cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ovarian cancer biomarkers: current options and future promise.

In recent years, as more effective, less toxic cancer drugs reach the patient population, the need for accurate and reliable cancer diagnostics and prognostics has become widely appreciated. Nowhere is this need more dire than in ovarian cancer, where the majority of women are diagnosed late in the course of disease progression. The ability to sensitively and specifically predict the presence of early disease, its status, stage, and associated therapeutic efficacy, has the potential to revolutionize ovarian cancer detection and treatment. Here, we review current ovarian cancer diagnostics and prognostics as well as potential ovarian cancer biomarkers that are being studied and validated. We also present some of the most recent molecular approaches being used to identify genes and proteins that may represent the next generation of ovarian cancer diagnostics and prognostics.
Perceived skills and abilities required by athletic trainers in hospital and clinical management positions: a Delphi study.

Context: Athletic training has expanded from traditional sport-team settings to varied settings involving active populations. Athletic trainers also use their education and abilities in administration to take on roles of management in hospitals and health care clinics. Objective: To begin to explore the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed in the emerging practice setting of health care management. Design: Delphi study. Setting: Directed surveys. Patients or Other Participants: Eight athletic trainers working as hospital and health care clinic managers in varied geographic settings. Data Collection and Analysis: Three rounds of directed surveys were used and included (1) a series of demographic questions and 1 focused, open-ended question, (2) 32 statements scored on a 6-point Likert-type scale with no neutral statement, and (3) 10 statements ranked in order of importance for the athletic trainer working as a health care manager. Results: I grouped the results into 2 categories: leadership skills and m...
Swallowing outcomes in patients with oropharyngeal cancer undergoing organ-preservation treatment.

Background The purpose of this study was to assess swallowing outcomes in a cohort of patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) undergoing nonoperative treatment. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of patients who completed videofluoroscopic swallowing studies (VFSS) after nonoperative treatment of oropharyngeal SCC. All patients received intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) ± chemotherapy. Swallowing abnormalities were recorded and the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS) quantified airway infiltration. Results Posttreatment VFSS (n = 71) occurred at an average of 4.69 months posttreatment. Abnormal PAS was noted in 45% of swallow studies. Swallowing decompensations included reduced pharyngeal constriction (75%), epiglottic tilt (70%), cricopharyngeal opening (42%), and hyoid excursion (42%). The only variable independently associated with abnormal PAS was pretreatment swallowing difficulty (odds ratio [OR] = 4.02; p = .009). Conclusion This study demonstrates that patients undergoing nonsurgical treatment for oropharyngeal SCC are at risk for posttreatment dysphagia. This suggests a need for dysphagia evaluation/management and refinement of interventions to minimize dysphagia. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 36: 1392–1397, 2014
Wild-type blocking polymerase chain reaction for detection of single nucleotide minority mutations from clinical specimens

Detection and sequencing of mutations from clinical specimens is often complicated by the presence of an excess of nonmutated cells. To facilitate the detection and sequencing of minority mutations from clinical specimens, we developed wild-type blocking polymerase chain reaction (WTB-PCR). This technique allows sensitive detection of minority mutations in a tissue sample containing excess wild-type DNA. In WTB-PCR, a nonextendable locked nucleic acid (LNA) oligonucleotide binds tightly to a region of wild-type DNA known to develop point mutations. This LNA sequence blocks amplification of wild-type DNA during PCR while permitting amplification of mutant exon 15. Our results show that the LNA blocking oligonucleotide inhibits amplification of wild-type DNA in a dose-dependent manner. WTB-PCR was able to detect mutant DNA in clinical samples of melanoma tissue containing an excess of nonmelanoma cells. This method was also able to detect small amounts of point mutated or tandem mutated DNA diluted with a much larger concentration of wild-type DNA. This rapid and simple assay overcomes the limitations of current methods to detect minority mutations. The potential applications of WTB-PCR include early diagnosis and prognosis of various cancers.
A Novel Approach Towards Large Scale Cross-Media Retrieval

With the rapid development of Internet and multimedia technology, cross-media retrieval is concerned to retrieve all the related media objects with multi-modality by submitting a query media object. Unfortunately, the complexity and the heterogeneity of multi-modality have posed the following two major challenges for cross-media retrieval: 1) how to construct a unified and compact model for media objects with multi-modality, 2) how to improve the performance of retrieval for large scale cross-media database. In this paper, we propose a novel method which is dedicate to solving these issues to achieve effective and accurate cross-media retrieval. Firstly, a multi-modality semantic relationship graph (MSRG) is constructed using the semantic correlation amongst the media objects with multi-modality. Secondly, all the media objects in MSRG are mapped onto an isomorphic semantic space. Further, an efficient indexing MK-tree based on heterogeneous data distribution is proposed to manage the media objects within the semantic space and improve the performance of cross-media retrieval. Extensive experiments on real large scale cross-media datasets indicate that our proposal dramatically improves the accuracy and efficiency of cross-media retrieval, outperforming the existing methods significantly.
Formability in non-symmetric aluminium panel drawing using active drawbeads

