cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long term consequences of burn injuries

Data from the National Burn Repository of the American Burn Association [2], has revealed that between the years of 1998 – 2009, more patients are surviving large burns despite multiple complications. The mortality rate for all burn injuries is 4%. The average length of stay declined during this time period from 11 days, in the decade prior, to 9 days. This is just over one day of hospitalization per 1% burn. As a result, these patients are being discharged with multiple, long term physical and psychological challenges, such as scarring, contractures, amputations, pain and poor psychological adjustment. In the past, most of the literature on burn injuries was devoted to the acute phase of hospitalization, particularly resuscitation efforts and surgical interventions. In recent years, issues associated with long term adjustment have been recognized as a priority for research and clinical practice.
Medical treatment of blepharospasm

Introduction: Blepharospasm is a focal dystonia manifested by repetitive spasms of eyelid muscles, resulting in involuntary eye closure, often accompanied by other facial and neck muscle sustained ...
Extending the Return Potential Model With a Descriptive Normative Belief Measure

Norm research continually informs our understanding of the relationships between societies and natural resources. This research note presents an operationalization of descriptive beliefs within the...
Environmental magnetic and magnetic fabric studies in LakeWaynewood, northeastern Pennsylvania, USA: Evidence for changes inwatershed dynamics

An environmental magnetic and magnetic fabric study of sedimentscollected from Lake Waynewood, a post-glacial lake in the PoconoMountains of Pennsylvania, USA, provided a history of the lake's watersheddynamics over the past 3500 years. Two 5 m long, Mackereth coresof lake sediments and three watershed soil profiles were analyzed magnetically.Paleosecular variation and 14C measurements allowed timing ofchanges in the lake's watershed which are documented by changes in ARM,SIRM,χ, S-ratio, SIRM/χ, ARM/χ and ARM/SIRMdowncore. Prior to 2900 years BP, there is little evidence for allogenicinflux. Dramatic changes in mineral magnetic properties and a strong AARmagnetic fabric appear approximately 2900 years BP, suggesting major changes inwatershed conditions, either in the hydrologic regime or in vegetative cover.Between 2900 and 1800 yrs BP, large variations in magnetic mineralogy areapparent, whereas about 1800 years BP, a single sediment source began todominate the magnetic mineralogy. About 100–200 years ago, conditionsagain changed, probably due to clearcutting and settlement of the watershed.Topsoil erosion appears to have dominated the magnetic signal. S and Mnconcentration downcore indicate that there is little evidence for reductiondiagenesis having caused the changes observed in magnetic mineral type andconcentration, except in the top 10 centimeters of the sediment column.
Modeling Binary Mixtures of Water + Light Hydrocarbon Using the Perturbed-Chain Statistical Associating Fluid Theory with Induced Association: Improvement in Describing All Equilibrium Phases

Hydrophobic effects, including low mutual solubilities, are well-documented between water and hydrocarbons. However, as deduced from quantum chemical calculations and molecular simulations, an attractive interaction as a result of electrostatic interactions and induction by water on hydrocarbon molecules exists and must be included to adequately model water–hydrocarbon systems. As shown in this work, the inclusion of these interactions allows for the perturbed-chain statistical associating fluid theory equation of state (EOS) to perform well in all equilibrium phases. Without these corrections, the EOS usually performs well only for the phase used for parametrization. Because the EOS will also be used in near-freezing water temperatures, the parameters of water are carefully derived to be able to reproduce the density anomaly of water and behavior when extrapolated to the supercooled region. The improvements and calculations will be useful for the assessment of the occurrences of potentially habitable wat...
Isolating spatiotemporally local mixed Rossby-gravity waves using multi-dimensional ensemble empirical mode decomposition

Tropical waves have relatively large amplitudes in and near convective systems, attenuating as they propagate away from the area where they are generated due to the dissipative nature of the atmosphere. Traditionally, nonlocal analysis methods, such as those based on the Fourier transform, are applied to identify tropical waves. However, these methods have the potential to lead to the misidentification of local wavenumbers and spatial locations of local wave activities. To address this problem, we propose a new method for analyzing tropical waves, with particular focus placed on equatorial mixed Rossby-gravity (MRG) waves. The new tropical wave analysis method is based on the multi-dimensional ensemble empirical mode decomposition and a novel spectral representation based on spatiotemporally local wavenumber, frequency, and amplitude of waves. We first apply this new method to synthetic data to demonstrate the advantages of the method in revealing characteristics of MRG waves. We further apply the method to reanalysis data (1) to identify and isolate the spatiotemporally heterogeneous MRG waves event by event, and (2) to quantify the spatial inhomogeneity of these waves in a wavenumber-frequency-energy diagram. In this way, we reveal the climatology of spatiotemporal inhomogeneity of MRG waves and summarize it in wavenumber-frequency domain: The Indian Ocean is dominated by MRG waves in the period range of 8–12 days; the western Pacific Ocean consists of almost equal energy distribution of MRG waves in the period ranges of 3–6 and 8–12 days, respectively; and the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean and the tropical Atlantic Ocean are dominated by MRG waves in the period range of 3–6 days. The zonal wavenumbers mostly fall within the band of 4–15, with Indian Ocean has larger portion of higher wavenumber (smaller wavelength components) MRG waves.
Adopting best practices in post-operative analgesia prescribing in a safety-net hospital: Residents as a conduit to change

