cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Target-mediated pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic model of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO).

A mechanism-based pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model was developed for recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) to account for receptor-mediated endocytosis via erythropoietin receptor (EPOR) as a primary mechanism for nonlinear disposition of rHuEPO as well as activation of erythropoietic stimulation. Time profiles of rHuEPO concentrations following a wide range of intravenous (i.v.) doses in rats (10, 100, 450, 1,350, 4,050 IU/kg), monkeys (500, 2,000, 4,000 IU/kg), and man (10, 100, 150, 300, 500 IU/kg) were examined. The mean data of reticulocytes, red blood cells (RBC), and hemoglobin for five different doses in rats were analyzed. The PK model components included receptor binding, subsequent internalization and degradation, EPOR turnover, non-specific tissue distribution, and linear first-order elimination from plasma. The equilibrium dissociation constant (K D ) was similar between rats and monkeys (0.11 nM) and was 10-fold lower in humans (0.012 nM). The PD effects of rHuEPO were described by an indirect response model with lifespan cell loss and driven by the rHuEPO–EPOR complex. A generalized nonlinear PK model for rHuEPO taking into account EPOR binding of the drug in bone marrow was proposed and well described the PK profiles of rHuEPO following i.v. doses in rats, monkeys, and man. The present receptor-mediated PK/PD model for rHuEPO closely reflects underlying mechanisms of disposition and dynamics of rHuEPO.
Concepts and Issues Related to Choice-Making and Autonomy among Persons with Severe Disabilities.

This paper discusses issues related to concepts of preferences and choice-making among persons with severe disabilities. Included are suggestions for acknowledging preferences, teaching choice as a decision-making process, and the broader implications of choice-making among persons with severe handicaps as an expression of personal autonomy and dignity. Directions for future research are discussed.
The Mediating Effects of Student Engagement on the Relationships between Academic Disciplines and Learning Outcomes: An Extension of Holland's Theory.

This research examined the relationships among students’ academic majors, levels of engagement, and learning outcomes within the context of Holland’s person–environment theory of vocational and educational behavior. The study focused on the role of student engagement as a mediating agent in the relationships between academic majors and student learning. Drawing on data from a stratified random sample of 20,000 seniors who participated in the 2008 National Survey of Student Engagement, results revealed that students’ academic majors were significantly related to levels of engagement and learning outcomes. Student engagement was also significantly related to learning outcomes. Students’ academic majors generally were not indirectly related to learning outcomes through levels of engagement. An important exception to this result was found for students in Enterprising environments where indirect relationships among Enterprising disciplines and Enterprising learning outcomes were positive, statistically significant, and substantially larger than the direct relationship.
The effect of soft‐core and hard‐core erotica on provoked and unprovoked hostile behavior

Abstract Both male and female subjects were provoked or not provoked, exposed to erotic motion pictures that ranged from suggestive to explicitly sexual, or given a control treatment of either a neutral film or a no‐communication waiting period, and provided with an opportunity to behave in a hostile manner. It was predicted that provoked persons' hostility would be reduced by minimally arousing but maximally pleasant erotica and increased by maximally arousing but minimally pleasant erotica. Regardless of the degree of sexual explicitness, erotica had no appreciable effect on unprovoked males or females. Excitatory reactions to erotica were comparable for both sexes. There were significant sex differences in the hedonic responses to these stimuli, however. Females reported being disturbed to a much greater degree than did males. Males reported positive affective reactions to films depicting coitus, but not to a film depicting precoital behavior. Inexplicit erotica with positive hedonic valence did not re...
Dynamic Simulation of an Autothermal Methane Reformer

A dynamic autothermal methane reformer model has been developed and tested for the production of a hydrogen- and carbon monoxide-rich syngas. This study looks at potential advantages and disadvantages of an autothermal reformer, both operating in stand-alone mode and in conjunction with a high temperature fuel cell stack. The model uses a conservation of moles as the fundamental continuity relationship, and applies basic energy conservation equations to simulate both the gas and the catalyst bed energies. Chemical kinetic expressions using empirical constants for the Arrhenius rate terms that describe steam reformation of methane and partial oxidation of methane are simultaneously solved to provide an accurate picture of the reaction dynamics. This paper presents dynamic responses of reformer outlet temperature, hydrogen mole fraction, reaction rates and methane conversion to the perturbation of the reformer inlet variables of steam-to-carbon ratio, oxygen-to-carbon ratio and inlet gas temperature. Also explored is the concept of catalyst “light-off,” where there is found to be a lower temperature limit above which catalyst activity is substantially increased.© 2004 ASME
Counterexamples to conjectures on 4-connected matroids

