cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Environmental factors of temperature, humidity, serum accumulation, and cell seeding increase colon cancer cell adhesion in vitro, with partial characterization of the serum component responsible for pressure-stimulated adhesion.

Abstract Physical characteristics of surgical wounds and viable tumor cells shed may differ between open and laparoscopic procedures. Because environmental factors may vary between the laparoscopic milieu and that of open surgical procedures, we sought to characterize the effect of these factors on tumor cell adhesion, an early step in the process of wound implantation. Human SW620 colon cancer cells were placed in matrix-precoated dishes for 30 min at concentrations of 90,000–540,000 cells/well, at 25–37°C, in the native state of the matrix proteins and after drying for 60 min, and in 0–10% serum. As increased pressure has previously been reported to stimulate colon cancer cell adhesion synergistically with serum, we then further partially characterized the serum components responsible for this potentiating effect. The number of adherent cells varied linearly with cells seeded. Adhesion was temperature-dependent, and also was dependent on the matrix conformation. Less adhesion occurred to dry matrix proteins. Serum dose-dependently potentiated SW620 pressure-stimulated adhesion, with a maximal increase in adhesion compared with ambient pressure conditions at 5% serum concentration. Heat inactivating the serum at 60°C for 30 min ablated the effect. Filtration to remove molecules over 10 kDa produced no change in adhesion relative to ambient conditions, but filtration to 100 kDa preserved the serum effect. When the serum was passed over a gelatin-Sepharose column, which binds numerous proteins including fibronectin, the serum effect was lost. Addition of fibronectin to serum-free media did not reconstitute the effect. The environmental factors of warm temperature, moisture, and serum accumulation may contribute to increased colon cancer cell adhesion. However, the most important determinant of malignant adhesion to surgical wounds, laparoscopic or open, is likely to be the size of the tumor cell inoculum. Pressure stimulation of colon cancer cell adhesion is potentiated by heat-labile serum components of molecular weight 10–100 kDa which bind gelatin-Sepharose, and is not fibronectin alone. Irrigating serum from surgical wounds may decrease tumor implantation.
Effects of chronic methamphetamine exposure on heart function in uninfected and retrovirus-infected mice

Methamphetamine (MA) increases catecholamine levels, which have detrimental effects on heart function through vasoconstriction, myocardial hypertrophy, and fibrosis. Murine retrovirus infection induces dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The present study investigated the cardiovascular effects of chronic MA treatment on uninfected and retrovirus-infected mice. C57BL/6 mice were studied after 12 weeks treatment. The four study groups were (group I) uninfected, MA placebo; (group II) infected, MA placebo; (group III) uninfected, MA treatment; and (group IV) infected and MA treatment. MA injections were given i.p. once a day for 5 days/week with a increasing dose from 15 mg/kg to 40 mg/kg. Left ventricular mechanics were measured in situ a using Millar conductance catheter system for pressure-volume loop analysis. Cardiac pathology was determined with histological analysis. In the uninfected mice, the load independent contractile parameters, pre-load recruitable stroke work (PRSW) and dP/dt(max) vs. Ved, significantly decreased by 32% and 35% in MA treated mice when compared to the saline injected mice. In retrovirus-infected mice, although there were no significant difference in Ees, PRSW, and dP/dt(max) vs. Ved due to MA treatment, they were increased 45%, 15% and 42% respectively when compared to saline treated mice. No further lowered heart function during murine AIDS may be due to the counteraction of the retroviral DCM and the MA induced myocardial fibrosis and hypertrophy (thickening of the ventricular walls). This is supported by increases in the End-diastolic volume (Ved, 38%) and End-systolic volume (Ves, 84%) in the retrovirus-infected saline injected mice, the decreases of 33% and 17% in the uninfected MA-treated mice, but no significant changes in the retrovirus-infected MA treated mice when compared to uninfected saline injected mice. These data suggest that MA induced myocardial cellular changes compensate for retrovirus induced DCM.
A case of unique altitudinal distribution of a retinal contusion (Berlin's oedema) in a healthy teenager.

A case of unique altitudinal distribution of a retinal contusion (Berlin's oedema) in a healthy teenager
Large Eddy Simulations of Double-Ruler Electromagnetic Field Effect on Transient Flow During Continuous Casting

Transient flow during nominally steady conditions is responsible for many intermittent defects during the continuous casting of steel. The double-ruler electromagnetic field configuration, or “FC-Mold EMBr,” is popular in commercial slab casting as it provides independent control of the applied static field near the jet and free surface regions of the mold. In the current study, transient flow in a typical commercial caster is simulated in the absence and in the presence of a double-ruler magnetic field, with rulers of equal strengths. Large eddy simulations with the in-house code CU-FLOW resolve the important transient behavior, using grids of over five million cells with a fast parallel solver. In the absence of a magnetic field, a double-roll pattern is observed, with transient unbalanced behavior, high surface velocities (~0.5 m/s), surface vortex formation, and very large surface-level fluctuations (~±12 mm). Applying the magnetic field suppresses the unbalanced behavior, producing a more complex mold flow pattern, but with much lower surface velocities (~0.1 m/s), and a flat surface level with small level fluctuations (<±1 mm). Nail board measurements taken at this commercial caster, in the absence of the field, matched reasonably well with the calculated results, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Thermoregulation in the rat: Deficits following 6-OHDA injections in the hypothalamus

