cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phenobarbital as alternate anticonvulsant for organophosphate-induced benzodiazepine-refractory status epilepticus and neuronal injury.

Objective Organophosphates (OPs) such as diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP) and soman are lethal chemical agents that can produce seizures, refractory status epilepticus (SE), and brain damage. There are few optimal treatments for late or refractory SE. Phenobarbital is a second-line drug for SE, usually after lorazepam, diazepam, or midazolam have failed to stop SE. Practically, 40 minutes or less is often necessary for first responders to arrive and assist in a chemical incident. However, it remains unclear whether administration of phenobarbital 40 minutes after OP intoxication is still effective. Here, we investigated the efficacy of phenobarbital treatment at 40 minutes postexposure to OP intoxication. Methods Acute refractory SE was induced in rats by DFP injection as per a standard paradigm. After 40 minutes, subjects were given phenobarbital intramuscularly (30-100 mg/kg) and progression of seizure activity was monitored by video-EEG recording. The extent of brain damage was assessed 3 days after DFP injections by neuropathology analysis of neurodegeneration and neuronal injury by unbiased stereology. Results Phenobarbital produced a dose-dependent seizure protection. A substantial decrease in SE was evident at 30 and 60 mg/kg, and a complete seizure termination was noted at 100 mg/kg within 40 minutes after treatment. Neuropathology findings showed significant neuroprotection in 100 mg/kg cohorts in brain regions associated with SE. Although higher doses resulted in greater protection against refractory SE and neuronal damage, they did not positively correlate with improved survival rate. Moreover, phenobarbital caused serious adverse effects including anesthetic or comatose state and even death. Significance Phenobarbital appears as an alternate anticonvulsant for OP-induced refractive SE in hospital settings. A careful risk-benefit analysis is required because of negative outcomes on survival and cardio-respiratory function. However, the need for sophisticated support and critical monitoring in hospital may preclude its use as medical countermeasure in mass casualty situations.
Applying Instructional Design Principles to CAI for Mildly Handicapped Students: Four Recently Conducted Studies:

This report summarizes four recently conducted studies involving computer assisted instruction for mildly handicapped secondary students. A variety of CAI programs were used—drill and practice, tutorial, and simulation—and each study focused on the effects of specific instructional design variables. Three of the four studies produced statistically significant differences for the experimental treatments, indicating that sophisticated instructional design principles can make a considerable difference in the effectiveness of an instructional program. This research agenda also has implications for teaching practices which work in concert with the principles used in designing a practical CAI programs.
Chapter 79 – Dormancy

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses dormancy, which is an inactive state associated with metabolic depression and arrested development that promotes the survival of insects during periods of harsh environmental conditions, including high or low temperatures or moisture conditions and reduced food quality or availability. Dormancy may be manifested in a variety of forms that differ widely in their intensity and duration. Consequently, it has been proven difficult to classify these forms into discrete categories, and general agreement on terminology is lacking. Quiescence commonly refers to short periods of dormancy that are directly induced by adverse environmental conditions, principally low or high temperature. It also has the advantage of being quickly reversible upon the return of favorable conditions; this rapid response may be especially important in extreme environments, such as alpine regions or deserts, where access to food and favorable conditions are intermittent and unpredictable.
Impact of Shading design of Transparent Surfaces on Indoor Temperatures; Case Study: an Arid Climate

The objective of this work is to study the simultaneous effect of external shading devices and their configurations on indoor environments of a building under an arid climate conditions. To achieve this purpose, a typical residential building was selected to evaluate the effect of these parameters on the indoor temperatures of the different zones of the latter. A series of simulations were performed using EnergyPlus simulation program to see the effect of shading in each scenario and to determine the most favorable shading device configuration. It has been found that the shading of the windows (transparent parts of the building) of our case study and in an arid climate remains insufficient to protect the habitat from summer overheating caused by exposure to intense solar radiation, and remains unfavorable to take advantage of solar gains during the winter period.
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: An overview

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe mental health condition originating from traumatic events or experiences, and affecting many aspects of an individual's daily functionality. Symptoms can be debiliatating, devastating, and life-threatening, leading an individual suffering with PTSD to often feel overwhelmed. Currently, there are multiple accepted treatments for PTSD, including exposure therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and eye movement desensitization and reporcessing therapy (EMDR), and trauma-focused psychotherapy. However, many barriers exist between PTSD patients and their available treatment options. These barriers include financial difficulties, comorbidity of conditions, stigmatization of receiving mental health care, lack of insurance coverage, or difficulty finding proper treatment providers. This leads both experts and PTSD clients alike searching for alternative treatments for trauma-based, including psychodelic-assisted psychotherapy processes. This review will address MDMA as a specific adjunct to trauma-based psychotherapy, confronting topics of PTSD, MDMA as both a recreational and a therapeutic drug, MDMA's chemical workings in the brain and body, MDMA's positive and negative effects, and MDMA-assisted therapy opposed to existing PTSD therapies. This paper is written with the understanding that PTSD does not present identically in any two human beings and that psychodelic psychiatric treatment is currently a debated issue in many fields.
(Dis)United Kingdom? Potential for a common approach to energy poverty assessment