Tutte characterized binary matroids to be those matroids without aU 4 2 minor. Bixby strengthened Tutte’s result, proving that each element of a 2-connected non-binary matroid is in someU 4 2 minor. Seymour proved that each pair of elements in a 3-connected non-binary matroid is in someU 4 2 minor and conjectured that each triple of elements in a 4-connected non-binary matroid is in someU 4 2 minor. A related conjecture of Robertson is that each triple of elements in a 4-connected non-graphic matroid is in some circuit. This paper provides counterexamples to these two conjectures.
Frequencies of Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Among Military Leaders

Psychological type distributions of military leaders at various levels show interesting patterns. Military leaders have yet to fully begin to appreciate the psychological type contributions the sta...
Direct inversion of potential fields from an uneven track with application to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

Current methods of potential field inversion require measurements to be reduced onto a level plane, resulting in a loss of resolution. This is especially true for draped surveys in areas of extreme topography. We examine a method that bypasses this limiting step by making use of an approximately equivalent geometry from which data are directly inverted. Corrections are applied to an initial solution to account for errors generated by the transformation of geometries. A numerical model and an example data set are used to explore this method's benefits and drawbacks in relation to the conventional approach of data reduction onto a level plane prior to inversion. We show that this direct inversion method is particularly better than the conventional approach at resolving fine-scale features, such as the narrow zone of crustal emplacement at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and adjacent areas of tectonic disruption and magnetic source alteration.
Optimizing a proteomics platform for urine biomarker discovery.

Biomarker discovery approaches in urine have been hindered by concerns for reproducibility and inadequate standardization of proteomics protocols. In this study, we describe an optimized quantitative proteomics strategy for urine biomarker discovery, which is applicable to fresh or long frozen samples. We used urine from healthy controls to standardize iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) for variation induced by protease inhibitors, starting protein and iTRAQ label quantities, protein extraction methods, and depletion of albumin and immunoglobulin G (IgG). We observed the following: (a) Absence of protease inhibitors did not affect the number or identity of the high confidence proteins. (b) Use of less than 20 µg of protein per sample led to a significant drop in the number of identified proteins. (c) Use of as little as a quarter unit of an iTRAQ label did not affect the number or identity of the identified proteins. (d) Protein extraction by methanol precipitation led to the highest protein yields and the most reproducible spectra. (e) Depletion of albumin and IgG did not increase the number of identified proteins or deepen the proteome coverage. Applying this optimized protocol to four pairs of long frozen urine samples from diabetic Pima Indians with or without nephropathy, we observed patterns suggesting segregation of cases and controls by iTRAQ spectra. We also identified several previously reported candidate biomarkers that showed trends toward differential expression, albeit not reaching statistical significance in this small sample set.
De monachis rithmos facientibus: Hélinant de Froidmont, Bertran de Born, and the Cistercian General Chapter of 1199

Discussion d'un statut passe par le Chapitre general de l'ordre cistercien en 1199: Monachi qui rythmos fecerint, ad domos alias mittantur non redituri nisi per generale Capitulum. L'A. developpe la these suivante: les rythmi prohibes sont des poemes polemiques| le Chapitre a ete conduit a passer ce statut par des poemes de cisterciens tels que Helinant de Froidmont et Bertran de Born, poemes publies en 1193-1197 et en 1197-1198 respectivement. Dans son Vers de la mort, Helinant de Froidmont attaque les hauts dignitaires de l'Eglise, les riches, et Philippe Auguste (pour son divorce d'avec Ingeburg de Danemark). L'ancien seigneur et trouvere Bertran de Born, dans deux poemes, s'en prend egalement, entre autres, a Philippe Auguste pour sa politique etrangere.
Subcomplexes of PA700, the 19 S Regulator of the 26 S Proteasome, Reveal Relative Roles of AAA Subunits in 26 S Proteasome Assembly and Activation and ATPase Activity

We have identified, purified, and characterized three subcomplexes of PA700, the 19 S regulatory complex of the 26 S proteasome. These subcomplexes (denoted PS-1, PS-2, and PS-3) collectively account for all subunits present in purified PA700 but contain no overlapping components or significant levels of non-PA700 proteins. Each subcomplex contained two of the six AAA subunits (Rpt1–6) that form the binding interface of PA700 with the 20 S proteasome, the protease component of the 26 S proteasome. Unlike intact PA700, no individual PA700 subcomplex displayed ATPase activity or proteasome activating activity. However, both activities were manifested by ATP-dependent in vitro reconstitution of PA700 from the subcomplexes. We exploited functional reconstitution to define and distinguish roles of different PA700 subunits in PA700 function by selective alteration of subunits within individual subcomplexes prior to reconstitution. Carboxypeptidase treatment of either PS-2 or PS-3, subcomplexes containing specific Rpt subunits previously shown to have important roles in 26 S proteasome assembly and activation, inhibited these processes but did not affect PA700 reconstitution or ATPase activity. Thus, the intact C termini of both subunits are required for 26 S proteasome assembly and activation but not for PA700 reconstitution. Surprisingly, carboxypeptidase treatment of PS-1 also inhibited 26 S proteasome assembly and activation upon reconstitution with untreated PS-2 and PS-3. These results suggest a previously unidentified role for other PA700 subunits in 26 S proteasome assembly and activation. Our results reveal relative structural and functional relationships among the AAA subunits of PA700 and new insights about mechanisms of 26 S proteasome assembly and activation.
Spreading Behavior of Lubricant Films