Abstract Bilateral microinjections of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) were made in a volume of 0.5–0.75 μl through chronically implanted cannulae into anterior hypothalamic, preoptic loci. Sites were selected at which 1.0 to 12.5 μg of norepinephrine (NE) had previously elicited a fall in the rat's body temperature. After 2.0 to 6.0 μg of 6-OHDA were injected in the same volume at the same loci, a comparable hypothermia ensued. When the rats were exposed repeatedly for one-hour intervals to an environmental temperature of either 35.0°C or 8.0°C, they were unable to thermoregulate against the heat and their colonic temperature rose. In some experiments, the rats also failed to defend adequately against the cold ambient temperature, but mainly following the microinjection of the higher doses of 6-OHDA. The intakes of food and water were generally suppressed; this was accompanied by a transient decline in body weight. Overall, the severity, duration and direction of the thermoregulatory impairment depended upon the anatomical site of injection and the dose regimen of the neurotoxin employed. These results offer further evidence that an intact catecholaminergic pathway within the anterior hypothalamus is required for the rat's physiological control of heat loss in a warm environmental temperature.
Hydrogen peroxide activation of ERK5 confers resistance to Jurkat cells against apoptosis induced by the extrinsic pathway

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) including hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) exhibit both pro-survival and pro-death signaling in leukemic cells. We examined the effect of exogenous H₂O₂ on Fas ligand (FasL) -induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells. H₂O₂ applied prior to (pre-conditioning) and during (post-conditioning) FasL stimulation attenuated early apoptosis through activation of EKR5. H₂O₂ increased the activated caspase-8 sequestered in the mitochondria thereby decreasing cell death through the extrinsic apoptotic pathway. In addition, inhibition of a protein tyrosine phosphatase likely explains the post-conditioning requirement for H₂O₂. Given that chemotherapeutic agents used for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia are thought to work partly through production of ROS, a simultaneous inhibition of the ERK5 pathway may abrogate the ROS-initiated pro-survival signaling for an enhanced cell kill.
Coarse-grained Modeling And Simulation Of ErbB Receptors: Intramolecular Factors That Govern Outside-in Signaling And Activation

Epidermal growth factor receptors (ErbB receptors) mediate a number of critical cellular processes including cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis. These receptors have received a lot of attention because they have been implicated in a number of human cancers including breast, colo-rectal and prostate cancer. ErbB receptors are also important targets in cancer therapy. The activation and regulation of ErbB receptor function is known to be a highly regulated and multilayered process. A number of elegant structural studies have revealed several components of this process. There is now little doubt that these functional mechanisms involve a combination of changes both in the structure of the receptor and in its intermolecular interactions. However, it has been difficult to put together a coherent and unified mechanism of ErbB receptor activation. The principal reason for this difficulty is that our current understanding is derived from the study of isolated fragments of receptor. Here, we propose to overcome this difficulty by taking advantage of a new residue-level coarse-grained (CG) molecular representation and simulation approach, termed ELNEDYN, which is being developed in our laboratory to investigate these mechanisms in the structural context of “full” length receptor constructs. One of our long-term objectives is to identify structural and dynamical mechanisms (e.g. structural rearrangements and modes of receptor-receptor association) that underlie or regulate the signaling function of ErbB receptors. Here we summarize results from these CG 3D-modeling studies that show how the conformational equilibrium properties and structural changes of the extracellular domain modulate the conformational equilibrium of the transmembrane and tyrosine kinase domains of the receptor, thereby providing insight into intramolecular factors that govern and regulate the activation and outside-in signaling mechanism of ErbB receptors.
SO2−· Electron Transfer Ion/Ion Reactions with Disulfide Linked Polypeptide Ions

Multiply-charged peptide cations comprised of two polypeptide chains (designated A and B) bound via a disulfide linkage have been reacted with SO2−· in an electrodynamic ion trap mass spectrometer. These reactions proceed through both proton transfer (without dissociation) and electron transfer (with and without dissociation). Electron transfer reactions are shown to give rise to cleavage along the peptide backbone, loss of neutral molecules, and cleavage of the cystine bond. Disulfide bond cleavage is the preferred dissociation channel and both Chain A (or B)—S· and Chain A (or B)—SH fragment ions are observed, similar to those observed with electron capture dissociation (ECD) of disulfide-bound peptides. Electron transfer without dissociation produces [M + 2H]+· ions, which appear to be less kinetically stable than the proton transfer [M + H]+ product. When subjected to collision-induced dissociation (CID), the [M + 2H]+· ions fragment to give products that were also observed as dissociation products during the electron transfer reaction. However, not all dissociation channels noted in the electron transfer reaction were observed in the CID of the [M + 2H]+· ions. The charge state of the peptide has a significant effect on both the extent of electron transfer dissociation observed and the variety of dissociation products, with higher charge states giving more of each.
Dispersal Characteristics of Juvenile Bobcats in South-Central Indiana

