cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Television vs. YouTube: political advertising in the 2012 presidential election

Few studies have examined political content on YouTube, especially in comparison to the traditional television spots. Relying on both audience- and platform-based theories, we develop expectations ...
Videotape Simulations to Teach Staff of Long–Term Care Facilities about Residents’ Vision Loss:

Videotapes can be used for simulations of vision loss and demonstrations of adaptive techniques. The study reported here explored two methods of presenting a videotaped lesson on the care of reside...
Molecular Switches in Troponin

The contraction of vertebrate striated muscle contraction, and hence its work output, is controlled by Ca2+, which binds to troponin (Tn) associated with tropomyosin (TM) and actin in the thin filaments. Tn consists of three subunits: TnC, the Ca2+-receptor; TnI, an inhibitor of actomyosin activity; and TnT, anchoring Tn to T.M. Of the four Ca2+-binding sites, I and II in the N-terminal domain are Ca-specific sites, while sites III and IV, the high affinity Ca-Mg sites, are in the C-domain. The former are recognized as the functionally important triggering sites. TnC, whose structure has been solved by X-ray crystallography and recently by high-resolution NMR, contains two homologous globular domains connected by an unusual single α-helix. The C-terminal domain exhibits an open hydrophobic area regardless of whether Ca2+ or Mg2+ is bound to sites III and IV. In contrast, the N-terminal domain is a closed structure that opens a hydrophobic patch upon Ca2+-binding to its two “triggering” sites producing a TnI binding area. Crosslinking and fragment binding studies indicate that, in the main, the two polypeptide chains run in opposite directions in the complex of TnC with Tn. A model of TnC-TnI interactions based on low angle X-ray and neutron scattering is discussed in light of biochemical and other physico-chemical studies. The opening of the structure in the N-terminal domain of TnC may be regarded as a molecular switch. It activates a molecular switch in TnI, reflected in the movement of portions of its C-terminal half, including Cys l33, away from actin and closer to TnC, as well as other structural changes in Tnl. Finally the role of TnT in switching and transmitting the Ca2+-signal is discussed.
School-Based Teams: An Untapped Resource for Consultation and Technical Assistance.

For the most part discussions of school-based teams have focused on their mandated responsibilities related to eligibility determination and program planning for exceptional children. However, if t...
Exercises and Project Suggestions

USA Today on December 31, 1998 carried an interesting article, “Birth of a New Order”, talking about the year that world’s lines of time and space collapsed. The year is of course 1998. The most incisive paragraphs are excerpted below:
Assessing barriers and research challenges for automated fault detection and diagnosis technology for small commercial buildings in the United States

Abstract Commercial buildings often experience faults that waste energy, decrease occupant comfort, and increase operating costs. For medium and larger commercial buildings (buildings with more than approximately 1000 m2 [approximately 10,000 ft2] of floor area), studies have shown that automated fault detection and diagnosis (AFDD) tools can help building owners and operators identify and correct faults, improving building performance and producing up to 10% energy savings. However, the existing state of the art in AFDD tools and algorithms poorly serves the needs of commercial buildings less than approximately 1000 m2 (approximately 10,000 ft2). Using the United States market and building stock as a case study, this article characterizes AFDD needs for small commercial buildings, surveys the types of AFDD tools presently available in the market, identifies gaps and barriers to widespread adoption of AFDD technology in small commercial buildings, and makes recommendations for the future research and development of small buildings AFDD technology.
Line-narrowed argon fluoride LA-LEAF for trace arsenic analysis

A tunable, line-narrowed ArF excimer laser was used in combination with Nd:YAG ablation for LA-LEAF (LA-LIF) determination of As in steel and dried seaweed. Relative to previous work with a standard ArF, the line-narrowing had minimal effect on the selectivity in steel plasmas. Excitation scanning did show that both the signal and limiting background result from a standard fluorescence mechanism. Preliminary work in seaweed found a detection limit of 1.0 ppm and indicated that more laser energy and further narrowing would improve detection limits slightly. Limiting background in seaweed was ArF-derived.
Integrated State Awareness Through Secure Embedded Intelligence in Nuclear Systems: Opportunities and Implications

This paper examines the potential of embedded intelligence (EI) and the resultant implications of secure EI (SEI) and integrated state awareness (ISA) as disruptors in the advanced nuclear energy s...
Promoting the Inclusion of Mindfulness and Contemplative Practices in the College Classroom

College students may be particularly stressed as they struggle to balance college life, work, family, and relationships, while engaging in career exploration and attempting to find meaning and purp...
Measuring Three Distinct Aspects of Meaning in Life: The Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale (MEMS)

