital coma after 4 days in RSE. The RSE was treated with very high doses of all appropriate antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), alone and in combination. The pentobarbital was titrated to burst suppression on EEG, but whenever pentobarbital was decreased, the seizures recurred. An ictal positron tomography scan of glucose metabolism demonstrated a right frontal area of hypermetabolism corresponding to an epileptic focus on EEG and magnetic resonance lesion. Eight days after the boy was admitted to UCLA, the right frontal focus was surgically removed, with immediate control of the status epilepticus. Whereas before onset of RSE, he had daily focal seizures, the boy has been seizure-free postoperatively for > 1 year. Operative treatment should be considered in patients with RSE in whom a focus of seizure onset can be demonstrated and who are reasonably considered surgical candidates.
Mitochondrial quality control: Easy come, easy go.

Abstract “Friends come and go but enemies accumulate.” — Arthur Bloch Mitochondrial networks in eukaryotic cells are maintained via regular cycles of degradation and biogenesis. These complex processes function in concert with one another to eliminate dysfunctional mitochondria in a specific and targeted manner and coordinate the biogenesis of new organelles. This review covers the two aspects of mitochondrial turnover, focusing on the main pathways and mechanisms involved. The review also summarizes the current methods and techniques for analyzing mitochondrial turnover in vivo and in vitro, from the whole animal proteome level to the level of single organelle. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Mitophagy.
New digital hardcopy system for medical diagnostics

We examine the requirements for a high quality image recording medium and present a new digital hardcopy system that is very suitable for the emerging new medical digital technologies. Imaging is performed using high power solid state lasers, and images are realized without chemical processing. The imaging mechanism of the new system is highly deterministic, and produces images of excellent quality. Novel imaging algorithms are employed to generate 8 to 10 bits of discernible shades of gray. This system has a high dynamic range of optical densities ranging between 0.01 and 3.5, and a MTF that exceeds most analog systems.
Numerical simulation of laser-tissue interaction during selective retinal photocoagulation

The conventional retinal photocoagulation uses continuous wave (CW) lasers which results in pathophysiologic thermal environment to surrounding normal tissues such as neural retina, choroid, and photoreceptors. Selective photodamage of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), thus sparing photoreceptors can be achieved by using short pulsed lasers. The problem associated with the usage of short pulsed laser is that it is difficult to determine correct dosimetry parameters. The aim of this study is to quantify the influence of different laser parameters over the therapeutic range and to find their optimum values in order to achieve the selective retinal treatment. The present study investigates the laser-tissue interaction by analyzing the transient temperature rise in ocular tissues during repetitive laser photocoagulation. The absorption coefficients based on combined scattering and absorption characteristics for ocular tissues such as vitreous humour, neural retina, RPE, choroid, and sclera are accounted in order to get accurate temperature rise. The laser parameters: wavelength, pulse width, and the laser profile are critical in determining the selective damage. The temperature rise in the neural retina and RPE are quantified by varying the laser parameters. Results reveal that microsecond (μs) pulsed lasers with green wavelength and Gaussian heat source profile is the most effective in selective treatment.
Palladium dichloride-promoted cyclizations of 1,5-dienes. A new method for forming cyclohexenes.

Abstract 1,5-Hexadienes, which are substituted with electron-withdrawing groups at carbon-3, undergo regioselective rearrangement to cyclohexenes upon treatment with palladium dichloride.
Clonal trisomy 4 cells detected in the ossifying renal tumor of infancy: study of 3 cases

The ossifying renal tumor of infancy is a rare neoplasm diagnosed in the first 2 years of life, predominantly in boys. The neoplasm is primarily characterized by the presence of a large ossifying component. Its most common mode of presentation is hematuria, and it has a uniformly benign behavior. The karyotypic makeup of the process has not been reported. Thus, a study was undertaken and it allowed demonstration of clonal trisomy 4, which was confirmed by the fluorescent in-situ hybridization-probing of two additional archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-imbedded similar tumors. On the basis of the findings in these three cases, it seems that clonal trisomy 4 may be considered as a characteristic of the tumor, which makes it distinct from any other infantile renal tumor.
Squaramide-catalyzed enantioselective Michael addition of masked acyl cyanides to substituted enones

Masked acyl cyanide (MAC) reagents are shown to be effective umpolung synthons for enantioselective Michael addition to substituted enones. The reactions are catalyzed by chiral squaramides and afford adducts in high yields (90–99%) and with excellent enantioselectivities (85–98%). The addition products are unmasked to produce dicyanohydrins that, upon treatment with a variety of nucleophiles, provide γ-keto acids, esters, and amides. The use of this umpolung synthon has enabled, in enantiomerically enriched form, the first total synthesis of the prenylated phenol (+)-fornicin C.
The influence of religious participation on the adjustment of female inmates