Abstract Bobcat (Lynx rufus) populations in the Midwestern United States experienced historic declines due to habitat loss and exploitation but have rebounded in recent decades. We investigated natal dispersal of juvenile bobcats from a population in south-central Indiana, USA, from 1999 to 2006. We radiocollared 16 juvenile bobcats (11 M, 5 F) and monitored them for 237–1,014 days (x¯ = 506). One female (20%) and 11 males (100%) dispersed from natal home ranges that averaged 14.6 km2 in size. Most juveniles (70%) initiated dispersal from mid-February through March, late in their first year. Only 5 bobcats (42%) ultimately established a final home range 63 ± 35 km2 in size 13–92 km (x¯ = 44) from their natal range 140 ± 45 days after initiating dispersal. Survival did not differ (P = 0.93) between dispersing (S = 0.73) and philopatric (S = 0.75) individuals, although 4 bobcats (3 M, 1 F) were killed in collisions with vehicles. We found dispersal of bobcats in fragmented landscapes is prolonged ...
Feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging-guided liver stereotactic body radiation therapy: A comparison between modulated tri-cobalt-60 teletherapy and linear accelerator-based intensity modulated radiation therapy.

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the dosimetric feasibility of liver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) using a teletherapy system equipped with 3 rotating 60 Co sources (tri- 60 Co system) and a built-in magnetic resonance imager (MRI). We hypothesized tumor size and location would be predictive of favorable dosimetry with tri- 60 Co SBRT. Methods and materials The primary study population consisted of 11 patients treated with SBRT for malignant hepatic lesions whose linear accelerator (LINAC)–based SBRT plans met all mandatory Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 1112 organ-at-risk (OAR) constraints. The secondary study population included 5 additional patients whose plans did not meet the mandatory constraints. Patients received 36 to 60 Gy in 3 to 5 fractions. Tri- 60 Co system SBRT plans were planned with ViewRay system software. Results All patients in the primary study population had tri- 60 Co SBRT plans that passed all RTOG constraints, with similar planning target volume coverage and OAR doses to LINAC plans. Mean liver doses and V 10Gy to the liver, although easily meeting RTOG 1112 guidelines, were significantly higher with tri- 60 Co plans. When the 5 additional patients were included in a univariate analysis, the tri- 60 Co SBRT plans were still equally able to pass RTOG constraints, although they did have inferior ability to pass more stringent liver and kidney constraints ( P 60 Co SBRT plan to meet these constraints depended on lesion location and size. Patients with smaller or more peripheral lesions (as defined by distance from the aorta, chest wall, liver dome, and relative lesion volume) were significantly more likely to have tri- 60 Co plans that spared the liver and kidney as well as LINAC plans did ( P Conclusions It is dosimetrically feasible to perform liver SBRT with a tri- 60 Co system with a built-in MRI. Patients with smaller or more peripheral lesions are more likely to have optimal liver and kidney sparing, with the added benefit of MRI guidance, when receiving tri- 60 Co–based SBRT.
Ultraslow propagation of an optical pulse in a three-state active Raman gain medium

We investigate an active Raman gain scheme for significant group velocity reduction. We show that this scheme, which is fundamentally different from the electromagnetically induced transparency scheme, is capable of achieving ultraslow and distortion-free propagation of a pulsed probe field. We demonstrate the group velocity behavior that is drastically different from the conventional electromagnetically induced transparency scheme, and we show that the new scheme can be used to accurately determine the decoherence rate of a long-lived state. In addition, the Raman gain scheme has the advantage of being broadly tunable, an important feature that may have potential applications.
Does Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Have Advantages over Posterolateral Lumbar Fusion for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis

Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Objective To compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) and posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) in the treatment of degenerative spondylolisthesis. Methods This study compared 24 patients undergoing TLIF and 32 patients undergoing PLF with instrumentation. The clinical outcomes were assessed by visual analog scale (VAS) for low back pain and leg pain, physical component summary (PCS) of the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey, and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Radiographic parameters included slippage of the vertebra, local disk lordosis, the anterior and posterior disk height, lumbar lordosis, and pelvic parameters. Results The improvement of VAS of leg pain was significantly greater in TLIF than in PLF unilaterally (3.4 versus 1.0; p = 0.02). The improvement of VAS of low back pain was significantly greater in TLIF than in PLF (3.8 versus 2.2; p = 0.02). However, there was no significant difference in improvement of ODI or PCS between TLIF and PLF. Reduction of slippage and the postoperative disk height was significantly greater in TLIF than in PLF. There was no significant difference in local disk lordosis, lumbar lordosis, or pelvic parameters. The fusion rate was 96% in TLIF and 84% in PLF ( p = 0.3). There was no significant difference in fusion rate, estimated blood loss, adjacent segmental degeneration, or complication rate. Conclusions TLIF was superior to PLF in reduction of slippage and restoring disk height and might provide better improvement of leg pain. However, the health-related outcomes were not significantly different between the two procedures.
Phase Calibration Technique for Mismatch Optimization in Image-Reject Receivers

