cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biofilms correlate with TH1 inflammation in the sinonasal tissue of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis.

OBJECTIVE: Determine the prevalence of bacterial biofilms in surgical chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) patients and characterize the inflammatory response associated with biofilm CRS.STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional.SETTING: Tertiary care academic center.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Sinonasal mucosa and peripheral blood were collected from 60 CRS patients. Mucosal biofilms were demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy. Leukocyte subpopulations were determined by flow cytometry. Cytokines were identified with a luminex-based assay on the lysate of homogenized tissue or plasma.RESULTS: Of the 60 samples, 17 were determined to be positive for the presence of biofilms. Oral steroid-naive CRS patients with biofilm demonstrated a local TH1 inflammatory response with significantly elevated levels of interferon-γ (INF-γ), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 β, and neutrophils in the sinonasal mucosa. No differences were present at the systemic level.CONCLUSION: Sinonasal bacterial biofi...
Ultrasound breast imaging—the method of choice for examining the young patient☆

Abstract It is shown in this paper that relatively simple ultrasound techniques, in combination with specific scanning protocols, can provide a more accurate diagnosis for pathologies in the breast of young subjects than does X-ray mammography. Static, B -mode ultrasound instrumentation with close-interval scanning and transducers designed for the specific examination regime, was used to examine 116 symptomatic breast patients under 30 yr of age. Approximately 50% of the patients were diagnosed by ultrasound as fibroadenoma cases; biopsy of 22% of these cases indicated 100% diagnostic accuracy for the ultrasound technique. Thirty-one percent of the cases diagnosed as fibroadenoma by ultrasound were also examined by X-ray mammography; in 80% of these cases, X-ray mammography did not adequately image the mass.
Conflicting agendas, interests, and actors in disease prevention policy-making: business, labor, and the High Risk Act.

During 1985-1988, the U.S. Congress considered and nearly passed the controversial "High Risk Act." This article analyzes the case in terms of a class-dialectic perspective that views contradictory class interests, the political economy context, intraclass divisions, and institutional biases favoring dominant class interests as important, underlying factors in shaping the character, course, and outcome of the policy-making process. These concepts are used as the basis for explicating the political conflicts surrounding the legislation, the course of its consideration by the Congress, and its ultimate defeat. The sharp labor-business conflicts over the bills are shown to be closely tied to the legislation's potential effects upon their class-based economic and ideological/political interests. The course of Congressional consideration of the legislation is demonstrated as strongly influenced by contextual factors and intraclass divisions, especially those within the business community. Finally, indirect and direct institutional biases favoring business interests are shown to be particularly relevant to the legislation's defeat. In conclusion, the author develops a series of lessons regarding the disease prevention policy-making process which illustrate how the political dynamics and outcomes associated with episodes of occupational health policy reform may be interpreted through a class-dialectic perspective focusing upon class interests, divisions, and struggle.
Effects of tramadol and o-desmethyltramadol on canine innate immune system function.

Abstract Objective Tramadol is a commonly used opioid analgesic in dogs, particularly in dogs with a compromised immune system. An opioid may be selected for its immunomodulatory effects. Consequently, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of tramadol on immune system function by evaluating the effect of tramadol and o-desmethyltramadol (M1) on the function of canine leukocytes in vitro. The hypothesis was that tramadol and M1 would not alter polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) phagocytosis, PMN oxidative burst, or stimulated leukocyte cytokine production capacity of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10. Study design In vitro pharmacodynamic study. Animals Six healthy dogs. Methods Blood from six dogs was obtained and incubated with various concentrations of tramadol and M1. Phagocytosis and oxidative burst were assessed using flow cytometry, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and peptidoglycan (PG)-stimulated leukocyte production of TNF, IL-6, and IL-10 were measured using a canine specific multiplex assay. Results No differences were detected in phagocytosis or oxidative burst with any drug concentration. Tramadol did not alter leukocyte cytokine production, however, M1 significantly blunted IL-10 production. Conclusions Tramadol and its metabolite M1 were sparing to PMN phagocytosis and oxidative burst in dogs in vitro. Tramadol did not alter leukocyte cytokine production, however, M1 blunted IL-10 production at clinically achievable concentrations suggesting that M1 may promote a proinflammatory shift. Clinical relevance These data suggest that tramadol has minimal effect on phagocytosis and oxidative burst, and may promote a proinflammatory shift. Therefore, tramadol may be an ideal opioid analgesic in dogs at high risk of infection. Further investigation in vivo is warranted.
Wide angle X-ray scattering study of the layering in three of the Argonne premium coals

