cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Histological variants of prostatic carcinoma and their significance

The vast majority of prostatic cancers are acinar adenocarcinomas. Histological variants of prostatic carcinoma have been variably defined. One approach is to consider two groups of variants. The first group comprises histological variants of acinar adenocarcinoma and the second group non-acinar carcinoma variants or types. Variants of usual acinar adenocarcinoma defined in 2004 by the World Health Organization (WHO) include atrophic, pseudohyperplastic, foamy, colloid, signet ring, oncocytic and lymphoepithelioma-like carcinomas. The second group of non-acinar carcinoma histological variants or types of prostatic carcinoma accounts for about 5-10% of carcinomas that originate in the prostate. These include sarcomatoid carcinoma, ductal adenocarcinoma, urothelial carcinoma, squamous and adenosquamous carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and neuroendocrine tumours, specifically small-cell carcinoma. Recently characterized variants not present in the 2004 WHO classification, including microcystic adenocarcinoma, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia-like adenocarcinoma, large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, and pleomorphic giant cell carcinoma, are also described. The aims of this review are to present the essential histomorphological diagnostic attributes of these variants, and to emphasize the clinical signficance of the variants, when different from usual acinar adenocarcinoma, including clinical presentation and outcome.
Conservative management of epidural hematomas: is it safe and is it cost-effective?

Determining when surgery is not appropriate is just as critical as establishing when to operate for certain neurologic diseases. Since the earliest clinical description of an epidural hematoma (EDH), treatment with prompt surgical evacuation has been the standard of care for the prevention of death
The mechanism of fixed molar uprighting appliances.

Abstract The following measures are suggested with the use of segmented molar uprighting appliances to minimize undesired side effects: 1. The helical uprighting spring a. Bend the stabilizing segment so that it fits completely passive in the brackets of premolars and cuspid. Check for arch form. b. The helical spring should push lingually on the stabilizing segment when inserted in the molar tube. The exact amount of force depends on dimensions and other clinical data. 2. The compressed coil spring a. Use sufficiently rigid wire to prevent bowing of the wire. b. Make sure the most distal premolar cannot rotate by using double brackets or Lewis brackets with antirotation wings. If single brackets are used, an eyelet can be used to tie the mesial to the archwire. 3. The ☐ loop a. The anterior leg of the loop should have a gable bend to prevent distal tipping of the anchor segment. b. The distal leg of the loop should be shorter (more apical) so that it will be at the height of the terminal molar upon activation of the ☐ loop. c. The distal leg should also have a gable bend to get or maintain the terminal molar in an upright position. d. Contour the ☐ loop for proper arch form. 4. Anchorage can be supported by a canine-to-canine lingual arch in all three suggested appliances. 5. In order to prevent undesired side effects, torque (twist) should not be present in active form. It is not necessary for these purposes.
Strategic technology planning for the e-commerce enabled enterprise

This paper reports on an overall methodology to develop a strategic architecture plan which can be applied to organizations. The deployment of the plan would allow for advanced implementation of technologies such as mass customization, customer relationship management systems, decision support systems and knowledge management systems. Despite advances in the development of new applications, many organizations are not able to embrace these new technologies mainly due to not having devised an appropriate plan to position themselves technologically and organizationally to incorporate these technologies. In many instances, organizations are even crippled to take advantage of the new competitive systems, because they lack the right standards and or suffering from old, mismatched and antiquated systems that they can not get rid of easily. The road map will provide organizations with specific technical requirements for the immediate needs as well as a migration path to "plug in" the component and the products the business is moving towards.
An olefin triplet lifetime measurement by electron transfer interception

Abstract The lifetime of triplet anethole ( p -methoxy-⨿-methylstyrene) and its rate of electron transfer to paraquat dication in methanol hae been determined by laser flush photolysis. The triplet is substantially shorter-lived than cyclic analogs or the more conjugated stilbenes.
Self-concept and social competence of university student victims of childhood physical abuse

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impact of childhood physical abuse on self-concept and social competency of older adolescents and assessed perception of parental relationships as a mediator for consequences of abuse on social adjustment. METHOD: College undergraduates (n = 660) completed: (a) the Social Skills Inventory (SSI), a measure of social competence, (b) the Self-Description Questionnaire-III (SDQ-III), a multidimensional measure of self-concept, (c) the parent scales of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), a measure of perceived parental support, and (d) the Assessing Environments-III (AE-III), a retrospective report of family environment and parenting practices. RESULTS: Analyses, controlling for socioeconomic status and ethnicity, showed that a history of physical abuse was predictive of current self-concept, but did not predict social competence as an older adolescent. Further analyses lend support to a mediational model, suggesting that physical abuse has a negative impact on self-concept through its negative effect on parent-child relationships. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that childhood physical abuse has a negative impact on the self-concept of the older adolescent. However, this impact can be better understood by investigating its potentially harmful effect on parent-child relationships. The impact of physical abuse on adolescents' social competence was not supported in this study. Language: en
The role of memory in perceiving subjective contours.