This paper presents phase calibration technique without using any external tone for weaver image-reject receiver. Error signal (phase mismatch information) is generated using a simple algorithm and this signal is used for mismatch elimination. Calibration system has been implemented using simulink which shows an image rejection ratio of 59.5 dB can be achieved for RF signal operating at 1.8 GHz.
An 'extreme' future for estuaries? Effects of extreme climatic events on estuarine water quality and ecology.

Abstract Recent climate observations suggest that extreme climatic events (ECE; droughts, floods, tropical cyclones, heat waves) have increased in frequency and/or intensity in certain world regions, consistent with climate model projections that account for man’s influence on the global climate system. A synthesis of existing literature is presented and shows that ECE affect estuarine water quality by altering: (1) the delivery and processing of nutrients and organic matter, (2) physical–chemical properties of estuaries, and (3) ecosystem structure and function. From the standpoint of estuarine scientists and resource managers, a major scientific challenge will be to project the estuarine response to ECE that will co-occur with other important environmental changes (i.e., natural climate variability, global warming, sea level rise, eutrophication), as this will affect the provisioning of important ecosystem services provided by estuaries.
Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) larval susceptibility to a baculovirus affected by selected nutrients, hydrogen lons (pH), and plant allelochemicals in artificial diets

Abstract The susceptibility of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) to the gypsy moth nuclear polyhedrosis virus was significantly altered when larvae were fed virus in conjunction with diets containing different nutrients and plant allelochemicals. Larvae consuming virus on diets with additional sucrose, surfactants, or gallic acid showed no significant changes in mortality rates. Larvae consuming virus on diets with additional casein or salts, on diets made more acidic with HCl, or on diets containing hydrolyzable or condensed tannins showed up to fourfold significant decreases in susceptibility to gypsy moth virus.
Exposure to the Lives of Lesbians and Gays and the Origin of Young People’s Greater Support for Gay Rights

Support for the rights of lesbians and gays has increased swiftly since the early 1990s (Baunach, 2012; Brewer, 2008; Loftus, 2001). For instance, the Gallup poll found in July of 2013 that 52% of individuals in the United States would vote to legalize samesex marriage nationwide (Gallup, 2013). Younger Americans have been much quicker to embrace gay rights than older Americans. This relative liberalism of young people on homosexuality occurs despite the general tendency of young people to have similar attitudes to prior generations on most issues (MacManus, 1996). Many explanations have been put forward for this attitudinal shift in the mass public. Two of the most prominent explanations are (1) increases in interpersonal contact with lesbians and gays (Altemeyer, 2001; Dyck & Pearson-Merkowitz, 2014; Herek, 2003; Skipworth, Garner, & Dettrey, 2010) and (2) increases in exposure to lesbians and gays through parasocial (or mediated) contact (Riggle, Ellis, & Crawford, 1996; Mazur & Emmers-Sommer, 2002; Schiappa, Gregg, & Hewes, 2006; Tucker & Potocky-Tripodi, 2006). As Figure 1 illustrates, both of these types of exposure to lesbians and gays have trended upward over the past two decades. Could these increases in exposure also be responsible for the distinctive cohort effects on gay rights? To answer this question, I use a natural experiment on the 1994, 1995, and 1996 American National Election Study panel (ANES). Specifically, I theorize that increases in exposure to the lives of lesbians and gays—including fictional characters—act directly on the automatic impressions and feelings that people form involving lesbians and gays as a group. Past studies have shown that these feelings
Effect of Brillouin scattering on optical fibre communication using solitons

The limitation imposed by the Brillouin effect on both bright and dark solitons is examined. Bit rates in excess of 100 Gbit/s are allowed, although WDM or sliding filters must be used with bright solitons.
Is birth weight associated with childhood lymphoma? A meta‐analysis