Abstract Using wide angle X-ray scattering methods, the phase interference curves and the inter-layer structure curves of thee of the Argonne Premium Coals were measured. These analyses indicate the inter-layer structuring is rank dependent. In the sub-bituminous coal (Wyodak–Anderson), the number of layers in the average short-range structural domain is ca. 2.3, with the average inter-layer distance being 4.1 A. For Pittsburgh #8 coal, the average inter-layer distance decreases slightly, to 4.0 A, while the number of layers in the average short-range structural domain increases to ca. 3. For the more mature Pocahontas #3, a low-volatile bituminous coal, the inter-layer distance decreases to 3.7 A, and the average short-range structural domain contains 4.5–5 layers.
The role of brain interleukin-1 in stress-enhanced fear learning

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been shown to be associated with pro-inflammatory markers, including elevated plasma levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β). However, the precise role of neuroinflammation and central immune signaling on the development of this debilitating psychological disorder is not known. Here, we used stress-enhanced fear learning (SEFL), an animal model of the disorder, to examine the role of central IL-1β in PTSD. The results show that the severe stressor in SEFL induces a time-dependent increase in IL-1β immunoreactivity and mRNA expression within the dentate gyrus of the dorsal hippocampus (DH). There was no increase in IL-1β in the basolateral amygdala or the perirhinal cortex. Moreover, blocking the action of IL-1β following the severe stressor with IL-1 receptor antagonist (10 μg, intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.), 24 and 48 h after the stressor) prevented the development of SEFL. To provide further support for the role of IL-1β in the development of SEFL, we show that systemic morphine, a treatment which is known to reduce both PTSD and SEFL, also reduces IL-1β expression in the DH induced by the severe stressor. These studies provide the first evidence that IL-1 is involved SEFL and suggest that IL-1 signaling in the brain may have a critical role in the development of PTSD.
Use of endovaginal color Doppler ultrasound to document fetal heart motion in a 5-week ectopic gestation

With endovaginal sonography, very small gestational sacs may be detected. We describe a case in which endovaginal color Doppler sonography demonstrated active embryonic heart motion in an ectopic gestation at 5 weeks. The possible clinical application of this enhanced diagnostic modality is discussed.
The Leadership Institute in STS education: A collaborative teacher enhancement, curriculum development, and research project of Penn State University and West Virginia University with rual middle/junior high school science teachers

(1996). The Leadership Institute in STS education: A collaborative teacher enhancement, curriculum development, and research project of Penn State University and West Virginia University with rual middle/junior high school science teachers. Journal of Science Teacher Education: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 23-40.
Electron microscopic observations of dislocations in nickel and NiMo alloys

Abstract Dislocations induced by deformation of disordered f.c.c. 10 and 20 at. % MoNi alloys are closely restricted to the slip planes and pile-up readily at barriers. It is believed that Mo has lowered the stacking fault energy to cause sufficient separation of partial dislocation pairs so that cross-slip is difficult; however, the stacking faults were not resolvable, indicating that the separation was less than about 10 A. The microstructure of the deformed ordered Ni 4 Mo was characterized by numerous long ribbons which were assumed to be contrast effects caused by the formation of antiphase boundaries as dislocations passed through the domains. Dislocations were restricted to single slip planes, and appeared nearly always in pairs, which were concluded to be superdislocations.
Extracellular recording from the guinea-pig myenteric plexus and the action of morphine

Abstract Extracellular recordings were made with glass suction electrodes from neurons in isolated ganglia of the myenteric plexus of the guinea-pig ileum. The activity recorded was considered to arise in neuronal somata as a consequence of the mechanical contact with the recording electrode. The spike activity was depressed by normorphine (10 nM—1 μM) and this action was prevented by low concentrations of naloxone. Morphine remained effective in solutions which contained 1 or 12 mM K + . The findings support other evidence that morphine acts by hyperpolarizing the soma membrane of myenteric neurons, but do not elucidate the ionic mechanism of the effect.
Protein breakdown precedes pancreatic tumor development.

A new study shows that plasma levels of branched-chain amino acids are elevated in subjects several years before they are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This may reflect breakdown of peripheral protein stores in the early stages of the disease.
ONLINE SEARCHING OF MEDICAL LITERATURE

Prior to offering direct access to computer-assisted searches of the medical literature (MEDLINE) by faculty of the Department of Pediatrics, eight faculty were selected to have initial access to an online service. The faculty selection was based on an expressed interest in computers and doing online searching. 2/8 faculty were NLM certified physician searchers (EF). The others were inexperienced (IF). 4/8 participated in a previous study looking at resident usage of online searching. All were given a disk based tutorial on online searching as training for this computer service. Data, including duration and time of day of online session, cost per session, and search characteristics were collected over a 7 month period. At the end of the trial period, a questionaire was administered to determine how and why the searches were done and user satisfaction. The number of online sessions for EF was 170 and IF was 166. The mean duration of the online session was 0.20 hr for EF and 0.22 hr for IF. The mean cost of a session was $6.57 for EF and $7.87 for IF. 75% of searches were done from 6am-6pm and 25% from 6pm-6am. The most frequent motivation for searching was patient care followed by research, teaching, and manuscript preparation. 6/8 faculty were satisfied with their search results 90% of the time. 5/8 faculty felt their searches were more valuable than those obtained from the medical research librarian. We conclude that physician searching of MEDLINE is valuable and can be done at a reasonable cost.
Progress in the study of brain evolution: from speculative theories to testable hypotheses.