In the variety of subjective contours that are structured like Kanizsa's triangle, shapes consist partly of edges of elements that make up the patterns that give rise to the subjective contours and partly of the subjective contours. It was found that familiarity with the shape that fit the subjective-contour-inducing pattern in this fashion increased the likelihood that subjective con­ tours were perceived when the "containing" pattern was shown. Six containing patterns were constructed that did not readily yield subjective contours when the fitting shapes were not familiar. It was found that these containing patterns yielded subjective contours considerably more often when their fitting shapes had been made familiar than when they had not been. This result was obtained even though all subjects were acquainted with subjective contours before the contain­ ing patterns were shown, and even though they were asked whether or not they saw subjective contours when they saw the containing patterns. In a second experiment, subjects had no such set to experience subjective contours. When two of the containing patterns that had been used in the first experiment were shown, no subjective contours were perceived. However, after sub­ jects had been familiarized with a drawing of one of the fitting shapes, they saw that shape in the pattern that contained it and along with it the subjective contours. In recent years, subjective contours, also called illu­ sory contours, have been given much attention, and that is as it should be. Whenever percepts have features that do not have their counterparts in proximal stimulation, they are likely to reveal something about the perceptual processes involved. Subjective contours take many forms. They are discussed in a recent review of the large litera­ ture by Parks (1984). Our investigation deals with the kind of patterns that yield subjective contours most reliably when viewed by naive subjects, that is, by those who have not been specifically aware of subjective contours before. In these patterns, subjective contours are more or less straight connections between aligned edges in cutouts that are readily perceived as cutouts, where the subjective con­ tours are parts of edges of simple shapes, such as the up­ right triangle in Figure 1. The outline of the triangle con­ sists of real contours where it shares the edges of the cutouts in the three black disks. Where the outline of the triangle is not provided by stimulation-that is, in the straight connections between the ends of the real contours-subjective contours are seen. These parts ofthe triangle's outline are the perceived features that have no counterpart in stimulation. The pattern that gives rise to subjective contours-in the case of Figure 1 the three black disks and the interrupted outline of the upside-down triangle-has been called a subjective-contour-inducing array and will be referred to as a containingpattern. The figure that is composed in part of subjective contours, here
5-(2-Cyclohexylideneethyl)-5-ethyl barbituric acid (CHEB): Correlation of hypnotic and convulsant properties with alterations of synaptosomal 45Ca2+ influx

Abstract Male ICR mice (20–35 g) were given either 5-(2-cyclohexylideneethyl)-5-ethyl barbituric acid (CHEB) alone (10–15 mg/kg i.p.) or CHEB (25–75 mg/kg i.p.) after a 1 h pretreatment with phenobarbital (75 mg/kg i.p.). CHEB alone (10 mg/kg) produced excitatory behavior but not convulsive seizures. Higher doses (11–15 mg/kg) produced convulsive seizures resulting in death. Pretreatment with phenobarbital prevented seizure activity. Following phenobarbital pretreatment, CHEB in doses of 50 and 75, but not 25 mg/kg, resulted in hypnosis of 53 ± 16 and 64 ± 9 min duration, respectively. In vitro, CHEB (10–200 μM) significantly inhibited ‘fast-phase’ (3 s) K + -stimulated 45 Ca 2+ uptake into cerebrocortical synaptosomes. CHEB (10 and 100 μM) also significantly increased basal 45 Ca 2+ uptake. The addition of CHEB (50 and 100 μM) or pentobarbital (100 μM) to striatal synaptosomes inhibited ‘fast-phase’ K + -stimulated 45 Ca 2+ uptake and endogenous dopamine release. CHEB (10–200 μM), but not pentobarbital (100 μM), produced a time- and dose-dependent increase in the resting release of endogenous dopamine from striatal synaptosomes. The results of this study show that CHEB possesses hypnotic activity if its lethal convulsant actions are blocked. The hypnotic actions of CHEB appear to correlate with inhibition of voltage-dependent calcium channels in brain synaptosomes.
Food for Thought: The Process of Bringing a Universal Medical Curriculum to the Plate – Part I of III

There is currently no universally accepted core collection of competencies or medical education material for medical students. Individual medical schools create their own competencies and set of educational material using a variety of approaches. What has resulted is a medical education system wherein medical students are trained without any burden of proof that they are indeed competent in agreed upon areas of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors befit of a graduating medical student. In fact, the only uniform assurance a member of the public in the United States can have for a graduating allopathic medical student is that the student has successfully passed USMLE Step 1 and 2 by correctly answering a rumored 55–65% of questions correctly (yes, that is an F) and that they have maintained at least a “C” average or “Pass” equivalent in all of their medical school courses. This article discusses these inadequacies within the current medical education system, and the need to standardize the competencies and curricula for all medical schools through a narrative disclosing this author’s experience with trying to initiate such a movement at his own medical school.
Ontogeny of the distribution of tachykinins in rat cerebral cortex: immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization histochemistry.