Abstract Aluminum is expected to gain popularity as material for the bodies of the next generation of lighter and more fuel-efficient vehicles. However, its lower formability compared with that of steel tends to create considerable problems. A controllable restraining force caused by adjusting the penetration of drawbeads can improve the formability of aluminum. The paper describes a spatial and temporal FE model for the analysis of this technique, especially in non-symmetric panel forming. Comparison of the results of numerical simulations with the corresponding experimental results shows that the predictions of strain distribution on the panel are in excellent agreement. Furthermore, FLD analysis indicates that the active drawbead concept is beneficial to the formability of Al 6111-T4.
Cross-repressive interactions between Lrig3 and netrin 1 shape the architecture of the inner ear

The sense of balance depends on the intricate architecture of the inner ear, which contains three semicircular canals used to detect motion of the head in space. Changes in the shape of even one canal cause drastic behavioral deficits, highlighting the need to understand the cellular and molecular events that ensure perfect formation of this precise structure. During development, the canals are sculpted from pouches that grow out of a simple ball of epithelium, the otic vesicle. A key event is the fusion of two opposing epithelial walls in the center of each pouch, thereby creating a hollow canal. During the course of a gene trap mutagenesis screen to find new genes required for canal morphogenesis, we discovered that the Ig superfamily protein Lrig3 is necessary for lateral canal development. We show that this phenotype is due to ectopic expression of the axon guidance molecule netrin 1 (Ntn1), which regulates basal lamina integrity in the fusion plate. Through a series of genetic experiments, we show that mutually antagonistic interactions between Lrig3 and Ntn1 create complementary expression domains that define the future shape of the lateral canal. Remarkably, removal of one copy of Ntn1 from Lrig3 mutants rescues both the circling behavior and the canal malformation. Thus, the Lrig3/Ntn1 feedback loop dictates when and where basement membrane breakdown occurs during canal development, revealing a new mechanism of complex tissue morphogenesis.
The Agrarian Democracy of Thomas Jefferson

If the past determines or in any way influences the present, the present invariably reverses the process. One of the more striking instances of this rule has been the recent apotheosis of Thomas Jefferson as a national hero equal in stature to Washington and Lincoln. In an atmosphere of industrialism, urban living, and strong, impersonal national government that tradition might lead us to suppose would kill it, the Jefferson legend has blossomed and put forth new shoots. As Mr. Douglass Adair has pointed out, the pioneer democrat and agrarian liberal “discovered” by Frederick Jackson Turner and Charles A. Beard and celebrated by Parrington, Nock, and Bowers, has lately found more complicated, more interesting, and incidentally more timely, portrayal at the hands of Carl Becker, Gilbert Chinard, and Adrienne Koch. These writers, whose company is now joined by Mr. Joseph Dorfman, have been at pains to show the range and diversity of Jefferson's thought, and above all how he moved with his times to espouse the cause of commerce, industry, and national power. Mr. Dorfman crowds all these qualities together under the label, “Thomas Jefferson: Commercial Agrarian Democrat” which, if the trend continues, may have to be stretched to “Commercial Industrial Agrarian Democratic Federalist.”Does the label fit? The legendary Jefferson was an agrarian; and even as modern scholars were finding in his writings political precepts for an industrial age, the farmers of the United States were recognizing him as the founder of American agriculture and adopting him as their patron saint.
An Historical Perspective on Child Labor in the United States

Just before 1:00 pm on July 7, 1903, approximately 200 to 400 striking workers from Pennsylvania’s Kensington textile mills gathered at Torresdale Park on the outskirts of Philadelphia. About half the group’s members were children ten through fifteen years of age and observers described the rest as “adults,” although many were only sixteen and seventeen years old. The group planned to march through the streets of Philadelphia and then make its way to New York City. Calling their protest “The March of the Children,” the effort was basically a publicity stunt designed to gain sympathy for the approximately 100,000 striking textile workers employed in the Kensington mill district. Their demands included higher pay and shorter working hours, as well as an effort to draw public attention to the plight of the many children working full-time in the mills.1 Today in the United States the overwhelming majority of Americans view childhood as a period protected from adult responsibilities, especially full-time wage work. This ideal of modern childhood is also evidenced in the 1989 United Nation’s “Convention on the Rights of the Child.” The convention includes 54 distinct articles outlining a universal prescription of policies directed at individuals under eighteen years of age. Article 32 holds that governments “should protect children from work that is dangerous or might harm their health or education . . .. Children’s work should not jeopardize any of their other rights, including the right to education, or the right to relaxation and play (United Nations, 1989).” The convention’s policies are grounded in the American ideal of modern childhood that served as the foundation of the early twentiethcentury’s anti-child labor movement. But the adoption of a modern version of the childhood ideal did not come easily.
Short-term auditory deprivation: Effect on brainstem electrical response