Abstract The UK has an extensive research base in the field of energy poverty, to the extent that other countries have based their policy approaches on the UK model. Despite this, there is no common method for measuring this condition across the UK. Additionally, sustaining meaningful reductions in UK energy poverty remains a challenge. While significant regional differences in UK energy poverty have been identified, it is not possible to draw direct comparisons between devolved countries. This paper explores the causes of these regional differences and contests that a common measurement across the UK countries would be insightful for resource allocation and policy design. The potential for applying a common multidimensional method of energy poverty assessment across the UK countries is investigated, with a strong focus on the value and viability of this process. Findings demonstrate that while there is a high level of data availability for input into a high spatial resolution index, this data is not compatible between countries and would have to undergo a process of data and metrics equivalisation before direct comparisons could be drawn. With increasing interest in the potential of multidimensional indexes to guide EU energy poverty policy, this paper provides useful insights into the practicalities of upscaling indexes between varied socio-political contexts.
Chirality, a new key for the definition of the connection and curvature of a Lie-Kac superalgebra.

A natural generalization of a Lie algebra connection, or Yang-Mills field, to the case of a Lie-Kac superalgebra, for example SU(m/n), just in terms of ordinary complex functions and differentials, is proposed. Using the chirality χ which defines the supertrace of the superalgebra: STr(…) = Tr(χ…), we construct a covariant differential: D = χ(d + A) + Φ, where A is the standard even Lie-subalgebra connection 1-form and Φ a scalar field valued in the odd module. Despite the fact that Φ is a scalar, Φ anticommutes with (χA) because χ anticommutes with the odd generators hidden in Φ. Hence the curvature F = DD is a superalgebra-valued linear map which respects the Bianchi identity and correctly defines a chiral parallel transport compatible with a generic Lie superalgebra structure.
Single photon counting detectors: TRL advancement of delta-doped EMCCDs

As space missions are designed to push the boundaries of discovery, more stringent demands are placed on detectors. I will present the status and results from the characterization of our UV delta-doped Electron Multiplying CCDs (EMCCD) as an example of a detector with high potential to enable a greater science return. A custom coated, delta doped EMCCD provides a unique combination of architecture and delta-doping for single photon counting, high quantum efficiency, and UV sensitivity. This detector has been flown on a balloon-borne UV multi-object spectrograph, the Faint Intergalactic Redshifted Emission Balloon (FIREBall-2; FB-2) in September 2018, with another opportunity in the fall of 2020. FB-2 was the first instrument to fly this UV detector technology and has facilitated in proving the performance of delta-doped EMCCDs for future space missions and Technology Readiness Level (TRL) advancement. Part of this endeavor will be testing EMCCDs in a radiation environment.
Development of the Butterfly Agility Test

Abstract Objectives To develop a PPT that incorporates multiple components of athletic ability and to assess its reliability. Design Test-retest experimental design. Setting Indoor basketball court in southern Alabama, USA. Participants A convenient sample of 21 asymptomatic subjects (14 male, 7 female). Main outcome measures Subjects performed the Butterfly Agility Test (BAT), the modified Star Excursion Balance Test (mSEBT), a standing double-legged broad jump (BJ), the Pro Agility Test (PAT), and a forty-yard sprint (40 YS). Results Overall, the BAT was found to have good reliability (ICC = 0.89, 95 % CI = 0.023–0.97), strong correlation with the PAT (r = 0.73–0.77), moderate correlations with the BJ and 40 YS (r = 0.50–0.60), and moderate correlations with the mSEBT (r = 0.37–0.62). Conclusion The BAT appears to be a promising composite assessment of athletic ability among young asymptomatic adults, but it is not recommended for clinical use at this time. Level of evidence 3b.
The Establishment of Transmission Tower Line System and Its Wind Load Simulation

The transmission tower line system includes towers, wires, ground wires, insulator strings and so on. To study the changes of transmission lines under wind load is of great significance. This article explains how to automatically establish a transmission tower line system and the system simulation under wind loads. The establishment of the tower line system takes the towers, wires and insulator strings in consideration, discusses the simplified method and the connection method of the wires. The establishment process of the tower line system is studied in detail. Finally, the changes of wires of the tower line system under wind loads are simulated.
A technical turning point-based framework to optimize CO2 EOR-storage: Capacity dynamics of Brownfield Residual Oil Zones