A sense of meaning is widely considered to be a central human concern, and it is closely intertwined with religion and spirituality. Meaning in life is a highly desirable quality in and of itself, and it is also associated with many aspects of physical, spiritual, and mental well-being. In this chapter, we introduce the Multidimensional Existential Meaning Scale (MEMS), which is designed to capture three dimensions of meaning. Differing from the intent of several existing unidimensional measures of existential meaning, we assert that meaning in life reflects three distinct aspects—comprehension (a sense that one’s life and the world are understandable and coherent), purpose (a sense that one has valuable goals that one is working towards), and mattering (a sense that one’s existence is of significance in the world). We describe three recent studies in which we systematically developed and tested this new measure of existential meaning. Results of these studies indicate that the MEMS has good psychometric properties and that conceptualizing and measuring comprehension, purpose, and mattering separately is advantageous over using an aggregated single “meaning in life” score. We discuss cross-cultural issues in meaning in life assessment and describe how the MEMS may be useful in examining cultural aspects of meaning and spirituality. We conclude that studying meaning in life as three distinct dimensions advances the science of meaning in life research and enhances clinical applications.
Planning and real-time monitoring of low intensity focused ultrasound therapies using a diagnostic imaging array

In this work, a system is presented for combined therapy planning, low intensity FUS treatment, and real-time therapy monitoring using a single diagnostic imaging array. First, a sonication pattern was determined by manually segmenting the treatment region from a B-mode image captured with the imaging array. To visualize the FUS therapy beam, a focused pulse excitation was transmitted and backscattered signals were used to reconstruct the intensity field of the FUS beam. The FUS beam reconstruction was overlaid onto a co-aligned B-mode image captured with the imaging array, allowing one to qualitatively monitor the position and size of the FUS beam with anatomical context from the B-mode image. Real-time beam visualizations at a frame rate of 25-30 frames per second were achieved in a rat tumor in vivo and a mock FUS therapy was planned and monitored in a tissue-mimicking.
Prospective Observational Study of Weight-based Assessment of Sodium Supplements on Ultramarathon Performance (WASSUP)

Sodium supplements are ubiquitous in endurance running, but their impact on performance has been subjected to much debate. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of sodium supplementation as a weight-based predictor of race performance in ultramarathon runners. Prospective observational study during an 80 km (50 mi) stage of a 6-stage 250 km (155 mi) ultramarathon in Chile, Patagonia, Namibia, and Mongolia. Finish line hydration status as measured by weight change, point-of-care serum sodium, and questionnaire provided sodium ingestion categories at 33rd percentile and 66th percentile both for weight-adjusted rate and total sodium consumption, then analyzed for significant relationships to race performance, dysnatremia, and hydration. Two hundred sixty-six participants were enrolled, with 217 (82%) with complete sodium supplement rate data, 174 (80%) with finish line sodium, and 161 (74%) with both pre-race weights and total sodium ingestion allowing weight-based analysis. Sodium intake ranged from 131–533 mg/h/kg (2–7.2 gm), with no statistically significant impact on pace, race time, or quintile rank. These outcomes did not change when sodium intake was analyzed as a continuous variable or by sub-group analysis of the 109 (68%) normonatremic runners. When controlled for weight-adjusted sodium intake, performance was poorly correlated with hydration (r = − 0.152, 95% CI − 0.348–0.057). Dehydrated runners outperformed those overhydrated, with 11% of top 25th percentile finishers dehydrated (versus 2.8% overhydrated), with 3.6 min/km faster pace and time 4.6 h faster finishing time. No association was found between sodium supplement intake and ultramarathon performance. Dehydrated runners were found to have the best performance. This reinforces the message to avoid overhydration.
Octopus bimaculoides Activity Depends on Who Their Neighbor is

Octopuses are generally considered solitary and asocial, though many exceptions have been documented. As such, little data exists to assess the relationship between the cognitive sophistication of octopuses and their social capacities (i.e., the social brain theory). We found that laboratory-housed Octopus bimaculoides were more active, and more of their activity occurred in proximity to a neighboring tank when housed in social situations similar to their natural habitation (i.e., continuous presence of a neighboring octopus with ample resources), compared to when housed alone. In addition, we found that these effects further varied based on the identity of the neighboring octopus, even when accounting for familiarity and weight differences. These findings suggest that octopus sociality may be more flexible than previously believed, and that their social capacities may include individual recognition and/or dyad-specific relationship dynamics. Future work should investigate to what extent flexible sociality is part of their rich behavioral repertoires.
“Making Our Work of Art a Masterpiece”: The Aesthetics of Evil in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope

In his first Technicolor film, Rope (Hitchcock, Alfred, dir. 1948. Rope. Transatlantic Pictures.), Alfred Hitchcock explores the proposition of murder as a privileged art reserved for the intellectually superior. This article examines Hitchcock’s unorthodox techniques featured in the film, from exceptionally long takes (ranging from four to ten minutes of screen time) to disguised cuts achieved via close-ups of darkened set objects or costumes. Although incongruous with Rope’s more conventional storytelling elements, these daring methods synthesize the film’s ghoulish themes of consumption, decay, and death, evoking feelings of uncomfortable voyeuristic curiosity as Hitchcock toys with the aesthetic possibilities of murder for its own sake.
Replicating Cortical Signatures May Open the Possibility for "Transplanting" Brain States via Brain Entrainment