Darwin's theory of evolution raised the question of how the human brain differs from that of other animals and how it is the same. Early students of brain evolution had constructed rather grand but speculative theories which stated that brains evolved in a linear manner, from fish to man and from simple to complex. These speculations were soundly refuted, however, as contemporary comparative neurobiologists used powerful new techniques and methodologies to discover that complex brains have evolved several times independently among vertebrates (e.g., within teleost fishes and birds) and that brain complexity has actually decreased in the lineages leading to modern salamanders and lungfishes. Moreover, the old idea that brains evolved by the sequential addition of new components has now been replaced by the working hypothesis that brains generally evolve by the divergent modification of preexisting parts. Speculative theories have thus been replaced by testable hypotheses, and current efforts in the field are aimed at making phylogenetic hypotheses even more testable. Particularly promising new directions for comparative neurobiology include (1) the integration of comparative neuroanatomy with comparative embryology and developmental genetics in order to test phylogenetic hypotheses at a mechanistic level, (2) research into how evolutionary changes in the structure of neural circuits are related to evolutionary changes in circuit function and animal behavior, and (3) the analysis of independently evolved similarities to discover general rules about how brains may or may not change during the course of evolution.
Scientific evidence and principles for the use of endobronchial ultrasound and transbronchial needle aspiration

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS), using the radial EBUS probe and convex-probe EBUS-guided transbronchial needle aspiration, are increasingly advocated for a wide array of minimally invasive thoracic procedures. The effectiveness of EBUS-guided procedures has been demonstrated to a degree that, in many institutions, EBUS is becoming standard of practice for the diagnosis, staging and restaging of mediastinal lymphadenopathy in lung cancer, the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, and for bronchoscopic biopsy of peripheral lung lesions. Its role in other bronchoscopic procedures requires further study despite an already strong body of literature: diagnosis of lymphoma and benign infectious disease, diagnosis of early lung cancer and airway wall disorders, imaging of thoracic vascular disease such as pulmonary embolism, and therapeutic procedures such as placement of fiducial markers. In this article, we illustrate some of the principles of EBUS, describe major technical aspects pertaining to the procedure itself and provide a narrative review of original research addressing proposed roles of EBUS in a variety of indications. In closing, we describe future perspectives including new educational processes and philosophies that could favorably impact the rapid and safe dissemination of this evolving technology into clinical practice.
The domain of laboratory ecology

Ecologists often divide their field into three parts: theoretical, laboratory, and field studies. These approaches are directed toward many of the same concepts and, ideally, may have the same ultimate goals, but they are also distinct, not only in the scientific tools they use, but even in the types of questions best addressed by each one. This paper is concerned in particular with laboratory ecology and the relations, and distinctions, between it and field ecology.
High-order theory for the analysis of multi-layer plate assemblies and its application for the analysis of sandwich panels with terminating plies

Abstract Multi-layer sandwich type structures can be identified in many structural assemblies involving composite materials. Such multi-layer composite assemblies are characterized by having interchanging layers of high density and high stiffness separated by compliant interface layers. A characteristic feature of these multi-layer assemblies is that severe and highly localized stress concentrations appear under certain conditions. The quantitative understanding of these phenomena involves a detailed description of the complicated mechanical interaction of the stiff layers through the compliant interface layers. The paper presents a high-order plate theory formulation, which includes the through-thickness flexibility, and which inherently includes a description of the global response as well as the local responses of the individual layers of an arbitrary, multi-layer structural plate assembly. The features of the high-order multi-layer plate theory are demonstrated through analysis of the elastic response of a CFRP/honeycomb-cored sandwich panel with symmetric exterior ply drops. The chosen example involves a 7-layer sandwich plate assembly that changes to a 3-layer assembly at the position of the ply-drops.
FbpA--a bacterial transferrin with more to offer.