Abstract Residual Oil Zones (ROZs) contains considerable oil at residual saturation underlying Main Pay Zones (MPZs), which renders its development challenging in conventional manner. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR), for example, CO2 injection is therefore introduced. This technique unleashes the potentials of ROZs in terms of EOR and carbon storage. In field-scale simulation regard, although some researchers have investigated the effects of several operational variables such as well pattern, perforation interval, injection mode and injection strategy, on CO2 EOR-storage performances, no published work attempts to reveal the EOR-storage capacity dynamics/variations of Brownfield ROZ reservoir upon its development. By addressing the questions: (1) when to start considering ROZ expansion beyond MPZ; (2) the timing when to perform ROZ expansion that could maximize the profit; (3) whether ROZ expansion always benefits the project; (4) what development strategy is more favorable given a certain CO2 availability, this paper reveals the incentives of when to include ROZ into CO2 EOR-storage project beyond MPZ in development strategy regard. Based on the envisioned technical turning point where ROZ outperforms MPZ assuming propensity to oil production, novel performance metrics—ROZ oil production critical point (ROZ-OPCP) and ROZ opportune oil production trade-off point (ROZ-OOPTP), are brought up to technically optimize the development strategy design of Brownfield ROZ reservoir, upon which a resultant designing framework is established. The concepts and framework are envisioned to facilitate development strategy configurations, narrow down the target range for optimization, reduce the cost of trial-and-error and therefore promote the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Simulation study also provides following insights on CO2 EOR-storage in Brownfield ROZ reservoir: (1) above ROZ-OPCP, the development of ROZ beyond MPZ is technically feasible under moderate and sufficient CO2 supply case since positive surpluses in EOR-storage are observed. Project could benefit most from sequential and simultaneous MPZ-ROZ development under moderate and sufficient CO2 supply case, respectively; (2) ROZ expansion without considerable CO2 availability and opportune timing could technically and economically impair the project, ROZ-OOPTP needs to be considered herein; (3) Designing CO2 injection scenarios requires compromises. e.g., Higher injection rate in ROZ increases CO2 storage and brings forward the peak EOR-storage performance, while the lower injection rate prolongs the desirable EOR-storage performance; (4) The envisioned technical turning point and the CO2 EOR-storage capacity dynamics may strongly depend on original quality of ROZ and the current usage of MPZ, less usage would lead to later occurrence of technical turning point.
Realizing the Potential of African Agriculture: Innovations and Market Access for Smallholder Farmers

Agriculture increasingly occurs in a context where private entrepreneurs coordinate extensive value chains linking producers to consumers, sometimes across multiple countries. These dynamics drive agricultural development and innovation far more than before across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). More providers of knowledge are on the scene, particularly from the private sector and civil society, and they interact in new ways to generate ideas or develop responses to dynamics in agro-food value chains. A growing number of entrepreneurial smallholders are organizing to enter these value chains, but others struggle with the economic marginalization as innovative solutions do not reach them due to missing links in the value chains.
The bitterness intensity of oxidized hop acids : humulinones and hulupones

Humulinone and hulupone extracts were prepared for evaluating their bitterness intensity in beer. Previously established methods for oxidizing α- and β-acids followed by preparative liquid chromato...
Addressing Data Collection Challenges in ICT for Development Projects

This paper equips researchers for addressing a wide range of data collection challenges experienced when interacting with marginalized communities as part of ICT4D projects in developing countries. This secondary research categorizes data collection challenges reported in multiple disciplines, and summarizes the guidance from the past literature to deal with the challenges. The open, axial, and selective coding of data collection challenges reported by the past literature suggests that it is necessary to manage scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communication, and risks for addressing the data collection challenges. This paper illustrates the ways to manage these seven dimensions using a the success stories of data collection in the past, b the lessons learned by researchers during data collection as documented by the past literature, and c the advice they offer for collection data from marginalized communities in developing countries.
Differences in Family Functioning of Sexually Abused vs. Nonabused Enuretics

The present study examined self-reported maternal depression, children's somatic complaints, and perception of family functioning in sexually abused and nonabused enuretics. Forty children with primary nocturnal enuresis served as subjects. Half had documented histories of sexual abuse while the other half did not report a history of victimization. Results indicated that those children with a history of sexual abuse perceived and rated their families as significantly more conflictual and rigid than their nonabused counterparts. Variables such as type of abuse (intrafamilial vs. extrafamilial) and perpetrator did not affect the outcome. However, there were no significant differences in child somatic complaints or maternal depression between the two groups. These results suggest that primary nocturnal enuresis may manifest itself differently in families of sexually abused children than nonabused children. Implications of these findings with respect to intervention are discussed.
Spearman Correlation Coefficients, Differences between

Testing the equality of two population correlation coefficients when the data are bivariate normal and Pearson correlation coefficients are used as estimates of the population parameters is a straightforward procedure covered in many introductory statistics courses. The coefficients are converted using Fisher's z-transformation with standard errors (N − 3)−1/2. The two transformed values are then compared using a standard normal procedure. When data are not bivariate normal, Spearman's correlation coefficient rho is often used as the index of correlation. Comparison of two Spearman rhos is not as well documented. Three approaches were investigated using Monte Carlo simulations. Treating the Spearman coefficients as though they were Pearson coefficients and using the standard Fisher's z-transformation and subsequent comparison was more robust with respect to Type I error than either ignoring the nonnormality and computing Pearson coefficients or converting the Spearman coefficients to Pearson equivalents prior to transformation. Keywords: correlation coefficient; pearson correlation; spearman correlation; Fisher z-transformation
Tumor progression of murine epidermal cells after treatment in vitro with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate or retinoic acid.