Abstract Tachykinins in the mammalian brain are derived from two genes: preprotachykinin A, encoding substance P and neurokinin A, and preprotachykinin B, encoding neurokinin B. Using immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization histochemistry, we have investigated the ontogeny and distribution of substance P and neurokinin B in various cortical areas of rat cerebrum at different prenatal and postnatal ages. Preprotachykinin A mRNA-positive and -immunoreactive cells were first detected at birth and were abundant in layer VIb and the adjacent while matter in the cingulate and frontal cortices. By postnatal day 5, the numbers of substance P-expressing cells were diminished dramatically in those layers. However, their number gradually increased and spread out laterally to cover parietal and temporal cortices from P5 to P15 in layer V. At these stages, cells were also observed in layer II, although fewer in number. The number of substance P mRNA-positive neurons and substance P-immunoreactive cells decreased gradually from P10 and P15 onward, respectively. On the other hand, expression of neurokinin B, as detected by in situ hybridization histochemistry or immunocytochemistry, was not evident until P10. Neurons expressing this tachykinin were concentrated in layer II, and to a lesser extent in layers V and VI. This pattern of distribution was retained through P45. The present data show a marked difference between these two tachykinins in onset and trends of development, suggesting functional independence of these two tachykinins in the cerebral cortex.
The Doll Reflex: ocular counterrolling with head-body tilt in the median plane.

Abstract Two groups of 10 S s each were tilted backward in the median plane in 10° increments. For Group P, photographs were taken of the eyes when Ss signalled they were fixating a target that appeared straight ahead. In Group M, ocular position was inferred from the location of a visual target that appeared straight ahead. Both groups exhibited a significant decrement in ocular position when tilted in comparison with S s' judgments when upright. It was suggested that reflexive ocular counterrolling is best described as a sine function of body tilt, and that the reflexive innervation of the extra-ocular muscles does not contribute directly to the sense of visual direction .
Metasomatic Phase Relations in the System CaO-MgO-SiO2-H2O-NaCl at High Temperatures and Pressures

An equation of state of solute silica in NaCl brines at 500 to 900°C and 4 to 15 kbar is formulated by making use of two experimentally determined properties of quartz solubility: the silica molality decreases in direct proportion to the logarithm of the NaCl mole fraction (X(NaCl)) at pressures approaching 10 kbar, and the relative silica molality (molality at a given NaCl mole fraction, mx, divided by the molality in pure H2O at the same P and T, mo) is independent of temperature in the evaluated range. These two properties are expressed in the relation: log(mx/mo)∗ = A + BX(NaCI), where log(mx/mo)∗ denotes the logarithm of the ideal molality ratio, and A and B are functions of pressure, but not temperature or salinity, such that B = −1.730 − 1.431 × 10−3P + 5.923 × 10−4P2 −9.243 × lO−5P3, and A = 0 at P>10 kbar, whereas A = 0.6131 − 0.1256P + 6.431 × 10−3P2 at P≤10 kbar, as derived from fits to experimental data (Newton and Manning, 1999). The parameter A decreases from 0.214 to 0 from 4 to 9.5 kbar, a...
An experimental and ab initio study of the electronic spectrum of the jet-cooled F2BO free radical.

We have studied the B 2A1–X 2B2 laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectrum of the jet-cooled F2BO radical for the first time. The transition consists of a strong 000 band at 446.5 nm and eight weak sequence bands to shorter wavelengths. Single vibronic level emission spectra obtained by laser excitation of individual levels of the B state exhibit two electronic transitions: a very weak, sparse B–X band system in the 450–500 nm region and a stronger, more extensive set of B 2A1–A 2B1 bands in the 580–650 nm region. We have also performed a series of high level ab initio calculations to predict the electronic energies, molecular structures, vibrational frequencies, and rotational and spin-rotation constants in the X 2B2, A2B1 and B 2A1 electronic states as an aid to the analysis of the experimental data. The theoretical results have been used as input for simulations of the rotationally resolved B 2A1–X 2B2 000 LIF band and Franck-Condon profiles of the LIF and single vibronic level emission spec...
Epiphyllous fungi from the Miocene of Clarkia, Idaho: reproductive structures

Abstract The excellent preservation of fossil remains from the Miocene Clarkia locality in north central Idaho has provided for many investigations of the floral components, including their chemical and ultrastructural constituents and reconstructions of the paleoecosystem. Although fungal hyphae, reproductive structures, and spores were noted in a number of early studies, a concerted examination of the plant fossils indicated that epiphyllous fungi were rare, partially contradicting other evidence of a warm and humid environment. Recent collections indicate that epiphyllous fungi are in fact abundant at the locality. These include Phragmothyrites Edwards, previously noted in the literature, Stomiopeltites Alvin and Muir and a number of other fungi, predominantly in the Dothideales. The thyrothecia of Phragmothyrites were found mainly on Persea , Lithocarpus , Betula , and Magnolia and are uniquely characterized by concentric cell divisions. Stomiopeltites perithecia are non-radiate and ostiolate and were found on Betula , Smilax , and Zizyphoides . Other fungi present include non-radiate, non-ostiolate cleistothecia and hyphae similar to the Chaetomiaceae on the leaves of almost all plant genera. These findings support interpretations that the environment was warm and humid and also indicate that a thriving epiphyllous fungal community was present in this paleoecosystem.
Evolution and development of boys’ social behavior