Abstract Background Gram negative bacteria require iron for growth and virulence. It has been shown that certain pathogenic bacteria such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae possess a periplasmic protein called ferric binding protein (FbpA), which is a node in the transport of iron from the cell exterior to the cytosol. Scope of review The relevant literature is reviewed which establishes the molecular mechanism of FbpA mediated iron transport across the periplasm to the inner membrane. Major conclusions Here we establish that FbpA may be considered a bacterial transferrin on structural and functional grounds. Data are presented which suggest a continuum whereby FbpA may be considered as a naked iron carrier, as well as a Fe–chelate carrier, and finally a member of the larger family of periplasmic binding proteins. General significance An investigation of the molecular mechanisms of action of FbpA as a member of the transferrin super family enhances our understanding of bacterial mechanisms for acquisition of the essential nutrient iron, as well as the modes of action of human transferrin, and may provide approaches to the control of pathogenic diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Transferrins: Molecular mechanisms of iron transport and disorders.
An evaluation of the single turnover (STO) procedure as a method for the determination of the active site densities on dispersed metal catalysts

Abstract Results have been obtained which show that the standard single turnover (STO) reaction procedure can be used to determine the surface densities of the direct and two-step alkene saturation sites on various oxide supported Pt, Pd, and Rh catalysts if the carrier gas flow rate and reactant pulse size are such that diffusion control of the reaction is avoided. Rh catalysts are more susceptible to diffusion control than are Pt and Pd species. The extent of 2-butene formation during the STO reactions over Pd and Rh indicates that the alkene isomerization is nonstoichiometric. With Pt the extent of isomerization is also influenced by flow rate and reactant pulse size but to a lesser extent. Thus, the STO reaction procedure cannot be used for the determination of isomerization site densities on any of these catalysts. This procedure has been used to determine the saturation site densities on the EuroPt-1 Pt/SiO 2 and some northwestern Pt/SiO 2 catalysts. The STO reaction sequence has also been run over Pt, Pd, and Rh catalysts using each of the isomeric butenes as the reactant alkene. Over all three catalysts the same amounts of direct and two-step saturation were observed regardless of the starting alkene showing that these saturation sites are not sensitive to the geometry of the reactant olefin. With Rh a near equilibrium mixture of all three double bond isomers is formed from each of the three starting alkenes. With Pt the extent of isomerization is characteristically low regardless of the starting olefin, so the low isomerization observed during the STO reaction of 1-butene on Pt is not the result of the formation of a primary metalalkyl on a large number of isomerization sites. The STO determined reactive site densities for series of catalysts have been correlated with transition electron microscopy (TEM) measured metal particle sizes and turnover frequency (TOF) data for a number of reactions. From these results the sites on which specific reactions take place have been determined as has the site TOF for each of the active sites involved.
Constructing and constraining participation in participatory arts and HCI

Social practice art may suggest new understandings of and strategies for participation in HCI-but not in a straightforward way. Based on participant-observation at a major arts festival, we describe how a set of artists, concerned with environmental issues and community engagement, frame and enact participation, and describe how the nature of this participation deviated from both artists' and our ideas of what participation would be. We delineate how the disciplinary context of art both enables and limits the kinds of participation that can be achieved. We characterize 3 strategies these artists use to achieve participation: participation in spectacle, participation in making, and participation in inquiry. We develop the implications of this work to inform HCI through three case studies related to sustainability - spectacle computing, heirloom computing, and citizen science - to demonstrate the potential for similar strategies for participation and to call attention to how HCI, too, implicitly constructs, enables, and constrains participation. Participation in social practice art is enabled by disciplinary structures.Participation in social practice art is also constrained by disciplinary structures.HCI could fruitfully recognize/negotiate how our discipline enacts participation.Three arts strategies map to HCI: participation in spectacle, making, and inquiry.
Physical activity, symptoms, esteem, and life satisfaction during menopause.

Abstract Objective The present study examined the relationships among physical activity (PA), symptom reporting, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life (SWL) in 133 women ( M age = 51.12, S.D. = 4.10) of varying menopausal status. Results Multivariate analyses of co-variance (MANCOVA) revealed that independent of menopausal status, women who were more physically active reported significantly less severe vaso-somatic and general somatic symptoms, and higher levels of physical self-worth (PSW). Subsequent hierarchical regression analyses indicated that expended MET-h/week, reported symptoms (frequency and severity, respectively), and PSW accounted for significant variance in SWL ( R 2 model = 0.32, for symptom frequency, and 0.33, for symptom severity). Physical activity was significantly related to SWL through the mediation of PSW. However, both reported symptom frequency and severity retained significant association with SWL after controlling for PSW, although the original associations were significantly reduced. Finally, both symptoms and MET-h/week were independent contributors to the variance in PSW ( R 2 model = 0.33 and 0.34). Conclusion The results suggest that being physically active may reduce perceived severity of menopausal symptoms and enhance psychological well-being, and that the relationship between physical activity and QOL in mid-life women may be mediated by factors such as physical self-perceptions and menopausal symptoms.
A Note on the Scattering Geometry from Infinite Cylinders

Light scattering geometry from infinite cylinder shown consistent with Rayleigh-Gans formalism
Client-centered multimedia content adaptation