The self-healing/spreading capability of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) film is critical to handle recurring contacts as well to the long-term reliability of drives. Here the spontaneous spreading of lubricant nanofilms on carbon overcoats via optical surface analyzer (OSA) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to demonstrate molecular conformation as well as diffusion characteristics was investigated. Fractionated PFPE Z and Zdol films with various thicknesses were partially dip-coated on commercial Seagate disks. The spreading profiles were then measured using OSA by tracing the same cross section, perpendicular to the sharp boundary between lubricated and bare disk surfaces. The spreading profiles of PFPE and Zdol monolayers with different molecular weight (MW) and initial thickness were plotted.
IC modeling for yield-aware design with variable defect rates

This paper introduces a modeling methodology that enables design tradeoffs to be performed between yield, throughput and area while targeting process technologies with variable defect rates. A combinatorial model is used to represent candidate circuits in the presence of burn-in component failures, and area and throughput rewards are used for evaluating the expected quality of the final implementation while taking yield issues into consideration. A case study on a benchmark FIR filter design reveals how the methodology can be incorporated into the system design process to evaluate numerous design options implemented on various semiconductor process technologies.
SYNTHESIS OF LIPIDS BY CERTAIN YEAST STRAINS GROWN ON WHEY PERMEATE

Four yeast strains, Apiotrichum curvatum ATCC 10567, Cryptococcus albidus ATCC 56297, Lipomyces starkeyi ATCC 12659, and Rhodosporidium toruloides ATCC 10788, were grown on whey permeate in order to synthesize lipid. Lipomyces starkeyii ATCC 12659 was identified as a high producer of lipid. It synthesized 36.9% lipids based on dry cell mass at a carbon:nitrogen ratio of 30:1 in shake-flask experiments. The significant (p < 0.05) effect of both carbon:nitrogen ratio and yeast strain was observed on dry cell mass yield and lipid biosynthesis. All yeast strains except Rhodosporidium toruloides ATCC 10788 produced more triacylglycerols than phospholipids.
Toward inclusive dialogue: participation and interaction in face-to-face and computer-mediated discussions

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of IT to support organizational knowledge management by mediating discourse through GSS, E-mail, listservers, Lotus Notes, chat rooms, threaded discussions, and the like. But do these technologies foster more inclusive dialogue? Educational research has found that conventional classroom discussions often demonstrate a gender bias. Male participants are much more likely to dominate, often precluding meaningful participation by female members. These technologies may have the potential to reduce this gender bias, but there is little direct research that examines how the nature of the interaction changes in virtual settings and how efficiently or effectively these tools support inclusive participation and interaction. Using a Latin square design, this study compares the participation and interaction of 57 subjects discussing sensitive issues in a traditional face-to-face classroom discussion, supported by a synchronous EMS (GroupSystems), and an asynchronous Web-based threaded discussion. EMS users participated more and Web-based threaded discussion users less than regular classroom subjects. Subjects using technology produced discussions with the least gender bias in participation: EMS discussions produced the most uniform participation. Subjects preferred the EMS, they revealed more in the EMS, perceived higher quality participation with the EMS, and reported higher satisfaction levels with the EMS. Implications for systems developers and organizations are discussed.
Thermal Modeling of a Wireline Tool for Ultra-High Temperatures

The drive to obtain more accurate petrophysical information from deeper wells has led to the demand for operating various downhole tools at higher temperatures for longer time periods. If the borehole temperature reaches values higher than 175°C, it is considered a high temperature (HT) well. In HT wells, reliability of the electronic components of the logging tools is a major concern. One way to address the concern is through using a thermal flask to reduce the heat flow rate from the formation to the tool and evenly distribute the heat generated by the internal electronic components.Optimizing the design of the aforementioned thermal flask is very important in providing a longer operative time for the tool before the temperature of the sensitive electronic parts reaches a critical threshold. To obtain the sensitive parameters for designing the flask, the thermal transport inside the tool must be accurately modeled.In this work, high fidelity FEA and CFD-based transient thermal models are developed for thermal transport in a flask for an ultra-high temperature wireline tool. Two models with different levels of complexity are presented. The models are verified by experimental results and the physical insights obtained from them presented. The predictive capability of the models is used to provide recommendations for safe operating time for various environmental conditions which prevail in the formations. The results obtained from the models can also be used for optimizing the performance of the future generation of the tool and reducing the amount of time spent in unnecessary trip outs.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
A new scalar equivalence for Pareto optimization