An evolutionary analysis of the dynamics of one-on-one and coalitional male–male competition provides a theoretical frame for conceptualizing the evolved functions and proximate developmental forms of the social behavior of boys, and for appreciating why the behavior of boys differs from that of girls. We propose the accompanying selection pressures favored the evolution of motivational and behavioral dispositions in boys and men that facilitate the development and maintenance of large, competitive coalitions and result in the formation of within-coalition dominance hierarchies. Empirical research on boys social development is reviewed using this frame and implications for interpreting boys social behavior are explored.
Energization of polar-cusp electrons at the noon meridian

Observations of electron energization in the polar cusp demonstrate the influence of the sign of the elevation angle of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) on the polar cusp electron spectra; the evidence indicates that the energization process occurs only at the near-noon hours of local time. The observations were made by an electrostatic analyzer on board the polar-orbiting Ariel-4 satellite. In particular, the electron intensities noted at energies greater than about 700 eV when the IMF elevation angle exceeded zero deg show an enhancement in comparison with the intensities registered at IMF elevation angles less than zero deg.
Nuclear Factor κB p65 Phosphorylation in Orthodontic Tooth Movement

Osteoclasts play a vital role in orthodontic tooth movement. Transactivation of nuclear factor κB (NFκB) by phosphorylation of the p65 component of NFκB at amino acid 536 (p65*536) plays a role in osteoclast differentiation stimulated by receptor activator of nuclear factor κB-ligand (RANK-L). We hypothesized that this transactivation pathway might be involved in the responses of alveolar bone cells during orthodontic tooth movement. We detected sharp increases in the levels of p65*536 3 and 12 hrs after the application of orthodontic stimuli in rats. In cell culture, osteoclast-like cells displayed no changes in p65*536 in response to RANK-L, but levels rapidly increased after the cells were mechanically scraped. We conclude that p65*536 is produced rapidly in response to orthodontic stimuli and mechanical insults, and may be important in bone remodeling associated with orthodontic tooth movement.
On the accuracy of spectrometric measurement of plasma temperature

Two emission spectroscopic methods for measuring plasma temperatures are described: the two-line and normalized intensity methods. The theory of the methods is outlined, and expressions are derived for the error in temperature determinations. Modifications of the twoline method are considered. It is concluded that the normalized intensity method is more accurate and is preferred (D.L.C.)
The structures of xylosylserine and galactosylxylosylserine from heparin.

Abstract Two carbohydrate-serine compounds from heparin have been further characterized. The structures of these substances, O-β- d -xylopyranosyl- l -serine and 4-O-β- d -galactopyranosyl -O-β- d -xylopyranosyl- l -serine , respectively, were found to be identical with those of xylosylserine and galactosylxylosylserine from chondroitin 4-sulfate. These findings conclusively establish that the heparin-protein linkage is a xylosidic bond involving the hydroxyl group of serine.
Pregnancy and Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy can be expected to progress during the term of pregnancy. A retrospective study indicated that photocoagulation was successful in preserving vision in 70 to 80% of 30 pregnant diabetic patients as well as in a similar group of nonpregnant patients with juvenile-onset diabetes. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy, in and of itself, is not an absolute indication for therapeutic abortion.
Application of model-selection criteria to some problems in multivariate analysis

A review of model-selection criteria is presented, with a view toward showing their similarities. It is suggested that some problems treated by sequences of hypothesis tests may be more expeditiously treated by the application of model-selection criteria. Consideration is given to application of model-selection criteria to some problems of multivariate analysis, especially the clustering of variables, factor analysis and, more generally, describing a complex of variables.
Proteoglycans from the vertebral cartilage of the clearnose skate, Raja eglanteria: Inhibition of hydroxyapatite formation.

Studies were undertaken to examine the importance of organic proteoglycan matrices in the calcification of elasmobranch vertebral cartilage. Proteoglycans were extracted from the vertebral cartilage of the clearnose skate, Raja eglanteria Bosc, with a 3M guanidine hydrochloride/10% EDTA solution. Proteoglycan solutions (12 μg ml−1) were effective inhibitors of hydroxyapatite formation in vitro from high concentration calcium phosphate solutions. Inhibition of crystal formation appears to occur through the restriction of phase transformation from a calcium phosphate precursor to hydroxyapatite crystals. The concentration and/or degradation of proteoglycans in elasmobranch vertebral cartilage may have a physiological role in the production of alternating mineral-rich and mineral-poor growth zones, currently used in ageing studies.
Theory of the time-resolved spectral function of high-temperature superconductors with bosonic modes