Recent research has associated long-standing conductive hearing losses and changes in brainstem neural responses. Investigations on human subjects to date have used behavioral modes in evaluating response changes for both short-term (induced) and long-term conductive losses. The present study measured brainstem electrical responses (BSERs) from 30 normally hearing adults divided into unilateral-induced conductive-loss groups of 10, 20 and 30 h. This auditory deprivation produced a significant decrease in the wave-I latency (auditory nerve response) across all groups. It is concluded that short-term auditory deprivation can result in VIII nerve fiber hyper-excitability when initially stimulated after the deprivation period. The occurrence of temporary changes under very short-term deprivation raises the possibility that alterations to brainstem neural responses may also be measurable electrophysiologically in individuals with long-term conductive losses, such as children with otitis media.
Generational Differences in Perceived Responsibility for Adolescent Support: A Study of Adolescent Females, Mothers, and Maternal Grandmothers.

The issue of parent and adolescent responsibilities was explored in a sample of 195 adolescent females, 192 mothers, and 153 maternal grandmothers to assess whether generational differences in views about responsibility, particularly financial ones, existed. A 43-item Responsibility Scale was developed, and principal components analysis of the instrument yielded five factors. Significant generational differences emerged on several items, with the largest generational differences being found on the items comprising a factor describing parental protection of family values. Whereas all three generations viewed parents as having responsibilities to provide material goods, adolescents were more likely to link parental provision of material goods with autonomy issues than were their mothers or grandmothers.
Limit theorems for strongly mixing stationary random measures

Abstract Characterization theorems are obtained for the possible limits in distribution of a family of stationary random measures { ζ T } satisfying a strong mixing condition, with necessary and sufficient conditions for convergence. The application of these results to ‘exceedance random measures’ is shown to provide a unifying viewpoint for obtaining results in extremal theory for stationary processes.
IFOM, a formula for universal assessment of goodness-of-fit of gamma ray spectra

Abstract A formula is suggested which can be used for examining the goodness-of-fit of all types of spectral peaks — wide or narrow, strong or weak (relative to the associated background). This formula has been successfully applied to a large number of test cases and has been found to work successfully in all these cases. A few examples, representative of different situations, are provided for illustrative purposes.
The Book of Joshua—Part 1: Texts and Versions:

Over the past few decades there has been increased interest in, and research on, the text of the book of Joshua in the Masoretic tradition, the Septuagint, and other ancient versions, as well as the fragmentary remains from the Dead Sea Scrolls. This article provides a discussion of the ancient evidence and an analysis of the major modern theories. English translations of the various textual traditions are compared and discussed. Although the differences are not as extensive as in Jeremiah, and the Qumran material is relatively scant, contemporary scholars have devised a number of intriguing theories to explain the differences and to highlight their significance within the literary, textual, and theological development of this important biblical book. This article is the first half of a two-part treatment discussing recent scholarship on the book of Joshua.
Thinking Skills Versus Learning Time: Effects of Alternative Classroom-Based Interventions on Students' Mathematics Problem Solving

This study examined the effects that teaching fourth-grade teachers (N = 29) to use one of two classroom-based interventions had on students' mathematics achievement. In the thinking skills intervention, teachers received instruction in how to teach their students the cognitive strategies of defining and describing, thinking of reasons, comparing, and summarizing. In the learning time intervention, teachers received instruction in how to increase students' engagement and academic learning time. All students completed a vocabulary test and mathematics achievement pretests in December and the same mathematics tests again in May. Observers coded teachers' instructional behavior and students' engagement before and after the intervention. Twelve students from each class were interviewed in May to obtain verbal protocols of students' use of the thinking skills. Results showed significant ability x treatment interaction effects on mathematics problem solving and on higher level achievement at both the class level (between-class) and the individual student level (within-class). Lower ability classes did better in the learning time intervention than in the thinking skills intervention, whereas higher ability classes did better in the thinking skills intervention than in the learning time intervention. Observations and transcripts of classroom interactions showed that thinking skills teachers of lower ability classes were less effective in implementing thinking skills than were teachers of higher ability classes. Within class, the lower ability students benefited more from the thinking skills
Group housing and nest building only slightly ameliorate the cold stress of typical housing in female C57BL/6J mice

Huddling and nest building are two methods of behavioral thermoregulation used by mice under cold stress. In the laboratory, mice are typically housed at an ambient temperature (Ta) of 20°C, well below the lower end of their thermoneutral zone. We tested the hypothesis that the thermoregulatory benefits of huddling and nest building at a Ta of 20°C would ameliorate this cold stress compared with being singly housed at 20°C as assessed by heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), triiodothyronine (T3), brown adipose (BAT) expression of Elovl3 mRNA, and BAT lipid content. A series of experiments using C57BL/6J female mice exposed to 20°C in the presence or absence of nesting material and/or cage mates was used to test this hypothesis. Mice showed large differences in HR, BP, shivering, and core body temperature (Tb) when comparing singly housed mice at 20°C and 30°C, but only a modest reduction in HR with the inclusion of cage mates or bedding. However, group housing and/or nesting at 20°C decreased T3 levels compared with singly housed mice at 20°C. Singly housed mice at 20°C had a 22-fold higher level of BAT Elovl3 mRNA expression and a significantly lower triacylglycerol (TAG) content of BAT compared with singly housed mice at 30°C. Group housing at 20°C led to blunted changes in both Elovl3 mRNA and TAG levels. These findings suggest that huddling and nest building have a limited effect to ameliorate the cold stress associated with housing at 20°C.
Inactivation of p53 and Amplification of Cyclin D1 Correlate With Clinical Outcome in Head and Neck Cancer