A new scalar equivalence is presented for Pareto optimization. This equivalence involves the maximization of a real-valued function subject to parametric constraints. The method extends to maximizations defined in terms of polyhedral cones.
Stellar collisions in galactic centres: black hole growth and colour gradients

We study the effects of stellar collisions, particularly on feeding massive black holes (BHs) and colour gradients, in realistic galactic centres. We find that the mass released by stellar collisions is not sufficient to account for the present BH mass in galactic centres, especially in bright galaxies. This study, together with the study by Magorrian & Tremaine on tidal disruption of stars by massive BHs, implies that the material for BH growth (especially in galaxies brighter than ∼10 9 L O .) can only come from other sources, for example, the mass released by stellar evolution in the initial ∼1 Gyr of the lifetime of the galaxy, or the gas that sinks to the galactic centre in a galaxy merger. We also analyse how the colour of a stellar system is affected by collisions of stars. We find that collisions between main-sequence stars cannot cause observable colour gradients in the visible bands at projected radius R ≥ 0.1 arcsec in M31, M32 and other nearby galactic centres. This result is consistent with the lack of an observable colour gradient in M32 at R ≥ 0.1 arcsec. At even smaller radii, the colour differences caused by collisions between main-sequence stars are at most 0.08 mag at R = 0.02 arcsec. The averaged bluing caused by stellar collisions in the region R < 0.1 arcsec of M32 should not be larger than 0.06 mag in colour index U - V and 0.02 mag in V - I. The observed bluing in the centre of the galaxy M31 (in a 0.14 x 0.14 arcsec 2 box) must be caused by some mechanism other than collisions between main-sequence stars.
Survival and Genet Growth and Development of Field-Planted Giant Cane (Arundinaria gigantea) over Time in Southern Illinois

Abstract The drastic loss of giant cane (Arundinaria gigantea) -dominated communities (canebrakes) in southeastern North America has spurred great interest in habitat restoration. We report on two giant cane restoration studies that investigate the effects of collection source, rhizome propagule morphological characteristics and type (greenhouse-grown containerized stock plants or bare rhizomes), site, and time on genet survival and growth. Survival over the two studies (after three and five years) differed by propagule collection source, was marginally greater when planting older containerized stock, and varied between sites. Although field survival tended to be somewhat greater for greenhouse-grown containerized stock in comparison to bare rhizomes, overall survival was similar for both stock types when accounting for mortality of planted rhizomes in the greenhouse. The number of culms, their height, and spread of the genets increased over time and differed by planting stock type in each study. At Becca...
Thermal Boundary Layer Response to Far-Field Flow Temperature Transitions

Gas flows of varying temperature occur in heat exchangers, nuclear reactors, non-steady flow devices, and combustion engines, among other applications with heat transfer processes that influence energy conversion efficiency. A general numerical method is developed for predicting the transient laminar thermal boundary layer response to arbitrarily prescribed changes in the bulk far-field fluid temperature. The method is tested for the step change of the far-field flow temperature of a two-dimensional semi-infinite flat plate with steady hydrodynamic boundary layer and constant wall temperature assumptions. Changes of the fluid-wall temperature difference in magnitude and sign are considered, including flow with no initial temperature difference and built-up thermal boundary layer. The governing differential equations for momentum and energy are solved based on the Keller-Box finite difference method. The accuracy of the solutions is verified through comparing with the steady state solution. Transient heat transfer coefficients are presented, which indicate that both magnitude and direction of heat transfer can be significantly different from quasi-steady models commonly used.© 2007 ASME
Using inverse weighting and predictive inference to estimate the effects of time-varying treatments on the discrete-time hazard.

We estimate the effects of non-randomized time-varying treatments on the discrete-time hazard, using inverse weighting. We consider the special monotone pattern of treatment that develops over time as subjects permanently discontinue an initial treatment, and assume that treatment selection is sequentially ignorable. We use a propensity score in the hazard model to reduce the potential for finite-sample bias due to inverse weighting. When the number of subjects who discontinue treatment at any given time is small, we impose scientific restrictions on the potentially observable discontinuation hazards to improve efficiency. We use predictive inference to account for the correlation of the potential hazards, when comparing outcomes under different durations of initial treatment.
Digital Chinese human dataset and its applications

This work presents some image processing methods of virtual Chinese human (VCH) dataset, including the multislice registration, reduction of noise and artifacts and segmentation techniques. A new hybrid volume render method based on parallel computing is also introduced for high resolution visualization of the large dataset of VCH. The results of visualization show that the methods work well and can be used for high resolution visualization of VCH dataset.
Expanded Dermofasciectomies and Full-Thickness Grafts in the Treatment of Dupuytren’s Contracture: A 36-Year Experience

Purpose: Dupuytren’s disease frequently results in crippling deformities of the hands and has a high incidence of recurrence after limited fasciectomy. We report a 36-year experience with full-thickness grafts to resurface defects created by releasing Dupuytren’s contractures with dermofasciectomies.
Physical Models for Compound Semiconductor Devices