The design and implementation of a client-centered multimedia content adaptation system suitable for a mobile environment comprising of resource-constrained handheld devices or clients is described. The primary contributions of this work are: (1) the overall architecture of the client-centered content adaptation system, (2) a data-driven multi-level Hidden Markov model (HMM)-based approach to perform both video segmentation and video indexing in a single pass, and (3) the formulation and implementation of a Multiple-choice Multidimensional Knapsack Problem (MMKP)-based video personalization strategy. In order to segment and index video data, a video stream is modeled at both the semantic unit level and video program level. These models are learned entirely from training data and no domain-dependent knowledge about the structure of video programs is used. This makes the system capable of handling various kinds of videos without having to manually redefine the program model. The proposed MMKP-based personalization strategy is shown to include more relevant video content in response to the client's request than the existing 0/1 knapsack problem and fractional knapsack problem-based strategies, and is capable of satisfying multiple client-side constraints simultaneously. Experimental results on CNN news videos and Major League Soccer (MLS) videos are presented and analyzed.
Operations in Financial Services—An Overview

We provide an overview of the state of the art in research on operations in financial services. We start by highlighting a number of specific operational features that differentiate financial services from other service industries, and discuss how these features affect the modeling of financial services. We then consider in more detail the various different research areas in financial services, namely systems design, performance analysis and productivity, forecasting, inventory and cash management, waiting line analysis for capacity planning, personnel scheduling, operational risk management, and pricing and revenue management. In the last section, we describe the most promising research directions for the near future.
The One-Year Clinician Educator Curriculum: Neurology Residents as Teachers (P1.324)

OBJECTIVE: To develop a one-year curriculum offering Neurology residents instruction in teaching enabling them to become clinician educators. BACKGROUND: Residents are expected to be educators from their first days as interns, often without any formal schooling in the complexities of this role. Many residents continue a career in academic medicine where they play a pivotal role in education, but have not received training to satisfy these responsibilities. Despite this, few resident curricula have been published to include instruction in teaching, particularly in the field of Neurology. METHODS: This curriculum was prepared for 18 Neurology residents at Boston University Medical Center and consists of monthly, one-hour sessions that incorporate multiple teaching styles and are divided into didactics, small group discussions, and interactive kinetic learning. The core competencies of this curriculum are to teach: the history of medical education, optimization of the teaching setting, adaptation of instruction specific for an audience, Kaizen in medical education (using evaluations and surveys to improve teaching), how to give and receive feedback, with the “global classroom” in mind, while learning (using the current literature), while improving productivity (best utilizing medical students in clinical practice), how to publish educational research, and how to document the teaching portfolio. RESULTS: The residents have now participated in two of the clinician educator sessions, which were met with resounding enthusiasm. Furthermore, improved resident teaching skills were praised by medical students in a structured feedback session. We plan to prospectively follow the residents’ response to this curriculum and document their improvement over time. CONCLUSIONS: The importance of clinician education is clear in the training of future neurologists and ultimately improves patient care. Although this curriculum was intended for neurology residents, a similar curriculum can be established for other specialties. We hope to enable residents to feel comfortable in their role as clinician educators and to guide those with these natural abilities to foster their talent with proven educational tactics. Disclosure: Dr. Santini has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hohler has nothing to disclose.
Precollapse of T7 DNA by spermidine at low ionic strength: A linear dichroism and intrinsic viscosity study

At low salt ([Na+] = 10−3M), spermidine is capable of transforming DNA from a highly extended random coil to a compact particle. The transition takes place at a spermidine concentration of around 25 μM and the compact particle has been previously studied in considerable detail for several different DNAs. The objective of the present study is to see what effect, if any, spermidine has on T7 DNA conformation prior to collapse using flow dichroism and intrinsic viscosity. We conclude that increasing the spermidine concentration from 0 to the collapse transition point (above 20 μM) makes DNA increasingly nondraining. Furthermore, the persistence length dropped from 785 (±42) to 560 (±32) to 445 (±26) A on increasing the ambient spermidine concentration from 0 to 1 to 10 μM. These results are in good agreement with counterion condensation theory and Odijk's theory of the electrostatic contribution to the persistence length of DNA. Nonetheless, it is concluded that counterion condensation is not entirely responsible for DNA collapse and that crosslinking promotes the transition to the compact state.
OS094. Subclinical left ventricular dysfunction in preeclamptic women with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction: A 2D speckle tracking imaging study