Abstract Background Safety-net hospitals frequently underperform on surgical quality measures. To achieve equitable surgical care, creative strategies are needed to improve care for this vulnerable population. Methods We designed a trainee-led quality improvement (QI) program to promote evidence-based analgesia prescribing. The program included a collaborative resident leadership model and used educational interventions and performance feedback. Results Before the QI program, 48% of patients were discharged on acetaminophen post-operatively, and 0% were discharged on ibuprofen. In the most recent month since the QI program was launched, 100% of patients were discharged on acetaminophen, and 81% on ibuprofen. Conclusion Our trainee-led quality improvement program demonstrates that surgical trainees can accelerate change and may be a powerful force for improving health equity through safer post-operative discharge prescribing practices at a safety-net hospital.
International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX) New Investigator Group Committee 2019–2020 concluding remarks

The International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics (ISSX) New Investigators Group has assembled a global team of emerging scientists to collaboratively compose a series of articles whose topics...
Pandemic Stress Indicator: Expert Panel 10

IGPA developed several Pandemic Stress Indicators, designed to evaluate the social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Illinois residents. The Pandemic Stress Indicators grew out of the work on IGPA’s Task Force on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. One of these indicators has been a poll of three sets of experts about pandemic policies. Experts on economics, public health, and/or vulnerable populations from across Illinois have generously agreed to provide regular opinions on various pandemic policies. Primary article: Policy Spotlight: Ongoing Expert Advice on Pandemic Policies
Noval Insights into the Role of Platelet Angiogenic Growth Factors on the Regulation of Normal Vascular Development

Abstract The role of platelets as angiogenic regulators has been the subject of intense research over the last decade, and has led to the recognition of platelets as the predominant source of key angiogenic growth factors (AGFs) in the circulation. Through the regulated delivery of these factors, platelets contribute to wound healing, maintenance of vascular integrity, and tumor angiogenesis. Prior studies have shown that thrombocytopenia in adult mice leads to hemorrhages primarily from structurally abnormal new blood vessels, both in in vivo angiogenesis assays and inside tumors. The rapid growth during fetal and neonatal life is associated with a developmental stage-specific need for accelerated angiogenesis and vascular development. However, whether and how platelets participate in normal fetal/neonatal vascular development is unknown, except for their role in blood/lymphatic separation. We hypothesized that platelets would be important for normal fetal/neonatal vascular development, and that their AGF profile would be different from that of adult platelets. As a first step, we quantified five key AGFs (VEGF-A, bFGF, ANG-1, PDGF-BB and TGF-b) by ELISA in platelet lysates and platelet-poor plasma from term cord blood samples (CB; n=12) and from the peripheral blood of healthy adult volunteers (PB; n=8). These studies demonstrated that CB platelets, just like PB platelets, are the major source of AGFs in the circulation, carrying more than 80% of the levels of these AGFs present in the blood. However, the angiogenic profiles were different in platelets of different developmental origins. Fetal/neonatal platelets contained ~70% more bFGF and VEGF-A than adult platelets (p Disclosures Sola-Visner: Sysmex Inc.: Research Funding.
Deleting a UBE3A substrate rescues impaired hippocampal physiology and learning in Angelman syndrome mice

In humans, loss-of-function mutations in the UBE3A gene lead to the neurodevelopmental disorder Angelman syndrome (AS). AS patients have severe impairments in speech, learning and memory, and motor coordination, for which there is currently no treatment. In addition, UBE3A is duplicated in > 1-2% of patients with autism spectrum disorders-a further indication of the significant role it plays in brain development. Altered expression of UBE3A, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is hypothesized to lead to impaired levels of its target proteins, but identifying the contribution of individual UBE3A targets to UBE3A-dependent deficits remains of critical importance. Ephexin5 is a putative UBE3A substrate that has restricted expression early in development, regulates synapse formation during hippocampal development, and is abnormally elevated in AS mice, modeled by maternally-derived Ube3a gene deletion. Here, we report that Ephexin5 can be directly ubiquitylated by UBE3A. Furthermore, removing Ephexin5 from AS mice specifically rescued hippocampus-dependent behaviors, CA1 physiology, and deficits in dendritic spine number. Our findings identify Ephexin5 as a key driver of hippocampal dysfunction and related behavioral deficits in AS mouse models. These results demonstrate the exciting potential of targeting Ephexin5, and possibly other UBE3A substrates, to improve symptoms of AS and other UBE3A-related developmental disorders.
PERSPECTIVE VIEWS AND COMPUTER ANIMATION IN HIGHWAY ENGINEERING

The paper describes a joint development project of the Office of Research and Development, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Federal Projects Division, FHWA Region Nine in Denver, Colorado, and the University of Colorado.
A rotavirus vaccine for prevention of severe diarrhoea of infants and young children: development, utilization and withdrawal.