Tumor-promoting or antipromoting agents potentially may act directly on initiated squamous epithelial cells or indirectly through effects on normal keratinocytes or immune cells. The purpose of this study was to examine direct effects by comparing in vitro and in vivo treatment of initiated cell populations with 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) or retinoic acid. Keratinocytes were initiated by treatment in vitro with 7,12-dimethylbenz[α]anthracene. Replicate cultures of a cloned initiated cell line were exposed to TPA or retinoic acid with acetone as control. After an equivalent number of population doublings, cultured cell sheets were transplanted as skin grafts to athymic nude mice. Replicate grafts from each in vitro treatment group were then treated with TPA or retinoic acid for 8 months. Promotion was quantified by tumor incidence (graft sites with tumor per total sites) and by tumor growth rate. The findings were as follows: ( a ) TPA increased tumor incidence whether it was applied in vitro or in vivo ; ( b ) TPA in vitro favored more progressive tumors than TPA in vivo ; ( c ) stages of malignant progression from cloned keratinocytes treated in vitro were histologically identical to those following treatment of skin in vivo , including papilloma, dysplastic invasive papilloma, squamous cell carcinoma, and metastasis to lymph node and lung; ( d ) retinoic acid treatment in vivo reduced tumor incidence and tumor growth rate in initiated cells previously exposed to TPA but not in cells previously exposed to retinoic acid. The results indicated the following: ( a ) direct effects of TPA on initiated keratinocyte populations were a significant component of tumor promotion; ( b ) factors in vivo modified the TPA response toward less progressive growth; and ( c ) the effect of retinoic acid was modulated by prior treatment history.
Immunological studies on guinea pig serum and liver L-asparaginases. Purification of L-asparaginases by antibody precipitation.

Abstract Rabbits immunized with partially purified guinea pig serum and guinea pig liver l-asparaginases produced precipitating antibodies to the homologous enzymes. Antisera to guinea pig serum l-asparaginase precipitated the guinea pig liver and agouti serum l-asparaginases but did not cross-react with Escherichia coli B l-asparaginase. Conversely, antisera to guinea pig liver l-asparaginase precipitated the guinea pig serum and agouti serum l-asparaginases but also had no effect on the E. coli B enzyme. The l-asparaginase-antibody precipitates retained varying degrees of the original enzymatic activity, depending on the source of the enzyme as well as on the antiserum used for the precipitation. The ability of guinea pig serum and liver l-asparaginases to cross-react with the heterologous antibodies was utilized to obtain the corresponding heterologous l-asparaginase-antibody precipitates. Separation and reactions of the insoluble l-asparaginase-antibody complexes are described. Immunization of rabbits with l-asparaginase-antibody precipitates increased the production of the l-asparaginase-precipitating antibodies. The resulting specific, secondary antisera were used for the precipitation of the heterologous l-asparaginases. Further enhancement of the antibody titers was observed on injection of the guinea pig serum l-asparaginase-antibody precipitates prepared with the secondary antisera. The insoluble guinea pig l-asparaginase-antibody complexes were solubilized by digestion with papain and purified by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. The solubilized complexes obtained with the tertiary antisera exhibited a single protein band on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and were as effective against Gardner lymphosarcoma as the original guinea pig serum l-asparaginase.
Database technology in digital libraries

Database technology advancements have provided many opportunities for libraries. These advancements can bring the world closer together through information accessibility. Digital library projects have been established worldwide to, ultimately, fulfil the needs of end users through more efficiency and convenience. Resource sharing will continue to be the trend for libraries. Changes often create issues which need to be addressed In this paper, issues relating to database technology and digital libraries are reviewed. Some of major challenges in digital libraries and managerial issues are identified as well.
Foundations: The Roman Civil Religion

Civil religion, in some form, is probably as old as political society. Certainly among the most ancient societies of which we have records, such as Egypt and Babylon, religion was inseparable from and even identical with the political order, an intimate relationship which has been called consubstantiality; that is, religion and political order, in so far as they could be separated, were simply different aspects or manifestations of the same reality, the same truth or cosmic order.1 What we might call a problem of the civil religion developed only under the supposition that religion and politics address themselves to different truths, or perhaps to one truth and one falsehood, or thirdly, that one was, as an articulation of truth, significantly superior to the other. This has at times produced a serious psychological dilemma and conflict of loyalties, but most seriously of all a sense of a lacuna or a rift in reality. The human psyche finds the toleration of two truths difficult, and when the consubstantiality of religion and political order dissolves there is almost always an attempt, conscious or unconscious, to restore the understanding of the world to a seamless whole by subordinating one to the other, or interpreting one in terms of the other, or simply eliminating one.
The precipitation of alpha-TiO2 from supersaturated solutions of Ti in alumina crystal structure and morphology