Introduction Patients with preeclampsia are at risk for cardiovascular disease [1,2]. Changes in cardiac function are subtle in preeclampsia and are quantitatively difficult with conventional imaging. Strain measurements using speckle-tracking echocardiography have been used to sensitively quantifyabnormalities in other disease settings [3]. Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in myocardial strain using speckle tracking echocardiography in women with and without preeclampsia. We hypothesized that global left systolic strain measures would prove more sensitive than conventional left ventricular ejection fraction in detecting early changes in systolic LV function manifesting as subclinical disease prior to overt progression. Methods We evaluated the feasibility and sensitivity of strain imaging using speckle tracking echocardiography. Thirty-six women were enrolled in this pilot study; 28 were analyzed: 11 with preeclampsia and 17 without preeclampsia. Echocardiographic Ejection fraction and global peak longitudinal ,radial and circumferential strain were measured. Results Global Median longitudinal strain was significantly worsened in women with preeclampsia compared to women without preeclampsia ( P P =0.006) and circumferential strain ( P =0.03). There was no significant difference in ejection fraction between the groups ( P =0.52) (Table 1). Data are presented as median (interquartile range). Conclusion Myocardial strain imaging using speckle tracking is more sensitive than left ventricular ejection fraction to detect differences in left ventricular systolic function in women with and without preeclampsia.
What have we learned about gonadotropin function from gonadotropin subunit and receptor knockout mice

A number of biochemical and physiological studies elucidated the roles of pituitary and placental glycoprotein hormones. Advances in the past two decades in manipulating the mouse genome by random or site-specific mutagenesis have heralded a new dimension to our understanding of the biology of gonadotropins. It is now possible to model many human reproductive disorders involving gonadotropins/gonadotropin-signaling in the mouse. Mutant mice selectively lacking either FSH or LH or their cognate receptors have been generated. The gonadotropin ligand and the corresponding receptor knockout mice mostly phenocopy each other. Analyses with these genetic models confirmed earlier physiological studies; in addition they also revealed novel roles for gonadotropins previously unrecognized. While FSH action seems dispensable for male but not female fertility, absence of LH causes infertility in both the sexes. While Sertoli cell number and germ cell carrying capacity of the Sertoli cells in compromised in FSH mutants, both somatic and germ cell lineages are affected in the LH mutants resulting in complete male infertility. FSH mutant females demonstrate a preantral stage block in folliculogenesis and FSH alone is not sufficient to promote full folliculogenesis in the absence of LH. Pre-ovulatory stage follicles do not form and most of the follicles undergo apoptosis in the absence of LH. Many extra-gonadal phenotypes have been described for the receptor knockout mice and whether these bear any resemblances to those in patients with similar inactivating mutations in the receptors for FSH and LH remains an open question. Thus the in vivo models will continue to have a significant impact in understanding gonadotropin physiology and pathophysiology and serve as novel genetic tools to study signaling mechanisms in the gonads.
NR2F1 controls tumour cell dormancy via SOX9- and RARβ-driven quiescence programmes

Metastases can originate from disseminated tumour cells (DTCs), which may be dormant for years before reactivation. Here we find that the orphan nuclear receptor NR2F1 is epigenetically upregulated in experimental head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) dormancy models and in DTCs from prostate cancer patients carrying dormant disease for 7-18 years. NR2F1-dependent dormancy is recapitulated by a co-treatment with the DNA-demethylating agent 5-Aza-C and retinoic acid across various cancer types. NR2F1-induced quiescence is dependent on SOX9, RARβ and CDK inhibitors. Intriguingly, NR2F1 induces global chromatin repression and the pluripotency gene NANOG, which contributes to dormancy of DTCs in the bone marrow. When NR2F1 is blocked in vivo, growth arrest or survival of dormant DTCs is interrupted in different organs. We conclude that NR2F1 is a critical node in dormancy induction and maintenance by integrating epigenetic programmes of quiescence and survival in DTCs.
No Need to Worry: The Promising Future of Child Anxiety Research

Looking ahead, we review two themes concerning the treatment of youth anxiety: treatment personalization and its dissemination and implementation (DI). Anxious youth can be effectively treated, but not all youth respond, suggesting the need to further adapt, or personalize, interventions for nonresponders. Treatment personalization may benefit from increased knowledge of social phobia, modular and transdiagnostic treatments, and active mechanisms of change. Further, despite the availability of efficacious treatments, they remain underutilized in the community. DI needs to overcome concerns regarding treatment manuals, social and organizational factors, therapist training, and reaching underserved populations. Finally, computer-based programs can facilitate dissemination through both treating anxious youth and training therapists.
Congenital Corneal Opacities: A Review with a Focus on Genetics

Congenital corneal opacities present in approximately 3/100,000 newborns. Many different disorders may result in corneal opacifications of infancy, including Peters' anomaly (PA), congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy (CHED), congenital hereditary stromal dystrophy (CHSD) and posterior polymorphous dystrophy (PPMD). Current studies have localized defects using genetic testing in PA, CHED, CHSD and PPMD. Identifying mutations for specific disorders may lead to better understanding of the underlying pathogeneses and may help with diagnosis and prognosis. This article will review the clinical presentations, treatments and genetics of Peters' anomaly, congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy, congenital hereditary stromal dystrophy and posterior polymorphous dystrophy.
Energy-efficient policies for request-driven soft real-time systems