Several risk factors have been identified for childhood lymphomas. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to synthesize current evidence regarding the association between birth weight with primarily the risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), given its similarity to acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and any category of lymphoma. Two cohort (278,751 children) and seven case-control studies (2,660 cases and 69,274 controls) were included. Effects estimates regarding NHL, HL and any lymphoma were appropriately pooled using fixed or random effects model in two separate analyses: specifically, high was compared to normal or any birth weight. Similarly, low was compared to normal or any birth weight. No statistically significant association was found between high birth weight, as compared to normal birth weight, and risk for NHL plus Burkitt lymphoma (OR = 1.17, 95% CI = 0.76-1.80, random effects), HL (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.64-1.38, fixed effects) or any plus Burkitt lymphoma (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 0.76-1.56, fixed effects). A null association emerged when low was compared with normal birth weight for NHL plus Burkitt lymphoma (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.71-1.62, random effects), HL (OR = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.54-1.65, fixed effects) or any plus Burkitt lymphoma (OR = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.79-1.33, fixed effects). Accordingly, no association was found when high or low birth weight was compared to any birth weight. Although current evidence suggests no association, birth weight might be a too crude indicator to reveal a genuine association of fetal growth with specific lymphoma categories; hence, there is an emerging need for use of more elaborate proxies, at least those accounting for gestational week.
Nature of the strong field capabilities of lasers

Research with lasers of extremely high intensity has been proposed in terms of tunneling and the “Schwinger Limit”, which refers to breakdown of the vacuum into electron-positron pairs caused by a static or quasistatic electric field. The difficulty is that lasers produce transverse fields, wherein the electric and magnetic fields form a mutually orthogonal triad with the direction of propagation. Tunneling, including the Schwinger Limit, relates to longitudinal fields, in which the direction of the electric field vector is the only preferred direction. Transverse fields propagate indefinitely without inputs from source or current distributions. By contrast, longitudinal fields require continuing contributions from external source or current distributions. Failure to distinguish between longitudinal and transverse fields is consequential in that some proposed applications of very high intensity lasers pertain only to tunneling processes, but not to laser fields. A related difficulty is the flawed notion that tunneling constitutes a low-frequency limit of laser-induced processes. A counter-indication is that the ponderomotive potential of a charged particle in a laser field is proportional to the inverse square of the field frequency. Thus there is no possible approach to a zero-frequency laser field. The Goppert-Mayer gauge transformation of atomic physics makes possible a limited correspondence between transverse and longitudinal fields. The correspondence fails at both high and, most importantly, at low field frequencies. Vacuum pair production does not require the Schwinger Limit, but can be achieved at much lower intensities.
Serum alkaline phosphatase of intestinal origin in patients with cancer and with cirrhosis of the liver

Abstract A study has been completed on the l -phenylalanine-sensitive alkaline phosphatase in sera of normal subjects, of cancer patients and of patients with cirrhosis of the liver. It has been previously established that only intestinal alkaline phosphatase is inhibited by l - and not d -phenylalanine. In normal subjects, some 40% of the serum alkaline phosphatase is composed of enzyme contributed to by the intestine. The upper value for this component was found to be 3.00 units. Patients with cancer evidence a lower proportion than normal of the contribution of intestinal alkaline phosphatase to the total serum value. The elevated total alkaline phosphatase values encountered in such patients must represent contribution to the serum level from tissues other than intestine. Subjects with cirrhosis of the liver show a normal average but a wide range of contributions (10–80%) of the intestinal component. In 10 out of 33 patients with cirrhosis of the liver, the intestinal alkaline phosphatase exceeded 3.4 units, and was 8.3 units in one individual. In 8 of these 10 patients, portal hypertension was obviously present. It is now possible to divide patients with liver disease exhibiting an abnormally elevated alkaline phosphatase into those which can be explained by a high l -phenylalanine-sensitive alkaline phosphatase and into those which cannot. It is further necessary to recognize the quantitative importance of the contribution of the intestinal source to the total alkaline phosphatase value in health and disease, in general.
Reaching in Stroke with Hemiplegia: The Error between Estimated and Actual Distances in the Visual Field

The aim of this study was to examine patients with post-stroke hemiplegia for space estimation disorder during visual reaching for a target. Six patients with post-stroke hemiplegia with no parietal damage were studied, as well as 6 healthy older adults and 6 healthy younger adults as a control group. A target was placed on the table in front of the subject, and then the subject was asked to verbally indicate the farthest reachable point while the target was gradually being moved further away from the subject. The difference was then obtained by measuring the distance from the subject to the indicated point. There was no significant difference in the errors between the estimated and actual values in the healthy older and younger adults. No significant difference was also observed between dominant and non-dominant hands. There were significant differences between the paretic and non-paretic side in the hemiplegic patients, as well as between the paretic side of hemiplegic patients and the dominant hand in the healthy older adults. Compared with healthy subjects, the hemiplegic patients showed a greater difference between the estimated and actual values for both the non-paretic and paretic sides, which indicates an estimation disorder during visual reaching in patients with post-stroke hemiplegia. These results are discussed based on a conversion of the visual coordinates into movement coordinates during visual reaching.
Measurement of pH and dissolved oxygen within cell culture media using a hydrogel microarray sensor