The authors have investigated whether genetic abnormalities in two genes, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of p53 and amplification of the cyclin D1 gene, correlate with clinical outcome in 56 matched pairs of blood and tumor from patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Frequency of p53 LOH was 47.4%, of cyclin D1 amplification 33.9%, and of both abnormalities together 23.7%. p53 LOH was associated with T4 (P = 0.003) and stage IV (P = 0.015) tumors. Cyclin D1 amplification was associated with recurrences and/or metachronous tumors (P = 0.007). The total number of p53 and cyclin D1 abnormalities (scored as zero, one, and two) show a pattern that seems to be additive; the increase in the number of these abnormalities is associated with a proportional increase in the frequency of T4, stage IV, presence of recurrences and/or metachronous tumors, and possibly a proportional decrease in the disease-free interval in the sample. The association of the markers with recurrences and/or metachronous tumors persists if the tumor stage effect is mathematically removed. The combined analysis of the p53 and cyclin D1 abnormalities seems to be more informative than either of them individually and may have predictive value in SCCHN.
The King and Summers opinion leadership scale: Revision and refinement

Abstract Consumer and marketing researchers often measure opinion leadership with the seven-item, self-report scale developed by King and Summers (1970). They have devoted little effort, however, to evaluating the psychometric qualities of this scale. The present study suggests that the scale is not unidimensional. Factor analysis reveals a stable two-factor structure for the scale across three samples of consumers. This article presents and tests a revised version of the opinion leadership scale that has superior psychometric qualities as demonstrated on a sample of 185 adult consumers.
Polyandry and paternity in a wild population of the swordtail Xiphophorus nigrensis

Genetic analyses of parentage provide crucial information about the prevalence of polyandry and the potential for sexual selection to operate in wild populations. In the swordtail Xiphophorus nigrensis, large males are thought to have a competitive advantage due to their superiority in male–male contests and attractiveness to females, who are presumed to mate multiply. I examined the distribution of paternity within broods, the relationship between male body size and paternity and the effect of sire number on fecundity from females collected in the field. Sixty-one percent of females produced offspring from two to four males, with 70% of the offspring typically sired by one of the males represented in the brood. Male body size did not affect paternity share or whether females were multiply mated, as predicted if precopulatory sexual selection has a strong effect on the outcome of postcopulatory sexual selection. Female fecundity increased with the number of sires; however, this relationship was not observed when the smallest broods, where multiple mating is more difficult to detect, were excluded from the analysis. The high levels of multiple paternity and reproductive skew suggest that postcopulatory sexual selection has important evolutionary consequences in X. nigrensis. Traits important in precopulatory sexual selection, such as male body size, however, are more likely to affect sexual selection by increasing the number of mates obtained rather than paternity share within broods.
Different Groups, Different Threats: A Multi-Threat Approach to the Experience of Stereotype Threats

Two studies demonstrated that different negatively stereotyped groups are at risk for distinct forms of stereotype threats. The Multi-Threat Framework articulates six distinct stereotype threats and the unique constellations of variables (e.g., group identification, stereotype endorsement) that elicit each stereotype threat. Previous research suggests that different negatively stereotyped groups systematically vary across these stereotype threat elicitors; a pilot study confirms these differences. Across two studies, groups that tend to elicit low stereotype endorsement (religion, race/ethnicity, congenital blindness) were less likely to report experiencing self-as-source stereotype threats (stereotype threats requiring stereotype endorsement) and groups that tend to elicit low group identification (mental illness, obesity, blindness later in life) were less likely to report experiencing group-as-target stereotype threats (stereotype threats requiring group identification). This research suggests that traditional models may overlook the experiences of stereotype threats within some groups and that interventions tailored to address differences between stereotype threats will be most effective.
Reproducibility: The risks of the replication drive

The push to replicate findings could shelve promising research and unfairly damage the reputations of careful, meticulous scientists, says Mina Bissell.
Evaluation of the hot corrosion resistance of commercial β-NiAl and developmental γ′-Ni3Al + γ-Ni-based coatings