We develop a three-temperature model to simulate the time dependence of the electron and phonon temperatures in high-temperature superconductors displaying strong anisotropic electron-phonon coupling. This model not only takes the tight-binding band structure into account but also is valid in the superconducting state. Based on this model, we calculate the time-resolved spectral function via the double-time Green's functions. We find that the dip-hump structure evolves with the time delay. More interestingly, an unusual structure is obtained when the phonons are pumped directly. This finding may serve as a direct evidence for electron-vibration mode coupling.
A Note on Density Estimation Using Orthogonal Expansions

Abstract The estimation of probability density functions is frequently approached through the use of orthogonal series. The goodness of the estimator can be conveniently measured in terms of Mean Integrated Squared Error, or MISE. To reduce MISE to a minimum, for fixed sample size, the experimenter would like to determine an optimal truncation point for the orthogonal series estimator. Presented here are some general MISE properties of a commonly used type of density estimator.
Considerations concerning the Making of a Scale for the Measurement of Reading Ability

(1916). Considerations concerning the Making of a Scale for the Measurement of Reading Ability. The Pedagogical Seminary: Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 528-549.
Molecular Imaging Detects Impairment in the Retrograde Axonal Transport Mechanism After Radiation-Induced Spinal Cord Injury

Purpose The goal of this study was to determine whether molecular imaging of retrograde axonal transport is a suitable technique to detect changes in the spinal cord in response to radiation injury.
On stochastic differential equations with non-white noise having small correlation times

Abstract This is an extension of an earlier paper by the second author. In the previous work, an algorithm was derived for the moments of an homogeneous equation with noise similar to the white noise, but has small, finite correlation time. In the present work this algorithm is extended for an inhomogeneous equation with the same characteristics. Previous notation has been kept throughout the paper.
Composite Predictive Coding Of The NTSC Color TV Signal

A new approach to composite predictive coding for NTSC color TV signals has been proposed by Yamamoto et al. This technique involved integrating a comb filtering operation into an arbitrary linear predictor function tailored for monochrome signals. The prediction algorithms are valid as long as the sampling rate is half the integer multiple of the horizontal scanning frequency (15.7 KHz). Four intrafield predictors based on comb filtering integration (CFI) are applied to three test pictures sampled at 3fsc where fsc = 3.58 MHz is the color subcarrier frequency. With phase alternating line encoding (PALE) the data is aligned vertically. The predictors and the position of pels are shown in Table 1 and Figure 1, respectively. The variances of the prediction error were computed without the quantizer in the DPCM loop. Comparison of these variances shows that the CP1 is the best among the four predictors. Max quantizers with 5 bit, 4 bit and 3/6 bit (13 levels normal mode, 7 levels forced mode) based on the statistics of the prediction error of the CP1 are developed. Based on the occurrence frequency of the long word code (6 bit code) for the three test pictures, the buffer is designed, for constant bit rate transmission. For this processing, a single color TV channel can be transmitted at 32 MBPS which includes audio, error correcting code and synchronization bits.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Justifying multimachine systems: An integrated strategic approach

Abstract Current problems in justifying multimachine systems are analyzed and an integrated framework is developed in which both strategic and tactical considerations are included. At the strategic level the tools for project selection are reviewed, followed by the economic analysis normally required for these systems. Special tools, notably simulation, are illustrated through an example situation.
Comparison of Foraging Behaviors and Movement Patterns of the Wedge-Billed Woodcreeper (Glyphorynchus spirurus) Traveling Alone and in Mixed-Species Flocks in Amazonian Ecuador

ABSTRACT. Attendants of Neotropical mixed-species flocks are hypothesized to benefit primarily by gaining protection from predators, while potential costs have received little attention. The Wedge-billed Woodcreeper (Glyphorynchus spirurus) frequently joins mixed-species understory flocks but also often forages alone. We hypothesized that, because of the significant vertical component of its foraging behavior, the primary cost to flock-following might be a decrease in foraging efficiency associated with conforming to flock movement patterns. We compared the foraging behavior and microhabitat use of Wedge-billed Woodcreepers in and out of flocks at Tiputini Biodiversity Station, eastern Ecuador, during January–March, 2010–2012. We measured foraging height range, time spent per trunk, vertical movement rate, distance flown between trunks, extent of foliage cover around the focal bird, hitch rate, and peck rate. We tracked birds in 2012 using radiotelemetry to measure horizontal movement rates and to record ...
Triple point dewetting transitions of helium mixtures on cesium.