Incarcerated women at a state correctional facility (N = 213) participated in a study of the relationship between stress, adjustment, institutional misconduct, and degree of personal support derived from religious participation. A series of multivariate analyses of variance investigated differences on adjustment indicators between four groups of inmates who differed on their self-reported support from religious activities, while controlling for self-reported support for other institutional activities. Inmates who received high-level support from participation in religious activities reported significantly less depression, recounted perpetrating fewer aggressive acts, and committed fewer serious institutional infractions than those who did not attend religious activities as well as those who attended but reported receiving low-level support. In addition, inmates reporting a high level of support through their religious activities reported fewer instances of feeling angry, having arguments with inmates and correctional officers, physical fights, and injury than those who reported no participation in religious activities. Results indicate that inmates who perceive that they are receiving personal support from religious activities are better adjusted to the challenges of prison.
/spl Hscr//sub 2/ control with time domain constraints: theory and an application

In this paper we study the problem of minimizing the /spl Hscr//sub 2/ norm of a given transfer function subject to time-domain constraints on the time response of a different transfer function to a given test signal. The main result of the paper shows that this problem admits a minimizing solution in /spl Rscr/~/spl Hscr/~/sub 2/. Moreover, rational solutions with performance arbitrarily close to optimal can be found by constructing families of approximating problems. Each one of these problems entails solving a finite-dimensional quadratic programming problem whose dimension can be determined before hand. These results are illustrated and experimentally validated by designing a controller for an active vision application.
A general theory for elastic solids with temperature dependent mechanical properties

Abstract In this paper the linear theory of thermoelasticity is modified to include the case where the thermal and mechanical properties of the material depend on temperature. The study is motivated by a review of experimental data which clearly demonstrate that the properties of steel and aluminum vary significantly which moderate changes in temperature. The governing coupled equations are derived using the principles of mechanics and thermodynamics. The structure of the coupling between the temperature and strain rate is analyzed, and the requirements for uncoupling are discussed. The paper is concluded with the governing equations of the Airy stress function for thermal plane stress problems and the Helmholtz potential vector for three-dimensional problems.
A changing ocean seen with clarity.

The Hawaiian archipelago, the most remote group of islands on Earth, has long been associated with the world's most recognizable image of global change. The Mauna Loa atmospheric CO2 record, begun in March 1958 by Charles David Keeling, shows with startling clarity the saw-tooth pattern of the seasonal changes of land vegetation, and the still astonishing, dominating, rise forced by fossil fuel burning which is rapidly changing our world. Within perhaps only 5 years the peak in the annual signal atop Mauna Loa will touch the 400 ppm by volume mark, which would have been inconceivable to scientists of the first half of the twentieth century. But there is one huge and environmentally critical signal that is not easily seen in the “Keeling curve,” and that is the oceanic uptake of fossil fuel CO2. In this issue of PNAS, Dore et al. (1) document with great clarity the changes in ocean CO2 chemistry and pH occurring in the ocean in the waters off Hawaii from fossil fuel CO2 invasion.
Entrainment from a bed of particles by thermal convection

Differentiation in magma chambers, in the Earth's core and in the partially molten early Earth is a competitive process between sedimentation and re-entrainment of crystals in the presence of convection. Previous studies show that the particles suspended in convective layers eventually settle and do so almost as fast as in the absence of convection. However, the nature and magnitude of the competing entrainment has remained unclear. Here we provide a simple theory and experimental evidence showing that entrainment occurs at the crests of dunes created in the particle bed at the base of a convecting fluid. In both laminar and turbulent regimes, the dune formation and entrainment are driven by viscous stresses produced by thermal plumes. At sufficiently high Rayleigh numbers the particles are probably entrained by Reynolds stresses. Entrainment in the Earth's core is hardly possible because it requires unreasonably small crystals. Entrainment of 10^(−2)–10^(−1) cm diameter crystals is very likely in magma oceans. For magma chambers entrainment requires large viscosities (> 10^6 P) and even when it occurs, the total amount of the suspended solid fraction is very small.
Longitudinal impact of mindfulness meditation on illness burden in solid-organ transplant recipients.

Background—In 2001, more than 24000 solid-organ transplant surgeries were performed in the United States. Although survival rates have steadily risen over the past 2 decades, transplant recipients commonly experience a myriad of symptoms after transplantation that compromise quality of life. Anxiety, depression, and insomnia frequently occur despite excellent function of the transplanted organ. Use of complementary and alternative medicine has risen sharply over the past 10 years, particularly among people with chronic illnesses.Methods—Twenty solid-organ transplant recipients were enrolled in a clinical trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction. During the 8-week course, subjects learned various forms of meditation and gentle hatha yoga. Participants were given audiotapes for home practice and maintained practice diaries. Longitudinal analysis focused on the impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction on symptom management, illness intrusion, and transplant-related stressors.Results—Significant improv...
Smoothed Data and Gradients Using Sliding Polynomials with Optional Controls