Abstract This study evaluates the performance of commercially available β-NiAl and developmental Pt + Hf-modified γ′-Ni3Al + γ-Ni coatings under Type II (705 °C) hot corrosion conditions. A further variable studied was the effect(s) of pre-oxidation treatment on subsequent hot corrosion resistance. The hot corrosion performances (with and without pre-oxidation treatment) were assessed by analyzing weight-change behavior and cross-sectional images of the corroded samples. It was found that the γ′ + γ coating exhibited superior Type II hot corrosion resistance with the pre-oxidation treatment; while, the Pt-modified β coating exhibited the best Type II hot corrosion resistance when no pre-oxidation treatment was given. Interestingly, pre-oxidation of the Pt-modified β coating was not beneficial to Type II hot corrosion resistance, due, it is believed, to Al depletion from the coating during the pre-oxidation treatment. It was also found that Pt addition is beneficial in improving the hot corrosion resistance of β coatings; whereas, the presence of Hf and a relatively high Al content in the γ′ + γ coatings is beneficial. Moreover, the results from this study clearly revealed the need to pre-oxidize the γ′ + γ coatings at elevated temperatures (i.e., greater than ∼ 1050 °C) in order to achieve excellent hot corrosion resistance.
Taxol production and taxadiene synthase activity in Taxus canadensis cell suspension cultures

The cyclization of geranylgeranyl diphosphate to taxa-4(5),11(12)-diene represents the first committed, and a slow, step in the complex biosynthetic pathway leading to the anticancer drug Taxol. The cyclization enzyme, taxadiene synthase, has been previously purified from Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia) stem and characterized, and the corresponding cDNA has been isolated. To better assess the role of taxadiene synthase in the control of pathway flux in Canadian yew (T. canadensis) cells, a reliable system for production of Taxol in suspension culture, the enzyme from this source was isolated and shown to be chromatographically, electrophoretically, and kinetically identical to that of T. brevifolia stem. Results from the analysis of enzyme activity levels during the time course of Taxol accumulation in developing cell cultures of T. canadensis indicate that rate-limiting transformations lay farther down the pathway than the cyclization step in this system.
Identifying the time of polynomial drift in the mean of autocorrelated processes

Control charts are used to detect changes in a process. Once a change is detected, knowledge of the change point would simplify the search for and identification of the special ause. Consequently, having an estimate of the process change point following a control chart signal would be useful to process engineers. This paper addresses change point estimation for covariance-stationary autocorrelated processes where the mean drifts deterministically with time. For example, the mean of a chemical process might drift linearly over time as a result of a constant pressure leak. The goal of this paper is to derive and evaluate an MLE for the time of polynomial drift in the mean of autocorrelated processes. It is assumed that the behavior in the process mean over time is adequately modeled by the kth-order polynomial trend model. Further, it is assumed that the autocorrelation structure is adequately modeled by the general (stationary and invertible) mixed autoregressive-moving-average model. The estimator is intended to be applied to data obtained following a genuine control chart signal in efforts to help pinpoint the root cause of process change. Application of the estimator is demonstrated using a simulated data set. The performance of the estimator is evaluated through Monte Carlo simulation studies for the k=1 case and across several processes yielding various levels of positive autocorrelation. Results suggest that the proposed estimator provides process engineers with an accurate and useful estimate for the last sample obtained from the unchanged process. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Characterization of the phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase gene from Candida albicans.

Phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) synthetase catalyzes the transfer of phosphate from ATP to d-ribose-5-phosphate during the synthesis of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides and tryptophan and histidine biosynthesis in a variety of organisms. We cloned and sequenced the PRPP synthetase gene (PRS1) of Candida albicans because, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a deficiency in PRPP synthetase activity interacts with a mutation in ELM4-1 (elongated morphology) to cause constitutive pseudohyphal growth in nitrogen-rich media. In order to study the role of the C. albicans PRS1 in growth and morphogenesis, we used gene disruption to isolate PRS1 mutants; however, while heterozygous PRS1 clones were readily obtained, homozygous, null strains were not recovered indicating that PRS1 is probably essential for growth of the organism. Heterozygotes in PRS1 produced approximately 35% less PRPP synthetase (P = 0·0004) and exhibited a similar reduction in transcript levels. Confirmation of a heterozygous, single disruption in...
Inference for Size Demography from Point Pattern Data using Integral Projection Models.

Population dynamics with regard to evolution of traits has typically been studied using matrix projection models (MPMs). Recently, to work with continuous traits, integral projection models (IPMs) have been proposed. Imitating the path with MPMs, IPMs are handled first with a fitting stage, then with a projection stage. Fitting these models has so far been done only with individual-level transition data. These data are used to estimate the demographic functions (survival, growth, fecundity) that comprise the kernel of the IPM specification. Then, the estimated kernel is iterated from an initial trait distribution to project steady state population behavior under this kernel. When trait distributions are observed over time, such an approach does not align projected distributions with these observed temporal benchmarks.
Blood oxygenation level-dependent MRI for assessment of renal oxygenation

Blood oxygen level-dependent magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD MRI) has recently emerged as an important noninvasive technique to assess intrarenal oxygenation under physiologic and pathophysiologic conditions. Although this tool represents a major addition to our armamentarium of methodologies to investigate the role of hypoxia in the pathogenesis of acute kidney injury and progressive chronic kidney disease, numerous technical limitations confound interpretation of data derived from this approach. BOLD MRI has been utilized to assess intrarenal oxygenation in numerous experimental models of kidney disease and in human subjects with diabetic and nondiabetic chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, renal allograft rejection, contrast-associated nephropathy, and obstructive uropathy. However, confidence in conclusions based on data derived from BOLD MRI measurements will require continuing advances and technical refinements in the use of this technique.
Effect of postextrasystolic potentiation on systolic bulging of ischemic myocardium.