The importance of rotaviruses (RVs) as the single most important cause of severe diarrhoea of infants and young children is well recognized. At NIH, we developed a quadrivalent (tetravalent [TV]) vaccine to protect against the four epidemiologically important RV serotypes. It is comprised of live attenuated rhesus RV (RRV), a VP7 serotype G3 strain (the 'Jennerian' approach), and three reassortant RVs, each containing 10 RRV genes and one human RV gene that codes for the major outer protein, VP7, that determines serotype G1, G2 or G4 specificity (the 'modified Jennerian' approach). The vaccine was safe and effective against severe diarrhoea in a major prelicensure collaborative effort of phase III trials. In February 1998 and again in June 1998, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended routine immunization with three oral doses at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. The tetravalent vaccine (RotaShield) was licensed in the USA by the FDA in August 1998. In July 1999, after about 1.5 million doses had been given, the CDC recommended suspending administration of the vaccine because post-licensure surveillance of adverse events had suggested an association with intussusception. After further investigation by CDC, in October 1999, the ACIP withdrew its recommendation concluding that '...intussusception occurs with significantly increased frequency in the first 1-2 weeks after vaccination with RRV-TV, particularly following the first dose'. The implications of these developments from a practical, epidemiological, analytical and ethical perspective are discussed.
Neural crest diversification

This chapter discusses some of the basic principles that have emerged from the study of neural crest biology. It discusses the origin of the neural crest in the embryo and considers some of the general principles underlying neural crest diversification. Finally, the chapter discusses what is known about how specific derivatives of the neural crest are generated. The neural crest has captured the imagination of developmental biologists for over a century. There are two principal reasons for this. First, it is a highly migratory cell population and very little is known about the mechanisms that precisely guide neural crest cells to specific sites in the embryo. Second, the neural crest gives rise to an enormous diversity of cell types, including the entire peripheral nervous system, melanocytes, endocrine cells, and much of the connective tissue, bone, and cartilage of the face and skull. Neural crest cells arise at the junction between the prospective epidermis and the prospective neural plate in all vertebrates, regardless of whether the neural crest ultimately migrates from the open neural folds, the closed neural tube, or an ectodermal thickening at the neural plate-epidermis boundary. Although a number of models have been proposed for how neural crest cells are generated, the weight of evidence at present suggests that neural crest arises from local cell-cell interactions between the epidermis and the neural plate.
A Writer's Reality

A Writer's Reality. Mario Vargasllosa (editor), with an introduction by Myron I. Lichtblau. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1991. 184 pp. $24.95 (cloth). ISBN 0–8156–0253–7.
Health outcomes of children born to cosmetologists compared to children of women in other occupations

The purpose of the study was to examine the health of children born to cosmetologists compared to the health of children of women working in other occupations. Cross-sectional data were analyzed from 319 cosmetologists and 366 women in other occupations aged 21 to 55 years who reported at least one live birth. Repeated-measures modeling was used to account for lack of independence among multiple pregnancies per participant. The results showed that cosmetologist occupation was associated with having a child with a learning disorder; however, the strength of this association was attenuated and the odds ratio was not statistically significant after confounder adjustment. Cosmetologist occupation was not associated with other adverse health outcomes among the children born to women in such an occupation, including urinary/kidney health problems. The findings indicate that cosmetologists are not at increased risk of having a child with medical problems compared to women in other occupations.
Ant Colony Optimization Method for Product Platform Formation

Product platform concepts are often deployed to achieve product variety and hence effective product customization. One of the popular methods to achieve product variety is to scale one or more design variables called the scaling variable(s). This necessitates efficient methods for identifying the values for scaling variables. This paper presents a graph-based optimization method called Platform Ant Colony Optimization (PACO) for identifying the values of the scaling variable(s) for platform formation. In PACO, the overall decision is a function of the cumulative decisions of simple computing agents called the ‘ants.’ The method employs an autocatalytic mechanism using a probabilistic search to improve the solution iteratively. We use a universal electric motor example cited in the literature to test the efficiency of the proposed method. Simulation results on the example problem indicate that the PACO method produces promising results.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Applications of the Lagged Normal Density Curve as a Model for Arterial Dilution Curves