The precipitation of titania from supersaturated solid solutions of Ti in alumina has been analysed by electron diffraction and lattice imaging. A non-equilibrium phase, hitherto reported only after high-pressure deformation, has been identified. The orientation relationship between precipitate and matrix and the precipitate morphology may be understood by a detailed comparison of the two structures and the transformation strains.
Phase Measurements With Image Holography

Phase compensation of an aberrating medium can be achieved with image holography and a rotating diffuser in the recon-struction beam to average speckle noise. We show that the image hologram can also be used in the object plane to achieve the same result. Both amplitude and phase holograms can be used in these experiments. The results were achieved with a three-dimensional phase aberration so that longitudinal magnification and depth-of-focus effects limited the quality of the reconstructed image. With three-dimensional aberrators, one must be careful of the exact location of the image plane when recording the hologram and its placement in the reconstruction process.
Vitamin D and The Magic Mountain: the anti-infectious role of the vitamin.

V itamin D status has become a ‘‘hot topic’’ in human nutrition. In part, the concept of osseous and non-osseous effects of the active form of the vitamin underlies this expanded emphasis on vitamin D nutrition. There are 2 mechanisms by which human beings acquire vitamin D: ingestion from the diet and synthesis after exposure to sunlight. The discovery that appreciable segments of human populations are vitamin D-deficient or -insufficient, with the finding that essentially all human tissues contain a vitamin D receptor (VDR), has led to new interest in the vitamin D system and the mechanisms of its hormonal action. Although the role of this secosteroid hormone on skeletal status has long been recognized, recent and mounting evidence suggests that it affects immune function and can protect against cancer, cardiovascular disease, infection, and autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes mellitus. Vitamin D status is best assessed by measuring circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) values. Large population surveys, such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, indicate that substantial segments of infant, child, and pregnant women populations are vitamin D-deficient or -insufficient. Parenthetically, the association of infection and vitamin D deficiency has long been noted, and some of these biologic effects were described more than a century ago, even before the concept of vitamins had been surmised. Recently, it has been hypothesized that subjects’ vitamin D status can be divided into ranges of serum 25(OH)D concentrations termed deficient, insufficient, or sufficient. One study defined 25(OH)D values 30 ng/mL as sufficient. Traditionally, a serum 25(OH)D value <10 ng/mL has been considered the cutoff point for deficiency. A division into ‘‘deficient’’ and ‘‘sufficient’’ with a cutoff
Passive means for stabilizing projectiles with partially restrained internal members

A theory is developed to investigate offsetting the center of gravity (eg) of a partially restrained internal member (PRIM) from the projectile spin axis to provide a passive means for eliminating the PRIM-induced instabilities that sometimes cause large losses in range and deflection. Results for cylindrical PRIM geometries indicate that, except for large-diameter thin PRIM shapes, small PRIM eg offsets, including some that occur randomly within manufacturing tolerances, should be sufficient to reduce the instability-induced range and deflection losses to acceptable levels. Experimental results are presented to confirm the stabilizing effect of PRIM eg offset.
Effects of single doses of alprazolam and diazepam, alone and in combination with ethanol, on psychomotor and cognitive performance and on autonomic nervous system reactivity in healthy volunteers.

Effects on psychomotor and cognitive performance of adinazolam (15 or 30 mg), alone and in combination with ethanol (0.8 g/kg), were studied in healthy male volunteers and compared to effects of 10 mg diazepam. Adinazolam 30 mg produced relatively long-lasting impairments on tests of tracking, attention, verbal and nonverbal information processing, and memory. Adinazolam 15 mg resulted in descreased visual information processing. Adinazolam decreased supine mean arterial pressure, but only the 15 mg resulted in a tendency for decreased plasma norepinephrine concentrations. After standing for 5 min, 30 mg adinazolam was associated with increased heart rate. Although ethanol consumption produced additive decrements on a continuous performance task, there was little evidence to support a synergistic effect. Adinazolam 30 mg was accompanied by increased self-reports of side effects, especially drowsiness.
Getting by: underuse of interpreters by resident physicians.

Background Language barriers complicate physician–patient communication and adversely affect healthcare quality. Research suggests that physicians underuse interpreters despite evidence of benefits and even when services are readily available. The reasons underlying the underuse of interpreters are poorly understood.
Reliability: Is it worth the effort? An assessment of the value of reliability tasks and techniques

Abstract This paper describes a number of reliability tasks and techniques, including reliability modeling and prediction, FMECA, ESS, failure analysis, redundancy, and others. Each of these is examined to assess its usefulness and general cost-effectiveness. Suggestions are offered for deciding whether or not to use any of these tasks and techniques during the design and manufacture of commercial equipment.
Myocyte morphology of free wall trabeculae in right ventricular pressure overload hypertrophy in rabbits.