Abstract The sensing of analytes in cell culture media without the introduction of exogenous reagents proves difficult in today's cell culturing systems. In this paper, a completely embeddable microarray sensor that has been developed along with a compact fluorescent imaging system to sense oxygen and pH non-invasively is described. The compact detection system consists of an ultra-bright blue diode source, coupling optics, interference filters and a compact moisture resistant CCD camera. The microarray sensor was created by photoreaction injection molding and contains two separate sensing elements. The system was constructed and the array tested using simple spiked buffer solutions and complex cell media. In addition, the system was coupled to a bioreactor and tested over 2 weeks. The standard error of prediction during a bioprocess for both oxygen and pH detection was 0.75% and 0.092, respectively. The time response of the sensor in the designed flow-through arrangement was less than 90 s for both pH and oxygen, well within that needed for cell culture monitoring. Overall, this sensing approach has promise as a lab-on-a-chip type sensor for complete sensing of the culture environment and eventually may be used in a feedback system that allows monitoring and control without human intervention.
Rank permutation group codes based on Kendall's correlation statistic

A coding scheme based on the properties of rank vectors is presented. The new codes are based on the theory of permutation groups by introducing a new notation for the group operation that simplifies the generation and decoding of desirable rank codes. The use of group theory is made possible by the introduction of the Kendall correlation coefficient as a measure of the distance between code words. This technique provides a method for the choice of rank vector code words superior to those that have been proposed in the past. Much of the terminology used in block coding can also be used to describe rank vector codes, but the actual quantities involved are quite different. The rank vector codes discussed in the paper offer the advantage of low sensitivity of the probability of error to the noise distribution because of the nonparametric character of rank vector detection schemes. Bounds that have been verified by extensive computer simulation have been derived for the probability of error.
Fourier transform approach for thickness estimation of reflecting interference filters

An empirical procedure based on optical-density-bandwidth products was recently proposed for thickness estimation of dielectric thin film reflectors. A parallel is established with new results derived from the Fourier transform thin film synthesis technique. Two Fourier-transform approaches are proposed and justified by numerical examples.
Indomethacin modulates ischemia-evoked release of glutamate and adenosine from the rat cerebral cortex

Abstract The effects of indomethacin (10 mg/kg) on the release of the transmitter amino acids, glutamate, aspartate, GABA, and of the purines, adenosine and inosine, from the cerebral cortex was studied in a four-vessel occlusion rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. In comparison with the control group, indomethacin significantly attenuated the ischemia-evoked release of glutamate and aspartate, but not of GABA. Adenosine levels in the cortical superfusates were significantly elevated following indomethacin administration. As indomethacin is a potent inhibitor of adenosine uptake, these results suggest that, by blocking adenosine uptake, indomethacin could elevate extracellular adenosine levels and depress glutamate and asparte efflux as a consequence of the activation of adenosine A 1 receptors.
Electrophoretic detection of reversible chlorpromazine . HCl binding at the human erythrocyte surface.

The binding of chlorpromazine · HCl at the human erythrocyte surface has been detected through its effect on cellular electrophoretic mobility. Incubation of erythrocytes (approx. 5 · 106/ml) in 23 μM chlorpromazine · HCl resulted in a reduction of negative electrophoretic mobility from the control value of −1.11 ± 0.01 (μm · s−1)/(V · cm−1) to −1.00 ± 0.02 (μm · s−1)/(V · cm−1) (pH 7.2, ionic strength 0.155). This mobility change was completely reversed when chlorpromazine · HCl was removed by centrifugal washing. Increasing the drug concentration to 70μM did not affect the mobility change, indicating saturation of the electrophoretically detectable drug binding sites over chlorpromazine · HCl concentration range studied here. The effect of the 23 μM chlorpromazine · HCl on electrophoretic mobility was also measured in isotonic media of reduced ionic strength. The drug-induced reduction in negative surface charge density was found to be independent of ionic strength over the range 0.155 (Debye length, 0.8 nm) to 0.00310 (Debye length, 5.7 nm). Fixation of erythrocytes with glutaraldehyde affected neither the normal electrophoretic mobility of discocytes nor the reduced electrophoretic mobility of chlorpromazine · HCl-induced stomatocytes. When these stomatocytes were first fixed with glutaraldehyde, then washed free of chlorpromazine · HCl, they retained the stomatocyte form while regaining a normal control electrophoretic mobility. Conversely, when discocytes fixed in that form were treated with chlorpromazine · HCl, they showed the same mobility change as did fixed or unfixed stomatocytes. The drug-induced mobility change is therefore independent of the shape change, but reflects a contribution to cellular surface charge density from the membrane-bound chlorpromazine · HCl molecules. From the charge reduction, it is estimated that about 106 chlorpromazine · HCl molecules are bound at the electrokinetic cell surface and occupy approximately 0.4% of the total surface area.
Transient charge decay in lined vessels and silos

A simple model for the transient charge decay dynamics in lined vessels is presented with reference to the hazard due to electrostatic discharges in powder or liquid storage vessels. A simple canonical form is given for the extrinsic circuit time constant. It can be used to estimate the time required for the decay of the charge accumulated on the liner. Methods of calculating the time-dependent potential drop and capacitive energy per unit area of a vessel liner are presented. Such calculations provide the means to estimate time-dependent ignition hazard probabilities associated with energetic Lichtenberg and propagating brush discharges. >
California’s Public Safety Realignment Correctional Policy Based on Stakes Rather Than Risk

This study examines the potential impacts on public safety of a sentencing policy focused on offense, as opposed to risk. We utilize a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation 2005-2...
Steroids and poor nutrition are associated with infectious wound complications in children undergoing first stage procedures for ulcerative colitis.