Computing systems, ranging from small battery-operated embedded systems to more complex general purpose systems, are designed to satisfy various computation demands in some acceptable time. In doing so, the system is responsible for scheduling jobs/requests in a dynamic fashion. In addition, with power consumption recently becoming a critical issue, most systems are also responsible for their own power management. In some rare cases, the exact arrival time and execution time of jobs/requests is known, leading to precise scheduling algorithms and power management schemes. However, more often than not, there is no a-priori knowledge of the workload. This work evaluates dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) policies for power management in systems with unpredictable workloads. A clear winner is identified, a policy that reduces the energy consumption one order of magnitude compared to no power management and up to 40% (in real-life traces) and 50% (in synthetic workloads) compared to the second-best evaluated scheme.
ROU: advanced keyword search on graph

Keyword search, the major means for Internet search engines, has recently been explored in structured and semi-structured data. What is yet to be explored thoroughly is how optional and negative keywords can be expressed, what the results should be and how such search queries can be evaluated efficiently. In this paper, we formally define a new type of keyword search query, ROU-query, which takes as input keywords in three categories: required, optional and unwanted, and returns as output sets of nodes in the data graph whose neighborhood satisfies the keyword requirements. We define multiple semantics, including maximal coverage and minimal footprint, to ensure the meaningfulness of results. We propose query induced partite graph (QuIP), that can capture the constraints on neighborhood size and unwanted keywords, and propose a family of algorithms for evaluation of ROU-queries. We conducted extensive experimental evaluations to show our approaches are able to generate results for ROU-queries efficiently.
The effect of fibrin clot on healing rat supraspinatus tendon defects

The possibility that fibrin clot, with its chemotactic and mitogenic factors, might improve the healing of a defect in the rat supraspinatus tendon was evaluated. Bilateral defects were surgically created in the rat supraspinatus tendon near the humeral insertion. One defect in each rat was filled with fibrin clot from a donor animal while the other side acted as a control. The tendons were evaluated at 3, 6, and 12 weeks. On histologic evaluation persistent defects were seen at all time points, whereas the healing tissue became less cellular with better collagen organization over time. Fibrin clot remained in the healing defects of treated shoulders at early time points. Biomechanically, there was improvement of properties over time, but they did not approach those of normal tendon by 12 weeks. There was no effect from addition of the fibrin clot except at 3 weeks, where it led to a decrease in material properties.
Electro-Thermal Passive Intermodulation Distortion in Microwave Attenuators

This paper explores the generation of passive intermodulation distortion products through the self heating of resistive elements in a microwave attenuator. A compact electrothermal resistor model requiring only two physical parameters is developed for platinum resistors and applied to a resistive attenuator Pi network to predict electrothermal PIM. The electrothermal model is verified by comparing measured and predicted results when the attenuator is excited by a two tone signal at 400MHz with tone spacing from 1 to 100 Hz.
Atypical vascular lesion of the breast

Atypical vascular lesions (AVLs) are vascular proliferations that develop after surgery and radiation for breast carcinoma and may represent precursors to angiosarcoma. AVLs are not well-known entities and currently lack official prognostic factors and guidelines for surgical treatment. We report the case of a patient who developed an AVL, vascular type, 4 years after lumpectomy and radiation therapy for ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast. The patient underwent wide local excision with 1-cm margins with subsequent pathologic examination confirming complete excision of the residual atypical vascular proliferation. This case highlights the importance of close cutaneous surveillance in patients with a history of surgery and radiation for breast carcinoma, and a low threshold for biopsy. More studies are needed to further delineate the risk of AVLs progressing to angiosarcoma and to identify histologic features or immunophenotypic markers, which may be predictive of this risk. Furthermore, formal treatment recommendations for these enigmatic entities would be helpful.
Optical Coherence Tomography Accurately Measures Corneal Power Change from Laser Refractive Surgery