1. Indicator dilution curves (concentration versus time) were recorded from the femoral and dorsalis pedis arteries of normal men after injections of indocyanine green into the superior vena cava or thoracic aorta. A four-parameter mathematical model, the lagged normal density curve, adequately described the form of the portion of these curves representing indicator passing by the sampling site for the first time. 2. The curves were observed to be of constant shape, the spread of the curve being approximately linearly related to the mean transit time t. The spread was dependent on the injection site; dispersion was shown to be greatest in the central circulation, less in the aorta, and still less in the arteries of the leg. For the latter segment, the mean transit time t. The spread was dependent 0.3 t, the square root of the variance was 0.18 t, and the parameters of the lagged normal density curve, σ and τ, were 0.09 t and 0.16 t, respectively. 3. The linear relationships between parameters of the recorded curves and the mean transit times indicate that the effect of rate of flow, over a range from resting values to four to six times above resting values, has almost no influence on the dispersion. This suggests that the flow characteristics are essentially unchanged over this range. Such linear relationships always occur with laminar flow but cannot prove its existence because turbulent flow can also produce this result. The similarity of the linear relationships at low flow rates to those at high flow rates, where turbulence almost certainly is present, suggests that arterial flow is usually turbulent. Turbulence may be expected at relatively low flow rates in nonhomogeneous fluids driven by a pulsatile head of pressure through elastic, branched, tapering, curved tubes.
A newly isolated densonucleosis virus from Pseudoplusia includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)☆☆☆★

Abstract An icosahedral DNA virus isolated from the soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens , was characterized. Purified virus had a diameter of 20 ± 1 nm and negatively stained preparations showed a trend to form linear to three-dimensional crystals. The virus had a sedimentation coefficient of 120 ± 3 S and a buoyant density of 1.40 ± 0.01 g/cm 3 . The DNA content of the virus was 37.8 ± 0.1% and the absorption spectrum showed it to be a typical nucleoprotein. Viral DNA in situ was shown to be single-stranded by staining the virus with acridine orange as well as by reaction to formaldehyde. Evidence of inverted terminal repetition of the DNA was observed by electron microscopy. The terminal repetition comprises ca. 6–7% of the genome. The molecular weight of the ssDNA was 2.0 ± 0.1 × 10 6 as determined by agarose gel electrophoresis or 2.1 ± 0.1 × 10 6 as determined by electron microscopy. Four virion proteins with molecular weights of 46.5 ± 0.1, 54.0 ± 0.1, 64.0 ± 0.2, and 87.0 ± 0.1 × 10 3 were detected by 9% SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Double-diffusion tests showed the virus to be serologically related but not identical to DNV-1. Ultrathin sections showed that the nucleus of the hemocyte, muscle, hypodermal, and fat body cells contained virus-like particles. The chromatin of an infected nucleus always underwent a margination and the nucleoplasm was often replaced largely by virions. Data indicate that the virus belongs to the Densovirus of the family Parvoviridae.
Noncredible Effort during Pediatric Neuropsychological Exam: A Case Series and Literature Review

Neuropsychological test interpretation rests upon the assumption that the examinee has exerted full effort. If an individual provides inadequate effort during exam, the resulting data will be invalid and represent an underestimate of the person's true abilities. Although youth have been assumed historically to be less capable of deception than adults, acts of deception in childhood are not uncommon, even in normative populations. Yet, very few cases of children who have provided suboptimal effort during neuropsychological exam have appeared in the scientific literature. We present six clinical cases illustrating that children down to at least age 8 years can present with noncredible performance. The cases include those in which clear external incentives could be identified to those in which intrinsic or psychological factors were presumed to predominate. The fairly diverse nature of the presented cases, along with other recent work, suggests that suboptimal effort in children is apt to occur more frequent...
Plate convergence between the Philippines and the Ryukyu islands

Abstract The region between the Philippine and Ryukyu Island arc systems, including the island of Taiwan, is one of the most complex parts of the consuming Philippine-Asian plate boundary. The marine geology of the area east and north of Luzon indicates that the Luzon arc extends northward beyond the south end of Taiwan and has collided with the latter in Pliocene time. Collision later occurred between the northern end of the Luzon arc system and the Ryukyu system. These collisions caused trench and trench slope rocks of the Luzon arc system to be uplifted as the Coastal Range of Taiwan and the arc system to be shortened in a north-south direction by strike-slip faulting. Continued plate consumption was partly absorbed by shallow east-dipping thrust faults in central and western Taiwan. Seismological and marine geophysical evidence suggest that arc polarity reversal, probably in response to collision, is now occurring along the Luzon arc system. A new trench is forming along the east side of Luzon but compressional features have not yet developed along the entire east flank of the Luzon system. Before collision, the Ryukyu and Luzon arc systems were separated by several hundred kilometers and joined by a trench-trench transform fault, which is now destroyed. In Early Tertiary time, there was probably an east-facing arc system along the Luzon trend, which may have been joined by another transform fault to the south end of Taiwan. Behind this Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiary east-facing arc system, the China Basin is thought to have opened as an inter-arc basin.
Increasing the Safety of Blind Gastric Tube Placement in Pediatric Patients: The Design and Testing of a Procedure Using a Carbon Dioxide Detection Device

The accidental placement of feeding tubes into the airway is a rare but serious complication of blind feeding tube placement in pediatrics. A method using a colorimetric carbon dioxide detector has been tested as a means of decreasing the risk of inadvertent airway placement of gastric tubes in adults, but to date, a similar study has not been accomplished in pediatric patients. This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of a procedure using the colorimetric device during blind gastric tube placement in children. The results demonstrated that the study procedure using the device is effective in detecting inadvertent tube placement into the lung in the pediatric population.
What We Owe the Romantics