GaAs technology has a significant advantage over silicon in terms of speed and radiation hardness. However, compound semiconductor technology is much less developed. Device and integrated circuit fabrication is expensive and the fabrication cycle usually takes several weeks. All this makes accurate simulation of device fabrication and realistic device and circuit modeling especially important for compound semiconductor technology, even more so than for its silicon counterpart.
Characterization of a multi-component anthrax vaccine designed to target the initial stages of infection as well as toxaemia

Current vaccine approaches to combat anthrax are effective; however, they target only a single protein [the protective antigen (PA) toxin component] that is produced after spore germination. PA production is subsequently increased during later vegetative cell proliferation. Accordingly, several aspects of the vaccine strategy could be improved. The inclusion of spore-specific antigens with PA could potentially induce protection to initial stages of the disease. Moreover, adding other epitopes to the current vaccine strategy will decrease the likelihood of encountering a strain of Bacillus anthracis (emerging or engineered) that is refractory to the vaccine. Adding recombinant spore-surface antigens (e.g. BclA, ExsFA/BxpB and p5303) to PA has been shown to augment protection afforded by the latter using a challenge model employing immunosuppressed mice challenged with spores derived from the attenuated Sterne strain of B. anthracis. This report demonstrated similar augmentation utilizing guinea pigs or mice challenged with spores of the fully virulent Ames strain or a non-toxigenic but encapsulated ΔAmes strain of B. anthracis, respectively. Additionally, it was shown that immune interference did not occur if optimal amounts of antigen were administered. By administering the toxin and spore-based immunogens simultaneously, a significant adjuvant effect was also observed in some cases. Thus, these data further support the inclusion of recombinant spore antigens in next-generation anthrax vaccine strategies.
Should Pathologists Send All or Only Selected Slides for Patient-Requested Interlaboratory Second Opinion?

For interlaboratory second opinions requested by patients or clinicians, whether all or selected slides should be sent is unknown. We compared the disagreement rate for requested second opinions for 4 years of sending selected slides with the rate for 1 year of sending all slides. Disagreements were identified in 81 (13.6%) of 596 cases (468 selected slides, 128 all slides). The disagreement rate was less when sending selected slides (n = 58 [12%]) vs all slides (n = 23 [18%]; P = .03). Only 5 cases were identified with disagreement related to whether all or selected slides were sent (selected slides, 1 case [slide of interest inadvertently not chosen]; all slides, 4 cases; P = .03). When all slides were sent (disagreement in number of positive nodes, 2 cases; failure of second laboratory to identify microinvasive ductal carcinoma when present in 1 of 10 core biopsy slides, and ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS] adjacent to invasive ductal carcinoma when DCIS present on only 1 of 5 slides [2/81 (2%)], 1 case each). Sending all slides is associated with a higher disagreement rate than sending only selected slides, but this disagreement comes from correcting and introducing error.
Genetic diversity of the endangered and narrow endemic Piperia yadonii (Orchidaceae) assessed with ISSR polymorphisms.

Highly endangered plants that are also narrow endemics are generally found to be genetically depauperate and thus are exceedingly susceptible to ecological and anthropological threats that can lead to their extinction. Piperia yadonii is restricted to a single California county within a biodiversity hotspot. We used nine primers to generate intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) data to assess its genetic diversity and structure. Within each population, 99% of the loci were polymorphic, expected heterozygosity was low, and a majority of the loci were shared with few other populations. Forty percent of the total variation could be attributed to population differentiation while the rest (60%) resides within populations, and the genetic distances between populations were independent of the corresponding geographical distances. High divergence among populations is likely due to fragmentation and limited gene fl ow. Each population contains several private loci, and ideally, each should be protected to preserve the overall diversity of the species. Because P. yadonii currently retains a modest amount of genetic variation among individuals within populations, preserving and expanding the habitat at each site to allow natural expansion of populations would be additional strategies for its conservation before populations become too small to persist naturally.
An embedded declarative data transformation language