The adsorption of ${}^{3}$He${\ensuremath{-}}^{4}$He mixtures on a cesium substrate has been measured near bulk liquid phase separation. A first order wetting transition is found on the bulk three phase coexistence line at ${T}_{w}\ensuremath{\cong}0.53$ K. The ${}^{3}$He rich liquid phase wets the surface below ${T}_{w}$, and layered films of ${}^{4}$He rich liquid under a ${}^{3}$He rich layer wet the substrate above ${T}_{w}$. The surface phase transition line associated with this wetting transition is found to extend to both sides of the bulk coexistence line. On the ${}^{4}$He rich side it becomes a line of triple point induced dewetting transitions.
Autoreceptor-mediated inhibition of norepinephrine release in rat medial prefrontal cortex is maintained after chronic desipramine treatment

Alterations in noradrenergic neurotransmission are important in the mechanism of action of many antidepressant drugs, including selective norepinephrine (NA) reuptake inhibitors such as desipramine (DMI). It has been suggested that chronic NA reuptake blockade induces a desensitization of inhibitory α2-adrenergic autoreceptors. This hypothesis was tested in experiment 1 using in vivo microdialysis to examine the degree of α2-autoreceptor-mediated inhibition of NA release in rat medial prefrontal cortex exerted by endogenous NA following chronic treatment with vehicle or DMI. This was accomplished by measuring the elevation of extracellular NA levels induced by acute administration of the α2-receptor antagonist yohimbine. An 8-fold increase in basal NA levels was observed after 21 days of DMI treatment. Further, acute yohimbine administration induced a robust elevation in NA levels which was not attenuated, and in fact at lower doses was greater in DMI-treated rats compared with vehicle-treated controls. In experiment 2, we addressed directly the functional status of terminal α2-autoreceptors in frontal cortex in vitro, in the absence of potentially confounding competition from elevated levels of endogenous NA, after chronic reuptake blockade. We observed no difference in the degree to which the α2-receptor agonist clonidine inhibited potassium-evoked [3H]-NA release from cortical slices taken from DMI- or vehicle-treated rats. Together, these data suggest that endogenous activation of α2-autoreceptors persists in restraining NA neurotransmission in the face of tonically elevated basal NA levels following chronic reuptake blockade.
Does baseline hematocrit influence the assays of on-treatment platelet reactivity to clopidogrel?

Background High on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) has been shown to be associated with adverse cardiac events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, but the effect of baseline hematologic parameters upon platelet reactivity remains controversial. Objective The present study aims to evaluate the impact of hematocrit on 2 different assay methods used to assess on-treatment platelet reactivity to clopidogrel. Methods We tested clopidogrel on-treatment platelet reactivity in 466 consecutive patients using VerifyNow P2Y12 (VN) and light transmission aggregometry (LTA) with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) 5 and 20 μM assays 6 to 24 hours after percutaneous coronary intervention. Patients were categorized into 4 groups according to baseline hematocrit. One-year major adverse cardiac events, including death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and definite stent thrombosis, were collected. Results Lower hematocrit was associated with higher P2Y12 reaction unit (PRU) and a higher rate of HTPR ( P P = .23) and ADP 20 μM ( P = .21). In a multivariable logistic regression model, baseline hematocrit was independently associated with PRU ≥208 (odds ratio [OR] 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.97, P = .005) but had no correlation with LTA ADP 5 μM ≥46% (OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.95-1.06, P = .88) or LTA ADP 20 μM ≥59% (OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.97-1.09, P = .39). In a logistic regression model, the addition of VN assay results, hematocrit, and interaction between the hematocrit and assay results had shown a significant influence on the area under curve for prediction of 1-year major adverse cardiac events compared with baseline clinical variables only for PRU (0.63 vs 0.76, P = .006) but not with LTA (0.64 vs 0.74, P = .13). Conclusion Baseline hematocrit has a differential influence on results of the ex vivo platelet functional assays. Lower baseline hematocrit was independently associated with HTPR by VN but not LTA. This may affect the interpretation of platelet function testing in patients with significant anemia.
From principles to principals: The new direction in medical ethics

Many alternatives or supplements to “principalism” seek to reconnect medical ethics with the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of the persons directly involved in ethically troublesome situations. This shift of attention, from deeds to doers, from principles to principals, acknowledges the importance of the moral agents involved in the situation — particular practitioners, patients, and families. Taking into account the subjective, lived experience of moral decision-making parallels recent efforts in the teaching of medicine to give the patient's subjectivity — his or her personal experience of being sick or disabled — epistemological parity with scientific medicine's “objective,” biomedically-oriented view of the person's sickness or disability.
Exposure to a protein- and tryptophan-deficient diet results in neophilia

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the conditioned-taste-aversion account of neophilia. The basic procedure in these experiments involved exposing rats to a protein- and tryptophan-deficient diet of corn grits prior to preference testing. In Experiment 1, the deficient animals consumed more of a novel peppermint flavor than did the normally raised animals. The results of Experiment 2 indicated that the differences shown in Experiment 1 were not attributable to the physiological state present at the time of preference testing. In Experiment 3, the animals selectively avoided a specific flavor that had been associated with the deficient diet. These data are supportive of the taste-aversion account of neophilia.
Sorption and dissipation of aged metolachlor residues in eroded and rehabilitated soils