Abstract Because the extent of myocardial bulging after acute coronary occlusion is primarily dependent on wall tension, this study examined whether the decrease in systolic bulging with postextrasystolic potentiation was due to contractile reserve or to changes in loading conditions. Seven dogs were atrially paced at 100 beats/min after the sinus node was crushed and atrial extrasystoles were generated. The left ventricular minor axis diameter and segment lengths in the ischemic and nonischemic zones were measured with sonomicrometers. Wall tension was estimated using Laplace's law, and regional tension-length loops were determined. By 5 min after the left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded, there was regional bulging. Postextrasystolic potentiation diminished the extent of bulging by increasing both isovolumic and ejection percent systolic shortening (isovolumic −9.1 ± 2.0% to −5.9 ± 1.7%, p This study demonstrates that the decrease in bulging seen with postextrasystolic potentiation is due to changes in loading conditions and not to contractile reserve.
Helping Clients Heal: Does Forgiveness Make a Difference?

Broken trust, broken hearts, and broken spirits: these are all potential issues facing clients who have been hurt by others. Some have claimed that helping clients explicitly forgive those who have hurt them is a legitimate therapeutic intervention. However, do clients need explicit forgiveness interventions? Do clients want them? After they are received, are these interventions helpful? For the majority of 59 clients from 3 university counseling centers the answers were mostly affirmative. They had experienced a hurt that they wanted to forgive and wanted to talk about in therapy. Those who talked explicitly about forgiveness reported more overall improvement in their presenting symptoms. Implications for using explicit forgiveness interventions with clients are discussed.
Is L2 Paravertebral Block Comparable to Lumbar Plexus Block for Postoperative Analgesia After Total Hip Arthroplasty

Background Continuous lumbar plexus block (LPB) is a well-accepted technique for regional analgesia after THA. However, many patients experience considerable quadriceps motor weakness with this technique, thus impairing their ability to achieve their physical therapy goals.
Should We Be Teaching More History

Since the middle of the 1980s, there has arisen a social studies reform movement. The most striking common feature of this movement has been the call for an increase in the amount of history incorp...
Lutheran Theology in Engagement with World Religions

: When Lutheran theology engages the world religions, it can offer valuable insights into God's word in action which could come from outside the church. In light of God's Word in action which is an indispensable part of Martin Luther's theology, the author draws special attention to Lutheran irregular theology in connection with a universal dimension of God's grace, theologia crucis, and God's reconciliation with the world. Thus, Lutheran theology is of pro-Old Testament orientation in relationship with Israel, and also of dialogical and public character in dealing with the issue of religious pluralism.
The Expansion of Large Scale Hog Farming in Iowa: The Applicability of Goldschmidt's Findings Fifty Years Later

Using county level socioeconomic and agricultural data from all counties in Iowa, we assess Goldschmidt's findings that measures of economic well-being are better with the presence of more smaller farms rather than fewer larger ones. We ethnographically situate our examination in terms of statewide discussions concerning the desirability of large scale swine production. Contrary to state economic development rhetoric, our analysis indicates that the organization of hog production and not market share or numbers is a key to rural welfare. We conclude that it is more advantageous for Iowa to have more hog farmers rather than more hogs.
Cervical spine injuries in blunt trauma patients requiring emergent endotracheal intubation

Airway management in the blunt trauma patient is complicated by the potential for causing or exacerbating an injury to the cervical cord if an unstable cervical fracture is present. The records of 987 blunt trauma patients who required emergent endotracheal intubation over a 5-year period were retrospectively reviewed to determine the incidence and type of cervical spine injury and the incidence of injury based on airway management. Sixty of the patients (6.1%) had a cervical fracture; 53 were potentially unstable injuries by radiographic criteria. Twenty patients had neurologic deficits prior to intubation. Twenty-six patients with unstable injuries were intubated orally, 25 nasally, and two by cricothyrotomy. One patient developed a neurologic deficit after nasotracheal intubation. Because of a possible selection bias in which severely injured patients were preferentially referred to this trauma center, the true incidence of cervical spine injuries may be lower than the 6.1% we found. The authors conclude that the incidence of serious cervical spine injury in a very severely injured population of blunt trauma patients is relatively low, and that commonly used methods of precautionary airway management rarely lead to neurologic deterioration.
Synergistic cytotoxicity of combinations of dimethyl sulfoxide and antineoplastic agents against P388 leukemia in CD-F1 mice.