Brain states, which correlate with specific motor, cognitive, and emotional states, may be monitored with noninvasive techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) that measure macroscopic cortical activity manifested as oscillatory network dynamics. These rhythmic cortical signatures provide insight into the neuronal activity used to identify pathological cortical function in numerous neurological and psychiatric conditions. Sensory and transcranial stimulation, entraining the brain with specific brain rhythms, can effectively induce desired brain states (such as state of sleep or state of attention) correlated with such cortical rhythms. Because brain states have distinct neural correlates, it may be possible to induce a desired brain state by replicating these neural correlates through stimulation. To do so, we propose recording brain waves from a "donor" in a particular brain state using EEG/MEG to extract cortical signatures of the brain state. These cortical signatures would then be inverted and used to entrain the brain of a "recipient" via sensory or transcranial stimulation. We propose that brain states may thus be transferred between people by acquiring an associated cortical signature from a donor, which, following processing, may be applied to a recipient through sensory or transcranial stimulation. This technique may provide a novel and effective neuromodulation approach to the noninvasive, non-pharmacological treatment of a variety of psychiatric and neurological disorders for which current treatments are mostly limited to pharmacotherapeutic interventions.
Predictive model for a Rb-82 generator bolus times as a function of generator lifetime.

Rationale: 82Rb cardiac PET is largely used to study myocardial perfusion with function, and to calculate myocardial blood flow (MBF) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) or myocardial flow reserve (MFR). Although the dosing activity of 82Rb is determined by the patient weight, the infusion volume and activity concentration varies with the age of the 82Rb generator. We sought to predict the needed bolus volume of 82Rb to help evaluate the accuracy of MBF findings. Methods: Data was collected from de-identified tickets of an 82Rb generator, including the instantaneous eluted activity flow rate. The times to reach 4 activity levels of 20, 30, 40, and 45 mCi (740, 1110, 1480, and 1665 MBq respectively) were also calculated. The activity flow rate for the largest bolus was fitted to determine the functional form. The time to reach each bolus level was fitted as a function of the generator age and 95% confidence limits were created. Results: The activity flow rate was fitted with a growth-saturation model, allowing a calculation of bolus volume. The amplitude of the fit was observed to also be influenced by the time since last elution, and possibly other clinical factors. Elution times to reach the 4 activity levels were plotted vs. generator age. The linearized data was fitted and 95% confidence limits were created symmetrically around the fit. The 95% CL band allowed a prediction of elution time to achieve each bolus size for future generators, as a function only of generator age. Conclusion: A predictive model was created for elution times from this brand of 82Rb generator as a function of generator age. The value of this model is in determining if the necessary amount of activity can be extracted from a generator before reaching one of the backup infusion settings, such as volume limits per administration, given a generator age. Some sites may also wish to control the bolus duration for better MBF calculations, since predicting the time for the injection to complete may determine if MBF and CFR calculations are meaningful.
Authenticating Streamed Data in the Presence of Random Packet Loss.

We propose a new scheme for authenticating streamed data delivered in real-time over an insecure network. The difficulty of signing live streams is twofold. First, authentication must be efficient so the stream can be processed without delay. Secondly, authentication must be possible even if some packets in the sequence are missing. Streams of audio or video provide a good example. They must be processed in real-time and are commonly exchanged over UDP, with no guarantee that every packet will be delivered. Existing solutions to the problem of signing streams have been designed to resist worst-case packet loss. In practice however, network loss is not malicious but occurs in patterns of consecutive packets known as bursts. Based on this realistic model of network loss, we propose an authentication scheme for streams which achieves better performance as well as much lower communication overhead than existing solutions. We have implemented our constructions as plug-ins to the RealSystem platform from Real Networks to authenticate audio and video streams.
Archival Internships: A Guide for Faculty, Supervisors, and Students

In Archival Internships, Jeannette A. Bastian and Donna Webber attempt to fill the void in the literature regarding academic internships in archives with a practical, how-to manual that covers all ...
Gas Exchange in Hypoxia, Apnea, and Hyperoxia

The sections in this article are: 1 Hypoxia 1.1 Critical Partial Pressure of O2 1.2 Oxygen Demand 1.3 Regional Gas Exchange During Hypoxia 2 Apnea 2.1 Aquatic Mammals 2.2 Humans 2.3 Other Terrestrial Mammals 3 Hyperoxia 3.1 Effects at Rest 3.2 Effects During Exercise 4 Summary
Product expansions of exponential Lie Series and the discretization of stochastic differential equations

We show how to rewrite the usual discretization schemes for stochastic differential equations in a way that uses the minimum necessary number of nonredundant iterated integrals. Also, we obtain schemes with the property that, if the true solution evolves in a submanifold, then the same is true of the approximation given by the scheme.
At the Intersection of Anarchists and Autonomists: Autogestioni and Centri Sociali