Romanticism is recognized as a wellspring of modern-day environmental thought and enthusiasm for nature-preservation, but the character of the affinities between the two is less well understood. Essentially, the Romantics realised that nature only becomes a matter for ethical concern, inspiration and love when the mind and sensibility of the human observer/agent are properly attuned and receptive to its meaning. That attunement involves several factors: a more appropriate scientific paradigm, a subtler appreciation of the impact that the setting of human dwelling, especially landscape, may have on character; the discovery of 'life' and spontaneity as a motif in science and art; a deeper and more complex sense of time; and a feel for place drawn from the life-world rather than physics or economics. Romanticism invented a new language and set of descriptions to illuminate all of these things, one we neglect or forget at our peril.
Balint Groups: The Nuts and Bolts of Making Better Doctors

Balint Group seminars were developed by Michael and Enid Balint based on the application of psychological principles in a group setting for the purpose of developing an improved understanding of the doctor-patient relationship. This article focuses on the development and application of the Balint method to the training of resident physicians (particularly Family Physicians) within the United States. An effort is made to describe the practicalities of resident physician Balint training (e.g., size, frequency, duration of such groups), conceptual underpinnings (e.g., biphasic nature of patient identification, disease versus illness concept, transference/counter-transference, over-identification, under-identification, biphasic nature of physician empathy), and pedagogic goals (mastering empathic skills inherent in being a good doctor) of residency-based Balint groups. In aggregate, this article provides a useful framework for behavioral science educators interested in applying the Balint seminar method to resident physician training. The authors encourage both the continued study and educational application of the Balint seminar method in the training of physicians both within and outside of the United States.
An electron probe microanalysis of the plutonium-tin alloy system

Abstract The electron microprobe was used to determine the chemical composition of six intermetallic phases that exist in the plutonium-tin binary alloy system. The phases are tentatively identified as PuSn2, Pu7Sn8, Pu8Sn7, Pu5Sn4, Pu5Sn3, and Pu3Sn. The results are compared with the extremely similar plutonium-lead alloy system.
The multiple chromosomes of Paratylotropidia brunneri Scudder (Orthoptera: Acrididae)†

There are 19 chromosomes in diploid cells of male Paratylotropidia brunneri; of these, four are V-shaped multiples. There are twenty chromosomes in diploid cells of females; of these, four are V-shaped multiples. If the two arms of each multiple are counted as separate chromosomes, we have the usual number of chromosomes for the Acrididae, i.e., twenty-three in male and twenty-four in female. There are nine chromosomes in the first spermatocyte divisions: seven tetrads, one octad and a decad. The latter is made up of the accessory chromosome associated with an octad. One of the V-shaped multiples in the male is limited to that sex. The homologue of one of the dyads of which it is composed is a free dyad, the homologue of the other forms a V-shaped multiple with the accessory chromosome. The V-shaped multiple limited to the male shows differential heteropycosis in the prophases of the first spermatocyte. There is evidence that its homologous parts are isolated from each other as far as crossingover is concerned. A study of the first maturation division of the heterogametic sex is essential for the identification of the sex chromosome.
Status inconsistency, achievement motivation, and psychological stress

The hypothesized relationship between status consistency and psychological stress is examined. It is suggested that theories of social consistency (e.g., status consistency, status integration, and social mobility) are interrelated with social psychological theories of cognitive consistency. In addition to ambiguities in theories of social consistency, several measurement and analysis problems are noted that may account for the confusing and sometimes contradictory results obtained in previous research. The theory of status consistency is then restated and inconsistency is measured and its effects are isolated in a way that circumvents these problems. The results indicate that basic values concerning achievement function as coping mechanisms for the effects of one's position in the education, occupation, and income hierarchies but amplify the stressful consequences of status inconsistency.
N-Acetyl-DL-penicillamine and acetaminophen toxicity in mice.

N-Acetyl-DL-penicillamine (IIIb), a structural analog of N-acetyl-L-cysteine (IIIa), did not protect mice from lethal doses of acetaminophen (I), whereas IIIa offered protection. This lack of efficacy of IIIb probably is due to the decreased nucleophilicity of its sulfhydryl group compared to that of IIIa, the probable involvement of cysteine in any conjugate addition to the reactive intermediates of I, and the absence of metabolic conversion of IIIb to inorganic sulfate.
Increased cortical extracellular adenosine correlates with seizure termination