Right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy and changes in mechanical properties develop in response to sustained pulmonary artery construction in rabbits. We use basilar RV free wall trabeculae from rabbits for measurements of force, shortening and sarcomere length (diffraction and/or photomicrography). With enzymes we dispersed calcium tolerant myocytes from trabeculae similar to those used for the above mechanical studies. The average weight of the normal (N) rabbits (n=16) was 2.21±0.161 kg and was 2.11±0.10 kg for the rabbits with RV hypertrophy (H; n=16). The ratio of RV free wall to total ventricular weight was 0.17±0.01 in the N and 0.31±0.02 in H hearts (P 0.05); consequently, the restoring forces in the myocytes were the same as N in H. The greater addition of parallel myofibrils than of series sarcomeres in H is important for tension generation in the presence of the increased pressure load of pulmonary artery constriction. The addition of sarcomeres in series may be important to sustain muscle shortening in H and is consistent with our measures of sarcomere shortening in N and H trabeculae.
Attempts to use thiabendazole to improve the immune response in dexamethasone-treated or stressed cattle

Thiabendazole was evaluated in two separate experiments for its ability to enhance the immune response in dexamethasone-treated or stressed cattle. In the first experiment the cattle received either no drug treatment (controls), dexamethasone intramuscularly (IM), or dexamethasone IM plus thiabendazole orally. All animals were inoculated with heat-killed Brucella abortus strain 19, equine ferritin, tetanus toxoid, and live Corynebacterium equi at the time dexamethasone therapy was initiated. Dexamethasone (0.04 mg/kg/day IM for 3 days) significantly (p less than 0.05) inhibited the lymphocyte blastogenic response to mitogens and the antibody response to ferritin and tetanus toxoid. Thiabendazole given orally (16 mg/kg/day) beginning 24 h prior to antigen and dexamethasone administration and continued for 6 days failed to prevent the dexamethasone-induced suppression of the lymphocyte blastogenic or antibody responses. In the second experiment 51 cattle were divided into a control group and a thiabendazole-treated group. The animals were stressed by weaning, injection of antigen (equine ferritin, tetanus toxoid, B. abortus strain 19 and killed bovine viral diarrhea virus) and castration of the bulls on the day that thiabendazole therapy was started. Thiabendazole administered orally for 5 days at a dosage of 20 mg/kg did not enhance the antibody response to any of the antigens, and was associated with a significantly lower antibody response to B. abortus.
Blockade of the TP receptor attenuates the exercise pressor reflex in decerebrated rats with chronic femoral artery occlusion

Cyclooxygenase metabolites stimulate or sensitize group III and IV muscle afferents, which comprise the sensory arm of the exercise pressor reflex. The thromboxane (TP) receptor binds several of th...
Use of digitoxin and digoxin as internal standards in HPLC analysis of triterpene saponin-containing extracts.

Introduction Saponins are widely distributed complex plant glycosides possessing a variety of structure-dependent bioactivities. Quantitation of individual saponins is difficult due to lack of available standards, mainly as a consequence of purification difficulties. Determination of total saponin content can be problematic, often relying on non-specific methods based on butanol solubility, haemolytic activity or formation of coloured derivatives. Objective To develop a general quantitative method based on the use of the readily available cardenolides, digitoxin (1) and digoxin (2), as internal standards in an HPLC-PAD-based analysis. Methodology The cardenolides were run at a variety of concentrations to establish linearity and reproducibility of detector response and then evaluated as internal standards for quantitation of triterpene saponins in several plant-derived extracts by HPLC-PAD. Mixtures of saponins, largely freed from other extractables, were obtained by fractionation of total extracts on solid phase extraction columns (SPE) employing a water–methanol gradient and used for construction of calibration curves. Saponin identification and structural information was obtained via a single quadrupole mass detector using electrospray ionisation in negative ion mode (ESI−). Results Saponin contents in six samples from five species were determined and compared with literature results and a gravimetric method based on butanol–water partitioning. Results were generally consistent with literature reports and superior to gravimetric butanol–water partitioning. Conclusion Digitoxin and digoxin are useful as internal standards in HPLC estimation of saponin content. Saponins from different species having similar structures and molecular weights afford similar calibration curves. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis--are microglia killing motor neurons?

Progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may be influenced by microglia, immune cells of the central nervous system.
Electrical Resistance Measurements of Kaolinite and Serpentine Powders During Dehydroxylation

Direct current resistance measurements were made of kaolinite and serpentine powders to follow the changes in resistances during their dehydroxylation processes in air. The resistance of kaolinite remained almost constant during the dehydroxylation, whereas that of serpentine showed a rapid decrease. The formation of distorted lattice sites where the charge carriers are scattered under an electric field was assumed in the former case. On the other hand, the result in the latter case was interpreted in terms of an increasing cation mobility.
Electromechanical delay in the left atrium as a consequence of interatrial block

Right and left atrial electromechanical intervals and onsets of active right and left ventricular filling were measured in patients with interatrial block and compared with control patients. Left atrial mechanical activity is significantly delayed by interatrial block.
Current treatments and strategies for type 2 diabetes: can we do better with GLP-1 receptor agonists?