The main topic of this paper is a discussion on the relationship between anarchists and autonomists, as it was historically produced in Italy in the last thirtyfive years. By intersection I mean how and to what extent the people linked to anarchist or autonomist orientations shared principles of action and how individuals sharing these principles interacted. Autonomists, particularly active in the so-called 1977 movement, grew within contemporary Italian communist history, developing a heterodox marxism very close to some anarchist practices. During the late 1970s, to put it simply, the intersection with anarchists was weak. On the other hand, in the 1980s, with the establishment of Social Centers (Centri Sociali), politicized punks came to represent the intersection of the two instances. Recent Italian history suggests the need for a new intersection of actions between
Management of Dyslipidemia for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction: Synopsis of the 2014 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline

In December 2014, a joint clinical practice guideline was approved for management of dyslipidemia to reduce cardiovascular risk in adults. This synopsis summarizes key features of the guideline.
Re‐reading Diotima: Resources for a Relational Pedagogy

This article considers a range of responses to Plato's Symposium, paying particular attention to Diotima's speech on eros and philosophy. It argues that Diotima's teachings contain resources for a relational pedagogy, but that these resources come more sharply into focus when Plato's text is read through the lens of contemporary (20th and 21st century) thinkers. The article therefore draws on the work of David Halperin, Hannah Arendt, Jean-Francois Lyotard and Luce Irigaray to argue that Diotima points us towards the value of educative encounters as reciprocal and unpredictable events of initiation and becoming. Diotima's rhetorical emphasis on birth is shown to be especially important for refiguring pedagogical relations in terms of natality, understood as a capacity for new beginnings, and hence for reclaiming education as a potentially generative encounter, rather than one governed by the logic of reproduction. The final section of the article turns to work by Christine Battersby, bell hooks, Richard Smith and Morwenna Griffiths to resituate the discussion in relation to questions of autonomy. As a corrective to the modern bias towards the value of the autonomous individual, it argues that dependencies and unequal power relations can be a constitutive and enabling aspect of the educative process. Attention to such relations should thus form a key part of a relational pedagogy.
Primordial Nucleosynthesis with Generic Particles

We discuss a revision of the standard model for big bang nucleosynthesis which allows for the presence of generic particle species. The primordial production of 4He and D + 3He is calculated as a function of the mass, spin degrees of freedom, and spin statistics of the generic particle for masses in the range 10−2 ≲ m/me ≲ 102. The particular case of the Gelmini and Roncadelli majoron model for massive neutrinos is discussed.
Reactive Counterion Surfactants

The ion-exchange pseudophase model of micellar catalysis in aqueous systems predicts that if the reactive ion is the only counterion in solution the first order rate constants will increase with surfactant concentration until the substrate is fully micellar bound and will then become constant. This predicted behavior is observed for nucleophilic addition or substitution by cyanide or bromide ion and for acetal hydrolysis in micellized alkanesulfonic acids. The second order rate constants in the micellar pseudophase are not affected by inert hydrophilic counterions. This predicted behavior is not observed with such hydrophilic counterions as hydroxide and fluoride where the first order rate constants increase with surfactant concentration even when the substrate is fully micellar bound. In addition an increase in the total concentration of reactive ion speeds the reaction. This anomalous behavior can be ascribed to changes in micellar structure with changes in concentration of surfactant or counterion, or to reaction occurring across the micelle-water interface.
Segmentron: a neuronal network simulating the structure and the function of the visual cortex

The authors present a neuronal network of the visual cortex referred to as the Segmentron. It is based primarily on neuromorphological and neurophysiological data obtained in animal experiments. The response profiles of the neuron-like elements in the model are shown to be very similar to the profiles of the real neurons in the visual cortex. Moreover, by the running of the model, properties of the neurons in the visual cortex that were not initially present are revealed. In particular, it is shown that the neuronal network includes the capability of texture discrimination. This and some other features of the network make it very attractive for various applications in the field of technical vision for industrial/commercial use. >
Hulls and Husks

The aim of this note is to prove an analog of the flattening decomposition theorem for reflexive hulls. The main applications are: the construction of the moduli space of varieties of general type, improved flatness conditions and criteria for simultaneous normalizations.
Methylene blue in the treatment of methemoglobinemia in premature infants caused by marking ink

Summary Eight cases of methemoglobinemia resulting from the use of aniline-containing ink to mark diapers are reported. Prompt relief and complete recovery followed treatment with intravenous methylene blue in each case. A brief review of the literature isincluded.
A test for successive incentive contrast effects with a highly preferred fluid reward

Forty albino rats were tested in a successive incentive effects experiment with water and near beer as fluid rewards. During Phase 1, there were no differences in goal speeds between groups receiving water and those receiving near beer. The group that was shifted from water to near beer did not run faster during Phase 2 than the group that was always given near beer. The group that was shifted from near beer to water did not run slower during Phase 2 than the group that was always given water. These results are surprising in view of the fact that in a previous study near beer had been found to be highly preferred over water.
Using multiple data sources to answer patient safety-related research questions in hospital inpatient settings: a discursive paper using inpatient falls as an example.