We introduce a logic programming framework for data type transformations based on isomorphisms between elementary data types (natural numbers, finite functions, sets and permutations, digraphs, DAGs, hypergraphs, etc.) and automatically derived extensions to hereditarily finite universes through ranking/unranking operations.An embedded higher order combinator language provides any-to-any encodings automatically.Applications range from stream iterators on combinatorial objects and uniform generation of random instances to succinct data representations and serialization of Prolog terms.The self-contained source code of the paper, as generated from a literate Prolog program, is available at http://logic.cse.unt.edu/tarau/research/2009/pISO.zip
Real-Time Three-Dimensional Echocardiographic Study of Left Ventricular Function After Infarct Exclusion Surgery for Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND: Infarct exclusion (IE) surgery, a technique of left ventricular (LV) reconstruction for dyskinetic or akinetic LV segments in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, requires accurate volume quantification to determine the impact of surgery due to complicated geometric changes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thirty patients who underwent IE (mean age 61+/-8 years, 73% men) had epicardial real-time 3-dimensional echocardiographic (RT3DE) studies performed before and after IE. RT3DE follow-up was performed transthoracically 42+/-67 days after surgery in 22 patients. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare the values before and after IE surgery and at follow-up. Significant decreases in LV end-diastolic (EDVI) and end-systolic (ESVI) volume indices were apparent immediately after IE and in follow-up (EDVI 99+/-40, 67+/-26, and 71+/-31 mL/m(2), respectively; ESVI 72+/-37, 40+/-21, and 42+/-22 mL/m(2), respectively; P:<0.05). LV ejection fraction increased significantly and remained higher (0.29+/-0.11, 0.43+/-0.13, and 0.42+/-0.09, respectively, P:<0.05). Forward stroke volume in 16 patients with preoperative mitral regurgitation significantly improved after IE and in follow-up (22+/-12, 53+/-24, and 58+/-21 mL, respectively, P:<0.005). New York Heart Association functional class at an average 285+/-144 days of clinical follow-up significantly improved from 3.0+/-0.8 to 1.8+/-0.8 (P:<0.0001). Smaller end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes measured with RT3DE immediately after IE were closely related to improvement in New York Heart Association functional class at clinical follow-up (Spearman's rho=0.58 and 0.60, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: RT3DE can be used to quantitatively assess changes in LV volume and function after complicated LV reconstruction. Decreased LV volume and increased ejection fraction imply a reduction in LV wall stress after IE surgery and are predictive of symptomatic improvement.
Surgical Correction of a Persistent Right Aortic Arch in a Foal

A persistent right fourth aortic arch causing esophageal stenosis was diagnosed in a foal. Presenting signs included cervical swelling that developed following introduction to solid feed at weaning, and symptoms of chronic aspiration pneumonia. The esophagus was distended at the thoracic inlet; neither an endoscope nor a small nasogastric tube could be passed through the strictured esophagus at the heart base. The esophagus was seen to be dilated to the level of the heart base on plain and contrast radiographs. A left lateral thoracotomy through the fifth intercostal space was used to gain access for surgical correction of the defect. Radiographic and clinical evaluation of the foal 2 and 6 months following surgery showed a gradual decrease in size of the esophageal dilatation and an enlargement in the functional diameter of the esophagus at the previously strictured area at the heart base. Ten months following surgery the colt was eating normally and was of normal height and weight.
Cholinergic modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate-evoked [3H]norepinephrine release from rat cortical slices

Previous work has shown that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation inhibits muscarinic receptor-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in brain slices. To further explore the potential interactions between NMDA receptors and cholinergic receptors, the effects of cholinergic agonists and NMDA on [3H]norepinephrine (NE) release from rat cortical slices were determined. Slices were labeled with [3H]NE, washed and treated with various agonists by transferring the slices through a series of vials at 1-min intervals. Radioactivity remaining in the medium was then quantitated to determine the fractional release of [3H]NE from the slices. Carbachol (30-3000 microM) slightly stimulated [3H]NE release from a basal level of 0.10 to approximately 0.35 fractional release by itself and significantly enhanced the effect of 250 microM NMDA (3.6 fractional release for NMDA and 5.3 for carbachol + NMDA) in a concentration-dependent manner. Carbachol (1 mM) increased the maximal response but had no effect on the EC50 of NMDA. Atropine (1 microM) significantly attenuated the effect of carbachol alone and the potentiation of NMDA-evoked [3H]NE release by carbachol, whereas d-tubocurarine (10 microM) inhibited the effect of carbachol alone but had no effect on the enhancement of the NMDA response by carbachol. Mecamylamine (100 microM) inhibited the effect of carbachol alone, but also inhibited the NMDA-evoked response with an IC50 of 16 microM. The nicotinic agonist, dimethylphenylpiperazinium (DMPP) stimulated [3H]NE release (approximately 0.4 fractional release at 30 microM) and also potentiated NMDA-stimulated [3H]NE release (2.0 above NMDA alone). d-Tubocurarine, but not atropine, partially inhibited DMPP-stimulated [3H]NE release, but neither antagonist altered the enhancement of NMDA-stimulated [3H]NE release by DMPP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Ghrelin and growth hormone (GH) secretagogues potentiate GH-releasing hormone (GHRH)-induced cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate production in cells expressing transfected GHRH and GH secretagogue receptors.