Background Risk factors for postoperative infections have not been evaluated in pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). This review was undertaken to evaluate the effects of immunosuppressive therapy and other preoperative factors on infectious wound complications in children undergoing first stage surgical therapy for UC. Methods A 10-year retrospective review of children under 18 years of age receiving first stage surgical therapy for UC at a major children's hospital was performed. Preoperative clinical and treatment variables were identified and correlated with postoperative wound complications. Results A total of 51 children were identified: 19 underwent colectomy with ileo-anal-pouch anastomosis and 32 underwent total abdominal colectomy with Hartmann's pouch. A total of 20 infectious complications were identified in 18 patients. Preoperative steroid use was associated with a greater postoperative wound infection rate. Preoperative hemoglobin less than 10 g/dL (P Conclusions The majority of pediatric patients who require operative intervention for UC are debilitated from their disease and medication use. Children with normal serum albumin and hemoglobin who are not on steroid therapy have a low risk of postoperative infectious complications.
Neural Evidence for Faster and Further Automatic Spreading Activation in Schizophrenic Thought Disorder

It has been proposed that the loose associations characteristic of thought disorder in schizophrenia result from an abnormal increase in the automatic spread of activation through semantic memory. We tested this hypothesis by examining the time course of neural semantic priming using event-related potentials (ERPs). ERPs were recorded to target words that were directly related, indirectly related, and unrelated to their preceding primes, while thought-disordered (TD) and non-TD schizophrenia patients and healthy controls performed an implicit semantic categorization task under experimental conditions that encouraged automatic processing. By 300-400 milliseconds after target word onset, TD patients showed increased indirect semantic priming relative to non-TD patients and healthy controls, while the degree of direct semantic priming was increased in only the most severely TD patients. By 400-500 milliseconds after target word onset, both direct and indirect semantic priming were generally equivalent across the 3 groups. These findings demonstrate for the first time at a neural level that, under automatic conditions, activation across the semantic network spreads further within a shorter period of time in specific association with positive thought disorder in schizophrenia.
Locomotion based on differential friction

This paper analyzes the locomotion of simple mechanisms when the inertial forces are much smaller compared to the applied forces. The induced motion of the body is entirely due to viscous friction contact with the environment. The friction coefficient depends on the body geometry, and we assume a model where it is simply a function of the sign of the velocity. In this case the kinematics and dynamics are easily solvable as a hybrid system. Moreover, scale invariance of the solution is shown. Thus only the pattern as function of time is left to be determined and/or optimized. We consider a hypothetical flapper in detail, for which the optimal control is derived. This is further illustrated on similar models mimicking locomotion found in nature.
Identification of two major loci that suppress hearing loss and cochlear dysmorphogenesis in Eya1bor/bor mice.

The Eya1 bor mutant hypomorph contains an intracisternal A particle insertion in intron 7 of the Eya1 gene that results in a 50% reduction in wild-type mRNA levels. The homozygous mutants have middle and inner ear defects and variable kidney abnormalities. The severity of the disorder is affected by genetic background. In contrast to complete deafness and cochlear agenesis in the C3HeB/FeJ strain, F2 Eya1 bor/bor mutants from an intercross between C3HeB/FeJ- Eya1 bor/+ and C57BL/6J showed variable auditory brain-stem responses and cochlear coiling. In this study, using these F2 Eya1 bor/bor mutants, we have identified two major loci, Mead1 ( modifier of Eya1-associated deafness 1 ) and Mead2, that are responsible for suppression of the original phenotypes. We have narrowed these two loci to 5.4 and 4.4 cM, respectively, in congenic lines. Quantitative PCR demonstrated that this modifying effect did not result from an increase in wild-type Eya1 mRNA, suggesting Mead1 and Mead2 are interacting directly or indirectly with Eya1 during inner ear development.
AMEN in challenging conversations: bridging the gaps between faith, hope, and medicine.