BACKGROUND: Sorption and dissipation of aged metolachlor were characterized in rehabilitated and eroded prairie soils using sequential batch slurry (conventional) and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE). RESULTS: In spite of an almost twofold difference in soil organic carbon (OC) content, S-metolachlor sorption coefficients (Kd) and dissipation rates (DT50) were the same in soils from different landscape positions within an eroded landform. Soil was moved within the landform to increase productivity. In areas receiving topsoil addition, S-metolachlor Kd was higher and DT50 was longer than in eroded areas. The efficiency of extraction was higher for ASE than for conventional extractions. No consistent aging effect on Kd was observed. Mineralization in 8 weeks accounted for < 10% of the applied metolachlor. CONCLUSION: The results of this laboratory study support a field dissipation study. Both showed that S-metolachlor has the same retention and dissipation rate throughout an eroded landform, which was not expected owing to the large variability in soil properties, including OC concentrations. Altering soil properties by adding topsoil increased metolachlor sorption and persistence. The method of extraction (conventional versus ASE) affected calculated sorption coefficients and dissipation rates. In all cases, groundwater ubiquity scores (GUSs) categorized metolachlor as having intermediate mobility. Published 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Bioelectrocatalytic system coupled with enzyme-based biocomputing ensembles performing boolean logic operations: approaching "smart" physiologically controlled biointerfaces.

The modified electrode for electrocatalytic oxidation of NADH was developed using a pH-switchable redox interface. The operation of the modified electrode was controlled by logic operations performed by enzyme systems processing biochemical input signals. The electrocatalytic oxidation of NADH was activated upon appropriate combinations of the signals processed by the AND/OR logic operations performed by the enzymes. The modified interface was reset in a mute nonactive state by another enzyme reaction. The coupling between the enzyme logic systems and the bioelectrocatalytic interface was achieved by pH changes produced in situ by the enzyme reactions, resulting in different protonation states of the polymeric matrix associated with the electrode surface. The bioelectrocatalytic system integrated with biochemical computing systems opens the way to novel “smart” interfaces for multisignal biosensors and signal-controlled biofuel cells. In a long perspective, this approach will allow physiological control o...
Thermodynamics of Inter- and Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonding in (Diphosphine)platinum(II) Diolate Complexes and Its Role in Carbohydrate Complexation Regioselectivity.

Thermodynamic data are reported for intermolecular hydrogen-bonding association of 1 and 2 equiv of phenol with [1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane](phenylethane-1,2-diolato)platinum(II) ((dppp)Pt(P...
Music Educators’ Perceptions of Preparation and Supports Available for Inclusion:

The purpose of this study was to investigate music educators’ perceptions of their educational preparation and the availability of instructional supports to work with students with disabilities in ...
A prospective randomized trial comparing the benefits and limitations of 6Fr and 8Fr guiding catheters in elective coronary angioplasty: clinical, procedural, angiographic, and economic end points.

Objectives: To determine the relation between guiding catheter size, procedural and angiographic details, and cost of coronary angioplasty. Background: Miniaturized angiographic equipment used during coronary angioplasty is proposed as a method to decrease the duration of supine bed rest, length of hospital stay, and cost of expensive inpatient hospitalization. Methods: One hundred and sixty patients were randomized to undergo elective coronary angioplasty with a 6Fr (external diameter, 0.079-in; internal diameter 0.062-in) or 8Fr (external diameter, 0.105-in internal diameter, 0.078–0.079-in) guiding catheter. Standard balloon dilatation catheters were used. End points: 1° peripheral vascular complications, 2° technical and procedural outcomes; quantitative and qualitative quality of the coronary angiograms; and the in-hospital (“bottom up” cost accounting of equipment, supplies, support personnel, postcoronary angioplasty room), and physician cost (using Resource Based Relative Value Scale). Results: There was no difference in peripheral vascular complications between the two groups (6Fr, 21%; 8Fr, 30%; P = NS). Less contrast medium was used with the 6Fr guiding catheters (6Fr, 178 ± 102 mL; 8Fr, 257 ± 147 mL; P = 0.0001). The qualitative quality of the angiograms was better with 8Fr than with 6Fr guiding catheters. For the entire population, the total cost of coronary angioplasty was less with 6Fr guiding catheters ($3,956 ±$2,415) than with 8F guiding catheters ($5,073 ±$3,985, P = 0.03). Excluding patients with either a coronary or peripheral vascular complication, there was less cost savings (6F, $3,720 ±$1,338; 8F, $4,376 ± 2,699, P = 0.05). Independent variables associated with increased cost included: large body mass index; hypercholesterolemia; nonionic contrast media; 8F guiding catheter; complex lesions; and duration of procedure. Conclusions: The use of smaller guiding catheters led to use of less contrast medium with a modest decrease in angiographic visualization. The cost savings seen with 6F guiding catheters is multifactorial due to smaller arteriotomy accompanying sheath insertion and reduced rate of clinically significant coronary and peripheral vascular complications. (J Interven Cardiol 1995;8:345–353)
In vivo 19F-NMR study of isoflurane elimination from brain

The time course of isoflurane elimination from rabbit brain was studied in vivo with 19F-NMR spectroscopy. Two exponential decay functions with different time constants were observed and assigned to two distinct brain compartments. Isoflurane has a 26 min time constant for one compartment (similar to a value of 25 min with halothane) but 174 min in the second one, compared with 320 min for halothane. The shorter half-life for isoflurane may be due to lower solubility of this agent in brain tissue. Comparison of isoflurane 19F chemical shifts in solvents in isolated brain lipids and in whole brain tissue indicates that the anesthetic present in the brain exists in a single environment (on the NMR time scale), which is a weighted average of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic environments.
Persian Ceramics From the Collection of the Asian Art Museum

Persian Ceramics from the Collection of the Asian Art Museum, Aimee Froom, preface by Forrest McGill, photographs by Kaz Tsuruta, San Francisco: Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, paperback, 2008, ...
Biochemical immaturity of lungs in congenital diaphragmatic hernia.