GHRH stimulates GH secretion from somatotroph cells of the anterior pituitary via a pathway that involves GHRH receptor activation of adenylyl cyclase and increased cAMP production. The actions of GHRH to release GH can be augmented by the synthetic GH secretagogues (GHS), which bind to a distinct G protein-coupled receptor to activate phospholipase C and increase production of the second messengers calcium and diacylglycerol. The stomach peptide ghrelin represents an endogenous ligand for the GHS receptor, which does not activate the cAMP signaling pathway. This study investigates the effects of GHS and ghrelin on GHRH-induced cAMP production in a homogenous population of cells expressing the cloned GHRH and GHS receptors. Each epitope-tagged receptor was shown to be appropriately expressed and to functionally couple to its respective second messenger pathway in this heterologous cell system. Although activation of the GHS receptor alone had no effect on cAMP production, coactivation of the GHS and GHRH receptors produced a cAMP response approximately twice that observed after activation of the GHRH receptor alone. This potentiated response is dose dependent with respect to both GHRH and GHS, is dependent on the expression of both receptors, and was observed with a variety of peptide and nonpeptide GHS compounds as well as with ghrelin-(1–5). Pharmacological inhibition of signaling molecules associated with GHS receptor activation, including G protein-subunits, phospholipase C, and protein kinase C, had no effect on GHS potentiation of GHRH-induced cAMP production. Importantly, the potentiation appears to be selective for the GHRH receptor. Treatment of cells with the pharmacological agent forskolin elevated cAMP levels, but these levels were not further increased by GHS receptor activation. Similarly, activation of two receptors homologous to the GHRH receptor, the vasoactive intestinal peptide and secretin receptors, increased cAMP levels, but these levels were not further increased by GHS receptor activation. Based on these findings, we speculate that direct interactions between the GHRH and GHS receptors may explain the observed effects on signal transduction. (Endocrinology 143: 4570 – 4582, 2002)
An esophagogastroduodenal anastomosis model for esophageal adenocarcinogenesis in rats and enhancement by iron overload.

The aim of this study is to establish a good animal model for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and to test the hypothesis that iron over-nutrition enhances EAC formation. With rats, esophagogastroduodenal anastomosis (EGDA) was accomplished by anastomosing the duodenum to the gastroesophageal junction. Iron supplementation was given by i.p. injection of iron dextran (4 mg Fe/kg/week). This model mimics the development of human EAC by introducing mixed reflux of gastric and duodenal contents. At 40 weeks after surgery, the body weight, food intake, hemoglobin, total serum iron, transferrin saturation, serum albumin, and plasma levels of a-tocopherol, g-tocopherol and retinol of the EGDA rats were not significantly different from those of the non-operated controls. The animals generally had only mild esophagitis, except that the area surrounding the anastomosis opening had more severe esophagitis. Columnar-lined esophagus (CLE), CLE with dysplasia, and EAC were diagnosed in 53.5, 34.9 and 25.6%, respectively, of the 43 rats. Intraperitoneal iron supplementation significantly enhanced esophageal lesions with CLE, CLE with dysplasia, and EAC to 78.0, 53.7 and 53.7%, respectively, of the 41 rats. All the tumors were well-differentiated mucinous adenocarcinomas at the squamocolumnar junction area, where most iron deposition was observed. EGDA avoids nutritional problems seen in other animal models for EAC. We believe that direct anastomosis of squamous epithelium to columnar epithelium and mixed reflux of gastric and duodenal contents lead to the formation of CLE and EAC. With this model, we demonstrated that iron supplementation significantly enhanced EAC formation, suggesting that iron over-nutrition could also be a risk factor for human EAC.
Analysis of detergent-free lipid rafts isolated from CD4 + T cell line: interaction with antigen presenting cells promotes coalescing of lipid rafts

Background: Lipid rafts present on the plasma membrane play an important role in spatiotemporal regulation of cell signaling. Physical and chemical characterization of lipid raft size and assessment of their composition before, and after cell stimulation will aid in developing a clear understanding of their regulatory role in cell signaling. We have used visual and biochemical methods and approaches for examining individual and lipid raft sub-populations isolated from a mouse CD4 + T cell line in the absence of detergents. Results: Detergent-free rafts were analyzed before and after their interaction with antigen presenting cells. We provide evidence that the average diameter of lipid rafts isolated from un-stimulated T cells, in the absence of detergents, is less than 100 nm. Lipid rafts on CD4 + T cell membranes coalesce to form larger structures, after interacting with antigen presenting cells even in the absence of a foreign antigen. Conclusions: Findings presented here indicate that lipid raft coalescence occurs during cellular interactions prior to sensing a foreign antigen.
Automatic computation of genetic risk

Describes a system to automatically compute genetic risks. To compute genetic risk, genetic counselors consider a variety of data, including family history, disease characteristics and DNA information, within a Bayesian inference framework. However, to manually process all the information is an error-prone and tedious task. Our system provides an automation of this task. It accepts as input the case data and the specification of the risk assessment task. The output of the system is the risk value of interest. The design of the system is based on a blackboard architecture. We describe the knowledge sources making up the system and an illustrative example of the use of the system do compute genetic risks. >
Experimental characterization of an 802.11b wireless mesh network