Summary Objective Seizures are currently defined by their electrographic features. However, neuronal networks are intrinsically dependent on neurotransmitters of which little is known regarding their periictal dynamics. Evidence supports adenosine as having a prominent role in seizure termination, as its administration can terminate and reduce seizures in animal models. Furthermore, microdialysis studies in humans suggest that adenosine is elevated periictally, but the relationship to the seizure is obscured by its temporal measurement limitations. Because electrochemical techniques can provide vastly superior temporal resolution, we test the hypothesis that extracellular adenosine concentrations rise during seizure termination in an animal model and humans using electrochemistry. Methods White farm swine (n = 45) were used in an acute cortical model of epilepsy, and 10 human epilepsy patients were studied during intraoperative electrocorticography (ECoG). Wireless Instantaneous Neurotransmitter Concentration Sensor (WINCS)–based fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) and fixed potential amperometry were obtained utilizing an adenosine-specific triangular waveform or biosensors, respectively. Results Simultaneous ECoG and electrochemistry demonstrated an average adenosine increase of 260% compared to baseline, at 7.5 ± 16.9 s with amperometry (n = 75 events) and 2.6 ± 11.2 s with FSCV (n = 15 events) prior to electrographic seizure termination. In agreement with these animal data, adenosine elevation prior to seizure termination in a human patient utilizing FSCV was also seen. Significance Simultaneous ECoG and electrochemical recording supports the hypothesis that adenosine rises prior to seizure termination, suggesting that adenosine itself may be responsible for seizure termination. Future work using intraoperative WINCS–based FSCV recording may help to elucidate the precise relationship between adenosine and seizure termination.
The Ischemic Kidney and Hypertension

T HE MAJOR ISSUES in approaching patients with renal artery stenosis relate to the role of renal artery stenosis in the pathogenesis of hypertension, ie, "renovascular hypertension," and to the potential for vascular compromise of renal function. Ever since the original Goldblatt et al experiment in 1934,! wherein renal artery clamping produced an elevated blood pressure, countless investigators and clinicians have been fascinated by the relationship between renal artery stenosis and hypertension. Much discussion centers on the pathophysiology of renovascular hypertension, the renin-angiotensin system, diagnostic tests to detect presumed renovascular hypertension, and the relative merits of surgical revascularization (SR), percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty (PTRA), and drug therapy in managing patients with renal artery stenosis and hypertension. In recent years, considerable interest and enthusiasm have been generated for renal revascularization and PTRA for preservation of renal function. Two main types of renal artery disease form the anatomic basis for renal arterial stenosis. Atherosclerosis is the most common cause of renal artery disease, accounting for 60% to 70% of renal arterial lesions? This lesion predominantly affects men in the fifth, sixth, and seventh decades of life, but is not uncommon in women of similar ages or in younger adults. Fibrous renal artery disease (FRAD) is estimated to account for 30% to 40% of renal artery disease. 3 Occurring predominantly in women age 15 to 40 years, FRAD is frequently bilateral, and often involves the distal portion of the renal artery. The most common type of FRAD, medial fibroplasia, angiographically appears as a "string of beads." A vailable data on the natural history of these two
C3d adjuvant activity is reduced by altering residues involved in the electronegative binding of C3d to CR2

Abstract The final degradation product of the complement protein C3, C3d, has been used as a molecular adjuvant to various antigens. Chimera proteins of the antigen and multiple copies of C3d were developed to test the adjuvant effect of this molecule. The main mechanism by which C3d enhances the immune response is interaction with CR2. In vitro studies showed that the avidity of C3d for CR2 is affected by residues located at the interacting surface (e.g. 170N) as well as by residues located in other areas. The role of the latter residues has been proposed to depend on the electrostatic nature of the C3d–CR2 interaction, where the charges of the whole molecules are responsible for their binding. C3d is primarily a negatively charged molecule, while CR2 is a positive one. Previous experiments demonstrated that elimination of a positive charge (K162A) in C3d enhanced its avidity for CR2, while elimination of negative charges or addition positives ones (D163A, N170R, respectively), impaired the avidity for CR2. Despite the extensive in vitro research, the role of these residues in the adjuvant effect of C3d is unclear. To study the role of residues at the interacting and non-interacting surface of C3d on the adjuvanticity, single as well as a double residue substitutions were engineered in the murine C3d (R162A, D163A, N170R and D163A–N170R) gene. Two copies of these mutant molecules were fused to HIV-1 Env gp120 and the proteins were tested for their avidity to bind CR2 (sCR2). Later, these DNA constructs were tested in mice to determine their adjuvant capability. Mutation at residue 162 (R162A) neither enhanced nor impaired the avidity of Env gp120 -C3d 2 for sCR2 in vitro . Mutations at residues D163A and N170R, on the other hand, reduced the binding affinity of Env gp120 -C3d 2 for sCR2. Furthermore, these mutations synergized and abolished the interaction of C3d for CR2. The data correlated with the adjuvant capability of these molecules in the mouse model. In summary, residues that alter the electronegative status of C3d (D163A and N170R) impair the binding of chimera proteins to CR2, reducing the adjuvant activity of this molecule.
Biogeochemistry: Methane minimalism.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with many times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, so understanding how its emissions might change with increasing temperature is important for climate predictions. These authors conduct a meta-analysis of the temperature dependence of methane emissions from studies of laboratory cultures, environmental samples and whole ecosystems. They find that methane emissions increase with temperature at a greater rate than two other key rate processes in the carbon cycle, respiration and photosynthesis. The effect scales identically from cultures of individual methanogens in the lab up to the whole ecosystems.
Characteristics and treatment outcome of older methadone-maintenance patients.