health care practitioners face patients and families in desperate situations who say, "We are hoping for a mira- cle." Few providers have any formal training in responding to this common, difficult, and challenging situation. We want to do our best to preserve hope, dignity, and faith while presenting the medical issues in a nonconfronta- tional and helpful way. We present the acronym AMEN (affirm, meet, educate, no matter what) as one useful tool to negotiate these ongoing conversations.
I am a nurse: nursing students learn the art and science of nursing.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to understand how nursing students make meaning of experiences of being in nurse/patient interactions. The study was conceptualized using Heidegger's philosophy of being. Participants were 28 sophomore nursing students in the first year of clinical experiences with patients. The participants recorded in electronic journals their responses to six open-ended questions concerning their thoughts and feelings about being in nurse/patient interactions. Data were analyzed using an interpretative process true to hermeneutic phenomenology. Five themes were identified: fear of interacting with patients; developing confidence; becoming self-aware; connecting with knowledge; and connecting with patients. Four implications were drawn from the study: nursing students intertwine the art and science of nursing in nurse/patient interactions; nursing education must be restructured to include a balance of the art and science of nursing; reflection and/or journal writing is a valuable w...
Empirically comparing information systems outsourcing with end-user computing development

The two most popular techniques for managing information technology are outsourcing and end-user computing development (EUCD). The benefits and drawbacks of each technique have been cited in the literature respectively by their proponents and opponents. The present study set out to compare the effectiveness of the two techniques based on their potential benefits and drawbacks. A survey of 97 US firms provided the data for the comparison. The findings indicate that EUCD appears to be a better technique than outsourcing in eight out of the ten benefits considered. There was no significant difference between the two techniques in the case of the remaining two benefits (increased IT/worker utility and system flexibility). Secondly, no significant difference in drawbacks was found between the two techniques. These findings contradict the claims of the outsourcing vendors but confirms the findings of some authors. A study of this nature has some important implications to the practitioners in today's economy that competitive advantage is based, in large part, on a firm's capability to acquire and use quality information with its information technology resources at the least possible cost.
Stability of an Inverted Repeat in a Human Fibrosarcoma Cell

Deletions and rearrangements of DNA sequences within the genome of human cells result in mutations associated with human disease. We have developed a selection system involving a neo gene containing a DNA sequence inserted into the NcoI site that can be used to quantitatively assay deletion of this sequence from the chromosome. The spontaneous deletion from the neo gene of a 122 bp inverted repeat occurred at a rate of 2.1 x 10(-8) to <3.1 x 10(-9) revertants/cell/generation in three different cell lines. Deletion of the 122 bp inverted repeat occurred between 6 bp flanking direct repeats. Spontaneous deletion of a 122 bp non-palindromic DNA sequence flanked by direct repeats was not observed, indicating a rate of deletion of <3.1 x 10(-9) revertants/cell/generation. This result demonstrates that a 122 bp inverted repeat can exhibit a low level of instability in some locations in the chromosome of a human cell line.
A hotspot for the Drosophila gypsy retroelement in the ovo locus

The Drosophila retroelement gypsy has a number of unusual features including an unusual LTR terminal sequence and an apparent target sequence preference. The ovo locus is a known hotspot for gypsy insertion. We examined the target sequence preference of gypsy within ovo by isolating 26 new insertions and sequencing the gypsy/ovo junctions. Insertions were found at multiple sites within the ovo locus. The insertions clustered within an approximately 150 bp region in the non-translated region of the ovo beta transcript, with most insertions falling within the first intron. There were seven sites of insertion within this region and these mostly conform to the consensus sequence YRYRYR (where Y = pyrimidine and R = purine). However, this target sequence is at best necessary but not sufficient to specify a hotspot, as there were several other sequences conforming to this consensus in the ovo locus that were not hit. The results indicate that gypsy may have a higher degree of target specificity than most infectious LTR retroelements.
Culture Consciousness Among Hmong Immigrant Leaders: Beyond the Dichotomy of Cultural Essentialism and Cultural Hybridity

This article illustrates the culture consciousness of Hmong immigrant community leaders as they made sense of the educational experiences of Hmong American children and families. It draws on the work of scholars who have theorized “critical” essentialism to suggest that Hmong leaders are critically aware of the role and import of dominant culture in shaping the contours of Hmong children’s education. The analysis brings attention to “culture consciousness”—a lens for analyzing immigrant education that highlights the deployment of culture as social critique and political strategy. This research complicates the essentialist versus anti-essentialist binary for analyzing culture and disrupts the tendency to portray immigrant parents and adults as entrenched in a reified culture.
Accurate distortion-driven macroblock level rate control via /spl rho/-domain analysis

Rate control via /spl rho/-domain rate-distortion analysis (both rate and distortion are considered as functions of /spl rho/, the percentage of zero transform coefficients) relies on a distortion model which can be erroneous in many situations, especially at the macroblock level (Z. He and S. K. Mita, 2002). This paper uses an accurate distortion measurement in the transform domain to drive a better macroblock level bit allocation. Specifically, we propose an algorithm based on an accurate distortion-to-/spl rho/ mapping in order to minimized the distortion while matching the target rate. Experimental results show that our proposed algorithm achieved 0.1 to 0.3 dB better PSNR compared to the pure /spl rho/-domain rate control.