Wireless Mesh Networks are being deployed everywhere as an alternative to broadband connections. Their ease of setup and large coverage are attractive attributes. However, there are very few performance studies of mesh networks especially in the multiple channel arena. Our objective is to study the performance and characterize the 802.11b wireless mesh backbone as a linear topology with respect to multiple channel usage. We look at the relative performances of single and multiple channels, as well as the number of hops utilized. We introduce a number of communication flows into the network to study the interactions. Finally, we look at the physical placement of the antennas on an access point to determine its impact on performance. Several design decisions for the configuration of wireless mesh network deployments have been inferred from our experimental testbed.
Abstract W MP56: Corticospinal Tract Injury And Motor Impairment After Stroke

INTRODUCTION: Restorative therapies improve outcomes by promoting plasticity in specific neural systems. Imaging biomarkers may provide a useful measure of injury to these systems and so might help determine if a patient has sufficient substrate remaining to derive therapeutic benefit. The pyramidal system is affected in most patients with stroke and has features useful for biomarker testing, especially the anatomy of the corticospinal tract (CST) in the cerebral peduncle (CP). The current study compared clinical performance of 3 published metrics of CST injury. METHODS: Patients with stable motor deficits 3-24 months after stroke were enrolled in 1 of 2 trials that provided 3-4 weeks of arm motor therapy. From baseline MRI, ipsilesional CST [1] white matter integrity (DTI FA in CP), [2] atrophy (CP area), and [3] extent of injury (% lesion overlap with stroke) were measured and compared to Fugl-Meyer (FM) score at baseline, as well as change in FM score across treatment. RESULTS: The 47 patients had substantial baseline motor deficits (FM= 36±14), medium-sized infarcts (30±45cc), and were 5±2.5 mo post-stroke. Baseline motor deficits were related to CST white matter integrity (r=0.49, p=0.0005) more than to % CST injured (r=-0.40, p=0.006). On the other hand, treatment-related motor gains were related only to % CST injured (r=-0.45, p=0.002). A global injury measure (total infarct volume) was weaker than CST injury in correlating with FM scores. None of the 3 CST injury measures were correlated. CONCLUSIONS: The CST injury characteristics related to motor outcome are different from the CST injury characteristics that predict capacity for improvement with therapy. In both cases, these measures did not explain the majority of variance in motor status/improvement, emphasizing that many factors in addition to CST injury are important to motor outcome after stroke. The finding that motor gains are related to % CST injured but not CST integrity provides insights into the neurobiology of brain repair in humans.
Effect of ANG II receptor antagonist on albuminuria and renal function in passive Heymann nephritis

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors reduce albuminuria in nephrotic subjects, but the hormonal mechanism of this effect is not known. To determine whether specific inhibition of angiotensin (ANG) II activity would decrease albuminuria as occurs after converting enzyme inhibition, rats with passive Heymann nephritis received enalapril or the ANG II receptor antagonist losartan (6 mg.kg-1.day-1) for 4 days. Enalapril reduced both albuminuria (from 583 +/- 53 to 286 +/- 55 mg/day, P less than 0.001) and the fractional clearance of albumin (FCAlb) each day after starting treatment but did not affect glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Losartan reduced albuminuria significantly only after 4 days of treatment, but this value was not different from controls. GFR significantly increased with losartan (from 1.24 +/- 0.09 to 1.73 +/- 0.21 ml/min, P less than 0.05) so that FCAlb was reduced (from 0.0134 +/- 0.0027 to 0.0080 +/- 0.0018, P less than 0.05). Blood pressure decreased only in the enalapril group. Altho...
Testing the Intertemporal Efficiency of Hedonic House Prices

This research examines housing market price efficiency across locations within a metropolitan market the hallmark of hedonic theory. Our innovation is to introduce temporal as well as spatial considerations of price efficiency. In an efficient market, the price (level) of housing must not only compensate for current heterogeneity (housing and location attributes), but also for any likely future change in the valuation of these attributes. Attributes and their valuation are economic fundamentals and efficient prices must consider not just current, but the expected future value of those fundamentals as well. As between observationally equivalent houses, we should expect those with higher prices to have higher expected future fundamental value and thus to some degree higher actual future appreciation as well. Thus we aim to apply a spatial-temporal version of the Campbell-Shiller test for asset price efficiency to local housing markets. We test for this efficiency using a panel of repeat-sale house price indices at the zip code level that have been cross sectionally adjusted for hedonic attributes of the house and zip code. We obtain this data for 4 (quite different) MSA. In three of these markets we find that identical houses in higher priced zip codes consistently appreciate faster (in the future) than lower priced. In one market we find that there is little statistical difference. In the first three we infer that prices are forward looking, while in the latter they may not be.
Motivations in seeking advanced pharmacy training.

The recent article by McCarthy and Weber[1][1] analyzed changes in the factors motivating pharmacy students to pursue residency training over the past 18 years. While the authors did touch on many reasons why these factors have changed in recent years, I was disappointed that they did not relate