AbstractDiet, lifestyle modification, and pharmacotherapy with metformin are appropriate initial treatments for many patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). However, most individuals do not maintain glycemic control with metformin alone. Addition of other oral antidiabetes drugs (OADs), including sulfonylurea, meglitinide, or thiazolidinedione, is often the next step. Newer options, including incretin-based glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RAs) and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors, offer important benefits as monotherapies or in combination with OADs, with low risk for hypoglycemia. Reductions in glycated hemoglobin (A1C) have been reported among patients treated with GLP-1 RAs (exenatide, −0.8 to −1.1%; liraglutide, −0.8 to −1.6%), as has weight loss (exenatide, −1.6 to −3.1 kg; liraglutide, −1.6 to −3.2 kg). GLP-1 RAs also stimulate β-cell responses and have positive effects on cardiovascular risk factors often present in patients with T2DM. The most common adverse events associ...
NUMBER OF ITEMS PRESENTED AND RECALLED AS DETERMINANTS OF SHORT-TERM RECALL.

THE percentage of items correctly recalled from a, sequence of items decreases as the number of items in the sequence increases1,2. Two factors normally vary directly with increasing sequence length: number of items presented and number of items to be recalled. When a twelve-item sequence was presented, Anderson3 found that increasing the number of items to be recalled from four to eight to twelve increased the rate of error. Further investigation is necessary to determine if this is true substantially above the memory span. The importance of the number of items presented, independent of the number of items to be recalled, has never been adequately investigated. The following experiments on short-term recall of sequences beyond the memory span were designed to determine the independent effects of both these factors.
Topographical Influences on the Spatial Distribution of Soil Mercury at the Catchment Scale

Inorganic forms of mercury (Hg) can be converted by natural processes into methylmercury, a highly potent neurotoxin that can bioaccumulate in food chains and pose a risk to human health. Although Hg can enter aquatic environments through direct deposition, the predominant source derives from complex terrestrial cycling in nearby ecosystem vegetation and soils. Here we assess the spatial distribution of soil and litterfall Hg within two paired catchments of the Shenandoah National Park: the northwest-facing North Fork Dry Run (NFDR) and the southeast-facing Hannah Run (HR) catchments. Litterfall Hg concentrations were not significantly different between the NFDR and HR catchments. This may be attributable to the speciation of Hg (gaseous elemental Hg) that is involved in leaf-level accumulation. Significant differences in soil organic-layer Hg concentrations were observed between the two study catchments, with NFDR soils having roughly 50 % higher Hg concentrations than those from HR. These differences can be explained by differences in soil N content (and to a lesser extent soil C content) between catchments, as both elements exert a strong control of the amount of Hg bound in soils. We found no evidence that topographic aspect contributes to the spatial variability of soil Hg concentrations in these paired catchments, but did detect an influence from elevation. Soils located near ridges in mountainous catchments can contain relatively high Hg concentrations due to (1) lower turnover rates in soil organic matter pools, (2) enhanced deposition, and (3) limited mobilization of Hg from those areas.
Crossing the Bridge to Practice: Rethinking the Theories of Vygotsky and Bakhtin

Vygotsky's and Bakhtin's theories of social interaction are so general that they are not always useful guides for classroom practice. This study of secondary school classrooms in Great Britain and the United States reveals that when teachers apply similar theories to everyday practice, important pedagogical contrasts remain—both in terms of the ways in which instruction is organized and in terms of what students produce. The theories need elaborating. In everyday practice, social interaction is not binary, that is, either there is interaction or there is not. Rather, participants position themselves along a continuum of involvement—from highly involved to relatively uninvolved. Learners occupy different points within classrooms, from one classroom to another, and for the same student at different times. Also, the social space within the classroom affects student involvement and the teacher's ability to track it. This study found that in classrooms with the most highly involved interactions, students parti...
Factors affecting glucose and maltose phosphorylation by the ruminal bacterium Megasphaera elsdenii.