Purpose To determine the ability of motion-corrected optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure the corneal refractive power change due to LASIK. Design Evaluation of a diagnostic test or technology in a cohort. Subjects A total of 70 eyes from 37 subjects undergoing LASIK were measured preoperatively. A total of 39 eyes from 22 subjects were measured postoperatively and completed the study. Methods Consecutive patients undergoing LASIK at the Duke Eye Center who consented to participate were imaged with Placido-ring topography, Scheimpflug photography, and OCT on the day of their surgery. Patients were then reimaged with the same imaging systems at the postoperative month 3 visit. Change in preoperative to postoperative corneal refractive power as measured by each of the imaging modalities was compared with the preoperative to postoperative change in manifest refraction (MRx) using the t test with generalized estimating equations. Main Outcome Measures Corneal refractive power change due to LASIK as measured by Placido-ring topography, Scheimpflug photography, and OCT compared with the MRx change vertexed to the corneal plane. The change in MRx should correspond to the change in the corneal refractive power from LASIK and was considered the reference measurement. Results In 22 individuals (39 eyes) returning after LASIK, we found no significant difference between the clinically measured pre- to post-LASIK change in MRx and both Scheimpflug photography ( P = 0.714) and OCT ( P = 0.216). In contrast, keratometry values from Placido-ring topography were found to be significantly different from the measured refractive change ( P Conclusions Motion-corrected OCT more accurately measures the change in corneal refractive power due to laser refractive surgery than other currently available clinical devices. By offering accurate corneal refractive power measurements in normal and surgically modified subjects, OCT offers a compelling alternative to current clinical devices for determining corneal refractive power.
International Regimes, Domestic Veto-Players, and Capital Controls Policy Stability

States' decisions about regulating international capital movements are shaped in part by institutions and partisanship at the domestic level, but the effects of domestic-level variables are themselves contingent on the constraints imposed by the international system. We amend the veto-players hypothesis to account for the effects of international regimes on the political influence of domestic players in state decision-making. The history of changes in international financial regulations over the past four decades provides an ideal case to study the interaction of international regimes and domestic decision-making systems. We create a data set of all capital controls policy changes that 19 OECD parliamentary democracies made during the years 1951–1998. Using these new data, we find that states with a higher number of veto-player parties in government enact fewer capital controls policy changes. Furthermore, ideologically right-of-center governments in these industrialized countries are more likely than others to enact capital controls liberalizations. We also find, however, that the independent effects of these domestic-level variables disappear after the mid-1980s, when the systemic constraints imposed on individual states increased substantially.
PSPICE as a simulation tool in teaching electrodynamics

An experimental course in electromagnetic theory has been developed in which the student version of PSPICE can be used to illustrate a large class of theoretical principles. The course material is based an the argument that many interesting problem in electrodynamics can be addressed using TEM waves normally incident on a dielectric or reflecting interface. The relationship between a normally incident propagating TEM wave and a voltage (or current) wave propagating down a transmission line are shown to be mathematically equivalent, as are the constitutive parameters of a material and the inductance and capacitance per unit length in a transmission line. Once these relationships have been established, the transmission line models available in PSPICE can be used to solve interesting physical problems.
A 128kb high density portless SRAM using hierarchical bitlines and thyristor sense amplifiers

A 128 kb portless SRAM is presented with 1024 rows per hierarchical bitline and CMOS thyristor-based local sense amplifiers. Each portless cell is 0.317 μm2 in 45nm CMOS and consumes 50.8 fJ of energy per access at a 17.86 ns cycle time. A 65% read SNM improvement and a 33% leakage power reduction is achieved over a conventional 6T design. The thyristor-based sense amplifier occupies 2.4 μm2 and provides variation tolerant sensing within the hierarchical column pitch.
Symptomatic Low-Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis With Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction Now Less of a Clinical Conundrum

Accurate assessment of aortic stenosis (AS) severity is one of the more technically demanding studies in echocardiography. This is reflected in the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission for Echocardiography standards that specify that AS gradients must be measured from at least 3 different transducer positions and with a nonimaging, dedicated, continuous-wave Doppler transducer (Pedhoff). The standards do not specify the measurement of any other valvular lesion. Submission and review of AS cases is required for laboratory accreditation by that body. Given the complexity in echocardiographic assessment, the determination that a patient has severe AS (defined as a valve area ≤1 cm2 or an indexed area ≤0.6 cm2/m2) but a mean gradient <40 mm Hg despite a preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF) is often met with skepticism by our interventional colleagues. Low-gradient severe AS resulting from decreased LV systolic function can be assessed by dobutamine protocols intended to increase the flow across the valve and to distinguish true AS from pseudo-AS.1 Such is usually not the case in patients with preserved LVEF. Article see p 622 Work by a group in Quebec has highlighted the existence of paradoxical low-gradient severe AS (LGSAS) in patients with preserved LVEF but paradoxically low stroke volume.2 The low stroke volume is presumably attributable to a small LV cavity that has been infringed on by LV hypertrophy and decreased myocardial function that has not yet resulted in a decreased LVEF. Milano et al3 performed intraoperative myocardial biopsies on patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) for AS and demonstrated that those patients with moderate fibrosis had much poorer long-term outcome despite normal LVEF compared with patients with no or mild fibrosis. Other groups have confirmed fibrosis and myocardial dysfunction in these patients with magnetic resonance imaging to assess …