Aim and objectives. This education-focused paper presents a discussion of possible data sources used in patient safety issues specific to fall reduction in hospital inpatient care settings. Background. Although hospitals and clinicians in the USA have been implored to improve care and reduce events that harm patients (falls), studies to date have failed to clearly address the facility system-level factors for falls. Making meaningful approaches to modify risk factors is clearly overdue. Design. Discursive paper. Method. Possible data sources for answering patient fall-related research questions in hospital settings are categorised as: (1) archived hospital data, (2) surveys of patients/families/clinicians, (3) interviews and focus groups of patients/families/clinicians, (4) publicly available data sets and (5) published legal cases. The complexities of research in fall prevention are illustrated using the conceptual models. Examples were included to illustrate the use of these data sources. Discussion. Data-related issues include: (1) unit of analysis, (2) computer data processing capabilities, (3) merging data sets from different sources and (4) data abstraction, aggregation and data analytic techniques. Conclusions. The trend to use multiple data sources to answer research questions is gradually emerging. To demonstrate effective fall prevention efforts across hospitals, publicly available data sets can be reliable sources for analyses to inform policymakers about meaningful fall prevention programmes that result in positive outcomes. Relevance to clinical practice. Challenges to develop and evaluate any interventions to eliminate risk factors for falls often relate to selecting feasible interventions and whether staff members accept the interventions and adhere to adopting the intervention. Using multiple data sources with time factors to cross-validate the sufficiency of nurses’ knowledge with their practice patterns may be more productive. This need further supports the importance of this paper about possible data sources used in the research on patient safety specific to fall reduction for adults in hospital inpatient care settings.
Wind-Powered Electric Utility Plants

The general operating modes of wind-powered electric utility plants under constant-speed or variable speed classifications are described. It is shown that for a particular set of wind frequency-velocity spectra there are a number of attractive system configurations, so far as total yearly energy production is concerned. Thus, detailed cost effectiveness studies and additional research will be required to develop practical wind electric conversion systems (WECS).
Selective oxidation in riser reactor

Abstract A recirculating solids riser reactors offer several advantages over fixed bed and fluidized bed reactors for vapor phase oxidation reactions. In such a reactor, the organic is oxidized in a riser reactor zone using oxidized catalyst, and the reduced catalyst is reoxidized to its optimum state in a separate fluidized bed regenerator zone. The recirculating catalyst remains in a transient cyclic state. The viability of the concept and its performance advantages over the alternatives will be described for oxidation of butane to maleic anhydride. Potential of the reactor in developing an improved understanding of the reaction pathway will also be discussed.
The effect of treatment with moxifloxacin or azithromycin on acute bacterial rhinosinusitis in mice

Summary Objective Acute bacterial rhinosinusitis, which is a major health problem, is treated with antibiotics. We developed a mouse model of acute bacterial rhinosinusitis to gain a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease. Our goal was to investigate the response to acute rhinosinusitis when treated with either a bactericidal or a bacteriostatic antibiotic. Methods C57BL/6 mice were infected intranasally with Streptococcus pneumoniae . One day after inoculation, the mice were treated with either moxifloxacin (bactericidal) or azithromycin (bacteriostatic). Different groups were euthanized during the first five days post-inoculation. Bacterial counts from nasal lavage culture and the cell markers GR1, CD11b, CD3, CD4, and CD8 in sinus tissue were evaluated by flow cytometry. Results Azithromycin led to rapid clearance of the bacteria and of the inflammation in contrast to placebo. Surprisingly, moxifloxacin showed a limited effect. Investigations of this limited effect of moxifloxacin suggested a high metabolic clearance, a low concentration at the site of infection, and low persistent post-antibiotic effects of moxifloxacin in mice. Conclusion Our animal model of acute sinusitis has great utility for studying the disease, but the difference between mice and man must always be considered in making extrapolations from animal experiments to the human experience.
DSM-IV Field Trials for the Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Symptom Utility Estimates

ABSTRACT Objective We tested the predictive utility of symptoms for proposed DSM-IV definitions of the disruptive behavior disorders using indices corrected for symptom and diagnosis base rates. Method The field trials sample consisted of 440 clinic-referred youths who were consecutive referrals to a heterogeneous group of mental health clinics. Multiple informants were interviewed to determine the presence of symptoms and diagnoses. Results Some symptoms which were either not in DSM-III or DSM-III-R , or were modifications of DSM-III-R symptoms, had greater diagnostic efficiency than did several existing symptoms. Symptom utility estimates were generally similar for different ages and genders, although some interesting age and sex trends emerged for a few symptoms. Conclusions The results supported the inclusion of more restricted definitions of “lying” and “truancy” to increase their association with a conduct disorder diagnosis and they supported the elimination of “swearing” in the oppositional defiant disorder criteria. In addition to their relevance for developing optimal criteria for DSM-IV , these results can aid DSM-IV users by providing a useful guide to the relative efficiency of individual symptoms based on data from a large heterogeneous clinic population.
Glomerular disease: Lupus nephritis treatment: are we beyond cyclophosphamide?