We have reported that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and antineoplastic agents exhibit synergistic cytotoxicity against human tumors in vitro. This study was undertaken to investigate this effect in vivo. Groups of mice were given intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of P388 leukemia cells. Groups were treated with i.p. injections of either saline, DMSO alone, mitoxantrone hydrochloride (DHAD) alone, methotrexate alone, DHAD in DMSO or methotrexate in DMSO. Combinations of DMSO and DHAD produced 46-61% increases above expected survival, demonstrating synergistic cytotoxicity in vivo. Following confirmatory animal studies, trials utilizing i.p. delivery of antineoplastics in DMSO as treatment for peritoneal tumors should be undertaken.
Oncogenic ras triggers the activation of 42-kDa mitogen-activated protein kinase in extracts of quiescent Xenopus oocytes.

Abstract Quiescent, full-grown Xenopus oocytes, which are arrested at the G2/M border of meiosis, contain an inactive 42-kDa mitogen-activated protein kinase (p42MAPK) that is activated when oocytes are stimulated to resume the meiotic cell cycle. We have made extracts from these oocytes that respond to four cell cycle activators: oncogenic [Val12]Ras protein, clam cyclins A delta 60 and B delta 97, and the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid. All four induce the tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of p42MAPK. Both cyclins and okadaic acid, but not [Val12]Ras, also lead to activation of the endogenous cyclin B/cdc2 kinase complexes in extracts of quiescent oocytes. Using extracts prepared from cycloheximide-arrested interphase cells, we show that although p42MAPK activation can occur in response to cyclin-activated cdc2, the Ras-induced activation of p42MAPK occurs without intervening cdc2 activation. Neither the nononcogenic [Gly12]Ras nor [Val12,Arg186]Ras, a mutant that lacks the C-terminal consensus sequence directing prenylation and subsequent membrane association, is an effective activator of p42MAPK in vitro.
Cellular aspects of the inflammatory response in Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract Cerebral amyloid β protein deposition in Alzheimer's disease is associated with a predominantly local acute phase response that kindles release of various inflammatory and immune system mediators. The molecular events are accompanied by a profound cellular response which is largely orchestrated by microglia. Current evidence suggests microglia are primarily involved in phagocytic activity and may be responsible for inducing further neuronal damage by generating reactive oxygen species and proteolytic enzymes. Antiinflammatory measures that target complement activation as well as microglial-mediated oxidative damage would provide rational therapeutic strategies.
Adrenal steroid secretion and a renal-pressor system in the chicken (Gallus domesticus)

Abstract The concentrations of aldosterone and corticosterone in adrenal vein plasma were measured by the double isotope derivative assay in intact cockerels and in cockerels following hypophysectomy, infusion of ACTH, infusion of chicken kidney extracts, or sodium depletion. In sodium-depleted cockerels, renal renin content, index of juxtaglomerular granularity (JGI), and the width of the peripheral zone of the adrenals were also examined. The adrenal vein plasma levels of corticosterone and aldosterone in intact “surgically stressed” cockerels were 6.58 ± 1.47 (SEM) and 0.21 ± 0.06 μg/100 ml, respectively. Infusion of porcine ACTH produced a significant increase in corticosterone but no increase in aldosterone. Concentrations of both steroids were significantly decreased by hypophysectomy while neither sodium depletion nor infusion of chicken kidney extracts produced a detectable change in adrenal veins levels of these steroids. Sodium-depleted cockerels showed a significant increase in JGI. Kidney extracts from sodium-depleted cockerels, when incubated with chicken plasma, produced a significantly greater blood pressure increase in a rat than did kidney extracts from sodium-repleted cockerels. The peripheral zone of adrenals from sodium depleted birds was wider than that of control birds. It is suggested that the pituitary plays a role in maintaining adrenal secretion of aldosterone as well as corticosterone in cockerels. A renal-pressor system was found to be present in the cockerel and could be stimulated by sodium depletion although no steroidogenic action of this system was demonstrable.
Computational comparison of two formulations for dynamic supply chain reconfiguration with capacity expansion and contraction

The strategic dynamic supply chain reconfiguration (DSCR) problem is to prescribe the location and capacity of each facility, select links used for transportation, and plan material flows through the supply chain, including production, inventory, backorder, and outsourcing levels. The objective is to minimize total cost. The network must be dynamically reconfigured (i.e., by opening facilities, expanding and/or contracting their capacities, and closing facilities) over time to accommodate changing trends in demand and/or costs. The problem involves a multi-period, multi-product, multi-echelon supply chain. Research objectives of this paper are a traditional formulation and a network-based model of the DSCR problem; tests to promote intuitive interpretation of our models; tests to identify computational characteristics of each model to determine if one offers superior solvability; and tests to identify sensitivity of run time relative to primary parameters.
Asymptomatic bronchial hyperresponsiveness in rhinitis