The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of growth substrate and extracellular pH on phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent glucose phosphorylation as well as to examine how maltose is phosphorylated by the ruminal bacterium Megasphaera elsdenii B159. Phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent glucose phosphorylation by toluene-treated cells was constitutive, and glucose phosphorylation was reduced by 69% at pH 5.0. When toluene-treated cells were incubated in histidine buffer, little maltose phosphorylation occurred in the absence of inorganic phosphate. However, the addition of increasing concentrations of either potassium or sodium phosphate increased maltose phosphorylation. Maximal phosphorylation activity was observed at between 25 and 50 mM of either inorganic phosphate source. Compared with the control incubations, maltose phosphorylation was increased over threefold with 25 mM of either potassium or sodium phosphate. Phosphoglucomutase activity was detected in cell extracts of M. elsdenii B159, and this enzyme had a K m of 3.2 mM for glucose-1-P and a V max of 1836 nmol of NADP+ reduced/mg of protein per min. Maltose was also hydrolyzed by an inducible maltase (K m , 1.19 mM). To our knowledge, this is the first report of a maltose phosphorylase and a maltase in M. elsdenii.
Collaboration vs plagiarism in computer science programming courses

In some circles, all programming is collaborative, yet in many CS1 and CS2 courses, individual programming assignments are made, collaboration with other students is cheating, and tailoring a program found on the web is plagiarism. Many educators feel that collaboration belongs only in a very few upper division courses. Others have experience to show that early collaboration broadens the learning of students, to become more effective professional individuals. Most conclude that a blend of the two styles is best for students, and can reduce cheating/plagiarism.Does collaboration belong in programming classes? Where does collaboration end and cheating/plagiarism begin? What are the advantages, problems and techniques of allowing collaboration on programming assignments in CS1 and CS2? The moderator created six discussion questions. Each member of the panel has chosen the position they can strongly support from experience. This panel will discuss these questions in detail among the panelists and audience.
A Direct Sampling Mass Spectrometer Investigation of Oxidation Mechanisms for Acetic Acid in Supercritical Water

A quartz capillary microreactor is directly coupled to a mass spectrometer utilizing the exit of the reactor as a standard high-pressure free-jet molecular beam source. This direct sampling mass spectrometry (DSMS) design is used to probe the reaction mechanism for the oxidation of acetic acid in supercritical water. The DSMS system is able to probe reactor conditions and to detect reaction intermediates, radicals, and product species during the early stages of reaction at the extreme pressures (>23 MPa) and temperatures (400−500 °C) of interest to supercritical water oxidation. The oxidation of acetic acid with hydrogen peroxide in supercritical water was selected as a prototypical oxidation reaction to validate our DSMS design. We report on our initial results, which include (1) the complete decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide to oxygen before 450 °C, (2) the subsequent onset of reaction at 470 °C, (3) the identification and measurement of the HO2* radical, indicating hydrogen abstraction by oxygen a...
Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Analyses of Poly(Ether Urethane Urea) Block Copolymers. Part II: Phase Separation

Second-overtone carbonyl bands at 1918 and 2036 nm in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum are used to monitor the phase separation of poly(ether urethane urea) (PEUU) block copolymers at 100°C. Exact positions of urea and urethane carbonyl bands are determined by NIR spectroscopic analyses of model compounds in bulk and in dilute solution. Results indicate that the carbonyl groups in the copolymers are affected by two different structural processes that occur with annealing. A faster process causes an increase in the number of free urethane groups, and a slower process causes a decrease in the number of free urea and urethane carbonyl groups. Although several structural mechanisms can be used to describe these trends, more information is necessary to identify exact structural changes that occur with annealing.
Crystal and molecular structure of 7-(p-lodobenzenesulfonyl)-7-azabicyclo 4.1.0 heptane

The structure of 7-(p-iodobenzenesulfonyl)-7-azabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane has been determined by a three dimensional single-crystal x-ray diffraction study. The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P/n with cell dimension a0 = 10.35 ± .005, b0 = 16.33, c0 = 8.22 A and a monoclinic angle, β = 99°40° ± 5′. The aziridine ring is fused cis to the cyclohexane ring with fusion angles of 122°. The cyclohexane ring is flattened appreciably, although still in the chair conformation. Bond distances within the cyclohexane ring are shortened to an average value of 1.49 A. The p-iodobenzene-sulfonate group is at an angle of 98. 3° to the bicyclic system containing the aziridine and cyclohexane fused rings. A final value of R = 0. 115 was obtained for the 1272 independent reflections.
361 THE USE OF CAFFEINE (C) IN INFANTS UNRESPONSIVE TO THEOPHYLLINE (T) IN APNEA OF PREMATURITY

In order to determine if C is an effective treatment of apnea unresponsive to T, 8 premature infants (x GA = 31.5 wks, x BW = 1820 grams) with severe apnea despite therapeutic T levels were studied. A diagnosis of apnea of prematurity was made after a thorough evaluation failed to establish a definitive etiology. Infants were then treated with T, maintaining a serum concentration of 8-12 mg/l. Thermistor pneumocardiograms were performed on infants with persistent clinical apnea. Treatment failures were defined as a minimum of 2 episodes of ≥ 20 seconds of apnea associated with bradycardia (< 100). Infants with central or mixed apnea were changed to C, maintaining a serum concentration of 8-20 mg/1. Cardiorespirograms were then repeated. RESULTS: A significant clinical improvement was observed in 7/8 infants. These data suggest that C may be effective in the treatment of apnea unresponsive to T. Since C has a wider therapeutic index and less side effects than T, it may be a more effective agent in the treatment of apnea of prematurity.