Although ALMS, the largest prospective, randomized, controlled study comparing mycophenolate mofetil to intravenous cyclophosphamide for the initial treatment of severe lupus nephritis, failed to achieve its primary end point of mycophenolate superiority, mycophenolate plus corticosteroids has become the accepted standard of care. Are we really beyond cyclophosphamide for severe lupus nephritis?
Sensitization to epithelial antigens in chronic mucosal inflammatory disease. III. Serum factor modulates circulating and mucosal mononuclear-cell reactivity to epithelial cell-associated components of colon (ECAC-C)

A prior report indicated that sera together with peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with Crohn's disease were reactive with epithelial cell-associated components derived from small bowel (ECAC-SB). In the present study, we sought to determine whether similar components (designated ECAC-C) from everted, inflated loops of murine colon could be purified to homogeneity in aqueous soluble form and physiochemically characterized; if sera and/or peripheral mononuclear cells from patients with a chronic idiopathic inflammatory disorder of intestinal mucosa were specifically reactive with ECAC-C; whether immunoglobulin was the factor conferring specificity to the anti-ECAC-C response; and if this immunoglobulin was actively synthesized by human lamina propria B lymphocytes isolated from disease-involved intestinal mucosa. Preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by elution of specific bands resulted in the isolation of three major proteins in homogeneous form. Each was a distinctive macromolecule by molecular weight (39,000, 63,000, 148,000), carbohydrate/protein content, and serologically detectable determinants as assessed by quantitative hemagglutination inhibition. By a 51Cr release microcytotoxicity assay, ECAC-C-labeled indicator cells were specifically lysed by sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with ulcerative colitis (8.0 +/- 6.8%) and Crohn's disease (13.2 +/- 4.7%), compared with age-/sex-matched controls (0.6 +/- 0.9 and 0.2 +/- 0.4%, respectively). That the factor conferring ECAC-C specificity was immunoglobulin was demonstrated by the retention of ECAC-C-specific reactivity of patient sera in the presence of normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the ability of patient sera (without cells) to effect complement-mediated lysis against erythrocytes labeled with ECAC-C (8.0 +/- 6.7%) but not with control kidney antigen (0.7 +/- 0.7%), and the fact that purified immunoglobulin from patient sera could substitute for the latter in an ECAC-C-specific antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity assay. Unique aspects of this ECAC-C reactivity included its absence from sera in other disorders with a known or presumed autoimmune basis (systemic lupus erythematosus, chronic active hepatitis) and the lack of simultaneous reactivity directed toward control antigens, isolated from kidney in a manner analogous to that used for ECAC-C. The importance of ECAC-C-specific immune responses at the mucosal level was also examined using mononuclear cells isolated from disease and control intestinal lamina propria (LPMC).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Incidence of the Hb E [β26(B8)Glu→Lys, GAG>AAG] Variant In Totos, One of the Smallest Primitive Tribes in the World

Toto is one of the smallest tribes in the world. This primitive sub Himalayan, endogamous tribe lives in a small, isolated village called Totopara in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal in India. The tribal communities of West Bengal are vulnerable to various genetic disorders such as β-thalassemia (β-thal). We have studied 443 Totos to define their Hb E [β26(B8)Glu→Lys, GAG>AAG] status. Awareness and screening camps have been organized in various parts of Totopara during the last 2 years. We collected 3 mL peripheral blood from each individual aseptically on which to use the naked eye single tube red cell osmotic fragility test (NESTROFT); complete hemogram and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were done to detect their carrier status. The Hb E variant had been found to be prevalent among the Totos. To confirm the codon 26 (GAG>AAG) mutation in the β-globin gene, amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) was performed. Restriction fragment length polymor...
Tuberculosis risk in US Peace Corps Volunteers, 1996 to 2005.

Background With the popularity of international travel increasing, more travelers in endemic areas may increase their risk of tuberculosis (TB). We analyzed Peace Corps data to assess the risk of TB in long‐term travelers from the United States. Methods We analyzed purified protein derivative (PPD) conversion and acute TB case data from the Peace Corps Epidemiological Surveillance System as well as postservice claims data. We calculated the risk of PPD conversion and active TB in all countries with Peace Corps Volunteers between 1996 and 2005 and compared these risks with other published data. Results The overall incidence rates for positive PPD conversions and active TB cases are 1.283 and 0.057 per 1,000 Volunteer‐months, respectively. The Africa region had the highest PPD conversion rate of 1.467 conversions per 1,000 Volunteer‐months as well as the highest active TB rate of 0.089 cases per 1,000 Volunteer‐months. Per‐country incidence rates for PPD conversions and active TB cases ranged widely from 0.000 to 5.514 cases and 0.000 to 2.126 cases per 1,000 Volunteer‐months, respectively. In countries identified as “high risk,” there were 1.436 cases of PPD conversions and 0.084 cases of active TB per 1,000 Volunteer‐months. Conclusions Peace Corps Volunteers have significantly higher rates of TB when compared to the average US population but much lower than those reported for travelers to highly endemic countries. Volunteers assigned to highly endemic countries still have a lower risk compared to other travelers to those same countries. Keeping in mind that Peace Corps Volunteers are a unique population, these data may be useful in providing medical advice to long‐term travelers.
Knowledge about Aging among Physicians