Objective There are over 160,000 persons receiving methadone maintenance treatment in the United States. Surveys indicate that 5% to 6% of these patients are older than age 55. Authors hypothesized, from a survey of methadone programs, that methadone patients older than age 55 would have higher rates of medical and psychiatric problems and higher rates of unemployment, and would do less well in treatment, as compared with their younger counterparts. Methods Authors reviewed 759 consecutive admissions to a Midwestern methadone-maintenance program. Results It was unexpectedly found that patients older than age 55 (N=54) were not different from their younger counterparts in terms of medical and psychiatric problems or employment; they were more likely to be married, and did significantly better in treatment. Conclusions Older methadone patients may, in fact, have fewer problems and do well in treatment. This finding has implications regarding allocation of resources for methadone programs serving these patients.
Maturation and growth of renal function: dosing renally cleared drugs in children.

A model was developed that characterized the maturation and growth of the renal function parameters (RFPs) glomerular filtration rate (GF), active tubular secretion (AS), and renal plasma flow (QR). Published RFP values were obtained from 63 healthy children between the ages of 2 days and 12 years. Maturation over time was assumed to be exponential from an immature (RFPim) to a mature (RFPma) level; for growth, RFPim and RFPma were assumed to follow the allometric equation: RFP(age, W)=aWbe−kmat*age+cWb(1−e−kmat*age), where W is body weight, kmat is the maturation rate constant, b is the body weight exponent, and a and c are RFPim and RFPma at unit W. The model-based equation was fitted to the age-W, RFP values by a nonlinear least-squares method. For GF, the maturation half-life was 7.9 months (90% maturation, 26 months), the body weight exponent was 0.662, and the ratio c/a (which reflected the magnitude of the maturation influence) was 3.1. For AS and QR, the maturation half-lives were about 3.8 months and the ratio c/a was about 1.8. For renally eliminated drugs, the model can be used to estimate dosing regimens that are based on the adult dosing regimen and the age and weight of the child.
Determination of high-spin iron(III)-nitroxyl distances in spin-labeled porphyrins by time-domain EPR.

Continuous wave EPR spectra of the nitroxyl signals for four spin-labeled high-spin (h.s.) Fe(III) porphyrins showed partially resolved splittings at temperatures near 4 K. Axial ligands were fluoride, chloride, or bromide. As temperature was increased to 20 to 30 K the iron-nitroxyl splitting collapsed due to increasing rates of iron relaxation. Electron spin-echo (ESE) spectroscopy showed that above about 6 K collapse of the iron-nitroxyl spin-spin splitting caused a dramatic increase in the nitroxyl phase memory relaxation rates. Electron spin relaxation rates were determined for Fe(tetratolylporphyrin)X, X = F, Cl, Br, in toluene solution by ESE or inversion recovery at 4.5 to 6 K and by analysis of the temperature-dependent contributions to the continuous wave EPR linewidths between about 10 and 120 K. Above about 10 K iron relaxation rates increase in the order X = F < Cl < Br, which is the order of increasing zero-field splitting. Saturation recovery data for two spin-labeled h.s. iron(III) porphyrins between about 15 and 120 K and for two additional spin-labeled h.s. iron(III) porphyrins between about 85 and 120 K demonstrated that interaction with the h. s. iron enhanced the electron spin relaxation rate of the spin label. The saturation recovery curves for the nitroxyl were analyzed to determine interspin distances using a modified version of the Bloembergen equation and independently determined iron relaxation rates. Interspin distances were between 11.6 and 15.0 A, were independent of axial ligand, and were in good agreement with values obtained previously for low-spin Fe(III) and Cu(II) analogs.
Aquatic bacterial assemblage variability in the supra littoral zone of Appledore Island, Gulf of Maine.

We investigated the abundance and assemblage variability of bacteria in 10 spatially distinct freshwater pools on Appledore Island, Gulf of Maine. Assemblages were strongly heterogeneous between pools separated by even short distances. To gain insight into factors that may lead to the establishment of novel assemblages, we conducted an ecosystem-open choromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) enrichment experiment within mesocosms inoculated with a standardized microbial community and observed patterns of their composition over time. Assemblages were strongly divergent from each other in composition after only 3 days of incubation. Divergence among mesocosms was significantly higher with increasing levels of CDOM. CDOM addition initially had a strong positive impact on bacterial operation taxonomic unit (OTU) richness and negative impact on bacterial OTU evenness, but no impact on total bacterial abundance, suggesting that factors controlling abundance are decoupled from those influencing overall composition.
SCINTIGRAPHIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE EQUINE FOREDIGIT AND METACARPOPHALANGEAL REGION FROM BIRTH TO SIX MONTHS OF AGE