Neonates with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) continue to have unacceptably high mortality rates. To better understand the associated pulmonary pathology we measured biochemical parameters of lung maturity in neonatal rats with or without congenital diaphragmatic hernia created by maternal feeding of a single dose of nitrofen on day 9.5 or day 11.5 of gestation. Lungs from neonatal rats with large CDH (n = 9, 5 right-sided, 4 left-sided) had a significantly lower lung weight (P = .0001), lung weight/body weight ratio (P = .0001), disaturated phosphatidylcholine (DSPC) per microgram DNA (P < .005), total DSPC (P = .0001), total DNA (P < .05), protein per microgram DNA (P < .05), and total protein content (P < .005) when compared with lungs from the litter mates without congenital diaphragmatic hernia (n = 10). The lungs of rats with hernia also had significantly higher DNA concentrations (P < .05) and glycogen concentrations (P < .05). These data demonstrate that lungs in neonatal rats with large CDH are biochemically immature. Treatment directed toward correcting the pulmonary biochemical immaturity of affected fetuses before birth may improve the prognosis for these babies.
Reactivation of Tuberculosis: Some Factors Involved

SUMMARY 1.A six-year follow-up study is presented of 210 patients who had received original treatment for proved active pulmonary tuberculosis and were medically discharged from hospital between January 1, 1956 and December 31, 1960. 2.Relapse of tuberculosis occurred in 13 patients for a cumulative incidence of 6 per cent. Two other patients were reported to have single isolated positive cultures, but an extended follow-up of more than ten years failed to reveal any supporting evidence to indicate reactivation. 3.The study indicates to us that reactivation can occur in presumably cooperative patients treated with the standard chemotherapeutic regimens. 4.Minimal extent of disease does not preclude the possibility of reactivation. In our series, minimal cases suffered the highest incidence in relapse, 11 per cent of 37 patients. Possible reasons for this are discussed. 5.Possible factors favoring relapse were insufficient length of chemotherapy, age, and various factors associated with race. It is believed that the unpreparedness of certain local communities to continue chemotherapeutic programs begun in the hospital may also have been a factor. 6.The effect of therapeutic regimen could not be evaluated in a study of this size. 7.The 6 per cent incidence of relapse in the present series was compared to the 37 per cent incidence of relapse found in a six-year follow-up of a similar group of patients discharged from our hospital one decade earlier, 1946–1950.
Characterization and Application of a New Optical Probe for Membrane Lipid Domains

In this article, we characterize the fluorescence of an environmentally sensitive probe for lipid membranes, di-4-ANEPPDHQ. In large unilamellar lipid vesicles (LUVs), its emission spectrum shifts up to 30 nm to the blue with increasing cholesterol concentration. Independently, it displays a comparable blue shift in liquid-ordered relative to liquid-disordered phases. The cumulative effect is a 60-nm difference in emission spectra for cholesterol containing LUVs in the liquid-ordered state versus cholesterol-free LUVs in the liquid-disordered phase. Given these optical properties, we use di-4-ANEPPDHQ to image the phase separation in giant unilamellar vesicles with both linear and nonlinear optical microscopy. The dye shows green and red fluorescence in liquid-ordered and -disordered domains, respectively. We propose that this reflects the relative rigidity of the molecular packing around the dye molecules in the two phases. We also observe a sevenfold stronger second harmonic generation signal in the liquid-disordered domains, consistent with a higher concentration of the dye resulting from preferential partitioning into the disordered phase. The efficacy of the dye for reporting lipid domains in cell membranes is demonstrated in polarized migrating neutrophils.
Prolonged Survival of Dystrophic Mice treated with 17α-EthyI-19-Nortestosterone

MUSCULAR dystrophy is an heritable disease characterized by progressive weakness and wasting of muscle, creatinuria1, and decreased ability of muscle to take up creatine2. The observation that the administration of 17α-ethyl-19-nortestosterone, an anabolic agent, augments markedly the synthesis of endogenous creatine3 led us to investigate the effect of this substance on the survival of dystrophic mice. The dystrophic mice are a strain 129 mutant which suffer from an hereditary disease resembling human muscular dystrophy in its natural history and gross and microscopic pathology4, in the electrolyte abnormalities of residual muscle5, and in the presence of abnormally high levels of aldolase in the serum.