Ninety-nine practicing physicians, house officers, and medical students were given a brief questionnaire assessing knowledge of geriatric issues. These subjects underestimated the average life expectancy of 75-year-old women by a mean of five years. Half of the respondents estimated the half-life of diazepam to be 12 hours or less, compared to the correct answer of approximately 70 hours. Half of the respondents stated that they would not treat with antihypertensive medications a 75-year-old woman with a blood pressure of 200/80. Those who would not treat underestimated to a greater extent the life expectancy of 75-year-old women than those who would treat (p < .01). Thus there seems to be considerable misinformation among the physicians sampled about some basic facts regarding geriatrics, and this ignorance may be linked to a less than optimal therapeutic approach to the elderly patient.
Consequences of widespread deregulation of the c-myc gene in transgenic mice: multiple neoplasms and normal development

Abstract We have constructed a transgenic mouse strain in which a mammary tumor virus LTRc-myc fusion gene is anomalously expressed in a wide variety of tissues. The deregulated c- myc transgene, now glucocorticoid inducible, contributes to an increased incidence of a variety of tumors, including those of testicular, breast, lymphocytic (B cell and T cell), and mast cell origin. The deregulated gene does not, however, otherwise disturb cell proliferation, nor does it interfere with normal development in these animals. Moreover, since not all tissues that express the transgene develop neoplasms, these results begin to define the transforming spectrum of the c- myc oncogene. They also extend to several organ systems the notion that elements in addition to an activated c- myc gene are required to induce malignancy in the living organism.
Enhanced Induction of Engineered Bone with Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor

This study examined the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a potent angiogenic protein and mitogen for osteoblast proliferation, to enhance the production of engineered bone tissue fr...
Objective quality of life indicators and the external validity of community research findings

We assessed how representative the objective quality of life in our research community was in order to provide a basis for judging the external validity of environmental-behavioral research findings that will emerge from future investigations. We also provided a methodology of evaluation that could be duplicated by other community study groups. The central city and county units of a U.S. Midwestern metropolitan area were categorized into four geographic reference zones with structural attributes that differentiated them along a city-suburban-rural continuum. Within this geographic frame-work, we were able to evaluate how eleven major categories of our community's quality of life compared, and to unambiguously assign the community's quality of life a position along the city-suburban-rural continuum.
Differential retention of tumor- and differentiation-suppressor functions in cells derived from a human squamous cell carcinoma.

Three morphologically distinct cell lines—F.2a, V, and B.2—were isolated from a single human squamous cell carcinoma. Although all three cell lines can grow indefinitely in culture, they differ in a number of important transformation-related phenotypes. Only B.2 is strongly tumorigenic when injected into the flanks of nude mice, and only V can efficiently grow in semisolid media. The dominance of these traits was investigated by generating somatic cell hybrids among the three cell lines. F.2a was able to suppress the tumorigenicity of B.2 cells, whereas B.2 inhibited the capacity for anchorage-independent growth of V, the latter trait being a function of the ability of these epithelial cells to differentiate when deprived of support. The influence of exogenously added growth factors was also evaluated. This study indicates that the particular tumor we examined consisted of a heterogeneous population of cells with distinct growth and differentiation capacities. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Abstract 3544: Assessment of chemo-response in cells derived from patients with malignant ascites

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Objectives. To assess chemo-response of patient derived ovarian cancer cells to first line chemotherapeutic agents as well as targeted therapies. Methods. Ascites was obtained at laparotomy from 14 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. Short term cultures were established in 11 of these and the cells characterized by morphology and immuno-staining to cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and E-cadherin. MTT assays were done on the 11 samples after 48 hours of exposure to Cisplatin, Paclitaxel, Vandetanib and Flavopiridol. Results. Three samples did not grow well and ultimately showed senescence or were over-run by fibroblasts. In the remaining 11 samples, morphology showed the cells to be arranged in a cobble-stone or rosette pattern. Most of the cells stained positive for cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and E-cadherin. The majority of samples (8/11, 73%) were sensitive to either Cisplatin or Paclitaxel. Of the three resistant samples, one was sensitive to Vandetanib, one to Flavopiridol and one was resistant to all four drugs. Two patients did not receive chemotherapy due to morbidity or mortality. Among those who were treated, 4 (50%) had complete response and are currently free of disease. Conclusions. Short term cultures may be a good method of studying chemo-response of tumor cells ex-vivo. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3544.
The relation between structural and functional connectivity depends on age and on task goals