: Sliding polynomials differ from other piecewise interpolation and smoothing methods in their functional continuity at the nodes. This functional continuity was used to establish optional spacing of nodes and optional boundary controls in data smoothing while still maintaining mathematically continuous rates or gradients. Cyclic as well as noncyclic data can be smoothed. Variance of the individual nodal values. derived through least-squares optimization, can be calculated using the rigorously determined weighting coefficients between data points and nodes. Such nodal variances are estimates of localized uncertainty in the data which complement the localization of smoothing through use of piecewise functions. Choice of controls in smoothing and calculation of variance have been incorporated in a computer program for user convenience.
Composite free flaps in oromandibular reconstruction. Review of the literature.

• The transfer of vascularized bone containing free flaps is the most effective method of achieving a functional oromandibular reconstruction in the primary setting. All of the reported series on mandibular reconstruction using microvascular free flaps, totaling 513 cases, are reviewed. The collective success rates of free flap transfers compiled from these series have steadily increased to 96% during the latter portion of this review. The experimental studies demonstrating the viability of vascularized bone following an ischemic insult are presented. The issues regarding primary and secondary mandible reconstruction are reviewed. Each of the eight donor sites for vascularized bone are discussed and rated with respect to the ideal qualities of the bone and soft-tissue components of a composite free flap to achieve an optimal oromandibular reconstruction. (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1991;117:724-732)
Experimental Study of the Vascular Dynamics of a Saccular Basilar Aneurysm

A majority of patients who suffer hemorrhaging as a result of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm experience reduced quality of life, long term brain damage, or death. Improved understanding of the flow patterns in cerebral aneurysms will lead to better techniques for their detection and treatment. Experiments are conducted in a generic flow phantom to characterize the basic behavior of blood flow in basilar saccular aneurysms. The test setup models a saccular aneurysm that forms at the bifurcation of the basilar artery into the Circle of Willis. Three input flow conditions are tested: a physiological flow waveform obtained from Kato (2002) [1] and two steady flow conditions corresponding to the peak and mean flow rates of the physiological flow waveform. Steady cases are examined to study the effect of increasing Reynolds number on the flow and the pulsatile case to quantify unsteady effects. The results reveal highly three dimensional flow patterns within the aneurysm. Velocity and vorticity fluctuations are extracted to investigate the nature of the unsteady flows. Wall shear stress is estimated around the aneurysm dome to examine its role in wall weakening and failure.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory

Confirmatory factor analysis with LISREL 7 of data from 1,188 managers on the 21 items of the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory-I provided support for the convergent and discriminant validiti...
Free-solution reactor for post-column fluorescence detection in capillary zone electrophoresis

A post-column reactor for fluorescence detection in capillary zone electrophoresis is described. The reactor consists of a reservoir of o-phthaldialdehyde reagent which acts as the cathodic reservoir in which the electrophoresis capillary terminates. Zones from the capillary mix and react with the o-phthaldialdehyde reagent to produce a fluorophore which is detected just beyond the capillary tip. Qualitative and quantitative studies show convective forces as a major source of mixing within the reactor.
Heritable formation of pancreatic β -cell tumours in transgenic mice expressing recombinant insulin/simian virus 40 oncogenes

Following the transfer into fertilized mouse eggs of recombinant genes composed of the upstream region of the rat insulin II gene linked to sequences coding for the large-T antigen of simian virus 40, large-T antigen is detected exclusively in the beta-cells of the endocrine pancreas of transgenic mice. The alpha- and delta-cells normally found in the islets of Langerhans are rare and disordered. Well-vascularized beta-cell tumours arise in mice harbouring and inheriting these hybrid oncogenes.
Bacterial colonization and phlebitis-associated risk with transparent polyurethane film for peripheral intravenous site dressings

Abstract Previous studies of various brands of polyurethane dressings have noted differences in the rates of catherer colonization. We compared Bioclusive transparent polyurethane (TP) dressing with a cotton gauze (CG) dressing on peripheral intravenous (IV) access sites for the incidence of phlebitis, catheter tip colonization, skin colonization, and catherer- related bacteremia. The study, involving 598 ward patients, was case controlled, prospective, and randomized for a period of 4 months. Each patient was entered into the study only once, and all dressings were applied by a member of the IV therapy team. No significant difference was seen for phlebitis rate (TP: 9.8% vs. CG: 736%) or catheter tip colonization, defined as >15 colony forming units (CFU) (5.7% vs. 4.4%) by a semiquantitative technique. Culture of specimens from the skin and catheter tips of the majority of patients (91%) showed no growth. An association was found between those patients with >15 CFU isolated from catheter tips and those with phlebitis (p = 0.022). No documented catheter-related bacteremia occurred in either study group.