Abstract Methacholine inhalation tests are used to help in the diagnosis of asthma when spirometry is normal. However, the significance of increased methacholine responsiveness in patients with rhinitis and no symptoms of asthma is not known. One possibility is that it is a false positive result; another possibility is that it indicates subclinical asthma. We investigated these possibilities in 25 patients with rhinitis, whose attending physician had not made a diagnosis of asthma, by comparing responsiveness to methacholine expressed as the provocation concentration to cause a fall in FEV 1 of 20% (PC 20 ) with responsiveness to the natural stimulus of isocapnic hyperventilation of cold air and the diurnal variation of peak flow rate. Asthma was recognized objectively by variable airflow obstruction documented by one of the latter two tests. The PC 20 ranged between 4 and >64 mg/ml. In 10 patients the PC 20 was 20 was borderline increased (8 to 16 mg/ml). The results indicate that methacholine responsiveness in the asthmatic range in patients with rhinitis is associated with variable airflow obstruction and subclinical asthma.
Parallel cardiac and vascular adaptation in hypertension.

BACKGROUNDAlthough vascular damage in the noncoronary circulation is a major cause of complications in hypertension, relatively little is known of the in vivo geometry and function of the arterial circulation in patients with uncomplicated hypertension or of their relation to left ventricular hypertrophy, a marker of enhanced risk of cardiovascular complications.METHODS AND RESULTSWall thickness and internal diameter of the common carotid artery and the presence of atherosclerosis within the extracranial carotid arteries were determined by ultrasound in 43 asymptomatic hypertensive patients and 43 normotensive subjects matched for sex, age, and body size. Vascular stiffness was estimated from simultaneous superimposed carotid pressure waveforms obtained with an external solid-state transducer. Left ventricular size and function were determined echocardiographically. Compared with normal subjects, hypertensive patients had greater left ventricular absolute and relative wall thicknesses, left ventricular ma...
Intracranial incidental findings on brain MR images in a pediatric neurology practice: a retrospective study.

Abstract Background and purpose Previous studies have addressed the prevalence of incidental findings largely in healthy adult and pediatric populations. Our study aims to elucidate the prevalence of incidental findings in a pediatric neurology practice. Methods We reviewed the charts of 1618 patients seen at a pediatric neurology practice at a tertiary care center from September 2003 to December 2005 for clinical data and incidental intracranial findings on brain magnetic resonance imaging reports. Incidental findings were divided into two categories: normal or abnormal variants. Clinical and demographic data were assessed for associations with incidental findings. Results From 1618 charts reviewed, only 666 patients (41% of all patients) had brain MRIs ordered. One-hundred and seventy-one (171) patients (25.7% of all patients; 95% CI: 22.6, 29.0) had incidental findings. Of these, 113 (17.0%; 95% CI: 14.1, 19.8) were classified as normal-variants and 58 (8.7%; 95% CI: 6.6, 10.9) were classified as abnormal. The nature of incidental findings was not related to age group, sex or clinical diagnosis ( p = 0.29, p = 0.31 and p = 0.69 respectively). Two patients (0.3%; 95% CI: ∼ 0.0, 0.7) required neurosurgical referral. Conclusions We report a high prevalence of and a low rate of referrals for incidental findings in comparison to previous studies. The present study may help guide management decisions and discussions with patients and families. Future studies should attempt to address issues of associations between primary or secondary diagnoses and intracranial incidental findings in a controlled, prospective fashion.
Phenotypic Recurrent Selection Methodology for Reducing Fiber Concentration in Smooth Bromegrass

Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentration, a laboratory predictor of voluntary feed intake by livestock, has become a popular selection criterion in forage breeding programs. The objective of this study was to make empirical comparisons among six phenotypic recurrent selection methods for reducing NDF concentration in smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.). There were three basic selection methods: vNB2 = vegetative harvest, NIRS (near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy) evaluation of NDF, and bi-parental selection; hNU2 = heading growth stage harvest, NIRS, and uni-parental selection; and hWU2 = heading growth stage, wet-laboratory analysis of NDF, and uni-parental selection. Each method was repeated in a replicated polycross nursery of selected individuals (vNP3, hNP3, and hWP3). The vNB2 selection method resulted in the greatest gain for the vegetative growth stage, averaging a 4.0 g kg -1 yr -1 (1.0% yr -1 ) reduction in NDF concentration. Polycrossing did not improve upon this method, but improved the other two selection methods by an average of 241% because of control of male gametes. The hWP3 selection method resulted in the greatest gain for the heading growth stage, averaging 3.4 g kg -1 yr -1 (0.6% yr -1 ). Realized gains for the vegetative growth stage selection methods were greater than predicted, likely because of extremely low sampling variation, resulting from uniform selection units. For maximum response, long-term selection for a target growth stage should be conducted at that growth stage. The use of NIRS was highly effective at the vegetative growth stage, but less effective at the heading growth stage.