The last decade has seen an increase in neuroimaging studies examining structural (i.e., structural integrity of white matter tracts) and functional connectivity (e.g., correlations in neural activity throughout the brain). Although structural and functional connectivity changes have often been measured independently, examining the relation between these two measures is critical to understanding the specific function of neural networks and the ways they may differ across tasks and individuals. The current study addressed this question by examining the effect of age (treated as a continuous variable) and emotional valence on the relation between functional and structural connectivity. As prior studies have suggested that prefrontal regions may guide and regulate emotional memory search via functional connections with the amygdala, the current analysis focused on functional connectivity between the left amygdala and the left prefrontal cortex, and structural integrity of the uncinate fasciculus, a white matter tract connecting prefrontal and temporal regions. Participants took part in a scanned retrieval task in which they recalled positive, negative, and neutral images associated with neutral titles. Aging was associated with a significant increase in the relation between measures of structural integrity (specifically, fractional anisotropy, or FA) along the uncinate fasciculus and functional connectivity between the left ventral prefrontal cortex and amygdala during positive event retrieval, but not negative or neutral retrieval. Notably, during negative event retrieval, age was linked to stronger structure-function relations between the amygdala and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, such that increased structural integrity predicted stronger negative functional connectivity in older adults only. These findings suggest that young and older adults may utilize a structural pathway to engage different retrieval and regulatory strategies, even when structural integrity along that pathway does not differ.
Self-sustaining, efficient and forward-secure cryptographic constructions for Unattended Wireless Sensor Networks

Unattended Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) operating in hostile environments face great security and performance challenges due to the lack of continuous real-time communication with the final data receivers (e.g., mobile data collectors). The lack of real-time communication forces sensors to accumulate sensed data possibly for long time periods, along with the corresponding authentication tags. It also makes UWSNs vulnerable to active adversaries, which can compromise sensors and manipulate the collected data. Hence, it is critical to have forward security property such that even if the adversary can compromise the current keying materials, she cannot forge authentication tags generated before the compromise. Forward secure and aggregate signature schemes are developed to address these issues. Unfortunately, existing schemes either impose substantial overhead, or do not allow public verifiability, thereby impractical for resource-constrained UWSNs.In this paper, we propose a new class of cryptographic schemes, referred to as Hash-BasedSequentialAggregate andForwardSecureSignature (HaSAFSS), which allows a signer to sequentially generate a compact, fixed-size, and publicly verifiable signature efficiently. We develop three HaSAFSS schemes, Symmetric HaSAFSS (Sym-HaSAFSS), Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) based HaSAFSS (ECC-HaSAFSS) and self-SUstaining HaSAFSS (SU-HaSAFSS). These schemes integrate the efficiency of MAC-based aggregate signatures and the public verifiability of Public Key Cryptography (PKC)-based signatures by preserving forward security via Timed-Release Encryption (TRE). We demonstrate that our schemes are secure and also significantly more efficient than previous approaches.
ON THE VARIABILITY OF THE APPARENT SOLAR RADIUS

Full-disk photometric solar images at a wavelength of 672.3 nm have been obtained daily since 1986 using the CFDT1 (Cartesian Full Disk Telescope No. 1). An analysis of these images from 1986 through the end of 2004 December has shown a peak-to-peak variation in the geocentric north-south solar radius of 0.136 ± 0.01, approximately in phase with the solar cycle. The multiple correlation coefficient squared is R2 = 0.0404 (R = 0.2). While this correlation coefficient is small, due to the large number of data points (N = 4042), the level of significance is less than 0.02. The radius had a maximum value near the times of maximum activity for solar cycles 22 and 23.
Über fluorhaltige Komplexe. XII. Zur Kondensation von K[AsF4(OH)2] und die Herstellung von Alkoxofluoroarsenaten (V)

Aus K[AsF4(OH)2] entstehen beim Erhitzen unter HF-Abspaltung uneinheitliche vernetzte Produkte. Der entstandene Fluorwasserstoff reagiert mit dem Ausgangsmaterial z. T. nach K[AsF4(OH)2] + HF K[AsF5OH] + H2O und weiter nach K[AsF5OH] + HF K[AsF6] + H2O, aus K[AsF5OH] bildet sich oberhalb 160°C K[AsF4(OH)2] oder K[AsF5OH] reagieren beim Erhitzen mit Methanol zu K[AsF4 (OCH3)2], einer Verbindung, die wesentlich stabiler gegen Hydrolyse ist als die Ausgangsverbindungen. K[AsF4(OC2H5)2] wurde nur in unreiner Form erhalten. The thermal decomposition of K[AsF4(OH)2] yields under evolution of HF irregularly condensed reaction products. The HF reacts partly with the starting compound according to the abovementioned equations. Both K[AsF4(OH)2] and K[AsF5(OH)] give on heating with methanol the compound K[AsF4(OCH3)2] which is more stable against hydrolysis than the OH compounds. K[AsF4(OC2H5)2] could not be prepared in the pure state.