Both foredigits and metacarpophalangeal joints of six Quarter Horse foals were scanned serially to six months of age using 99Tc-methylene diphosphonate. Dorsal scans were made on day 1 and at two, four, six, ten, 14, 18, 22 and 26 weeks of age. Scans were assessed visually for distal third metacarpal, proximal phalangeal, and middle phalangeal physeal appearance and closure. Scans were also evaluated by computer region-of-interest (ROI) and line-profile analysis to characterize the physes quantitatively. Physeal region radioactivity relative to a disphyseal reference region was greatest at four weeks for all physes. Scintigraphic physeal closure of all physes occurred at approximately six months of age with a range of four and one half to greater than six months. The study was conducted to allow better assessment of diffuse and focal physeal disease by determining developmental times at which normal physeal region radioactivity has decreased enough to not obscure abnormal radioactivity and by quantifying scintigraphic physeal appearance which enables computer analysis to detect visually indeterminate physeal abnormalities.
Picrylamino-substituted heterocycles. III. 1,2,4-triazoles†

This paper describes the synthesis of various picryl-and picrylamino-substituted 1,2,4-triazoles and 3,3′-bi-1,2,4-triazolyls. These compounds were prepared by condensing the appropriate 1,2,4-triazole or amino-1,2,4-triazole with a picryl halide. The proton n.m.r. spectra, crystal densities, thermal stabilities, and drop-weight impact sensitivities of the resulting compounds were determined.
Membrane diffusion in diseases of the pulmonary vasculature.

Summary Introduction We examined pulmonary diffusing capacity ( D LCO ) and its partition in pulmonary vascular diseases without evident parenchymal disease to assess the pattern and proportionality of change in membrane diffusion ( D m ) and capillary blood volume ( V c ). Disproportionate reduction in D m relative to V c (low D m / V c ) in these diseases has been attributed to associated alveolar membrane/parenchymal disease, thus providing a potentially important diagnostic tool. Methods Diseases included: idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension ( n = 6 ), chronic thromboembolic disease ( n = 5 ), and intravenous drug use ( n = 1 4 ), providing a spectrum of pulmonary vascular diseases. V c and D m were determined as described by Roughton and Forster. Results All diseases showed a reduced V c (59±10, 69±14, 71±21 % predicted, respectively) and D m (76±22, 53±19, 63±16 % predicted, respectively) with no differences between groups ( p > 0.0 5 ). Disproportionate reduction of D m ( D m / V c % predicted D m and V c . The mathematical analysis suggests that when reduction in patency of some vessels co-exits with compensatory dilatation of the remaining vasculature, a disproportionate reduction in D m relative to V c may result. Conclusions The balance between vascular curtailment and compensatory dilatation may contribute to the variability of the D m / V c relationship seen in pulmonary vascular disease. Disproportionate reduction in D m relative to V c may result from this imbalance and need not imply subclinical alveolar membrane and/or parenchymal disease.
Social Identity and Language: Theoretical and Methodological Issues.

Language and Social Psychology, 6, 215-228. McNamara, T. F. (1987b). Language and social identity: Some Australian studies. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 10, 33-58. Ochs, E. (1993). Constructing social identity: A language socialization perspective. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 26, 287-306. Peirce, B. N. (1995). Social identity, investment and language learning. TESOL Quarterly, 29, 9-31. Pennycook, A. (1994). Incommensurable discourses? Applied Linguistics, 15, 115-138. Quinn, T.J., & McNamara, T. F. (1988). Issues in second-language learning: General and particular. Victoria, Australia: Deakin University. Tajfel, H. (1978). The social psychology of minorities (Minority Rights Group Report No. 38). London: Minority Rights Group. Reprinted in part in Tajfel, H. (1981). Human groups and social categories. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Weedon, C. (1987). Feminist practice and poststructuralist theory. London: Blackwell. Williams, G. (1992). Sociolinguistics: A sociological critique. London: Routledge.
Current Evidence Providing Clarity in Management of Temporomandibular Disorders: Summary of a Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials for Intra-oral Appliances and Occlusal Therapies

Pain and dysfunction from temporomandibular disorders (TMJD) is a significant clinical problem for which many diverse treatments have been used. Numerous articles evaluating success/failure of these TMJD treatments have been published with a wide range of success rates and methods to evaluate outcomes.1-6 Nearly all of these treatments have been evaluated for efficacy using the highest level of research evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). With this available literature, clinicians are faced with the challenge of reviewing the methods and results of each study to make evidence-based clinical decisions. This process is further compounded by considerable variability with regard to their study designs, treatment techniques, and outcome measures. The Guidelines Committee for the American Academy of Orofacial Pain conducted an evidence-based literature review to systematically search and review the literature for all randomized clinical trials for TMJD treatment using methods derived from the Cochrane Collaboration (www.cochrane.org); the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine, (www.cebm.net); and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, United Kingdom (www.york.ac.uk/ inst/crd/index.htm). Trials in which placebo, no treatment, or other treatments were used in the control group were included as were trials in which postrandomization exclusions occurred since there was no evidence that these occurred preferentially in one or other arm of the trials. This presentation reviews the results of this review for intraoral splints and occlusal therapies for temporomandibular disorders. This paper only provides a summary of the methods and results. The full results can be found in the subsequent journal publication. METHODS OF THE REVIEW